Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Talk It Out Tuesday: Blogger Confessions

"These are my confessions..." lala I can't help but think of that Usher song.



I think the title here is self explainatory. These are the things I do as a blogger that may not be what you expect.  Let's do this as a list shall we....

  • The way I swatch colors on my nails vs. how I actually do my nails is very different. I try to be very precise while swatching. When I just paint my nails I try to be careful, but not as careful. If I took a picture of my actual manicure vs. swatch it would probably disappoint you.
  •  I don't do clean up. Honestly, I just don't care. This is when I'm not swatching. My manicures I wear out, I rely on the shower to clean up any mistakes. It works! :P
  • Swatching takes FOREVER. I spent 7 hours swatching one day.
  •  My camera is not great even in macro setting. It will take me 15-30 pictures of one swatch just to get a good picture. This is very frustrating!
  • I use one of those acetone scrub tubs to remove polish. I'm sure this is blasphemy, but it's quick. 
  • I have about every glitter version of DL "Happy Birthday" ever made. I can't get enough of confetti rainbow glitter. The problem is I haven't worn any of them.
  • Sometimes I feel insecure about my blog. I see people with amazing photos, who get lots of PR stuff, or  who have massive expensive giveaways, and it makes me feel inadequate. It's not that I want to do and be all of  those things, it just makes me worry that people expect certain things from me that I can't and do not want to offer.  
  • There are also times I can put the blinders on. I do not even compare myself with other bloggers. I'm different. I offer something unique, and I'm proud of that.  I wish I could be like this all the time!
  •  I feel guilty if I do not blog for a day or two. 
  • I'm too shy to mention my blog in the real world. 
  • I have more people who are interested in me through the blog-o-sphere than in real life. Case in point, if I update my status on my personal facebook account I get ZERO response. If I update my status on my blog facebook I get a response. This makes me feel really bad sometimes. 
  • I actually really do like the color green. It just doesn't look great on my nails. 
  • I wish I was more patient to try nail art, but honestly I can't be bothered. :P
  • I feel like an idiot for spending $35 on HTF China No Way Jose. I love the color, but $35 is a ridiculous amount of money for nail polish!
  • I do all my swatching on my coffee table. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. This is really the only place I can do my nails. I wish I had more space so I could have proper area to do my nails. 
  • The polish I have on my blog one day is very rarely the polish I'm wearing that day. I swatch weeks ahead of time and have a folder full of hundreds of swatches to choose from.
  • I used to change my nails every 2-3 days, now I only have time to change them every 5-7 days. I miss being able to do my nails more often.
  • Nail thinner is my best friend. I use that stuff all the time!

I'm sure I can could come up with more,  but these were things that popped in my head. 

What are your blogger/nail polish confessions?

Happy Tuesday!

74 comments:

  1. I feel the same way about a lot of this... My photos aren't the best, I don't mention my blog in the real world... BUT we have each other to encourage and support :-) Keep up the good work :-)

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  2. Probably almost all of these I am guilty of as well haha, woops!

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  3. I also don't share my blog in the real world.  My family and a few close friends know. And what do they do?  Call me crazy.  There you go.  I'm a new blogger and I wonder if I can ever live up to what all other nail bloggers do, but I'm going to be me and hopefully, that's what will matter.  Like you said, you have something unique to offer.  And I love your blog btw!

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  4. I share some of your confessions, especially the insecure part. I think we all suffer from it every now and than. I do mention my blog loud and proud to the real world, even have some coworkers "liking" the posts on my personal Facebook sometimes. If you are happy with what you are doing and show that to people, hopefully they won't call you crazy ;).

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  5. I schedule all my posts.  I do my nails 3 times a week and spread them out to post every other day. I wonder why some blogs do so much better than others and I secretly wonder why they do-because their pictures may not be all that great, or messy application etc-and yet they have more followers than me.  I have found that I am stuck in a design rut.  People call it " my signature look" but is that a nice way of saying that's all I'm good for? I have great respect for people who do post every day.  Its a lot of work to do these blogs.  When I look at all the bottles of polish I own and all the money I have spent I wonder-why?? I will never finish even one bottle and what will I do with all of it when I don't blog anymore?  

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  6. I think we all share some of these! Idefinitely share Fingers' response about wondering why there are blogs that have horrid pictures (mine aren't great, but I've seen some with grainy cell phone pics that arent cropped, etc), no clean up and terrible, messy application and narrative that reads like a 12 year old wrote it, and they have a ton of followers and page hits, and I'm lucky if I get a few a day. I put a ton of work into pictures (I take about 200 per mani just to get the few I post and I stress over angles, positioning etc,) I tweet at people to try and make polish friends, oh the list goes on! Some days I wonder why I keep on posting. But I do it because I love it. And I'll keep blogging regardless. But some day it just hurts my feelers that I get passed up.

    Yup, that sounds petty, but it feels good to get it out there!

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  7. Sometimes I get insecure about the number of followers I have, especially when I see other bloggers with fewer posts and tons of followers. On the other hand, I have a ton more visitors a day than I do followers (about 80% of which are repeat viewers).

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  8. I agree with all of these! You hit the nail on the head. My NOTDs are way sloppier than anything on my blog, and usually I don't even care about my non swatch hand even with NOTDs. Oh, and nobody irl knows I blog except maybe 5 friends. You're not alone!

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  9. Don't worry about the giveaways. I think some people (not anyone in particular) *might* do giveaways to curry favour, and I don't agree with that. If you have a blog people value, they will read every day giveaways or not :)

    I totally agree with the shower thing getting clean up done, it works a treat. Something I've found is sometimes the best things can be cheap - I just found an awesome hand cream for 75p!

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  10. Hahah, I try not to mention my blog in the real world as well :P Only my best friends and my family know I have a blog. IDK... I just don't want them to think I'm weird :P

    I ALWAYS have clean nails, I hate sloppy nails. I think it looks awful. So my swatches and NOTD's are the same. Whenever I swatch something I always leave it on for a couple of days so half the time I have 4 fingers painted and the other 6 are naked, hahahaha. Swatching actually doesn't take that long for me... although I rarely ever swatch two colors in one day unless I need to swatch something, and then take it off and do all my nails an actual manicure. Since the blog-o-sphere changes so much I feel obligated to have a post ever two days and when I don't post something, I start freaking out for some reason :/ but i'm busy and I like to have my polish on for 2-3 days so I guess I can't really do anything about it.

    anyway, that's a little but of my confessions. thanks for this post, it was fun to read! 

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  11. Ditto about sharing my blog to the real world. A handful of friends/family know about my blog because they know the extent of my love for nail polishes. The real world isn't ready.
    The magic of a matte top coat is my bff in the nail world & I must try it on every mani before I take them off.

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  12. 1. My boyfriend is the only person in my "real life" who knows about my blog! He didn't know up until like, two months ago but he was using my computer and the Blogger homepage was up. Foiled!

    2. I hate matte nail polish! Even just looking at pictures of it. It is so blackboardy and euggughgghg.

    3. When I paint my nails, I slop all over my cuticles and make a huge mess and don't even bother with cleanup because I just peel off the excess in the shower. I don't like the "gap" and it bums me out that sometimes other bloggers are super judgy about other people's nails! 

    4. I let my nail polish chip pretty badly before I change it. I do manual labor so I'd be changing every day if I changed when it chips and I don't have time!

    5. I swatch ahead of time, too.

    6. It bums me out that there are people who have been blogging for like, 1/4 of the time that I have who have 3 times as many followers. It makes me feel like I don't have anything to offer to the blogging world, like I'm not likeable enough or something. 

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  13. I hate having a nail gap too! It just looks so weird to me. I don't mind a little cuticle paint as long as it's not overwhelming. 

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  14. Everyone's always like, "Oh, you don't even notice it when it's not a macro photo!" BUT I DO!!! Also I can't do it non-crookedly to save my life.

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  15. Thank you for this post, it is so great to be able to share all our confessions.

    1. My manicures are much neater than the swatches.  I figure the swatch is coming off in a few minutes, but, I'll try to wear the manicure for a few days.

    2. I only swatch just a few colors at a time, otherwise, my nails get wrecked.

    3. I have a "good" camera, but prefer to use a point and shoot or even my iPhone.....eeeeeekkkkkkk....I know, I know.

    4. I'm not a big fan of glitters (too hard to take off) or shimmers or sheers.  That only leaves opaque cremes...love 'em.

    5. I don't think I have a favorite color, I may love them all equally

    6.  I only have 12 followers, so no one else should feel insecure about their blog.  Since, I started blogging a few months ago, I've posted daily...to give my 12 followers something to read...lol.

    7. I'll tell only certain strangers about my blog, if I feel they're not going to look at me like I've lost my mind...haha.

    8. When people see my collection, they're beyond shocked at the amount of polish I own.

    9. I swatch in my bathroom, it surprisingly has tons of great light and a vanity where I can sit and swatch.

    10. I usually swatch at night, after my kids have gone to bed.  Since I swatch in my bathroom, "it's me, myself and I" time.

    Those are my blogger confessions.

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  16. I schedule most of my posts ahead of time, especially if I am able to have the time to do that! I usually are scheduled a month ahead of time, November has not been like that for me... STRESS!!!

    I try to swatch everyday that I am not at work. You should take note that I post about 3 times a day (I have THAT much polish collected) I think the most I have swatched is 50+ in a day. I color the 4 fingers that are shown and that is it.

    Every polish that I have swatched and worn has been an untried (this is really sad!)

    I blog because I like it, the followers and friends built through this are an added bonus.

    Most people that I know know about my blog, although I don't talk to complete strangers about it (sometimes I do... but it is RARE!)

    I am lucky that I use an old camera for photogaphing my swatches, it is set up on a tripod with the white balance set for the full spectrum light that I use, there is not enought sunlight here in the winter (or at night when I usually swatch!). I collage my pictures, and they all look the same. So I know how to hold my hand, and shoot. I trust my settings, and are usually lucky that I only have to take 1-2 shots per angle. This is from A LOT of practice. I know what works for me.

    I know that I can't keep up with giveaways, I cant afford to do them, as either I am not sponsored or don't have the funds.

    I also have a better social life in the blog-osphere and that is OK, you guys make me feel special, and it is a great escape from all the stress in my real life!

    The only way to keep blogging is just to have fun, and enjoy it!
    Don't feel that you HAVE to do anything, because you don't most of us will follow even if you never have any giveaways!
    ANd I thank you for making this a great community (of course we have our rotten eggs, but most of you are awesome =P ) and I love you <3

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  17. OMG you just made me feel so much better!  (((HUGS)))  Here are mine...  *takes deep breath*

    - I take forever to do everything.  :/  I paint so slowly and carefully, doing any necessary clean-up as I go.  Because I do both "styled" photos and "swatch" photos I have to have all my nails on both hands painted and completely dry in advance.

    - I started experimenting with different kinds of nail photos because I couldn't take a decent swatch photo.  My hands just can't seem to situate nicely around most polish bottles.  *still self conscious of my swatch photos*

    - Because I was so frustrated by my swatch photos I started to experiment with styled photos.  People gave me such kind compliments so I decided to keep doing them.  I love creating the styled photos but one nail look usually takes a full day to shoot (not including me taking forever to paint my nails the night before).  Not the best schedule if I'm attempting to do a collection.  Which leads to my next issue...

    - I don't post enough.  I see the number of total posts for certain months and cringe.  :/  I feel so awful.  I am trying to improve my post frequency by planning my ideas out in detail ahead of time.

    - I live in a small apartment and I have nowhere to do my nails.  I usually put my supplies on the table next to the couch and paint my nails on my leg.  :/  I dream of having a little setup one day.

    - I don't have Photoshop.  *sigh*  I'm like the last person on earth who doesn't have it.  All I have is iPhoto so natural light has been my savior.  It's getting cold outside so I hope I can still get color accuracy and good quality photos shooting indoors.  *crosses fingers*

    - My tried vs. untried ratio is horrifying.  Horrifying.

    - I am so inspired by all the nail blogs I read.  I feel like the nail blog-o-sphere is a wonderful place to be because it is made up of so many wonderful ladies from all around the world.  You guys rock!  <3  

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  18. i cant believe you're self conscious about your swatch pictures! i drool over your pictures!!

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  19. i cant believe how much i can relate to you with these confessions! LOL  here are a few more to add to my list LOL

    -I dont Re-read my posts because i always end up saying "UGH why did i say that?" " that picture looks horrendous"

    -sometimes i feel like i'll never keep up with all the blogs i follow, but how can i not follow someone who follows me i feel bad :/

    -i get really,extremely shy when talking about my blog to my "Real life" friends

    -i buy nail polish that i dont even like just so i can swatch it on my blog

    -the most ive spent on a nail polish is 12 bucks & i felt AWFUL.

    - i get super excited when a "big blogger" follows me on twitter or blogger, i remember when you followed me i couldnt believe it! LOL

    - i would blog the same way if i had 1 or 1 million followers i just love to blog, although sometimes i feel like i talk to myself :(

    okay i'll stop here i made this comment way to long! . hahaha

    this was fun! i cant wait till next tuesday! thanks for sharing your confessions with us. i feel like i know you more :)

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  20. I am obsessed with the DL "happy birthday" type glitters as well. I have about 6 versions and I want all the new ones that are coming out lol! You and your blog are awesome so please do not feel inadequate!! Just keep doing what you're doing! <3

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  21. I agree with almost all of those. Especially the giveaways and pr stuff. I can't afford to spend $50 on stuff for a giveaway. I wish I could, but I just can't do it. I know people aren't super excited about my giveaways but I hope that the winners of them actually like it. 

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  22. i'm completely obsessed with your pictures, it's INSANE how good they are!! <3 

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  23. you got the usher song stuck in my head!! haha
    and same, i NEVER mention my blog in real life
    i'm also super insecure at times about my blog
    adding to that, i'm pretty insecure about my frankens. i never know if other people like them, or if they're saying it to make me feel better!
    it's embarrassing how much i spent on nail polish this month. i'm on a self imposed break now.

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  24. I think you said it for all of us here. 

    I am new to blogging, I would love to blog everyday but i just cant, it takes me forever to get my pics ready and write it all out. I barely get one post done every few days or sometimes longer. I can't afford giveaways and wouldnt want to gain followers that way anyway. I want peopel for read my blog for me and my pics.

    I don't do cleanup like ever unless im sponging or something, but otherwise I clean up in the shower and sometimes just pick it off all day. most of my pictures are taken 2-3 days after doing my mani. and usually not posted for awhile after that. 

    I have a good camera but hate how it takes pic of my nails, and use my camera on my phone. It is an 8mp and takes some really great pics and some really bad ones but thats ok. 

    only a few people IRL know about my blog, I have never mentioned to a stranger that i blog, 

    My mother thinks I have a problem and that i need to stop buying so much polish like she seriously thinks i have a problem. Doesnt understand my love of polish and doesnt want too, My boyfriend and sister are the only one who doesn't think my love of polish is weird. 

    Same here about facebook, if i update my status or share something i get no responses but I know that in PaA i can post something and will usually get a response right away. 

    I love buying polish but cannot bring myself to pay more than $2-$3 usually. Sometimes if I can use a coupon or some kind of discount I will pay like $4-$6, but no more than that, The most I spend was 8.50 on a reagualr priced OPI once because I was treating myself and only because my boyfriend convinced me I should. 

    I'm sure theres a ton more but thats all I can think of now. 

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  25. Every single thing you wrote mirrors what I think/ do as well. These are a few more things that I am sometimes ashamed to admit. I love this post! Thanks for writing it!

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  26. These are so good and so many of them are spot on to how I think/run my blog.
    Only my close friends know about my blog. I never talk about it anywhere else...
    Here are my biggest confession.. ssh...
    I don't wear most of the nail art I make out in public, I just have fun making them and take them off right after. I do wear the solid colors and some stamping, but never the crazy ones. Most of the time I don't have time redo my nails after taking off the nail art so they go naked or with just a base coat.
    The manicures I love and actually wear tend to get the least comments and the manicures that I'm not even sure if I should post seem to be a hit! Go figure :)

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  27. Hah, I totally swatch on my coffee table too. My computer desk is too small for me to spread out all of my supplies. Plus I can marathon tv shows while I swatch when I'm in the living room. Win/Win. :-D

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  28. LOVE you swatches girl! I wish I had half the fashion sense as you do to take such beautiful stylized pictures! ^_^

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  29. OMG thank you so much!  :D  I think I am getting a little better at them now that I started using a vertical format.  (((hugs for your drool)))  :D

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  30. OMG thank you!!!  (((interwebs hugs)))  <3

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  31. I do my nails on the coffee table too! I also share your insecurity about my blog at times; only a handful of ppl in  my real life know about my nail blog...

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  32. Thank you soooooooo much!!!  It means so much to hear that!  :D  

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  33. What an awesome post!!!!
     
    Not a lot of people know about my blog… sometimes I think it silly :-P
     
    Mmmmmmmmmm my confessions:
     
    1.    Majority of the time I DO NOT post comments on bloggers with a lot of followers, I feel they don’t care about what I have to say, they never reply to anything!
    2.    Why do people apologize about “no clean up” … you took the time to take the pics.. you saw them before you posted why do they apologize? It’s your blog anyways, do as you please, you don’t feel like cleaning up then DON’T, BUT …don’t apologize about it and expect to make things better.
    3.    I do most of my posts at work, I never have time to watermark or photo shop! Sometimes I crop that’s about all I do.  I don’t even own a photoshop program.
    4.    I take the majority of my pictures in my car during lunch….. My Car is my private studio, that’s what my friend Maria calls it. Sometimes I wonder if people see me do I this and wonder why in the hell is this maniac taking pictures of her hand LOL
    5.    Sometimes I wear 2 different manis at once! I use my right hand for practice, if I don’t like something I just leave it but change it when I do my left hand :-P nobody notices, I get away with it!! 
    6.    Sometimes when I buy nail polish I feel like puking … LOL guilt!!! I think why in heck did I just buy this .. I DON’T NEED IT
    7.    I don’t do swatches… that’s not for me! I wear my manis for a few days and if I really really like what I did, I keep it on until it starts to chip!
    8.    Sometimes I buy nail polish only because other bloggers like it... (ie Trendsetter) I feel that is such an UGLY color but yet I still bought it.. AND I tried to convince myself it looked good on me buahahha!!!! (I’m going to stop doing that)
    9.    I don’t feel pressure about blogging, we are here to enjoy ourselves share our addiction and have fun right!!! If I don’t post for a few days, I don’t feel the need to apologize, we all have busy lives and can’t post every day!
    10. I think I’m becoming a hoarder…  HELP!!!!!!
     
    Oh this could go on and on and on… but I’m going to stop here, I need to get back to work J

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  34. Ooooo I love me some Usher!! I love this post Steph, you are so real and I've learned so much about you. I most defiantly feel like I can relate to you more (:

    Personally I don't feel insecure about my blog because I do it for fun and its a reflection of myself and my thoughts. It's kind of like a diary somehow too.

    You're blog is awesome, I fell in love with reading your post. You're awesome Steph!!

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  35. Whew! I can relate to SO many of yours. Seriously. Here are mine!
    1. I *have* to schedule ahead of time, I get so stressed out when I don't. And I don't like not having a post every day, I feel horribly behind. Case in point, this week has been super busy and I've been writing posts out at the last minute - and I'm out of photos. I'm in a panic because of the nasty weather! *sigh* I'm just being too hard on myself.
    2. I rarely polish my right hand. I usually am only wearing the four fingers you see on my swatches, but I will sometimes polish the thumb on my left hand too. I am usually just wearing a clear treatment on my right hand, and I suck at polishing it. It looks like a ten year old did it. Haha, actually a ten year old could probably polish their right hand better than I can.
    3. I rarely do cleanup. Only if it looks horrendous do I mess with cleanup, and that's usually some dark polish that's somehow slid into my cuticles. If I can't paint it neat enough, I end up taking it off and starting over.
    4. I am totally insecure about my photos. I try not to compare myself to other bloggers, but I really try to show off the polish I'm swatching in the most accurate way, so I'm always self conscious about how they turn out.
    5. I really, really don't like pink polish. Unless it's a searing hot pink, and you can only have so many of those before you start buying dupes.
    6.I really don't miss doing giveaways.
    I'm sure that there are a lot more I could come up with! This is a good topic, Steph. I always like what you have for these posts. .

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  36. I will always be inadequate with the look of my nails. I'm a habitual cuticle picker, biter, etc. If I smoked cigarettes, I'd be a 3-4 pack a day smoker.

    I am amazed when very good bloggers (like YOU!) worry they do not do a good enough job. Everything about these blogs amaze me and inspire me.

    No matter what size or dollar amount, I usually get about the same number of entries for my giveaways.

    In my mind, there is more depth in me than my blog can show.

    It doesn't really matter however, I spend a lot of time trying to clean up after a manicure. Being left-hand dominate doesn't allow me to photo my 'good' hand very easily.

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  37. I can definitely relate to all of these! I've been blogging for 2 years and have only been approached twice to do PR reviews. I never do clean up, my pictures aren't always 'up to snuff', I used to feel really bad when I posted something that no one commented on, and the only people that know about my blog are immediate family and a few friends. I used to compare myself to other blogs and always felt as though I came up short. Gradually, I've come to accept the fact that my blog is the way it is because of my unique perspective, and trying to be anything different would be a disservice to me and my readers. I don't even get upset when people don't comment. I read blogs every day but I don't comment much either, so I know it's not personal. Thanks for this <3
    I love 'Talk it out Tuesday' BTW :)

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  38. Thanks for your honesty. And I'm so glad to hear that you let the shower "clean up" your manicure also! That's what I do, after I try my best to clean up mistakes right away with an orange stick. You're right, it totally works! I was afraid that meant I wasn't serious about nail polish or something. :P

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  39. Not at all. I'm serious that I like nail polish and I love my blog, but in the end it's just nail polish. If I put all this time cleaning up stuff perfectly, I wouldn't enjoy it as much. It would be a chore!

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  40. Thanks! You're right you have to recognize what you have is unique, and there is no use comparing yourself. You have to enjoy what you have.

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  41. I feel the same way. I have so much more depth to me than I can express in this blog. It's not necessarily because I don't want to. It's more so that there really isn't the place for it?

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  42. You have great photos! I really should schedule posts. I feel so accomplished when I schedule posts in advance,  but I rarely do it anymore :-/. It's funny. I enjoy doing giveaways, but I end up being disappointed. I think some people are unappreciative, and I feel like an idiot for putting in so much. It doesn't happen often, but I get the occasional blow off.

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  43. Thank you, Monique. That compliment means a lot to me. I'm glad you don't feel insecure about your blog! You should enjoy it.

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  44. I don't think people who apologize about a messy swatch (I do this too) are trying to make it better by apologizing. I think it's just an insecurity thing. You worry what other people with think, and you don't want to people to think it goes unnoticed that it's not all that great? When I do that, I know it doesn't make the mistake better, but it lets people know I'm not completely careless. Does that even make sense? I'm not making sense. :-/ I feel like puking after all my shopping lately. Too much pretty polish!

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  45. My poor coffee table is ruined due to nail polish mishaps. Thankfully it was only $30 from IKEA so it's no real loss!

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  46. I watch the most ridiculous stuff when I swatch. I end up watching all this cold case shows or missing person shows. I don't know why they're just really watchable. I don't like watching my DVRed shows because I end up concentrating too much on my nails and not paying attention to the show, so the cold case show marathons work.

    I wish I was more confident about talking about my blog in real life. Haha, I love swatching glitters too. It's such a breeze to remove them when you're swatching!

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  47. Aw you should wear your nail art out in public! I have the same exact issue with my blog. The manicures I love or I think people will like I get way less comments than the stuff I'm iffy about or really don't think people will comment on.

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  48. I'm glad you liked this post. :)

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  49. It is definitely rewarding to have blog that people admire and appreciate by your own merits. Sure, it may take longer to gain a following, but your followers will appreciate you for you, not for what you can give them. 

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  50. Your frankens are truly great! You have no reason to feel insecure about that. I've spent an embarrassing amount on polish this month too. :-/

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  51. Yeah, I totally understand. I worry because I've been blogging awhile people will expect I have the funds to have massive giveaways. I really don't :-/. I think it's difficult when there are people who are having massive giveaways and sometimes people do them frequently it sets a weird standard that I just hope people don't think that's how it should be with every blogger.

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  52. Thank you Alyssa! <3

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  53. That's another thing I do too, but for different reasons. I don't re-read my posts, and I realize how many grammar mistakes I have an it and it's embarassing. I'm writing papers and editing them continually being in college, but when it comes to my blog I have no desire to edit my stuff. Ugh too much effort. I know how you feel too about following people. I'll starting following someone and they won't be a consistent blogger as far as they'll blog one time and won't blog again for 2 months and I just unfollow them. I feel bad, but at the same time if you're not updating then it's clogging up my blogger feed :-/

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  54. I absolutely LOVE your blog. I'm so glad you submitted a post in one of my Sunday posts because I had not seen your blog before. It's so clever and creative. I love how you incorporate your nails with your outfit! My tried vs. untried ratio is also horrifying. :P <3

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  55. 50 swatches in one day! That is impressive. I think I've done around 40-45...that was a long day. I enjoy many of the people I've met through blogging than some of the people I know in real life :P. There are a lot of great people on here! <3

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  56. I used to not like cremes, but now I really love them. I'm scared to know what people would think if they saw my collection. They may try to commit me!

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  57. I hate the way matte nails feel. The texture freaks me out. I don't get how the blogging worlds works either. There are people who have 100 or so followers who get PR stuff from major companies. A lot of that stuff doesn't make sense to me :-/

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  58. I love seeing polishes mattified! I got some matte top coat recently and was swatching over all my swatches on nail wheels with the matte stuff. I'm not a fan of how matte nails feel...the texture is weird to me, but it looks cool!

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  59. Thanks for writing this.  It was very interesting. It answered a lot of questions I have about you guys (nail bloggers).  I am a nail polish addict.  I don't really tell many people because I feel like they would think I was shallow???  Not sure why - it's just a "collection".  Some people collect ugly figurines - I collect nail polish.  I don't ever comment on blogs and I'm not sure why.  I didn't realize you guys even really cared if people commented....  sometimes I wonder if you get sick of talking about it so wondered if it would annoy you if I commented or had a question.  Anyway, thanks for giving me a little insight and keep up the great work.  I follow lots and lots of blogs and you are among the top of my favorites list!  :)

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  60. I'm glad you liked this post. My closest friends and family know about my blog too..that's about as far as it goes. I wish I wasn't so shy about it to other people.

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  61. The shower does work! My favorite hand cream is one I get at Dollar Tree for $1. It is better than anything I've paid more for.

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  62. Glad to know I'm not alone!

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  63. That's cool. I really should read up on my stats, but I don't. :P

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  64. I don't know how some less attractive blogs get a huge following. I never understood how that all works. It never makes sense to me. I try to stop caring about it though otherwise I'd hate blogging. I try not to be bitter, but it's only natural that it does get to us!

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  65. I have the same thoughts! I have so many untouched polishes, but I don't want to get rid of them. I have no idea how I'll get through them all. Also, to be honest as much as I love polish now, I'm sure at some point it won't be something I'm that into...so what then?

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  66. Thanks! I need to be confident with that.

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  67. Thanks, MariJo. You should be you, even though some stuff gets frustrating when you compare yourself to others as long as yourself you really cannot go wrong. You'll enjoy blogging and other people will be drawn to you for being genuine.

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  68. I have the biggest smile ever on my face right now!  :D  Thank you so, soooooooooo much!!!  <3  

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  69. Ha!  I think one of the things that makes me a not-as-good blogger is that I don't swatch.  If I put a color on, it's going to stay on for 2 or 3 days at least, and I might not get around to photographing it until I've been wearing it for a while, so often I have some tipwear in my blog photos. 
    Part of the reason this takes so long is I feel like I have to take good, well-lit pictures.  And then I have to take them into photoshop to downsample, sharpen, adjust colors, and crop.  I think I take decent photos (though I'm not quite sure the best format for blogging) and I often feel grumpy when I see blogs with less content/poorer photos that have many times more followers than I do.Probably because I have so few followers, I almost never get comments on my posts.  I get all excited when someone actually has something to say.I definitely don't update as much as I think I should!  Especially because (occasionally) I don't manage to get a picture of my manicure before it's too chipped and destroyed.I don't have the financial resources to hold a giveaway, and I feel like that's the only way to get people to read... I also wish I could get PR samples... both because free stuff is fun and because it seems like that's what separates the real, serious blogs from the rest of us shmucks.I feel much more connected in real life than in the blogosphere. Several people I know IRL are the most frequent  readers/commenters on my blog.Okay, that's mine.  I think.  Phew.

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  70. Thank you, Becky! Of course we care if people comment! I love when people comment and have questions.

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  71. I'm not sure about the PR defining serious blogs from the rest of us. There are a lot of people who get PR stuff on whim, that I do not think are really deserved.  I think you need have other qualities in your blog other than that to really come out on top. Haha, I guess I just don't like the term a "serious blog". I don't think my blog is serious, but I take my blog seriously. You have to make a name for yourself. What is given to you can't do the work for you. You have to add your flare to it or else it's just a bunch of pictures. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. There are definitely a handful of bloggers who have been doing this for awhile, and all they do is post pictures and write simple reviews. This works for them because they've been established in the blogging world for a long time. Everyone cannot be that way though, especially newer bloggers.

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  72. This was the most transparent post I've read of a nail blogger I think ever! I heart you for it. I can also relate to many of your [Usher voice] confessions! I think if more of us do as Russell Simmons says, "Do You," we will become the difference, creating a niche all it's own. So please don't change. I like what I've 'lurked' thus far! Thank you for sharing your blog self with us. It means a lot to us "nail newbies." Love. Polish. Foodie.

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  73. Well, I don't exactly mean serious in that way... I just mean that somebody big (the polish-y companies!) think they're serious/important enough to be worth investing a little in.  It's especially irksome when it doesn't seem like a well-kept blog.
    Of course, I'm one of those awful people who hardly reads posts... pretty pictures are my favorite... It's just so hard to come up with a unique blogging style.  Sigh.
    And coherant replies?  I apparently did not write one... that was very scatterbrained.  Sorry. 

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