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• About Maggie
  

So about a million years ago I remember some teacher of some subject at some school somewhere relaying a little story about a research project about cognitive thinking.

If you put a monkey in a room with a banana hanging from the ceiling just out of its reach and then the only other thing in the room is a chair off to the side, that monkey will jump and jump and jump for the banana and never think to move the chair over and climb up on it to get the banana UNTIL the monkey manages to walk around the room enough that the chair and the banana line up just right in his line of vision. Then the monkey has this "ah-ha!" moment when he realizes all he has to do is drag the chair under the banana and climb up and munch away.

Since then, I have noticed that that little anecdote serves quite well as an analogy to a great many real-life revelations for me. It's not unusual at all for me to completely miss the most obvious solutions to my problems just because they haven't all lined up just right in my vision. Usually one of the things that needs to get in line is my noticing that there's even a problem to begin with.

And so it is that somehow or other I find myself on the brink of becoming a salon owner once again.

For those who have been following the blog — like the BF— it may not be news to you that for the last several months maybe things in my current salon situation haven't been coming together in the most satisfying manner for me. I make a lot of observations, but I don't always notice how I fit into those observations myself. Which is why I have a BF to listen to me and thoughtfully say, "Hmmm. Have you considered that maybe what you really want is to run your own show again?"

Oh. Well. No. Actually, that hadn't occurred to me at all.

And so began the snowball effect that led to my making the phone call to the property manager of our historic downtown Bank of Italy building when rumor reached me that due to the recession, office space in the building was both plentiful and affordable. Not to mention that I just plain freaking love that building and the opportunity to rent a small private office on the 4th floor with an eastward view of Main Street and the Sierra Nevada (on a clear day) was just more than I could pass up!

I signed a two-year lease and gave notice to my salon owner last week. Which, I am thrilled to report, has been met with support and well-wishes from everyone at Attitudes.

Hopefully soon I'll be settled in and looking for someone to share my space. It's just big enough for two nail techs who both love the biz to work side by side sharing talents and techniques.

And I'll have a DSL line so I can finally blog from work!

Competition. Well, I should warn you: This is my new "thing." I have committed to mastering this competition thing. It's the next portion of my resume that I really want to fill out — and if you know anyone who competes or has competed for any length of time, you've heard all kinds of grumbles and rants about all the various things that are wrong with competitions.

Now, let's be honest. NAILS Magazine does not run the current primary competition circuit in the United States. But I don't blog for the people who do. This creates a sort of conflict of interest for me that brings up its own collection of topics to rant about. And I might get around to that eventually too, but not today.

Today is about why I didn't see YOU at the competitions this weekend.

I have followed the competition game for many years. I've seen our competitions in the U.S. go through some growing pains over the last 17 years. I have also lived for nearly 40 years now, and here's the bad news: Politics are everywhere. Let's face it, you can't even balance a BF and a BFF without dealing with politics, so if that's your biggest complaint about competing, it isn't flying with me. Get over it and get out there!

I came home from the show in Sacramento this weekend with two third-place trophies and a medal for finishing this competition season in the top 10! I am stoked about this because it means that I get to bring home some material token of my efforts that I can display at my station that my clients can relate to. And I decided several months ago that that is who I'm doing it for. My clients.

Many of you have listened to me prattle on in the past and know that possibly my most passionate belief about how to solve some of our industry problems is to bridge that gap between the average consumer and the multi-billion dollar industry behind the average consumer's nail lady. And there is no easier way for you to help with this than to compete. Your clients are going to say, "There are competitions for nails?!" And then you are going to explain. Then they are going think you mean nail art competitions or competitions for designed nails like rock star or bling or whatever you call them where you are. Then you get to explain that although there are such competitions, what is really at the heart of it all is the pink-and-white sculptured nail competition. Which will completely befuddle and confuse your clients.

But ultimately, it makes them aware that there is more to doing nails than showing up at your station every day and making their nails sparkle. It opens up their minds to the fact that we are part of an industry that is so much bigger than what they see every other week. It's that "ah-hah!" moment where the average consumer realizes you are not "just a manicurist" and just like those cooking competition shows they watch on Bravo, there's more to what you do than just their nails.

So I'm pretty stoked to be bringing home these trophies because my clients will be able to see and touch something that represents the effort I put into my career. But I gotta confess a little something here. I didn't actually beat anyone. Competition registration is crap these days, especially in the novice division, which is where I am (and where you stay until you take home a first-place win). So in at least one competition this weekend I was guaranteed to place. And I did a crappy set of nails; it would have been easy to beat me! This trophy could have been yours.

