Fashion Confession #1: I love funky nail polish.

I truly do! I just finished painting my fingernails a bright tangerine orange with gold crackle top coat. This weekend's manicure will be black with an iridescent/color shift flake ("flakie") top coat. I'm not going all nail blog here with swatch photos and reviews, there are plenty of them already out there who do it quite well, this is just a fashion confession. But be it a non-typical color, glitter, special effects like crackles and flakies, nail art, etc... I love it all.

Why? I guess because it's something fun that's literally right there at your fingertips. Looking at a bright color or interesting texture makes me smile. It's also easily changed. Need to tone it down a bit? Clashes with your outfit? Just sick of looking at it? No problem, all it takes is a little remover and problem solved. And, it's (relatively) cheap as far as fashion and beauty goes. Even premium brands cost less than 10 bucks a bottle, and more often than not, you can find something that works just as well for half that. I've never bought designer cosmetics brands of polish though. No Chanel, Estee Lauder, MAC. I've received a few in gift with purchase bags, but they never really seemed to be anything terribly special. If there was a color I couldn't live without, I might splurge. But I'd rather find a knockoff at Sally's or Ulta and save the difference for some tea and a paperback.

Also, it's a one size fits all kind of thing. I might have a hard time finding some fashion trends to work for my size and shape, but I can always buy the "must-have" nail shade. And if the must-have happens to be a color that doesn't flatter me, well it's just on my nails so it really doesn't matter much.

All that being said, I usually keep my toenails neutral. Pale peachy pinks or nude shades. My feet have taken a battering over the decades, and I don't like to draw too much attention to the scars and funky bumpy toes. Occasionally I'll paint them bright if I'm spending the day at the beach or something, but not often because it makes me self-conscious.