Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bad Day Mani: Nubbins avec Chanel Noir Ceramic


I had a really bad day yesterday. None of my science worked - even though I tried really, really hard. Repeatedly. All day. For nothing. And I know that today I'm going to get reamed for it and my boss is going to make me feel like a complete moron for not being able to do something so utterly simple. Who knows, maybe he is right. I got home last night planning on nubbinizing my nails before my mani - taking the clippers to them was actually very satisfying! (I know, I know, I shouldn't use clippers...so sue me.)

So here are my nubbins in Chanel Noir Ceramic:





I was wavering on wearing a black polish because of my mood - I felt like maybe I should be applying something happy to cheer myself up, even though I didn't really feel like it. But then a wise friend said this:


"I know this may sound odd but sometimes if i feel down I just roll with it for the evening. People are always trying to "cheer up" others if they are in a temporary melancholy state, but I don't think there is anything wrong with that emotion. All emotions are normal and healthy, it is just what you do with the emotion that determines if it needs to be addressed.

If I have a bad day,and I want to wallow in my bad day. I listen to some jazz, have something rich to eat, read a good book and turn off the phone. How are we supposed to appreciate happiness and good fortune if we don't have one of these types of days occasionally."



She said it better than I ever could.

I had a bad day - it was frustrating, maddening, and made me cry - I'm allowed to feel bad. So I rolled with it as my wise friend suggested and wore my black polish to match my mood! And you know what, I absolutely love it. She was so right.

Chanel Noir Ceramic is a dark, brooding polish - it is the closest thing to black that I own, but I think my mother would call it 'anthracite' - the darkest dark grey. It has little silver microshimmer in which gives it some depth and interest - and makes it different from a classic solid black polish. I think that the result is pretty darn chic on the nail! The application was great - a little on the thick side, but nothing a few drops of thinner can't fix. The control was great, and coverage was awesome - total opacity in 1.5 coats (1 coat plus touch-ups on some nails).

Now, I know this isn't readily available (because its from the 2006 Limited Edition Spring collection if I recall?) and I don't really love showing you guys polishes that are super hard-to-find, but the good news is it isn't totally unique! Here are some polishes that are in a similar vein:

Misa Wishing on a Star
Sally Hansen Raven's Wing
Dior Black Sequins
Nubar Black Chrome
OPI Baby It's Coal Outside
OPI Black Satin
Essie Over the Top

So I'm still in a bad mood and not looking forward to having my incompetence pointed out, but at least my nails are pretty - and if I cry later, I think they will go well with mascara-dyed tears. (Stop! It's emo time!)

Do you wear black polish? How about when you're in a bad mood - what do you reach for?

kittytokaren


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23 comments:

jbrobeck said...

((hugs)) sorry you had a bad science day, but i think you have a very wise friend. i never thought of it that way before but i 100% AGREE. Plus your nails look fantastic!

Anonymous said...

*hugs kitty* I completely agree with your friend. Actually this was what one very smart teacher tried to teach us last semester (yeah I know, emo school..) and it helped me a lot. I'm actually in a Funky Chunky mood right now lol, the only problem (luck?) is, I don't own Funky Chunky.

Grace said...

Nubbin love! Short nails are so chic. I'm feeling your pain over here. Running line after line of code to analyze data for my thesis and making ZERO progress. Doesn't the universe understand I'm working on a deadline??? I need results here!

As for polish, I have two different blacks (Essie Licorice, and a Brucci one I can't remember the name of), but I don't think I've ever worn them on their own. I use them as a first layer to vamp out other polishes. I think I tend more towards moody, grayed out colors when I'm feeling cranky, like mushroomy taupes or camo greens. Reminds me of Murky and Lurky from Rainbow Brite.

Audrey said...

No apologies or explanations necessary. Your friend said it best - roll with it and keep ot moving!! I can truly relate to no matter how bad of a day, a mani always makes me feel better.

....it's your party, cry if you want, cry if you want to, cry if you want to, cry if you want to - I'll cry with you if you want me to!!

Skulda said...

I had a bad day yesterday at work too, and I cried as well. Too long to talk about. I like black nail polish, but since it's not work friendly, I put on a nude-holo. I have never used it before so it made me happy. A subtle rainbow was all I needed. :)

WizardsOfBling said...

Love the polish! Sorry for your bad day. If your still down in the dumps you could put a matte top-coat on. :)
~Sylvia

kittytokaren said...

@jbrobeck - Hey there! I recognize you ;) Thanks for the hugs! I really need those!

@Eyrlis - Hello my old friend! :) LOL @ emo school...I think maybe it was lucky that you didn't have FC! You must have been in quite a strange mood....

@Grace - Ugh graduate school - why can't it cooperate? You know I'm a fan of the greyed-out colours, but this mood required some serious emo-ness.

@It's me! - Hehe I would recognize you even without knowing the name! A mani definitely always helps - somehow the act of it is just soothing.

@Skulda - I'm lucky that my work environment tolerates whatever. What was the nude holo you wore???

@WizardsofBling - Thanks for the kind words Sylvia! And you're right - a matte topcoat would make this an even more gloomy mani!!

<3 kittytokaren

BarcelonaChair said...

This was a beautiful post :) I hope things worked out for you today.

MsRed

NY*NAIL*DIVA said...