So, thanks to several cancellations earlier this week, my entire day on Thursday opened up. Seriously, I haven't had a day that sad in months! People, get your nails done! This nail lady needs new shoes! No really, I do. I have absolutely no casual black shoes!

My point was, however, that this left yesterday with my day beginning at noon with one client and ending with my last client scheduled at 6:30. And nothing in between. Nothing. Just 5 1/2 hours of nothing.

Normally I would try like mad to fill that time with something profitable, or go shopping. Which, I realize, is the exact opposite of profitable, but what's a girl to do? I need new shoes! But no. I decided to take it as a sign that I needed to get off my butt and finish my entry for this weekend's flat nail art competition — which I have already registered for.

So that's what I did. I sat at my desk for hours yesterday drinking coffee and painting.

Let it be known that no one in my personal world is impressed with the chosen theme of this nail art competition. Nevertheless, even though it took me two months to get settled into my vision and then another two weeks to get my vision out of my head and onto those tips in a manner that didn't leave me crying at how bad I suck as a nail artist (yeah, I know, just a few weeks ago I was bragging about being able to paint, I'm an artist; we're moody like that), I now have 10 nail tips covered with "instrument" themed nail art that I would ordinarily be pretty proud of — if it was for a client. Knowing that it will be turned in to be judged in a competition makes me look at it a little more suspiciously ... and worry that it might suck.

But as I was throwing one of many tantrums over the way things were coming out yesterday because — you know what? — I don't really deal with shading and lighting in my everyday nail art, it came to mind that maybe now I understand why the registration fees for competitions is so freakin’ expensive! It's just enough money to keep me focused. Several times during the day I considered just throwing in the towel. "*#!& it! I'll just eat the loss and avoid certain humiliation and just not turn anything in." But then the little voice in my head that represents the girl who is not out shoe-shopping says, "The HELL YOU WILL! That was $85! I don't care if you let the dogs do this nail art! You're turning SOMETHING in!"

Which made me think back to all that homework I never did — again. I didn't do a lot of homework, but I really didn't turn in projects. Like that diorama we were supposed to do in 5th grade. The problem is, I would get really inspired. I'd have this awesome image in my head of what I wanted to do. Then it would soon become apparent that I did not have the skills, and often the resources, to bring my vision to fruition. This would result in a big box full of FAIL that I was terribly embarrassed to turn in. I'd rather just take the "F." And so began a lifelong career of succeeding at failure. It's a control thing. I'd rather forfeit than make a less than perfect attempt. Apparently it's a common trait of "gifted" children — but that's another story. This story is about nail art.

This little confession of the inner workings of my ego combined with the fact that I just received my score sheets from the recent "cyber" competition (the photo is last year’s Strut winner) really had me on the verge of chucking it all and crawling into a hole yesterday. Seriously, one of the judges from the last competition gave me ones and twos for my 3-D nail art entry. ONES AND TWOS! Have you ever read the scoring system? One represents "unacceptable" work. That's like saying "This was so awful you shouldn't have even bothered turning it in." See how that reinforces my "I suck at this" fears? ONE!

I am in no way suggesting that that entry had any business winning. At all. It was utter crap. Really. And it really missed the mark in the way of representing my original vision. But really? One? It was not one bad.

Nevertheless, I have already put down my $85 and my entry is almost done and it is getting turned in and presented for the judges’ scrutiny. Even if it turns out to be the entry most full of suck. I really think watching “Top Chef” is making me a better nail competitor.

So, for some time now I have been wanting a new desk. I love the one I have, but I had it built 14 years ago for a very specific place. Coming up on a decade and a half later, I'm just plain tired of it.

For starters, it's 62" wide. Which is full of all kinds of "ooooooohhhhhh" in the beginning. But I've used this desk in so many different salon settings over the years that I truly have come to understand why manicuring tables are 36”-48" wide. Especially seeing as how we nail techs get shoved into tiny, out-of-the-way corners all too often. Much easier to do with a 3 1/2-foot desk than an imposing 5-foot piece of furniture!

For another thing, it's green and some sort of "natural pine" looking Formica. Which looked awesome in 1995 when I had it built to order to match the interior of the first studio salon I ever owned. (Which, btw, to date has been THE most beautiful decor I've ever worked in, despite the fact that I went on to own my own salon again for another nine years; you'd think I'd be able top that first one, huh?) It looked great when I returned to my home town after a year away and opened my new salon in '98. But when I redecorated and painted the walls purple in 2003 that desk started to look only OK.

