Depression Awareness

As I mentioned last week, I have been running around like a crazy lady getting my business set up, so I've had little time to really work on my nails.  I'm glad I have on SOGs right now, otherwise, my nails would be a hot mess!  I had this whole week planned out with green manicures for Depression Awareness, but it looks like I won't be able to wear 5 different manis this week.  I'm going to try really really hard to at least swatch when I can, but I can't promise much.  I have a continuing education class that starts tomorrow and goes through Wednesday.  Then, I have my first real potentially paying client (HOLY YES, FINALLY!) consultation on Friday, so I'm pretty much stuck with boring nails for the next week.  Funnily enough, I actually had to redo my gel French because I didn't do a great job with the Simple Sheer layers.  It's hard to tell you've missed a spot when the polish is clear!  I also toned down the glitter, so now I'm wearing a very subdued mani.  Snooze.  Anyway, let's get on topic!

I have suffered from clinical depression and severe anxiety disorder for pretty much my entire life.  For a very long time, I was so deep in my own hole that I refused to get help.  I made my life, as well as the lives of the people around me, a living hell.  It effected my sleep, my concentration, my ambition, my weight, and my relationships with my husband, friends, and family.  It took plummeting off the deep end last summer to force me to open my eyes and realize that I needed help.  I'm not saying all of this to get sympathy.  However, I know how alienating depression can be.  

You may think you're alone, but you're not.  Depression lies.  If you are suffering from clinical depression, anxiety, another depressive disorder, or suicidal thoughts, please get help.  Friends and family care about you, so go to them!  Getting help does not make you weak or stupid, and your family wants to help you.  Trust me, help works.  I started seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist, and I'm so glad I did.  My depression is so permanent that I will probably be on medication for the rest of my life despite everything I do to try and curb my depressive feelings, but I'm ok with that.  It's a much better alternative than living the way I had been living for so long.  If you'd like to read more about clinical depression and other depressive disorders, please head on over to the National Institute of Mental Health.  You can also always contact me about depression or anxiety.  No one should ever feel alone.

Because October is Depression Awareness Month (as well as Breast Cancer Awareness Month), I had planned to do green manicures all week.  (Green is the color for Depression Awareness.  I'm not really sure why green, but ok.  I'll go with it.)  I've been dying to wear Nail-Venturous Floam ever since I won it in a giveaway from the Polish Monster months ago, but I haven't had the chance until today!  I paired it with Girly Bits Glo Worm, which looked perfect together!  Since it's so close to Halloween, I wanted to spice my mani up with some polishes from the China Glaze Wicked collection, so I chose Glitter Goblin and Ghoulish Glow.

Like all Girly Bits, Glo Worm applied perfectly.  Since I was wearing it over my gel mani, I needed three coats to get complete coverage.  I applied one coat of Floam with the dabbing method and one coat of Glitter Goblin with the dabbing method.  I then topped it all off with one coat of Ghoulish Glow and NYC Fast Dry top coat.

I've mentioned before that I'm a Halloween nut, so I had to add a few nail decals to this mani to help get into the spirit of the season.

Here is one coat of Ghoulish Glow under black light and glowing in the dark.

I really love this mani!  You can get Girly Bits at her store, Llarowe, Overall Beauty, and Mei Mei's Signatures.  You can get the China Glaze Wicked Collection polishes at Sally's Beauty Supply.  Lastly, you can purchase Floam at Ninja Polish, who has purchased either the license or the recipe from Amy at I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous.  Sadly, Amy no longer sells handmade polish, which is a total bummer.

Do you have any Nail-Venturous polishes?