I think the smell of the polish is addictive. These days, instead of biting my nails, I am putting them close to my nose so I can catch a whiff of freshly applied polish.

For a brazen someone who is going the way of glue sniffers, and who risks brain damage in breathing in those poisonous fumes, I am pretty timid in my choice of colours. I did like this shade of light iridescent green called Mai Tai, but opted instead for an iridescent lilac. It is easier to match my clothes with a pale lilac that looks almost pink. *shrug* (Neat freak, neat freak!)

My favourite shade is a crystal pink that is, no prizes for guessing, an iridescent, pale pink.

Even the names sound so deliciously girlish. Rosy Blush, Crystal Pink, Golden Pearl, Silver Ice and Ballet on Ice. There's Island Sun, (a strange tan), Berry Ripe (nice juicy red), Girl Power (some shade of metallic purple) and so on. Pretty cool huh. I mean, I knew about the powerful draw of the names of make-up, but having not fallen victim (except for the brief foray into lipsticks) to them til now, I never appreciated the ingenuity. Damn those mega-corporations!

I did toy with the idea of metallic polish with pretty gruesome names like Gangrene or slightly more conventional ones like Electric Blue. But as I mentioned before, they will be difficult to match my clothes to. And besides, it offends my sense of propriety to paint my nails a colour so unnatural.

Hmmm... but, but, I want to try those colours one day, before I get too old and staid and far too set in my already repressed ways. (And get snickered at by those younglings for having blue nails at my advanced age of thirty!)

Having thus set my resolve, I must admit that my hand is far too unsteady to paint my nails properly, so much so that my maiden effort was greeted with the withering remark by the Beau that I must have failed my colouring classes in kindergarten. He offered to do them one day. I will take up that offer. Once we stop bickering over the issue of his stupid poker face. (Nevermind, longer, even more aimless story.)

Thus, lighter shades mean that mistakes are more easily overlooked by the casual observer, and sometimes the more critical ones as well. Hey, but I have improved. I daresay I do a pretty good job nowadays.

Yah, and the Beau has made it clear that he doesn't really like blue nails on anyone. It's far too unconventional to sport bright blue nails. I sort of agree with him about the issue of oddity. Blue, like I repeat for the umpteen time, is difficult to match my clothes. Do I sound like I need convincing?

But I don't.

However I do admit I like the whole idea of fun and individuality embossed in the artless wave of a perfectly done electric-blue manicured hand. Alithiel is annoyed and waves a dismissal at the Beau. Bugger off dude (in a flash of bright blue).

Heh.

But I am still sporting lilac nails. Because they bloody match my ...

Oh wait, they don't exactly match my clothes.

No. I am not spending money on any more nail polish. I am not spending any more money on nail polish. I am NOT spending any more money on nail polish.

Oooo maybe just one more pale pink. I need a matt colour, and not all these girlish iridescent stuff that I keep getting. And pink matches with everything. Or so the magazines say.

Hmmm.

Oh at least I have not chewed my nails for a fortnight. That is in itself, a record.

And yah, back to work. My draft is due in at three this afternoon.