Polishment: A History

From the day I first learned about blogs, I wanted one. But I had my concerns. When I was growing up, my room was littered with half-made friendship bracelets and half-finished stories. And Perler beads. Lots of Perler beads. I was always eager to jump into projects, but unlikely to finish them.

Case in point, I created a blog called "Pause Reflect Review" in 2008. I'd always wanted to review movies so I thought... why not blog about them? Three posts later, I jumped ship. Then I started "Paw de Chat" in 2009; an ill-fated blog all about cats. (I'm sure you're not surprised.) It had a good run, but I lost steam again.

Years passed.

'Twas a fateful day in mid-October. The year was 2011. The new blog this time around... was Polishment.

I remember the feeling I had after those first couple of posts. It was very much like sending out a message in a bottle. Would anyone read what I'd written? And more importantly, would they enjoy it??

A year has passed, and it's been a great one. I never thought I'd have such sweet readers, such fun giveaways, and even such awesome polish company partnerships. The day I received my first polish to review in the mail, I was floored. It had been a dream of mine, and to see "Polishment" on the box followed by my address was like a happy hallucination.

I have you guys to thank, deeply, because if this blog weren't so successful, then I wouldn't have the opportunity to sample products, and I wouldn't have the drive to go out and shark my own, and then I wouldn't have the inspiration to post nearly as much as I do. It's cyclical really. So let's celebrate our success together!

Over the next ten days, I am going to post my personal Top Ten. My absolute favorite colors in my Stash. It's going to be tough, and it won't be in priority order; that's like asking me to choose a favorite ice cream flavor. Come on. But I am hoping we can all have some fun over the next few days sharing our favorite colors.

So, any guesses? Any colors you're hoping to see?

youaremahgirls, Francesca

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiQzUEc_FmI]

The Big Reveal — Who Is Gloss?

Hello and nice to officially meet you!

My pseudonym was fun while it lasted, but I'm ready to go public! The name's Francesca (pronounced "Fran-chess-ca"). I go by many nicknames... Chess, Frank, Frankie, France... Gloss. Call me anything you'd like as long as it's not the dreaded "Fran."

I'm now the sole writer of Polishment (as astute readers may have already guessed). If you want to check in on Varnish's activities, check out her new blog, CommuniDIY.

Here at Polishment, I plan to do more giveaways, keep you updated on color & design trends, get going on a couple video tutorials and, of course, keep the 80s references and cat jokes coming.

Now that you know my real name, feel free to check out my Pinterest board dedicated to all things Polishment! I guarantee you'll feel inspired. The link's over to the left.

nolongeranonymous, FRANCESCA

All Aboard!

Delving into the world of nail blogs can feel like a very long, very foreign adventure. I began my descent in 2007; it was around this time that I began to subscribe to my first nail polish brand newsletter. Whenever a new collection from Essie came out, I was one of the first (okay, few thousand) to know. One day, after seeing a particularly intriguing shade, I thought to myself, "I wonder what that would look like. In real life." But how was I to know? I suppose I could buy it — or try it — but I wanted to know immediately.

Google's a crucial player in nearly every aspect of my waking life, but when it comes specifically to my personal life, I have developed a pitiful habit. I like to ask Google questions as if it were a Magic 8 Ball.

And so, I asked Google, "What does Essie's 'Bags to Riches' look like in real life?" I wasn't surprised to see that Google trotted back to me in less than one second, carrying a million sources in its little robot mouth.  (My first and favorite search engine was Dogpile and I still like to say to Google, "Go fetch!")

Not only did I discover that Essie's Bags to Riches is pretty hideous, but I made a much more shocking discovery than that. What I found... were nail blogs. Actual blogs written all about nails! Nail shapes, nail colors, nail trends, nail art!

First, I felt comforted. There were others like me! Others who love the shine of a freshly-painted nail! Then, I felt threatened. These nail bloggers... they had so many followers. They posted so often, and posted so many colors! So many comments... Oh, GOD! Is nail polish a Thing now?

Well, yes. It was a Thing, it's been growing into a Bigger Thing, and I think it's fair to say that, as of 2012, it's a THING. A Huge THING.

It's tempting to feel that same Gollum-like jealousy that came over me when I heard that some of my favorite junior high reading material, L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries, was going to be made into a TV show. The idea of a million pleebs ruining my secret treasure was almost too much to bear.

Well, that's one way to look at it. I came to realize that sometimes, the more is truly the merrier. And I hope you think so too, because it's the only way Polishment can be justified. We know there are lots of other nail blogs out there, and we love them too. But not as much as we love you for stopping by. :)

Here at Polishment, we say, "Come one, come all, you nail polish lovers! Welcome, you nail art D-I-Yers! Jump on the bandwagon, because we're off on a great adventure and there's plenty of room for all!"

Andoffwego, GLOSS