Then I gave the whole owner thing up and went booth rent. The owner of the salon I'm renting at now gave me the option of keeping my desk or having her order a new manicure station. I opted to keep my desk. Saved her money and beside, my desk is pretty nice. But after nearly three years, I'm constantly reminded that it would fit so much better into my space if it was just a foot shorter.

And I do a ton more gel now than I did 14 years ago. Not to mention, I make more money than I did 14 years ago, which means I can actually afford to invest in two UV lamps for my desk. And until recently I didn't realize how big those lamps are! Do you know they are nearly 10 inches wide? So they just sit on top of my desk taking up so much room. Along with all those thing-a-ma-jigs and whats-it-doodles that I keep on the desktop.

It's time for a new desk. Plain and simple.

Mostly, I want to stick those UV lamps into their own little cubby holes and get them off my desktop.

So I spent the last year or so measuring and comparing and researching and looking into the windows at every salon I pass and tirelessly combing the Internet for pictures. I have doodled on every piece of paper and used the BF's assortment of wood pieces that he has in his project drawer to design the Ultimate Perfect Nail Table. (I really intend for you to be able to hear the dramatic music when you read that.)

And I think I finally have it. Now I have to get it out of my head and into the third dimension. Have you ever tried to do this?

First, I comb the Internet looking for something that already exists as a manicuring table. Why, for the love of all that is holy, does salon furniture cost so freakin’ much? PEOPLE! It's two boxes with a board across it. Every college student in America has built one of these things from mason bricks and plywood for less than $10. There is no way you can possibly convince me that your "upscale European design" warrants a $2,500 price tag for a piece of flippin’ glass on a metal rack!

That’s about what I had run into 14 years ago when I had my current table built, which is why I had a local cabinet maker build mine for about $500. Which I still think is pricey, but I sure as heck can't miter any corners or apply Formica laminate and besides, it was still $1,000 less than what an industry-specific furniture manufacturer wanted for the same design.

So I went to a local furniture manufacturer this time for an estimate. Well, of course, I understand the concept of inflation and all, but my new table design does not have all the full slide-out drawers and fancy double-sided European roll on the countertop, not to mention that it's 15 inches shorter — so there's no reason for it to cost $650.

Local independent handy-man? $500. Not to mention the nagging feeling I keep getting when I take my sketches to these people that they have zero clue as to what my vision is. You know? Like all they can see is "Oh, like a desk then?" Not the part where I'm all like, "And here is where I want just little cubby-holes and then, on the desktop I want an armrest, but I want it to be built like a shelf ... no, not 2x4s cuz I want it to make a little shelf here ... I want to put holes in the desktop so I can run cords through it ... no, not Corian, Corian doesn't stand up to acetone ... yes, chemicals ... it has to be solvent-resistant..."

It's not going to be a freakin’ sewing table! It's a NAIL DESK — it's going to get chemicals on it!

So guess what? I am totally convinced I can build it myself. Now maybe I can convince the BF that I need a compound miter saw.

So, here in California we're supposed to throw our files away after each client. Believe me, I can go on more than one rant from here! But what I'm thinking about today is why don't the supply companies capitalize on this?

Here in Visalia we have a grand total of two beauty supply houses. We have a Sally's and a Cosmoprof — oh wait, three! We also have a Maly's. And every time I walk into any one of them I am reminded of how little the professional beauty industry seems to think of what I have to contribute to it as a nail tech.

Never mind the fact that out of five or six aisles and the perimeter of the store, only a scant one side of an aisle is dedicated to nail supplies, but upon closer inspection you will find yourself absolutely frustrated if you are actually trying to stock your supply needs from any of these sources.

For one thing, if I were to buy my supplies entirely locally, I'd have to double my prices just to cover my overhead. Cosmoprof finally started carrying files in bulk packs, but they are priced at three times what I pay online. Just a little note: That's crazy.

Thing is, I've talked to suppliers before about this and I get told that there isn't enough money in nail supplies.

Well how does that math work? No, we don't go through polish as fast as a hair stylist goes through color. But we go through polish remover at a good clip. We go through monomer and gel pretty fast. Gel top coat goes really fast for me.

