Beautiful packaging, pretty, glossy colours and velvety smooth textures. With the sheer range of brands and products available for any budget, what’s not to love about beauty products? Meet one of the three beauty connoisseurs we’ve spoken to, who have turned their passions for pretty little things on their vanity tables into impressive collections. Get ready to go wow.
Jerlene Then, The Nail Polish Addict
Owner of beauty blog Of Faces And Fingers
Daily Vanity (DV): How did you get started on it? What attracted you to collect nail polishes, in particular?
This is how Jerlene houses her enviable nail polish collection.
Jerlene Then (JT): I started by reading other beauty blogs and nail blogs. Seeing their nail polish stashes and collections, as well as their gorgeously painted nails and creative nail art, made me want to try my hand at it too! Over the years, my collection has grown as I experiment with more colours, and try out different types of nail art. It isn’t just the nail polish that I’ve collected – I’ve also amassed a collection of nail art brushes, dotting tools, and stamping plates.
DV: Are there particular brands you look out for, either online or in local boutiques or retailers?
Nude polishes from Jerlene’s collection.
JT: I love the big brands such as OPI, Essie, China Glaze and so on, but I also love lesser-known brands, such as Nubar, Butter London, RBL, or Nails Inc. I also like drugstore brands, like Maybelline, Revlon, and so on. Recently I’ve also had a fondness for indie brand polishes, like A-England, Cirque, KB Shimmer, etc.
There are indeed many, many brands out there with many beautiful colours, so it’s a bit limiting to only focus on a few brands. I try to look out for unique colours, glitter combinations, and good formulas. If I think the nail polish has a great colour and is of good quality, I’ll wear it regardless of brand.
DV: What do your friends think of your interest and collection?
A part of Jerlene’s massive nail polish collection.
JT: They probably think my collection is insane – because who needs that much nail polish? For me, nail polish collecting has always been more a hobby than a necessity. Interestingly, although I probably have more nail polish than a normal person could imagine, by the standards of some beauty bloggers, my stash is actually considered to be on the “small” side. I’ve known people with 3000 bottles and counting. I suppose it is all relative!
DV: Could you give our readers 2-3 tips on taking care of their nails, as regular usage of nail polish is known to dry out the cuticles and discolour them?
Jerlene shows her Instagram followers some of the nail looks she created for Valentine’s Day over the years.
JT: It’s actually a misconception that regular usage of nail polish dries out the cuticles and discolours them. Nail polish can stain your nails and cuticles, but it doesn’t change the underlying health of your nail, because the staining is only on the surface layer of the nail or skin. So if you experience some staining and have a thick enough nail plate, you can buff away the top surface layer of your nail to lessen the staining, or try a stain remover (there are all sorts of products and DIY remedies for this).
The drying out of nails and skin really comes from the acetone used in nail polish removers. Acetone is quite drying, so repeated exposure of your nails and skin to acetone can dry them out. This is particularly so for gel nails or acrylics, which require soaking the fingers in acetone for some time to remove (as opposed to nail polish which is typically removed with a swiping motion).
My top tips for nail care:
Limit the exposure of your nails and skin to acetone. I’m not a fan of acrylics – I’m not keen on any nail embellishment that requires me to soak my nail in acetone for removal.
Moisturize your hands and nails. Depending on how dry your nails and cuticles are, you can use a generic hand cream, or you can use something more targeted, like a cuticle cream or oil (I personally use LUSH’s Lemony Flutter, but there are lots of great products out there.) If you do soak your fingers and nails in acetone, or expose them to acetone, this is a useful step after the exposure to keep your nails from getting dried out.
Don’t overdo cuticle removal. Cuticles are actually there to protect the cells in the nail plate as they emerge, and serve as barriers against infection. Overdoing the removal of the nail cuticle leaves your nails more vulnerable to damage and infection. In particular, overzealous nipping with cuticle scissors can be very damaging. That said, if you must remove your cuticles, then I usually advise using a cuticle remover treatment to remove cuticles, rather than using cuticle nippers.
All photos provided by Jerlene or from Jerlene’s Instagram.
This is the first of our three-part series.