NICE POST! I HOPE TOMORROW IS BETTER!

mKat said...

I used to wear a black from L'Oreal. I forget what it was called. It wasn't a reflection of my mood though... I just liked black.

Feel better! (We've all been there.)

kittytokaren said...

@MsRed - Now I'm even more convinced we are the same person - I'm a huge fan of Mid-C design!! :) And thank you so much for your kind words - I just had to post them because they helped me so much.

@NYNAILDIVA - thanks my friend!

@mKat - I've never been into black np so this is kind of a toe in the water.....and thanks. Its good to know I'm not alone

<3 kittytokaren

Jenny$1983 said...

I'm in complete agreement with your friend, you are wise to listen :)

I'm sorry you had a bad day :( I think your short nails look very elegant, it must be the shape of your hands that mean you can pull off any length of nail.

Feel better soon!

mKat said...

Are you going to paint those toes black too? :)

On nubbinization... I've been looking for a new cellphone for the better part of a year now. (I have had the same phone for a decade)...

I tried (and tried) to use the iPhone but just couldn't... even without nails.

My bf received his Nexus One today...and like the iPhone, it's also a touchscreen but I find it more responsive. It's not perfect b/c my nails are long... but I may be willing to nubbinize for it!

kittytokaren said...

@Jenny - Thanks for the compliments!! I've never had super super long nails - I can't carry that off for sure!

@mKat - Nah the toes are currently Vodka & Caviar! :) On cellphones - I feel very very passionate about mine. I have the Sidekick LX09. It is amazing and I love it. (I'm a long-time Sidekick user.) Unfortunately I think the Sidekick brand is dead (was purposed by Microsoft and they moved all the engineers to the 'Pink' project.) The Nexus One looks baller, not gonna lie. I'm scoping stuff out for my next phone and that looks cool - never liked the iPhone - and I'm a Mac person! I've never had to cut my nails for my phone but then again mine are never really that long to begin with.

<3kittytokaren

mKat said...

Oh kitty... if only I could let you in on the saga that has been my phone search. The nails were but a small part of my problem. :P

I am not a huge Mac person, but I liked the iPhone well enough. However, even with NO nails, I couldn't use it.

It's been a horrible search. I think my bf just gave up and bought his... he was trying to convince me to get a Pre for a while... now he's telling me to get a Milestone.

kittytokaren said...

@mKat - I love phone talk! My phone and I are no longer separate - it is an appendage - nay, a part of my brain. I eveb have to hold it in the gyno's office. (The first time I did this he was like "You really need to make a phone call now? Like right now?" - I had to explain that it's my binky.) I know that making the leap to a smartphone (which I'm assuming you are bc you said your phone was ancient) is kind of daunting, but trust me, so very very worth it. My relationship wouldn't exist if not for my phone.

I just read that over. Wow, I am a freak. Wow.

mKat said...

LOL no, I understand. Don't worry.

I wanted my phone to do a lot.. (like sync flawlessly with an email client). I don't really even want it for phone capabilities, but for electronic organizing capabilities... which is why i have to be able to type with it.

since i started my research i've actually helped a few other people pick phones and/or organize their phone/computer life...

(LOL@your gyno btw!)

daydream222 said...

Your short nails look fantastic! And I totally agree with your friend - when I have a bad day I usually put on a depressing movie or TV show and curl up in my PJs with a glass of wine. Oh and I usually wear a dark polish too. :)

Arrianne said...

Ahh so short! I agree though with your friend. I usually just roll with it. Sometimes I can't though cause then it just gets worse. Hahaha about your phone.

kittytokaren said...

@daydream222 - mmmm a glass of wine sounds great right about now!

@Arrianne - I know its a bit of a shock!! I'm still getting used to the nubs myself - but my nails grow quickly so its no big deal :) Hahaha i can't believe I posted that about my phone.

<3 kittytokaren

Lucy said...

Why not show some polish that I can't get? What am I going to do sue you? Ha, I love this polish. Gorgeous on your nubbins. What am I supposed to cut my nails down with? I use clippers also. I might get into a bad mood if I can't get this polish. Good idea to roll with the bad mood. Sometimes I get into a worse mood if a friend tries to cajole me into a good mood. I love seeing polishes I don't have or can't get. It doesn't matter, I just like looking at polish. I'm sorry I haven't been around on your blog. I added you to my nail favorites folder so I'll be checking in more often. There's so many blogs that I can't keep up at all. Plus I'm on Facebook games the majority of the time. I really missed this blog.

kittytokaren said...

@Lucy - Well I'm glad you like seeing stuff that is hard to get!!! (Or just polish!) I like wearing what I have, but I feel guilty because I usually get a slew of people asking where they can get it - but hey, I offered a possible dupe list, right? :)

I think most pros recommend filing your nails down because clipping bends your nails and make them prone to cracking/splitting. This has never been my problem so I just clip away!

Thanks for adding us to your favourites! :) I love this blog too - it's hilarious...I'll be looking through my Google Reader and see a post I really want to read and more often than not it's from one of the lovely ladies on this blog!! It's an honour to be a part of it. :)

Good to have you back!

<3 kittytokaren

mKat said...

@kitty/Lucy: I have not really heard that (and I would think that filing could promote peeling, no?)

I have always clipped.

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