But what really goes fast are the files and buffers. Because California won't let us disinfect them. Why aren't our suppliers selling this point? It's in their best interest to not only be aware of this, but to market the heck out of it! They should not only have the files and buffers available to supply the market, but they should be sending out mailings to let nail techs throughout the land know that they have files and buffers galore to meet our needs. And the reps that come into the salons should be making a point to stop by the nail tables and be sure that we are well stocked every week. Heck, the reps from the local supply houses have never even bothered to stop and say "hi" to me when they come into the salon.

I don't understand why these businesses insist on overlooking us as part of their revenue? It's bad business in any economy, but these days, with so many businesses crying about how bad things are, you'd think they'd be stepping it up a bit.

So, I have less than two weeks left before the next competition being held in Sacramento. This one is the big season finale. I think it's pretty cool that we now have competition seasons that end with a big prize at the end. People understand that when I try to explain it — like the World Series sort of, or the Superbowl.

But, as I've mentioned in the past, I have a long way to go before I take home any giant, season-end trophies. Nevertheless, I'm not going to get there if I don't compete. Because nail competitions are a lot like the lottery; you can't win if you don't play. (That’s the California state lottery slogan, btw.)

So here I am, with less than two weeks left in the countdown, and I need to order some more product. I need a new brush, I need to make hotel reservations, and I still don't know if the BF is going to get the Monday after the show off, so I don't even know which days to reserve the hotel room! AND I STILL NEED MODELS! (insert panicked screaming here)

I have two models picked out, both clients with really good personalities whom I am pretty sure will still love me after living through the competition process with me. But they have lives and families and stuff to rearrange before they can commit to going, and I haven't heard a definite yes or no from either of them.

But I'm not panicking. No no. I'm cool as a cucumber. Total Zen master here. It's just a total coincidence that my breathing sounds like I'm doing Lamaze.

I could — and possibly will — tell this story every time I enter a competition, so be warned. Meanwhile, it's also time for the annual Strut Your Stuff Online Competitions over at BeautyTech. Which, for yet another year, I have failed to enter. Mostly because I procrastinate really well, so, despite the fact that I could do the nails for the SYS at any time during the year, I have no chance of getting an entry in this year — even though Deb has extended the deadline.

But just the other day someone was mentioning the rule that if you won last year, you don't get to compete this year. Deb says she does this to make it more "fair." Well, it's Deb's contest and it's her website — she can do whatever she dang well wants and I'm not about to argue that. But it reminds me of when competitions wouldn't allow you to compete if you worked for a manufacturer. It basically guaranteed that once you'd become a seasoned competitor, you got disqualified from competing if you managed to parlay your new skillz into a respectable job with a manufacturer.

I always thought that was dumb.

I don't understand the trend in our culture toward avoiding actual competition. We argue about it as it is applied in children’s sports and so forth — whether it's good or bad for the kids and the future of our society — but here it is, sneaking into the nail biz as well.

I don't want the big names in competition to essentially "age-out." I want them to keep competing! For as long as they want to keep competing. I'll never know if I've reached the level of skill that could kick Tom Holcomb's butt if Tom can't compete. I mean, I don't see Tom much around the shows these days, but I think we all still know his name and his legend.

I'm glad the major competition circuit finally changed that rule. It's good to see Trang in the pits again.

But I don't really see how the SYS "sit out a turn" rule helps. Yeah, it does give someone else "a chance to win the goodies" as Deb said, but it feels a lot like you get punished for winning.

I, for one, compete to test my skillz against other competitors. Once you're playing in the top division, it's about finding out if you have what it takes to go up against those who have already proven themselves in the game. I can't do that if they aren't there.

Just sayin'.

Don't ask why (who knows how my brain works?), but the other day I was thinking about doing homework. Like I did (well, not did, exactly, so much as was supposed to do) back in school — particularly in elementary school.

I remember my best friend back then lived in a house that had a really cool breakfast bar in the kitchen. It had Formica countertops too — all even and smooth surfaces — not like the tile counters in my house. Not to mention, our house did not have a breakfast bar. I remember, the first time I saw my friend's house, I immediately thought that breakfast bar was the perfect place to do homework. I never did understand why she didn't realize what a great space she had for doing homework.

To this day, I maintain that my primary reason for not doing my homework in all the years I went to school was because I didn't have just the right space.

Turns out, I've had a touch of OCD for a very long time.

I always needed just the right space for doing homework. I needed a good desktop surface that wasn't cluttered or crowded, a chair that was just the right height, just the right lighting, and no distractions from TV, cats, or parents. I needed to be in the zone or I couldn't concentrate at all.

