The Beginning

So with this being my first ever blog post I wanted to go back to the beginning when I was first introduced into the Indie world. It was back in June 2014, I had only began using mainstream nail polish from the high street store earlier that year after many years of not using any at all. It was like falling in love all over again with polish as I hadn’t used any since I was in my early 20’s so around 25 years, wow those years flew by. Me being me I didn’t even know what an Indie brand was until I asked, I joined a couple of Facebook groups and my first ever Indie was from PiCture POlish, I had entered a competition on their Facebook page, they were asking you to write a poem and the winners would receive the current collection at the time ( I wish I could find that poem now) anyway to my surprise I had been one of the lucky winners I was in disbelief as up until that point I had never won a thing, I seem to be one of those people who buys a raffle ticket and the winning ticket is always one number above or below mine LOL anyway once the prize parcel arrived I chose a polish called eerie and here she is, I cannot believe how different my nails were then to how they are now. Using cuticle oils and hand creams just wasn’t part of my day-to-day routine back then and to be truthful I did not even notice it but boy do I notice the difference today and realise just how important it is to use those products on a daily basis.

 I gradually took more and more care of my hands and nails and my interest in Indie polish grew, I joined more fan groups and tried so many brands, we all have favourites and back then I just loved Emily de Molly, I remember reading how the name of this brand came about, I am always intrigued as to if a polish is made for a specific reason and what is the story if any, my many go to brands at that time were EdM and Colors by Llarowe but then came along my ultimate love which I collected for 2 years and that is Enchanted Polish, I was hooked anyway but when I managed to purchase 2 A.M. Summer Night (here in the photos) wow just wow is how I felt and I still have that bottle today, look at the difference in my nails and photography skills too 😀

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I tried most brands around at that time and even though I kept my collection small and I mean tiny and it still is compared to some polish sisters I still tried one bottle of most brands if I could, some you love some just don’t suit you or your taste and that is absolutely fine and what it is all about. Finding what works for you and collecting what you love.

I even tried my hand at stamping and water marbling too for a while, I loved both but always went back to the polish itself, that’s my love along with my photography which I will touch on here.

I have always been into photography of sorts always searching for that perfect shot for me, it must run in my blood as my daughter April has a degree in Photography, it is more of a passionate hobby for her now though as she is in her second year as a student nurse hopefully leading to Midwifery. People often ask how I do it, what do I use. My answer has been simple and that is my phone, a lot of time and patience and sometimes 200 photos later for that shot I am happy with, I prefer myself not to edit which is just my preference so these photos are as they were taken and on natural nails and if any editing is used then I will state this. Yes, I used to use a proper camera but with the phones we have today they can be just as good if not better than all that camera equipment but each to their own I say, whatever works for you. You will notice a lot of macro shots as that is my ultimate joy, I love to see deep within the polish and find its hidden secrets 😉

I’m not a professional swatcher by any means although I would love the opportunity, I have the time and the patience I just hope that one day my hard work, love for good indie brands and my passion for my nails and photography pays off, if not, then it isn’t meant to be and I will just keep on bringing my readers the best swatches I can and enjoying this blog to its fullest. Most if not all of the polishes used here have been purchased by myself either direct from the makers or in destashes and if not then I will state this.

Here are a few of my attempts at stamping and marbling during 2015/2016.

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I even tried my freehand (not great I must admit) but I wanted to do something for Remembrance Day so this is supposed to be grass with some Poppies and it came out quiet lovely I thought.

This really brings us to the present day, I loved my Enchanted Polish collection for a long time but I have to admit that once I found my latest loves being Tonic Polish, Illyrian and Vapid Lacquer and their fan Facebook groups which I love so much, not only because of the wonderful people within them but also for the activity within the group, they are all so welcoming and encouraging and will do their utmost to help, the admin are all super special people who give up their precious time each day to keep us informed on everything and to the wonderful makers whom all bring us what we long for, I love them all and since then I have not looked back. Apologies to the lovely Chelsea maker of EP whom has only ever shown me such great customer service and wonderful holos but I just cannot fight any longer for polishes as I do not have it in me. Pre orders are the way forward for sure as and when it is possible that way nobody is disappointed.

So from here on in I will be leaving the past behind me and heading for the future hence my IG name change a few months ago from nana_pj  (I chose it when I first began as I had just become a nana) to @50’s.feeling.fabulous which is how I feel today. Thanks for reading thus far I appreciate each and every one of you for taking some time out of your day to get to know me a little better and I hope you will join me as my journey continues into the wonderful world of Indie Polish.