Wedding Nails

I am caught on the horns of a dilemma. If I get my nails done too early, they will not last for the wedding. But my time is committed and I can't think how to carve out a chunk for sitting in a nail salon. At last, reluctantly, I head to the mall 4 whole days before the wedding to take care of this important piece. I am so not a girly-girl filled with pouf-pouf and fluffy frills. Sigh. On those rare occasions when I need to look polished, it takes herculean effort to whip my sagging self into shape.

I walk into an empty salon. Good. No one to give me puzzled looks when I unveil my unpolished digits. I can relax and just let the girls work their magic. I settle into the chair, plop my feet into a tub of warm swirling water, and am quiet while the petite salon woman tends to my needs. She has a very thick Asian accent and I can barely make out what she is asking me.

I get the general drift that she thinks I ought to frequent the salon more often and not get into such a bad state. I smile and nod, but I cannot justify spending so much money on a regular basis for what I consider unessentials. She keeps reiterating something about a new type of polish and without really understanding what she is going on about, I agree to try it. She smiles broadly.

Just then, oh joy, a wedding party enters. The excited bride, her mother, maid of honor, and the groom's mother all plop down in chairs, chattering gaily about wedding plans, colors, flowers, last minute decorations, tiaras, colors of nail polish matching dresses - the laughter and banter cheers my heart. The sole woman working has called in her accomplices who have been out wandering the mall and suddenly they explode on the scene, grabbing tools and stools and setting to work with sincerity.

I am at the painting stage now. What my helper paints on my fingers looks clear until you get it under the drying light, then it looks - egad - purple. But the color swatch she showed me was a peachy color, so I wait patiently while the timer goes off and multiple coats are applied. Ding! I am done. No waiting to dry. Put your shoes on and leave.

Turns out this is a new acrylic nail p0lish, impervious to destruction. I am assured I can scrub pans and it will still look stellar. The girls in the wedding party are getting the same thing, and they tell me it is true. Imagine that! Nail polish that will look good for nearly a month! Not bad. Not bad at all. I am so behind the times. And delighted that this will last until after the wedding.