Unfortunately — probably more for my mom than for me — I never had such a space. Even in high school, once I really understood what it was that I needed and found a decent desk, I never had the right chair. My chairs were always a little too low. I never had the right lighting. The light was always a little too dim or too harsh. And I certainly never had a distraction-free environment! Which seems odd when you consider that I am an only child of a single-parent household ... but Mom is, shall we say, not good at leaving me alone. Much like my dog right now, who is squeaking because we aren't paying attention to him.

Eventually, of course, I grew up and discovered that — for most real-life applications anyway — homework is a totally unnecessary life experience and not doing it didn't really have any long-term negative consequences.

What did occur to me while I was thinking of how I never had just the right space for doing my homework when I was growing up, is how I grew up to end up with a career where I spend my days sitting in just the right space.

I mean, we've discussed that I really wish I could keep my desktop clearer (more clear? See? I'd probably know which is correct if I'd done more homework, huh?). But mostly, I have a nice desktop with just the right lighting and just the right chair; with all my little doo-dads and thing-a-ma-jigs that I need to do my job set up in just the right place within easy reach of me.

Of course, my mom still hangs out with me and wants to know all about what I'm doing, but I'm used to that now and my clients love her so I guess I'll keep her.

I don't know if I found just the right space, or if just the right space found me but it's a good thing we got together. I can't imagine where I would be if my space wasn't right!

Thing is, we all love nail polish. For most of us, our introduction to the very concept of nails as part of our overall fashion image goes back to the first time our moms — or a really cool aunt or maybe even an older sister — polished our tiny, squirming nails when we were all of 2-years-old.

That early introduction to the world of nail fashion got stuck in our heads and paved the road for a natural evolution from mere polish to enhancements. And let's face it, enhancements are really just a vehicle for nail art. Most people keep their enhancements because they extend the life of their nail polish. People want to wear color on their nails.

Even the die-hard French wearers want color — they look at it, they pick up the bottles and fondle them longingly, and they always look closely at the seasonal collections. It's not for lack of desire that they stick with that tried-and-true pink-and-white.

My P+W-ers stuck with French for years because it could be built in to the enhancement. It was dry instantly and it wouldn't chip, peel, or wear off the tips. It was fool-proof “polish” and it went with everything.

But then something happened. Someone came up with the idea of pigmented products. We started mixing glitter with our products. Our clients were introduced to the concept of built-in nail art and permanent color. The world opened up for them and once again their nails represented a canvas with the potential to express their inner artist.

This season I'm seeing new lines from many polish manufacturers that lead me to think maybe they're feeling the shift too. It's been joked about for years now that "polish is for toes" but now that the trend for enhancements on toes has swept the land, I'm sure I'm not the only one who wonders why I keep buying new polishes? I mean, I use them on all of two of my clients so all they really do now is make it harder to stay on top of my dusting duties.

So about all these "new" polish ideas being introduced this season: The matte look. It's been done. It didn't get much interest back in the 1990s the first time it was rolled out, and I assure you if I can't use a top coat and you can't get any oil or lotion on it, believe me when I say any interest at the consumer level is going to wane so fast that the manufacturer who brought it to market might go down in history for discovering the secret to time travel.

People want the convenience of instant-dry, long-wear, fuss-free color. They don't want a polish that's so finicky that they have to worry about what lotion they use! This is not the way to bring back the public's love for polish.

Yeah, my clients DO love these metallics with the diamond dust in them — once. But it still requires that they sit still and wait for their polish to dry. They are so over that! Not to mention I am so not about paying $10+ for a freakin’ bottle of polish that only a few people will try!

I admit, I am loving CND's new "colour effects" concept. But first off all, where am I supposed to get it? Our local CND distributor does not carry their polish. Also, I'm going to be pretty miffed if I run out and invest in an entire new line of polish that nobody uses.

If polish manufacturers really want to stay competitive and meet the demands of today's nail client they should invent a polish that actually dries in five minutes and STAYS ON THE NAILS! Like these "gel polishes" only you'd be able to take it off with polish remover.

Give us a polish that lasts 14 days, can be retailed for at-home and on-the-go touch-ups, and can quickly and easily be removed and changed out. That's what my clients want. That's why clients are opting for gel polishes and "rock star" nails and toes; they still love their color and art, but they don't want to wait for polish to dry, and they don't want the hassle of babying their polish on their own time. And they don't want to pay $9 for a bottle of polish just to touch up the edges.

