PETITE PEAR STYLE: Hand and Nail TLC

In addition to my lipstick a day project, I've been slowly going through my nail polish collection. My nails have improved so much in the past 4 or 5 months, and I'm not too sure why. I've been cooking and cleaning a lot more, and I still spend a lot of time on the computer. My main issue with my nails in the past was with breakage or splitting--usually with the nails on my right hand. I'm guessing my healthier and stronger nails could be due to the following:

1) I started wear rubber gloves when doing the dishes. I noticed my hands got incredibly dry in November, and I think it's because I was washing the dishes so much during the eat-at-home challenge. My husband used to do the majority of the dishes, but I've picked up more of the cleaning since I'm no longer working full-time. I gave my hands some extra TLC when I was at the meditation course. I would use moisturizer multiple times throughout the day, and I would apply the Farmacy Honey Savior to the sensitive areas between my knuckles that were prone to cracking. Once I got home, my hands had healed up completely, and I started wearing rubber gloves when doing the dishes to protect them from further cracking.

2) I started moving more slowly. I used to rush at almost everything, and I had a hard time being present. My right hand is my dominant hand, and I would often grab at stuff, or pry lids off bottles, or rip open packages. I was excellent at removing staples with my nails--or so I thought. All these quick jerky movements resulted in me repeatedly breaking the nails on my dominant hand. I would often break my nails without even knowing it, only noticing hours later. Now that I have more time, I move much more slowly and deliberately.

3) I started taking probiotics. I used be to able to grow my nails to a certain extent, but they were flexible and prone to breakage or splitting. In recent months, I've noticed my nails are not only longer, but they feel stronger. I'm not 100% convinced that probiotics contribute to strong and healthy nails, but this is the only other change I've made in the last few months.

Now that my nails are longer, my nail polishes look a bit different on. It's been a lot of fun going through my collection again. Here are the nail polishes I've worn in the past little while--you can also see the progression of my nail growth over the past month. I cut my nails short in December for the meditation course, but I've been growing them since then with no breakage. I don't cut my nails when I'm trying to keep them long. Instead, I use a crystal nail file to shape them.

Nov 23/18: Cheeky Monkey Thigh Highs (2 coats):