My Mint Birthday Mani in Honor of Talia

*Lengthy post ahead*

It's my birthday today! Woo hoo! I turn 27 today, and while I'm happy it's my birthday, I think the older you get the less eventful birthdays become. Birthdays are a little more exciting when you're little, now it's just another day, but a day I choose to spoil myself rotten. Nevermind, it's kind of exciting!

Today is also the day many bloggers and I have chosen to post mint manis in honor of Talia Castellano. Talia was a 13 year old girl and beauty Youtuber who bravely fought cancer for 6 years of her life. Sadly, we lost Talia this past Tuesday, but she certainly impacted many of our lives.

I want to talk about what Talia has meant to me in my life. 2013 has been a very difficult year for me. Earlier this year, I faced the scariest moment of my life. Since then, things have been tough for me emotionally. My anxiety, depression, and emotions have been on high. I have found it difficult to live outside of my head and truly enjoy the moment.

This is where Talia comes in. I discovered Talia's videos in early March and I watched her segment on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I immediately became inspired by Talia. