Blog FAQ

How long have you been into nail polish?

I've been into nail polish since December 2008.

When did you start this blog?

April 2010, but I was an avid blog lurker before hand!

Why did you name your blog Imperfectly Painted?

I have two reason for this. One reason is I was very intimidated when I started blogging. I saw so many people with seemingly perfect nails and swatches, and I knew I could not replicate that. On one hand I felt the "Imperfectly" part would throw out there that what you're going to see on my blog is not going to be perfect. The second reason is that I've always struggled with perfectionism in real life. I'm learning now to let go of that, and "Imperfectly Painted" is a nice little nod to that concept.

Do you use top coat and base coat in your swatches?

I always use base coat in my photos. I typically don't use top coat because I'm swatching polish quickly and the polish usually remains shiny. If a polish dries matte and isn't a matte or textured polish I will add top coat. I usually address this in my post.

Do you use flash photography?

My blog photos are all done with flash as I do not have proper daylight lighting in my apartment. That being said, my photos are all color accurate unless otherwise mentioned in my post. I always recommend with anyone to look at various swatches of nail polish from a variety of bloggers/swatchers before making a decision to buy.

How many bottles of nail polish do you have?

1100+

How often do you paint your nails?


I do my nails twice a week.

How come you don't talk about wear time in your review?

I swatch my polishes for my blog, and then wear them as a full mani at a later date. I'm rarely ever wearing the current color on my blog, so I can't review wear time. I also feel wear time is so subjective based on your body chemistry, application, base coat, and top coat. There are too many factors that pertain to an individual's use that can contribute to wear time.

How does your rating/review system work?

I rate the polishes from 0-5 Paint Splatters. 0 being the worst and 5 being the best. Many factors play into this rating, mainly, color (originality or how much I like it), formula, and price ( ex. A polish could be perfect in every way, but if the color is not original or I don't feel the value is good it will receive a lower rating). There isn't an exact science to it, but I base my ratings on my personal experience/expectations, and my best possible guess for what my readers expectations/experience might be.

Do you receive free products to review?

On occasion. I would say about 98% of this blog are products I paid for myself, and 2% are products I received for review.  If I do receive something for review, I always disclose this at the top and bottom of my post.. If you're interested in me reviewing your products please contact me by email-- imperfectlypainted@gmail.com.