"In today's era, where beauty typically demands doing the most, it's liberating to opt out occasionally, even if it's just one thing. My FYP was a shrine to chrome hues, 3D and rhinestone designs, aura nails, and more - all of which I'd screenshot to show my tech. People rarely saw me without colorful, intricate tips; they were a source of social-media likes and IRL compliments. Birthday nails were a thing. Wedding nails, too (pastel tie-dye, in case you were wondering)."
"But then I became a mom, and somewhere between the sleepless nights and realizing I barely recognized myself in old photos with glazed stars on my fingertips, my beauty priorities recalibrated. For a while, I DIYed with plain polish, but pretty soon, I grew too lazy to do even that. Though I had planned on a rare mani treat that July day I got a pedicure, it - unbeknownst to me at the time - would become the day I quit nails."
A woman maintained biweekly nail salon visits as a non-negotiable ritual focused on maximalist nail art, spending hours for acrylics and intricate designs. Her social feed collected chrome hues, rhinestones, aura nails, and occasion-specific manicures that generated likes and compliments. After becoming a mother, sleep deprivation and a changing self-image led to reprioritized beauty habits. Occasional DIY plain polish gave way to skipping manicures entirely. A single pedicure visit that required only polish removal unexpectedly triggered permanently quitting elaborate nails, producing a sense of freedom and reduced time commitment.
Read at Bustle
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]