Makeup & Beauty Monday: Gel Couture Nail Polish Kit
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Before having a baby, I really enjoyed getting manicures semi-regularly. I liked how it made me feel more put-together, how it was an affordable luxury, and that I couldn’t do anything but sit there and stare into space while getting it done. After having a baby, my hands were constantly wet — washing bottles, doing a million dishes, cleaning up spills and messes. Wet hands, however, do not lend themselves to lasting polish. I still do get the occasional manicure as a treat or before an event. My local salons usually have a $2 or $3 upcharge if you request this new polish from essie, and I have found that it’s worth it. I even bought myself one of these kits, which comes with the special topcoat that seals the color in and makes it dry super fast. With the amount of washing/cleaning up I do, a regular manicure would last two or three days at best, and this polish extends that time to five or so, which in child-rearing days is like a dog’s age. (It advertises 14 days, which I think is a bit misleading, but it definitely lasts much longer than regular polish.) The kit is $18.49 at Target and is also available at most drugstores. essie Gel Couture Nail Polish Kit
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Sales of note for 3/15/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off
- Ann Taylor – 40% off everything + free shipping
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + 20% off
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles + extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – Extra 30% off women’s styles + spring break styles on sale
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off 3 styles + 50% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Friends and family sale, 20% off with code; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item + 30% off everything else (includes markdowns, already 25% off)
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Yes I got a new pair of shoes a few weeks ago but the same kind I’ve always been wearing. Maybe I need something different now though.
I’m 24 weeks pregnant with my second and have been running for a long time. I’m trying to continue to run throughout this pregnancy but my legs are really hurting – it almost feels like shin splits and really intense muscle pain/cramping. Last pregnancy I stopped running around 15 weeks because it felt uncomfortable in pelvic area. Now that feels totally fine. Is it the extra weight? Is it just time to switch to a different form of exercise?
So we just found out this morning we’re having a girl. This is our 2nd together (first is 8 y/o) and my husband’s 4th(!!!)- stepdaughters are ages 16/18.
I didn’t really realize until the u/s tech announced it that I had been hoping for a boy, but I think I’ve processed that part and I’m just super happy that the baby looks healthy. Have you ever had disappointment over the gender? It feels silly because I was telling myself and others we didn’t care what gender and would be happy either way. Part of me is excited because girls are fun! And part of me is kind of let down because I was excited to have the different experience. (There may be 1 more baby after this, fwiw, but I hate the idea of doing that just to try for a different s3x.)
Can anyone recommend books (either for me/adults or ones for toddlers) about stepfamilies? My 22 mo has really been talking a lot about his stepsister lately when she is not here. He touches her coat and brings out her shoes and says her name. It doesn’t sound like he’s asking, although I have tried to explain she is with her mommy. I would love some resources for learning to talk about this with him.
He does see her almost every day during the week (the school bus takes her to our house) and she is with us three nights a week and every other weekend.
Kiddo (age 4) has suddenly developed several big fears (mummies, fires, snakes, spiders) and freaks out if she’s left alone or going to be left alone for even a moment (literally, a moment – I stepped out of her bathroom to get a towel from the linen closet *right* outside the bathroom last night and she lost it). I’ve been trying to help her figure out ways to calm herself so that I can use the bathroom without a screaming child outside the door….but I’m at wits end. It sometimes feels manipulative and I’m finding myself getting mad at her, which I’m sure doesn’t help. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Had some serious nesting going on this weekend and got out all my old bottles/pumping supplies. Everything that’s clear plastic seems to have a bit of a film – do I need to do anything more than run it all through the dishwasher?
Our son’s new nanny just started with us today. She mentioned when we interviewed her about a month ago that she was getting married soon – turns out the wedding is this Friday! It’s a small ceremony ahead of a bigger celebration in her home country next year, but we would still like to commemorate it on Thursday (she doesn’t work on Fridays). What would be appropriate? We don’t really know her preferences, etc. since she just started with us. Just cash in a nice card? (… how much?) Flowers? A gift card?
What is the deal with daycare in DC? Having been warned of the exceedingly long wait lists, I’ve started looking for daycares in DC (Capitol Hill/H. St. Corridor areas) and it is so frustrating! No one answers the phones, all the mailboxes are full, and no one has responded to my emails. This does not give me great hope about the level of care at these facilities but they have ALL been the same so far. Am I just supposed to show up at each of the places I’m considering? All I’m trying to find out is how long the wait lists are– I will not need a space until April/May 2019.
I love this nail polish so much. It really does last a week.
I missed this on the weekend thread, but I wanted to add my experience with an in-home daycare. Our daughter has been at a licensed in-home daycare since 4 months (she’s now 14 months). I’ve posted on this site about it before, but in NOVA there is a non-profit that coordinates oodles of in-home daycare and takes care of the licensing/inspections and offers professional development for the providers. They get inspected once a month (vs twice a year for a VA-licensed center). We have loved the flexibility of an in-home daycare and that our daughter has built a strong bond with one provider. She loves her provider and is happy to be there every day. I also think the littlest ones sleep better at an in-home daycare. They also get home-cooked food, and our provider speaks another language to the kids most of the day. So not that I think our child will be bi-lingual, but I think hearing another language is good for the brain. And of course, it’s much cheaper than a center in our HCOL area. Our provider has been doing this for like 20 years, and other kids usually stay with her until pre-school age, so we felt comfortable with her.
We are moving soon and leaving her next month. We’re very very sad our daughter will lose this person in her life that she loves so much! That being said, we would’ve probably transferred our daughter to a center at around 2 years to be around more kids (there’s only 2-3 of them there right now).
The only downside is the times that our provider has been sick or has an appointment. That being said, that has only happened 2-3 times in the past 10 months, and I can find a backup through the system.
I have the Essie Gel Setter topcoat and have been very pleased with it.
This is my favorite home gel kit. It’s very easy to do a neat job polishing because the brushes are a half moon shape (not sure why no one else has done this). And then it’s quick because of the quick drying top coat (and it doesn’t use a base coat). I find it lasts at least a week–not as long as salon gel, but much better than regular polish.
I’ve tried the ones with the home lamps, the Deborah Lipmann kit, the Butter London kit, the cheapy Sally Hansen kit. Essie is the clear best IMO.