I actually have pretty good luck with OPI lasting a week (7 days or more) on my natural nails - do you have your hands in water or cleaners a lot? Just curious... I also like Avon polishes - not the cheap stuff in the round plastic bottles (that doesn't last long), but the polish in the square glass bottles with blue caps. "Sinful" brand polishes are probably my favorites. Loreal polishes are pretty good too, but stay away from China Glaze...those barely last 5 days on my nails. A good topcoat is probably the most important part of getting polish to last - I use Loreal 2 in 1 base/top coat or Avon's 2 in 1...both seem to work much better than OPI's top coat for me. Hope this helps - good luck! :-) My nails

Diamon Debs are the only files I use. They last and last. I sometimes find mine at the local Longs, similar to RiteAid, Walgreens, etc. Truth is, I'd personally pay the shipping at Amazon just to avoid having to trek around looking for them!

It's going to take quite a while for your nails to recover from the damage caused by years of "sanding" down to allow the acrylics to adhere. The best thing to do is keep them coated with nail polish, multiple coats to keep them from tearing or breaking. There is a product you can get at Sally's Beauty Supply or equivalent near you. The one I'm thinking of has something to do with horses hooves. I can't remember the exact name. This brand has a treatment you brush on like polish and also a cream like stuff you rub into the nail bed and over the nail. You just make it part of your nightly bedtime ritual.

Hi yall, yes I have now more than 700 bottles and I am weeding them out as soon as they start getting yucky. I just got about 12 more bottles - some are the new colors put out by Americana - they were free from the class I took with Margot Clark. Sometimes, I don't take the paint because I have so many. I have a 3'x5' desk that has three drawers on the left and one big and one small on the right. The paint fits perfectly in the drawers and because I am an organizational freak, I have them separated by color with the name of the paint on top. If I have duplicates, which I do, I have a plastic 12 quart plastic container I store them in. I also have my brushes sorted - rounds, angles, specialty, flats, etc., in containers on a wood lazy susan. I never throw away a brush, I separate it from the goods ones and use it for doofer flowers, furs, etc. I save mayo containers or large pickle jars to store the brushes in. Then I put the containers on a large lazy susan so I can see the brushes when I need one. Most of my books are in a 4 drawer file cabinet, the old issues of the Decorative Painter are stored in a plastic file container. I have three oak armoires that were given to me and I store everything that has to do with painting - blank ornaments, ostrich eggs, wood boxes, etc. I also have a shelf unit that is 8'w x 2' deep x 7' high. I have 12 quart plastic containers - two to a shelf - and I store my accessories and patterns on it. I also have a wardrobe type cabinet I purchased at Walmart which is about 4'w x 2' deep x 6' high. It holds all my material (I love to sew). Now you would think that would be enough, but the closet holds large rubbermaid containers with furs, flowers, polyfill, wreaths, etc. The studio is one of the four bedrooms I have in our house. We no longer have children living at home so I took it because it also has its own bath. The room is only about 13'x15' but I keep everything along the walls and the desk overlooks the back yard. I think if you have room for a desk it is the best item you can purchase (sometimes from the thrift store). Everything is within easy reach and the big drawer holds my taller items like varnish. Since the top is formica it is easy to keep clean. I also purchase freezer paper from the grocery store to use as a palette for my acrylics. I tape it to the table and is less expensive than the palette paper you buy from the art store. I don't use styro plates because I can't stand the noise when you brush on it and it doesn't break down in the landfill easily. When I go to a class I take what I need for the class and use a rolling scrapbook tote. The painter's tote was too expensive and I got this one for only $20 at Joann's. I will take pictures tomorrow - after I vacuum and post it. I don't think the room is anything special but it works for me. One day I may go in and paint the furniture but right now I am too busy painting everything else. I should add that I have a large assortment of ribbon that I keep in the dresser in the guest room along with an assortment of lace. In that room I also keep my precious embroidered scarves and pillow cases. The closets in the other two rooms are filled with Christmas things. Wow, I am very talkative tonight!! I have plenty more to say but will wait until tomorrow. Later Bebe