Breaking the Biting Habit January Update

Hi guys! Today I have a Breaking the Biting Habit for January 2015, as well as some news about the future of Mama Hearts Polish. Make sure to read on after the break to see how I'm doing and what products I'm using on my journey to break a nail biting habit of 22 years.

So as you can see my left/swatch hand is doing pretty good. I'm currently thrilled with the length and cuticle health. They where longer and I had to file them down because I just couldn't get used to it. I filled them down a little bit more after I took the picture so they'd be less square and would match my right hand. The only issue I have right now is that they're constantly splitting on the corners if they get too long. The weird texture on my ring finger is from a patch of acrylic overlay from the Orly Nail Repair kit.

Here is my more abused right/Cindy hand. All of the nails except my index and thumb were doing really well, not very long but there was some free edge, until my middle and ring finger just snapped off during the holidays. They were super short and painful nubs for a couple of weeks and are now starting to grow again.

Products I use

Besides keeping them polished all the time, the #1 thing that's helped my nails grow is proper hand and nail care. I've become obsessive about it and that's sort of the point. I replaced one bad habit for a good one.

Here's the list of what I'm using:

1. Light buffing block
2. Orange-wood stick for pushing cuticles
3. Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle remover
4. Renaissance Cosmetics Cuticle Oil in Peppermint
5. Hand made mix of Vaseline Essential Healing Lotion with a few drops of 100% Tea Tree Oil
6. Indigo Bananas Cuticle Balm
7. Orly Nailtrition
8. Sephora Glass Nail File

My routine is as follows:

1. File nail down with the glass file and buff across the free edge, not over the surface of the actual nail.
2. Apply cuticle remover, wait 30 seconds and push back with stick. Remove excess and wash hands.
3. Once hands are dry, apply 1 coat of Nailtrition, apply 2 coats if I'm going to leave my nails "naked" aka sans polish.
4. If doing a mani, apply two coats of nail polish and whatever nail art I'm doing that day, then topcoat.
5. Once the nail polish is dry, apply Indigo Bananas Cuticle Balm. I reapply balm constantly throughout the day.
6. Apply Cuticle Oil at night while working on the computer.
7. Rub lotion on hands after washing them and before bed.

Every three days or so I will also use Pretty & Polished Cranberry Scrub on my hands while I'm in the shower. The Renaissance Cosmetics Oil is a new addition. I needed something a little stronger than the balm because even though I live in the tropics, the air is still a bit drier than normal during the winter months and I was getting a lot of hangnails.

Now I quickly want to talk about what 2015 has in store for Mama Hearts Polish. Mainly, a super strict no-buy challenge! This came about because I was looking at my recent purchases and feeling overwhelmed. I realized I had enough nail polish to do a new mani every 2 days for an entire year without repeating colors. My original idea was to take all the money I would save and pay off a credit card and save it for a huge birthday splurge in April, and then again in Black Friday. Unfortunately, my family now finds itself in a crossroads and faced with a lot of uncertainty. There's a very real possibility of having to leave Puerto Rico. The whole thing has make my anxiety worse than it used to be. On one hand, I probably won't have a disposable income to spend on nail polish anymore and on the other, I don't want to add to a stash that I might have to move overseas in the near future. So now it's a forced no-buy challenge.

In the meantime, I will continue to bring you honest reviews and swatches and simple nail art. I also hope to refine my free hand skills. I'm going to do the 31 Day Challenge for January 2015, hosted by Debbie from www.the-crumpet.com. I'm going to be doing it a little late (I'm already a few days behind) and not worry about sticking to the schedule but instead focus on completing the prompts. This will give me something to focus on while I get a better idea of what my near future holds and we can get a plan in place. (And hopefully keep me centered and calm through it all.)

I hope you guys will stick around with me for what's to come! What are your plans for the new year?

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