So about two weeks ago I got a jury duty summons. This is only the second jury duty notice I have ever received. The first one I got was right after I'd moved out of the county and I had to call up and explain that I didn't actually live there anymore.

But that was over 10 years ago. Some people get called every year and some people don't. So far, I've been in that "don't" category.

See, the thing is, I WANT to do jury duty. Yeah, that's right, I would LOVE to sit on a jury.

I read 12 Angry Men when I was 16. It remains one of my favorite plays. I really prefer to listen to it as a radio play, but it's also a pretty kickass movie. You should definitely check it out.

So I have spent the last 23 years thinking that sitting on a jury would be pretty cool.

The only problem is, I do nails. I'm self-employed. There's no one to cover for me while I'm out. And sure, jury duty is inconvenient for lots of people, and most businesses don't pay their employees while they serve — but I don't even have the option of drawing on vacation pay. If I get picked, I don't get paid. I mean, other than their generous $15 a day, which isn't going to go far.

Sure, the BF would kick in and make sure the electricity stayed on at the house and that I didn't go hungry while I was out of work, but who's going to pay my booth rent? Who's going to cover my health insurance? My business insurance? My car payment?

Scheduling time off in the salon biz takes a virtual act of God. In the 18 years that I have been doing nails, I have scheduled two weeks off in a row ONCE. It was back in 2005 and I had nine month's notice to make it happen!

I've long since figured out how to clear the schedule for a few days at a time without panicking, and I like to think my clients would be sympathetic if I were called to serve on a jury, but I still live in fear of ending up on the next O.J. Simpson jury.

Really, a couple of days? I'll make that happen. A couple of weeks? Sorry, Your Honor, I can't do it.

I hear all kinds of stories from people about going to jury duty. The law is set up to allow me to NOT face financial ruin at the hands of my "civic duty" but there are a few judges out there who don't give a crap. Which, btw, is really crummy for the defendant. You don't want a juror who's so distracted by the fact that being tasked with deciding your fate is costing her two-weeks’ pay and possibly her entire business that she's not paying attention to the evidence being presented at your trial.

Seriously, all I can imagine is how sick to my stomach I would be if I found myself serving on a jury in a trial that lasted more than a week. I guess that's what alternates are for though, cuz I'd end up in the hospital with an anxiety-induced heart attack for sure!

So anyway, I showed up as instructed and made my way to the courtroom with the rest of my group, where the judge explained the case to us and started asking people why they thought they needed to be excused.

He let some go, he made some stay. Then he simply picked 19 people and told the rest of us thanks for our time and have a nice day.

That's it. I handed in my badge and found myself at a loss for what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I went to the bank and then got some lunch and came home to my dogs. Who were happy to see me until they decided I wasn't sharing my lunch with them and then they just went back to sleep.

I'm bummed. I was totally willing to clear my schedule for the two to three days the trial was estimated to last.

Speaking of stuff that's blue ... Sounds like a survey question from “Family Feud,” doesn't it? "Name something around the salon that is blue."

OK, so, speaking of things that are blue in the salon, what is up with these nail plate cleansers?

Don't get me wrong! I actually LOVE them. Nail plate cleansers have made my life much easier. I've found that even product systems that don't have their own still benefit from the use of one.

But why do they have to be blue? They blue dye used in these products is pointless! It doesn't do anything. Being blue doesn't contribute to the efficacy of these products at all.

I'll tell ya what that blue dye is good for: gunking up my Menda pump! Or anything else it gets on.

The problem is that the stuff that the product is actually made up evaporates very fast, but the blue dye doesn't evaporate at all. So what I get at the end of the day is an interesting way to demonstrate why the Dead Sea is so salty — using nail plate cleanser and blue dye. Which quickly turns to blue gunk. Which makes me terribly self-conscious because I'm sure that anyone who sees the little pump on the jar I keep it in is thinking, "hmmm, she says she cleans everything, but that's looks pretty nasty."

So I don't understand what the love affair with the pointless blue dye is? I suppose some guy in R&D is thinking, "We'll make it blue. Nail techs love blue. It'll be pretty, like that old lady's necklace from Titanic. It'll fly off the shelves and be the most popular thing ever!"

But it's NOT pretty. Not when I'm actually using it. It's gunky and sticky and hard to wash out of the nooks and crannies of the pump. And frankly, I put it into a jar that doesn't show off the lovely shade of blue that just about matches my properly mixed disinfectant anyway, so I hardly see why it's important that they match.