Happy Birthday, Leviosa Lacquer!

It's official! As of January 2nd, my blog is one year old. Last year on New Year's Eve I made a commitment to start this blog and post weekly for a whole year, and I am proud to have stuck to that commitment.

This blog didn't get as big as I hoped it would in one year, but it also got much bigger than I thought it would. While the number of readers I receive is typically low, I am constantly blown away by the steady audience I have all over the world. My blog is based in the United States, but I have loyal readers in China, Germany, Thailand, Poland, Ireland, and much, much more. It's hard to fathom that my website gets that much global reach. 

For this next upcoming year, I have some goals and changes that I would like to see happen. I would love to host my first giveaway. Also, after my January edition, I will be doing away with my Color of the Month feature. It did not pull as many views as I would have liked, and honestly the thought of coming up with 12 new birthstone themed manicures makes me want to scratch my eyes out ;P

I'd really like to get more feedback from YOU! I'd like a more interactive blog experience, so I'm going to try to post more questions for you guys to answer in the comments. So, to kick that off, what would you like to see more of on here in 2015? What would you like to see less of? As of now, the only way I can gauge what people like is by view count. I'd really love some more insight on what I can do better to make this more entertaining/informative. 

Finally, I made a little collage of my favorite 12 manicures of 2014. Are there any that you particularly loved that I didn't include? 

Thank you all for your continued support, and don't forget to comment below if you have any suggestions! 

Goodbye, 2014: New Year's Eve Mani

I've always found New Year's Eve to be depressing. I think what people sometimes feel on their birthdays is what I feel as the clock counts down to a new year. If it was a particularly good year, I feel like I'll miss it. I take inventory of my life. I note how I've aged. I do a bit of dwelling. 

This year, especially with recent events of my cousin passing, it could be easy to say that 2014 was terrible. I think a lot of people fall into a trap of letting a handful of awful moments define an entire year. But why don't we do that with the good times instead? 

Sure, I could think about the things I've lost and goals I didn't achieve in 2014 and write it off as a bad year, saying "don't let the door hit you in the ass" as the clock strikes midnight. But I've also had a ton of wonderful experiences in 2014 to be grateful for. 

I got a cat, who has become a truly joyous and beloved addition to my family. I started this nail blog and posted every week (which was one of my resolutions from last year!). I started a fun job that I am good at. I've made great new friends. I've picked up new hobbies. I went to concerts and parties and visited NYC a couple times. I spent time with people who mean the most to me. 

If you are like me and tend to be a NYE dweller, I urge you instead to celebrate the bright moments in your 2014, and to look forward to 2015 with optimism and hope. 

Happy New Year! 

Lightning bolt mani using Zoya in "Storm", "Trixie", and "Ziv"