I'd Like To Apologize-

For being MIA - for not even posting a 3 word long 'I'm still here!' post.

Life has continued to get in the way. I'd still not prefer to share details at this point, maybe someday.  

During this time, I've felt guilty for not being on my site- so much so, that there have been a few times I've wanted to post something to twitter or facebook but wouldn't since I hadn't been doing so here.

More often, I just haven't been online. I don't even want to think about emails! I've hardly checked them lately and don't even want to talk about how many I get daily. When my brain rebels and my thoughts wander that way, it makes me wish I could hire an assistant for a few weeks to get back on track! Maybe I could put up help wanted ad: 'Temporary Assistant Needed. Pay: manicures and loads of free polish!' Think it would work? ;)

I love my blog. I love sharing information and my opinions here. I started my blog for these reasons alone. I want to get back to posting for these reasons alone.

Honestly, most of the stresses in my life recently are extremely minimal compared to what so many people have to wake up and struggle through every single day.

Regardless, whether the stressors were big or small, they were continuous, things I couldn't (and still can't) fix- they are on my mind from the time I wake up until I fall asleep- something they prevent me from doing pretty often lately. For me, this completely hinders my ability to write. The thought of sitting down and writing a post seemed overwhelming. Just about everything little thing part of day to day life felt overwhelming. I do think I'm starting to see a just a hint of light at the end of this tunnel- though I don't want to say for sure (I'm a bit superstitious and afraid I'll jinx myself).

I've been lucky to paint my nails once a week in recent months. I finally broke down and bought myself a uv light, gel base coat, top coat, and a few basic colors, because I was tired of having no polish on more often than having it on.

I did my first gel manicure on Saturday with a gel dupe of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. I haven't had time to change it since. I can't tell you how nice it feels to grab my phone and notice my nails are still glossy and chip free a week later. I'd rather be sick of a color than have no color on at all!

I'm not going to make any promises on when my next post will be. I do miss posting, so I hope it will be relatively soon.

I will stop feeling guilty about my lack of posting and post to twitter and facebook when I want to again, so you can peek there if you'd like- I do believe I will tweet more often than I will post on facebook to start.

If you got this far, I'd like to thank you for reading a post with no pictures. Thank you for continuing to follow me. I hope that 2013 treats all of us well! <3

Depression Awareness Month- Final Guest Post!

     Judy is my final guest poster for depression awareness month. She wrote such a great post, and was even willing to share her own story dealing with depression. I feel like this is what this month should really be about- knowing you are not alone. Depression is something that affects so many more people than you'd realize in your day to day life. 

     It wasn’t long after the passing of my paternal grandmother that I dealt with depression. I was devastated over the family loss, yes, but her passing was the icing on a cake that was already leaning sideways and about to crash to the table.

     I went to the doctor complaining of headaches with nausea, and a lack of sleep. I was obsessed with weight loss but had an inability to curb my eating. I was always irritable and felt socially inept – my moods could change in an instant. My doctor prescribed Zoloft, and I started to see a therapist. I got better over time, and learned how to manage certain people, and handle certain situations. I suffered from depression.

     I haven’t been on an anti-depressant in years, but I have been treated for some anxieties that I still suffer from today. There are so many nights when I need help falling asleep and I reach for the bottle of ZzzQuil because I lay in bed and worry. I worry about things I don’t worry about during the day – it’s awful. I get a fiery feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I also have a bit of social anxiety. I am terrified of meeting new people, even though when you meet me I’m outgoing. I have gotten very good at being outgoing when really I want to shy away from the intimidation of meeting someone and first impressions. I’m always worried that people don’t/won’t like me, or they are talking about me behind my back. I know in my rational brain that these things are silly, but that doesn’t make the feelings any less real.

     At the end of the day, despite all of this, I have always tried to maintain a half-glass-full outlook. Sometimes, that’s not possible – we all have those days, right?! But that played a factor in the Depression Awareness Month mani that I wanted to share with you!

     I did green, but with a splash of happy, bright glitter to remind me, and you, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That there are good days, too, that need to be cherished.

