My words began to haunt me.......

Dear Ether,

To become haunted by oneself through ones own words is disturbing.  I would see the same pattern in my writing that happened in my real life.  I started out with promises of friendship, stories, fashion, beauty—and yes, life as it truly was (the good, the bad and the ugly).

But as time progressed, all I began to do was write about the bad and the ugly.  See Ethers, this is what always happens to me outside the sphere.  I lure people in, friendly with a sense of humor, witty banter about vacuous pop-culture.   I even look the part wearing trendy clothes and a big lip-glossed smile.  But as you get to know me, the facade cracks and all I am is gloss.  A shellac that you brush over worn out wood or cracking paint to make it appear glistening.  But, underneath this varnish, what you have is damage that needs repairing.  And even through my anonymity, my veil, I still couldn’t stop from being who I was.  I could have hit the delete button or not published certain stories—but I did.  In doing so, One of 365 just became another ugly appendage of the human being sitting in front of the screen.  I was afraid of people leaving me.  Becoming bored of me.  I felt self-conscious, like I was moaning about the same woes for months and no matter what advice I was given, couldn’t change.  Being deserted again horrified me.  I couldn’t bear being a failure in yet another forum of my life.  So, I pulled a Houdini of sorts and disappeared.  I didn’t check my e-mail for One of 365, leave comments on posts of fellow bloggers who I love, Twitter became a ghost-town for me.

So, why today?  Is it because it’s the 1st of February?  A new start and a fresh month?  No. A dear friend of mine dedicated a post to me.  I didn’t deserve her kindness, as I didn’t answer a single e-mail from her for 3 weeks.  But my bosom buddy Wildernesschic (who if I could have a smidgen of her passion and kindness…) kept at me.  I couldn’t believe someone was willing to see past being ignored.  And then, with a deep breath, I checked my inbox and comments area.  I was surprised to see that others had asked after me too. I was so grateful.

I don’t think I’ll ever be writing about cotton candy and keg parties.  That’s just not me.  And you know what else isn’t me anymore?  ”One”—at the header of my page.  The story will always be there for all to read—it is my first entry.  But, I’m going to re-write that page as an “about me” instead.  The only thing that still stands true in that piece is my hope in One of 365 to discover something in the journey of blogging.  So far I have already.  And one of the realizations is that a huge part of my writing here in the ether no longer has anything to do with that girl and her night with Mr. X.  As said, it will always remain in One of 365’s archives, but it is no longer who I am.   And, I’ve thought about the title One of 365.  Yes, I will do my hardest to post daily.  But one day out of 365 doesn’t necessarily mean consecutive days.  Fair compromise?

To all you who cared about me and didn’t just “gloss over” this varnished set of numbers….as always….

Dedicatedly yours,

—One of 365

Gnarly nails? This is your "solution." As a beauty writer I've seen thousand's of products, so when I give one an A+, I am being very serious! This product has got it "nailed!"

Dear Ether,

As beauty aficionados, we are rarely able to write about products that we’ve been using for years.  It always has to be about the latest, greatest thing on the market.  Think of it like fashion.  You might have a Cavalli coat that you still get zillions of compliments on, but if it’s from 3 seasons ago, it ain’t showing up in “Vogue.”  Products are also put in magazines based on how they are packaged.  This is because they need to go with the look of the story.  Let’s say you’re featuring a Spring page.  Even if you’ve just heard about the most AMAZING new cream for your face, if it comes in a dowdy red and yellow bottle, forget about it—it’ll never make it in the line-up.  So, sans Editor and any guidelines, my beauty reviews will sometimes have products that I have been using for years that I think are so damned good!  People NEED to know about them and keep them on their tick-list as staple products for their beauty cupboards.  Again, like fashion.  You should always have an XYZ list, right?  Well, I’m going to start recommending things that have passed my desk and have remained in my beauty life for many years.  And trust me, I have seen THOUSANDS of products come and go.  I also will write a comprehensive review.  It might be long, but at least you’ll know what you’re buying.  I hate when you want to know about a product and there is a picture and 3 lines about it.

I would like to introduce you to a little friend of mine from the nail company O.P.I.   This is the greatest nail strengthener I have ever used.  What is the name of this masterpiece for manicures? “Original Nail Envy.”  It’s a maximum strength, clear varnish that takes the most hopeless nails and reforms them allowing you to hold your fingers high again when you walk into a nail salon.  It has hydrolyzed protein (acts as a film-former and skin conditioning agent; Derived from wheat as it also strengthens) and calcium. All you have to do is initially apply two coats of “Nail Envy” followed by one coat every other day.  If you are wearing colored varnish it’s great because it helps keep your polish stay on longer and adds a nice gloss.  I have always stuck to the “Original Nail Envy” because it is maximum strength (and we know I need it: read Oh So “Talon-ted”) but there are several other types.  They go as follows: “Soft and Thin Nail Envy,” “Sensitive and Peeling Nail Envy,” “Dry and Brittle Nail Envy,” “Maintenance Nail Envy” and “Matte Nail Envy.”  The “Original Nail Envy” is what I recommend for those who have the worst nails.  Even if you have any of the specific above, you need the original to get you going.  To me, the others are there to help you once you’ve gotten your nails repaired.  FYI: O.P.I. created the “Matte Nail Envy” not just because they wanted to give ladies a no-sheen look if they didn’t like a glossy finish, but they thought about men!  This is perfect for dudes with duds for nails.  It is the exact same formula as “Original Nail Envy” but with a matte finish.

A picture of the whole "Nail Envy" team. But I'm telling you, start with the "Original" if your talons are a mess. It will work miracles!

O.P.I is one of my favorite brands for nail care.  They’re always ahead of the game when it comes to color trends (remember the huge hit “Linkin Park After Dark”?) and their nail care is really comprehensive.  This has been starred as a favorite on QVC and has been a winner in the coveted “Best Beauty Buys” for  “In Style” magazine.  You know I have terrible nails.  However, when I wanted to whip them into shape, and this came across my desk, I went for it after reading about its stellar reviews.  After sticking to its easy regime, my nails were transformed.  You can buy it and bring it with you to your manicurist and have her use it as a top and bottom coat instead of her normal X-brand she pulls out.  It lasts a really long time and you’ll be hooked once you start seeing the pretty quick results.

So ladies and maybe gents, it is my pleasure to promote O.P.I. and their lovely product “Original Nail Envy.”  I’ve wanted to tout this baby for years and thank goodness for the freedom of blogging.  I really need to start writing more beauty.  God, do I love it!

Enjoy your new nails!

O.P.I. “Original Nail Envy” 15ml, $16, Any Beauty Supply, Fine Drugstore or Online

Dedicatedly yours,

—One of 365

PS: For you ingredient focused folks here you go…….

Toluene, Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin, Isopropyl Alcohol, Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Formaldehyde, Camphor, Butyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Calcium Pantothenate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Benzophenone-1, CI 60725 (Violet 2), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).