The Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge

 A few weeks back two of the wonderful ladies in my International Swap group started up their own weekly challenge.  I don't know about you, but some days it's really a challenge for me to find nail inspiration. Especially this time of year when it seems like I'm always running a mile a minute to get everything done!! So they were kind enough to let me join in on the fun. :)  That means every Friday I'll be doing a new Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge!  You can join along as well (all the ladies involved are SO sweet and helpful!) by clicking the link on the side of my blog.  Or just sit back and enjoy the fun along with me!!

This weeks challenge was: The Oldest Nail Polish You Own

I actually LOVE this idea because it gives me a chance to give you guys a little background on my polish love.  I've been painting my nails since I was around 13.  In fact, for Christmas one year my parents bought me a little Konad-esque nail stamper.  I loved that thing...until it inevitably broke.  When I got older I started playing tennis and running track and in between sports and other activities I kind of lost the passion I had for painting my nails.  And let's face it, polish and sports are not conducive! I can't tell you how many times I broke my nails playing tennis.  So I mostly kept them wicked short.  :/  This past January I stumbled across a nail art blog called The Daily Nail.  I'm not even kidding you I spent about three hours on that page perusing EVERY single blog Melissa ever posted.  I was in love.  More so, she had stamps.  I used to have stamps.  I was  hooked.  Not just by the idea that stamping was still in existence but by the fact that there were so many possibilities to what you could do with your nails with just a few basic tools.  I rounded up EVERY single bottle of polish I could find around my house.  I ended up with 17 (which is probably still more than average) most of them were pink or sheer. Gross.  Still...I grabbed some toothpicks, some art brushes (I also like to paint!), and all my polish and I made some pretty hideous nail art!!  I also ordered some stamps.  Since then I've discovered new brands like Orly and OPI and my most favorites: butterLONDON, Barry M and Models Own.  I've learned about (and collected) dotting tools, nail art brushes, top and base coats...and a lot of stamps. Which honestly I don't use as much as I thought I would.  It's been a fun journey. And here I am, over three hundred polishes later, frantically searching my collection for the oldest polish I own.  And boy is it a doozy.  If my polish were a child it would be in high school right now because I bought it nearly 14 years ago. Without further adieu:

 Mary K Crystal Ice.  Don't fall too in love with it, 'cause I'm sure there's no buying it now!! I got this color in a grab bag at a Mary K party I attended with a friend.  Two things I learned at that party: 1) I am allergic to Mary K cosmetics, and 2) I hate sheer nail polish.  At the time, I hated the sheer, shimmery, paleness of this color.  And as a result it's been sitting in my drawer for...well, round about 14 years as I only ever used it once.  It has a pretty decent formula though, as I didn't have to thin it and it went on and dried excellently. When I bought it I didn't know about layering or multiple coats or half of what I know about nail polish now.  When I pulled this out of my drawer I was DREADING trying to use it for nail art.  And I learned that...well...I kind of love it.  It's not really a sheer polish like I originally thought, but rather, it's a jelly.  This is three coats and while it's not opaque I love the way it makes my nails look sophisticated and neat.  It reminds me of another favorite of mine, Essie Like Linen but it requires less coats and has a wonderful, subtle, shimmer to it.  So I decided to do some simple, retro nail art over the top.

 I added some tips and side 'panels' with some Barry M Peach Melba and then a little stripe of Zoya Caitlin and some dots in Orly Frisky.  Easy, pretty, and still super jelly-fied! LOVE :)  

What's the oldest nail polish you own?

Don't forget to check out what Debbie, Claire, and Kerrie came up with for this Friday's challenge!