the price of vanity

i'm not a vain person but i have discovered i like to pamper myself... part of the deal i made myself when i burst onto the single life scene, was to do something for myself once a week... that was a new year's resolution that sorta faded away, but i brought it back to life when i discovered pedicures and manicures...

well, i had solar nails 'installed' (for lack of a better word) and decided last night - it was time to remove them. my typing at work became more difficult with the claws and let's not forget the pain of pinching my eyeball when removing my contacts. i actually saw a red pinch mark line beneath my iris the other day. not good.

so i go to the nail place - and tell them i want them removed. after listening to them try and convince me, 'i make them much nicer than before.' 'you keep them and i make shorter for you.' no no NO. i want them gone gone GONE. they caved and took them off... but not before i had my eyebrows shaped.

why oh why did i agree to the wax. last time they plucked them. this was much nice. sure the wax takes it all off in one swift pull, but while you're left with a nicely shaped arch, you've got tiny bumps to deal with. (if anyone knows a secret to getting rid of these things, please let me know... PLEASE??) so my brows are bumpy but shapely arches, nail time...

this place is all about timing. i got a girl at my feet doing my pedicure and one doing my manicure. now, since the nails need to be removed - it was more like a quest for nail freedom.

first, i soaked my fingers in nail polish remover. nice and drying for the skin... after that was finished, she gets this device, that resembled a plier but smaller, and began pushing my real nail down in order to move the solar nail stuff up. this hurt like nothing before. then it came time to introduce my nailbed to the pliers. they didn't get along so well. in fact - THIS hurt worse than the waxing AND the pushing combined. after about 20 minutes all 10 nails were free of the solar nail stuff and naked. and brittle. and soft. my once strong nails are like paper now.

i'm hoping in a couple weeks, they'll be stronger ( a bit anyway ) and she'll be able to file them into some sort of shape. right now, they're nubs. they are shells of the nails they once were. i regretted taking off the nails when i left the salon. but later that evening, when i was removing my contact, i rejoiced in the speediness with which i can now do this simple task. it was a good decision. a painful one, but a good one nonetheless.

oh and my toes are GORGEOUS! nothing says summer like a nice french pedicure. (complete with a tiny flower in the center of your big toe. =)