Let's Pretend My Nails Are White

One of the reasons I love nail polish so much is because I don't like how my nails look bare.  It used to be the nail beds, not the nails themselves.  They're kinda...purple-gray and it only gets worse when my hands are cold.  Still, Nichole's DIY Color Corrector post got me thinking.  I might not like the bare nails look, but I do occasionally enjoy sheer or jelly polishes.  Having icky yellow nails from over two years of constant polish makes a white or beige jelly look wrong.  I bought OPI Don't Touch My Tutu last week and it set the brain wheels in motion.  Suddenly I knew how to fix my nails and make a white jelly doable.

The key component might come as a surprise...

Sally Hansen Grape Jelly is good for something after all!

It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than they look with just strengthener.

Yick, right?  One coat of Grape Jelly only helps a little.

I started at the edge of the stain, not the edge of the nail, since my stains don't go all the way to my cuticles.  For the second coat of Grape Jelly, I took it a little farther down again.

Much better!  Still not quite there though, is it?  I shrugged and started to apply Don't Touch My Tutu...and suddenly...

They mostly looked like normal nails again!  Well...a bit too shiny.  I grabbed Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat, since it's not super-matte.

Voila!  This is about right for how my nails looked pre-staining and I could go out in public like this with much more confidence than if I just wore a clear coat.


I was so pleased with Grape Jelly's whitening boost that I went and bought a second bottle from the clearance bin at Target.  It might be a dismal failure as jellies go, but I like it for this.