Election Day Nails

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Happy Election Day to all the U.S. citizens! Or more like Nervous Day if you're me. I work with the public, so I'm not allowed to show my affiliation tomorrow (FORWARD, people!), but I wanted to at least show how important I feel today is. I have always been passionate about voting even before I could vote. The first big election I vividly remember is the 2000 elections, which are a reminder that each vote means something (yes yes, the electoral college, I know). Me and my friends even started a very meager and woefully-attended Voting Club in high school. I've voted in every election since I turned 18. It is something I feel very strongly about. The right to vote is something many people don't have - something that some people die for; I feel extremely privileged to live in a country where a vote is legitimate and matters. Our country is certainly not perfect, and our voting process is certainly not without it's incomprehensible quirks, but if you can, please please please vote today. Do what others cannot, and make your voice heard.

I'm not good at nail art, but I had an idea of what I wanted to do. I don't have any nail art brushes and I didn't want to go through the frustration of having to re-paint my nails, so I chose a technique that I first saw on More Nail Polish. I also found a quick video on BellaSugar that was helpful. First, I took some cling wrap (I used Glad Press 'n Seal, because it doesn't stick to itself as much) and pressed it on each of my nails one-by-one. I used a fine-tip Sharpie to outline my nails on the wrap, and underneath each outline I labled which hand and finger it was. I smoothed the wrap onto a binder with a plastic cover (the plastic cover allows the wrap to stick, so it doesn't move). Then I put some parchment paper over it. Make sure your paper is coated with wax or silicone so the nail polish will peel off. You can see that the cling wrap is still visible underneath the parchment paper in my photo below. Then I used a small paintbrush (not the brush pictured - that's my Elf clean-up brush) and made my designs. I went over them twice so they were thick enough to peel off. I used the following polishes, which I knew would be opaque in 1 coat: Illamasqua in Boosh, Chanel in #475 Dragon, and Nails Inc. in Baker Street. I let the designs dry for a few hours. 

When I was ready to paint my nails, I applied my base colors: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in #150 Glass Slipper (1 coat) over OPI in Don't Touch My Tutu! (3 medium coats).

Then I used a metal cuticle pusher (I don't ever use this; I think using thumb nails to push back cuticles is much more effective and gentler, but it was a gift) to carefully lift up my design. I worked nail-by-nail, one design at a time. Once the design was loose, I applied a thin layer of Gelous on the desired nail, picked up my design with the tweezers, and then placed it on the wet nail. I wet my index finger on the opposing hand so I could smooth down the design without smudging it (I didn't use the tweezers because it made dents in the polish as my base was still wet). I chose to do this process while my base was still wet so the design would sink in more to the polish and I wouldn't have a raised finish. Then I topped with 1 coat of Seche Vite. 

My lettering isn't perfect, but I think this turned out pretty well. The "v" looks crooked because it's supposed to be a check mark. Let me know if you're wearing anything special for Election Day! 

Worn November 6, 2012.

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Indoors - artificial light

"If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting.... By all means stay home if you want, but don't bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote."

- David Foster Wallace; Up, Simba!

Or, if DFW is too hoity-toity for you, at least listen to Stephen Colbert:

"Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don't learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying 'yes' begins things. Saying 'yes' is how things grow. Saying 'yes' leads to knowledge. Yes is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say 'yes.'"