Ham is wearing Zoya- Pheobe in the photo!  I chose that color since it's a matte and dries really quickly.



What's your favorite brand?
There are too many to name, and I definitely go through phases, but there are a few brands that I've noticed I consistently enjoy:

• Commercial: Illamasqua, Zoya, Misa, LVX, Nubar, Orly, China Glaze, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

• Indies: Indigo Bananas, Picture Polish, Cirque Colors, A England, I Love Nail Polish

How did you stop biting your nails?
It took a few tries over the years, and I failed many times.  It wasn't until I started reading nail polish-oriented blogs that I learned about proper nail care, which was a great tool to have at my disposal. People find success in many different ways while trying to curb OCD-like behavior, so your mileage may vary, but here's what worked for me:

1. At the very beginning, I allowed myself only to bite certain nails, while others were off-limits. This is totally strange but it worked. I gradually made more and more nails off-limits until, finally, they all were.
2. At this point, my nails were still only about half a centimeter long, but it gave me enough surface area to apply falsies. For several weeks I used drugstore press-ons with superglue and filed them very short and to the curvature of my cuticle.  If you do this, and then paint over them, they can look pretty natural.
3. When my nails were about to my fingertips, I began to go without the press-ons, and focused just on maintenance while the damaged beds grew out. I began using OPI Original Nail Envy which really helped, but of course I still had to buff out flaking and keep them generally nubby (by nail blog standards). It took about 6-8 months for all the damage to grow out!

• Final tips: If you're a nail biter, the biggest thing you can do to avoid relapsing is to always carry a file or nail clippers with you. At all times. Otherwise, the temptation to fix snags or uneven edges with your teeth is too great.  You should also try to replace the habit of biting with something else...perhaps cuticle/ hand moisturizing.  

Do you do anything for the health of your nails & cuticles?
I have a basic Nail Care page, which is more in depth, but-

I moisturize my hands and cuticles like crazy. Almost obsessively.  At night, especially, I like using either pure Lanolin or some kind of heavy balm. I also take a Biotin supplement every day, and use a nail strengthener as a base coat.

 

Favorite top and base coats to recommend?

• Base Coats: OPI Nail Envy, because it really makes a difference in the strength of my nails! I also occasionally use Nailtek Foundation II. I also use Orly Tough Cookie when I want the polish to peel off in one sheet the next day (like for glitters)- because it will!

• Top Coats:  My favorite quick-dry is INM's Out The Door, but I also use Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat, & NYC In A New York Minute.  I pair American Classics Gelous with one of the aforementioned to smooth coarser glitters. For matte top coats, I prefer Essie- Matte About You and Butter London- Matte Finish.

Do your swatches have top coat?
YES. Unless otherwise noted, all swatches save texture polishes and the odd matte polish have top coat. This is mostly to expedite the drying process for me and to show the polishes' true potential.



How often do you paint your nails?
It depends! Sometimes it is as often as every other day.   If I get tipwear or chips, I feel the need to re-paint my nails.  And on the weekends when swatching, I'm constantly painting, removing, and then painting again, several times.  A lot of times, I will keep the same base color for quite a few days, and either spice it up with a flakie or glitter topcoat, or some simple nail art.



What camera/ lighting do you use?

• Right now I shoot most everything with a Nikon D90 and a few different lenses, including:

1. Nikon 35mm f/1.8 G 
2. Nikon 50mm f/1.8
3. Tokina 100mm f/2.8 
4. Tokina 12-24 f/4 (Not used for nail photos, but I shoot Ham a lot with this wide angle.)
   

• I use an SB-700 on and off camera, bounced off of walls/ceilings/reflectors.

• I'm also experimenting with a combination of the SB-700 + the TaoTronics® Elune TT-DL01 desk lamp which uses LED bulbs.

• Natural light photos are taken without added strobe in front of windows, outside, and in the sun.  

• I develop photos from RAW using Adobe Lightroom.  This includes basic toning, sharpening, color correction, watermarking- and the occasional digital dog-hair-removal.

Can I link/post your blog/ photos?
Of course! As long as you link back to Polish Hound (preferably the post from which the content originates) I don't mind at all!