I’ve made it this far. Depending on whether or not I want to continue going is up to me. -Ludacris, esteemed rap artist
1. Walking + Nails = Labor Inducing Formula. One of my best friends, Melody, had been pregnant for a good 9 months. She was mentally prepared for labor sometime around this coming week even though her belly was still high in the air and she looked mega tiny. Seriously- she was mega tiny to the point that I wanted to throw a cake covered in lard at her or something because her 9 month belly was my 4 month belly. She called me Thursday morning to see if I wanted to get a mani/pedi with her before the big day because I warned her that the most important thing you can do before your due date is get a manicure. This probably seems a little ridiculous, but it’s true. The moments following your child’s birth will be filled with photos- the photos that will be plastered all over your house, your family members’ houses, and even your desk for the rest of your life. Your hands will obviously be in all those photos since you’ll be cradling your little nugget of joy like an overprotective momma bear, and the last thing you’ll want is images of your perfect new human next to your totally gross chipped nail polish. So I took Melody up to my favorite nail salon in the city, Polished Beauty Bar, for a Shellac manicure and a relaxing pedicure. On her walk home (just across the park), she started to feel something strange. Later that night, 5 days ahead of schedule, I got a phone call, “Bryce, I think something is squeezing me… is it labor? I hope not, my hair is dirty… I still have to shower. But who has the energy?”
“Melody, get your tush in the shower. Whether it’s labor or not you’re going to have to call the doctor, he’ll probably want to check it out, and you’re going to feel like a better member of society for having fresh hair. Just shower now before it’s too late.”
And a matter of hours later, Melody’s first child was born at a healthy 7 lbs, 15 ounces. Her child and her nails are still perfect a few days later.
2. What’s A Shellac Manicure? Some people (read: Ashley Brady) get them all the time. Others get them for special occasions or trips. They’re freakin’ fantastic. It’s a special process created by CND that allows a totally hard lacquer effect (um, it’s called “shellac” for a reason) on the nails for about 2 weeks. That means you get a totally flawless, chipless, smudgeless manicure for a full 2 weeks. Frankly, some people I know go as long as 3-4 weeks. They’re a little more expensive than a typical manicure, but if you’re the kind of girl that just doesn’t have time for a weekly manicure (and sometimes the more frequent touch-ups), Shellac will answer just about all your prayers. I told Melody she needed one pre-delivery because she won’t have time for nails in the first few weeks following the birth of her baby. I plan to get one just before I head to LA for Memorial Day Weekend… the last thing I’ll want to deal with on vacay is a chipped manicure. Totally recommend, and the best place in NYC to get one is at Polished Beauty Bar on the Upper West Side.
3. Polished. How do I know Polished is the best place to go? Well, there are only a few places in NYC that offer Shellac, and of them, Polished reigns supreme. If you ask for Susan you’ll be getting the manicurist to the stars, the nail expert and manicurist for British Vogue, and just about the funniest gal in town. Seriously, sometimes I pop in just to say “hi” because she’s awesome at life. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the whole salon is odorless (really- you can’t smell a damn thing in there because it’s got high-tech ventilation), eco-friendly, offers chemical-free polishes and removers for sensitive people, and even has a free shoe-odor removing machine? Yup… anyone that stops in for a service at Polished can pop their shoes in one of their magical little machines that zaps bacteria, totally removing the stink from your ballet flats, gym shoes, or the boots you wore all winter. GENIUS.
4. On A Side Note. This week should be an interesting one. Boyfriend is out of town on biz, Baby Daddy is out of town on life, and I’ve got a little bit of down time for a change. I’m hoping for warm, sunny weather so I can sit by the river with Ben and eat ice cream. Every. Single. Day.
