With all that in mind, I've decided to do a me A-Z post. Since nail polish is my life, most of this will be about nail polish. Oh, and my weirdness.
A
Animals- I love them. I always have. They give me an incredible sense of calm and inspiration. The perfume Coco Marie, is inspired by my cat Coco. Oscar and Coco inspired my cuticle products simply because they're ever present. Oscar helps me fill bottles and ship packages, he has his own empty bottle flat that he watches from. Sometimes for hours at a time, just watching what his Jenna is doing. Lately Oscar has wanted to help with the bubble wrap aspect of packaging. I've had to remove several feet from my roll due to teeth marks.
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| Here's Oscar ignoring me while I try and take a cute picture of him. He's in his personal bottle flat. |
B
Brits- I love all things British, I know it's a thing now, but I've been wishing I were British for over 2 decades. I was raised on Monty Python, and grew up to have a very dry British sense of humor. Just imagine a third grader playing Monty Python's Galaxy Song for her class, and no one understanding why. That's my childhood in a nutshell.
C
Creative Juices- I've always been an artistic person. My career goal in 2nd grade was to be an artist when I grew up, and that's never really varied. I'm a very creative person, but not in traditional ways. I can't draw or paint. I'm horrible at most standard art forms. It wan't until Etsy that I found something I'm really made to do. Nothing gets my creativity flowing like making a new collection of polish. I can come up with ideas for an entire collection in one night and have several times. I'm always creating something in my head.
D
Daring- Or really, a lack there of. I'm not at all daring. I'm more of the sitting down type as Mrs. Hudson put it. I can be completely content to stay at home and read, or if there aren't any books that look interesting (yeah, right) I'll watch one of my favorite shows.
E
Education- If you asked me a 2 years ago how to make a creme polish I would have had no idea what you were talking about. Ask me the same question now, and I can give you that answer and more. Since starting on this polish lined path, I've learned so much, it's beyond crazy. I know more about glitter than the average person.
F
Fandoms!- There are so many fandoms out there, and so many I'm a part of. If you haven't noticed by now I get tons of inspiration from my fandoms. Just to give you a little taste of what I mean check out my Pinterest page. http://pinterest.com/lynbdesigns/ Pretty much all of my fandoms are represented on Pinterest, and pretty much hidden from my real life. If people knew how much of a crazy fangirl I was, they would think I was even more weird. I could literally write an essay on all the fandoms I'm in, and my various theories. Such as Sherlock faking his own death, or what is Clara's meaning in the big scheme that is Doctor Who.
G
Glitter- So much GLITTER! I have over 200 different glitters, I know this because I recently organized them. One of the few super organized things about my office. I have three main suppliers of glitter, and an always looking for more. even though my favorite polishes are usually shimmers, duo chromes, or multi-chromes. I love making glitter polishes. I've had a few that are super complex, but have yet to make an appearance.
H
Heartwarming- Nothing makes me happier than hearing about someone who got one of my polishes and loves it. Well, almost nothing. It's an incredible feeling to know that you've made someone's day. It's also an incredible feeling when you can help someone fulfill a need with polish. I know it sounds weird, but sometimes sending someone a free polish can make their situation so much better.
I
Introvert- I've very introverted, in a non introvert family. I don't like to talk to people unless I have a good reason, and I rarely start conversations. I've been this way my entire life, and I'm still not comfortable with public situations. I hide from the UPS guy, I hate to make phone calls, and if I can't find something in a store I won't ask for help. I've found that working online really helps me be the person I'm not comfortable being in real life. (I got serious there for a minute)
J
Jenna- Yep, that's me, Jennalyn. I hate talking about myself, but it seemed like the thing to do. I'm 26, and I live in Michigan. I love the Winter and hate the Summer. I'm a big nerdy mess and proud of it. I'm the owner and creator of LynBDesigns. I'm a Christian. I've been obsessed with beauty and nail polish most of my life. I distinctly remember begging for nail polish when I was six or so. I'm left handed, which is why most of my photos are of my right hand. I do consider myself ambidextrous, except when it comes to painting my nails. So if you see any pictures of my left hand and it has horrible edges, I apologize. I'm working on it.
K
Kitschy- I really had to search for a K one. There just aren't that many out there. I like to make things that are kitschy. In my Christmas collection, I had one called Christmas Kitsch. It was an homage to all the crazy and old fashioned things about a homemade Christmas. Kitsch also reminds me of retro things. I'm not really sure why. I love all things retro, as much as I didn't love the 60's you can't deny that mod was awesome. I've wished for years that I was bold enough to wear retro clothing, but where I live that would stick out like the sorest thumb in the world.
L
LynBDesigns-Just a bit about the name. Years ago, I created a brand name. I intended to use it as the name of my fashion brand if I ever made it big. Never mind that I can't sew. I took the end of my first name Lyn, my middle initial B, and added Designs. It wasn't until I opened my Etsy store that I got to use the name. I love what I do, I get to work with things that sparkle and smell good. To me, there's almost nothing better. I pour love into each and every creation I make, and if I haven't tested it myself, it doesn't go in the shop.
M
Michigan-I've lived in Michigan my entire life, and while I long to live in the UK, living in Michigan isn't so bad. I was born in the Upper Peninsula, and one day will live there again. I have a dream to buy an Victorian or Colonial style house in the Keweenaw, and fix it up a la Rehab Addict. I also love reading about and learning Michigan mining history, I'm kind of a history nut, but mining is my favorite. While I love living in Michigan, I would love to visit every state someday. I also love going to super cheesy tourist destinations.