     I used China Glaze Cast a Spell for the whole mani, with Models Own Dancing Queen for accent fingers. (As a total side note, I am loving the Models Own Mirrorball Collection!)

     I have always lived my life by the philosophy that sharing one’s personal trials and tribulations means you’ll find someone else who needs your advice, or who can offer advice, but most importantly, someone who knows what you’re going through. After I started treatment for depression in 2002, I wrote one of my regular newspaper columns about my struggle, and I received so much support and so many letters from readers (back then, we used to get actual letters in the mail!) that I knew sharing and shedding light on depression was the right thing to do.

     So, thank you, Gia for bringing awareness to depression. Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you and your readers! I still know people in my life that suffer from depression – worse than I ever have – and those loved ones are always in my thoughts. XO

     Thank you so much to Judy. I have met Judy in real life and she is a doll. Even if I'd never met her face to face I would say that. She has helped me before and is an all around great person. Be sure to peek at her site- BeautyJudy.com - she's filled it with so much great information and posts- you'll get hooked for sure! 

Did You Know?? Facebook's Not Showing You-

90% Of The Posts Made By The Pages You've Liked? 

Here is a post going around Facebook. I've chose to post about it since by posting it on my Facebook page, you may not see it.


IMPORTANT: Facebook is pushing pages to now pay to promote updates if we want our content to be seen by our fans. If we don’t pay to promote our posts, only about 10% of our fans will see updates in their Facebook home page news feed.

To keep receiving the latest updates and news you have to hover the mouse on the "Liked" button found on any main page. It is found under the cover photo and to the right and looks like this: 

In the drop-down menu that appears, select "SHOW IN NEWS FEED" so there is check next to it. When you click on that you will now see ALL posts and you won't miss anything important!

I recommend that you follow the above instructions for ANY Facebook page you care about, so you can continue seeing all the posts from the pages you love.

I know that I, along with most bloggers, cannot afford to promote every post, so please take a few minutes to go through your likes and do this for your favorite pages- bloggers and others! Here's a link directly to my page: https://www.facebook.com/BottlesOfPolish 

Thank you so much for taking the time to support your favorite bloggers! Please share this post as well to let your friends know that they could be missing posts they want to see!

Guest Post: A Messy Green Manicure To Help Highlight Depression Awareness Some More

      Today I have another post focusing on National Depression Awareness Month. Brie, the writer and owner of Madame B Fatale- an Australian beauty and style blog/vlog that encourages unconventional styles. Enjoy!

     With this month being Depression Awareness Month. I knew immediately I wanted to do a guest post when Gia asked- but as it’s an illness that hits a bit too close to home, I find it rather hard to talk about. Not because I’m ashamed about my struggles with anxiety and depression (although I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true at least some of the time), I do like to keep my private life separate and it’s just another thing that makes me feel even more uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean I don’t talk about it, I do, with my family, friends and my doctor. You should too. So instead of agonizing over what to write about myself I chose to do a nail look with a green polish as it’s the colour associated with depression awareness month.

I purposely chose a messy splatter type look because what’s messier than emotions, right? 

     I started with a black base- Blackmail by Autralis, followed by a neon yellow- Citrus by Ulta 3 and then the green is In the Lime Light by China Glaze. For the ‘splatters’ I used a straw and a thin brush.
I finished off with a flakie type top coat from Autralis called Speck-tacular and I was done. 

     The great thing about a nail look like this is it’s meant to be messy so you can really go to town with it. Just make sure to clean up the edges after you have finished or alternatively tape around the edges first, but since I’m being honest I’m usually too lazy for that!

     For Aussies that are experiencing any depression or anxiety, you want to get information or to find out how to help out a family member or a friend please visit http://www.beyondblue.org.au/ 

     Please check out Brie's site, http://www.madamebfatale.com. A big thank you to Brie for sharing her feelings on such an emotional subject. Our hope by focusing on this during this month is to let others know that they are not alone in feeling down. No matter how bad things seem, there are people out there willing to help you. 

     If you'd like to share anything about your struggles, please feel free in the comments- you may help someone else as well.