Nail love: Keeping it natural

I need to start this post off by saying that I LOVE nail polish. I am the kind of gal that usually always has a perfect manicure, repainting at the first sign of a chip. I could paint my nails all day if I had the time to.

However, I traveled to Europe. I had limited space in my backpack, and could only allow myself to take a few bottles of polish with me. I took my Revlon base and top coat, Essie Mint Candy Apple for toes (which I've since finished), and Essie Mademoiselle.

For some reason, I think it was the UV exposure in Grenoble, Mademoiselle would yellow no matter what I did, and it yellowed my nails under it. It wasn't pretty. So I just stopped wearing nail polish on my hands altogether. I shipped Mademoiselle home along with my base and top coat, because what's the point of those if you're not wearing the polish between? Then I ran out of Mint Candy Apple when I was in Florence. So for the first time in years, I had NO nail polish. Inorite?

Now I've been going bare. Yes, I felt naked at first, but I'm actually enjoying the natural look. Not to mention, my nails are the strongest they have ever been. I haven't gotten one broken/flaky nail since my nails have fully outgrown from the point where I stopped painting them. It's a beautiful thing.

It's also low maintenance. All I have to do is use some cuticle remover from time to time, clip my nails, then file. I can't remember the last time I was so nail-minimalist. 

I do miss my nail polish, and I will use the heck out of it when I go back home from the holidays (and go back to flaky, weak nails) and then take more with me for France round two, but I guess I just want to say, if you feel like going naked, just embrace it. It's actually kind of liberating.