You've made it half way through, take a little break, indulge in a snack, or watch a little YouTube. This is what I've been watching, but then again, I'm obsessed with makeup and Emily is one of my faves.
N
Nail Polish- How could N be anything else. Nail polish is my life, and lively hood. I love seeing all sorts of different finishes, but when it comes to my own nail, I have to have fairly smooth and shiny. I'm not a big fan of large glitters, I love the way they look, but not how they feel. I'm a nail picker. It's a problem I'm working on. If there's a not smooth part of my nail, I'll focus on it, and pick until that nail is naked. If you can't tell, one of my favorite things to do is shop on Etsy. I love finding new little brands to review, and seeing what other people are making in the polish world. That can be dangerous though, both for my bank account and for duping reasons. I've never set out to make a dupe, but I've come close to duping a few polishes. You'll never see an intentionally duped polish in my store.
O
Oscar- He's my baby, and my boss at the same time. I'm wrapped around his little furry paws. He came into my life when I needed him the most. We had said we wouldn't get another cat (we already had two) unless one were to show up in out yard. We had a fenced in yard, it wasn't likely. One day I looked out the window, and there's a kitten in the yard hanging out with the chickens. I went outside and it ran away. This continued for three more days, and on the fourth day he wandered into the front yard. My dog saw this and got all excited as one does when they see a kitten. So, we both went outside, there was the most adorable little thing hiding in a bush. We took him around the neighborhood but no one claimed him. Where I live there isn't a shelter to bring animals to. It's either you take care of them or they live wild. So we adopted him. He's the most inquisitive cat I've ever met.
P
People- Since I've started selling polish I've met some great people. I've even formed valuable friendships, and in some cases brought people into various fandoms. The truth is, LynBDesigns would be nothing if it weren't for people. It's one thing to create polishes for yourself, but it's another thing entirely to create something other people love. I never dreamed that my TARDIS polish would be such a hit. Not too bad for a polish I originally planned on only having 5 bottles of.
Q
Quiet-I've always been a fan of quiet, it's calming and peaceful. What I've realized recently is that I don't work well with quiet. If I'm working on filling orders or creating new collections I have to either have music playing or having something on my laptop. Usually if I'm watching something it's Doctor Who, Sherlock, or Downton Abbey.
R
Reading-I'm an avid reader. I can't get enough books, and it has to be a book. I don't like using my kindle app. While I may be an avid reader, I'm far from well read. I'm a Rom-Com junkie. If given the choice, I will always pick a romance book. So, if you need me, I'll be over here reading something sappy.
S
Simplicity- There's noting I love more than creating a simple nail polish that has great impact. Some of my best sellers have been just s simple recipe that created a stunning result. My TARDIS polish and This is Halloween are both examples of that, and I think there will be more of those in the future. I do love making glitter bombs, but my heart lies with simpler fair.
T
TV- One of my many inspirations, I'm addicted to it. There I've said it, that's half the battle right? I wanted my collections this year to be more focused on books, but honestly television keeps sneaking back in. For years I only had Netflix and then I moved, to a place with almost no internet access. So, we got satellite solely for the purpose of watching the Olympics. Well, you can just guess how that's worked out. I guess that's a roundabout way of saying, there won't be as many book related collections as I want.
U
Unique- Being an indie brand is a strange thing. When I first started there were only a few, and now they're everywhere. It can be hard to come up with a unique idea. I like to think that by making them fandom based they're a little more unique and creative. If I'm drawing inspiration from a favorite movie the name is what defines the color.
V
Vocabulary- I have a large vocabulary, and I love words. I'm a bit of a grammarian and tend to correct people's grammar, which interestingly enough is a form of OCD. I've wanted to make a collection based on underused or large words, but I don't know if it would go over well. Sometimes I just feel like looking up the biggest adjectives I can find and make a polish that reflects that word. I know, I'm a dork.
Only four letters to go. Try and guess how many time's the said the alphabet in my head.
W
Weird- I'm weird I've come to realize and embrace it. I can't imagine a version of me that isn't weird. Even though there's a chance that in some universe I'm a clown made of candy. Thanks, Sheldon! I've often had the thought that if the FBI were bugging my house (who knows why) the conversations they would here would freak them out. I'm lucky to have a family that gets my weirdness, for the most part.
X
Xylophone- Why this? Because there isn't a good example of an x word to use. It was this or Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I watch too much Big Bang Theory.
Y
Yellow- The one color I would love to wear, but can't pull off. I've found one yellow polish that works with my strange skin, and that's Orly's Glowstick. I have a few yellow polishes in my store and a few more in the works, again because I love them. Of the yellows in my store Pineapple Juice is the closest to wearable. I think that's because it had blue to green color shift.
And Z
Zero- There are zero things I don't like about making polish. I used to think I didn't like shipping, but that was before I started doing the shipping. Now I get into a zone and the routine of it is calming. Really there isn't a step that isn't calming. If I'm feeling stressed I can almost always go fiddle with the glitter and come away in a better mood. Or at the very least a new polish color or two.
So, thank you to everyone who made it through this super lengthy and I'll admit a little boring post. I wouldn't be doing what I love without you.
Thanks for this post! I wish more bloggers did this because its an awesome way to learn about the human behind the hands lol. You sound a lot like me, also. Pretty cool.
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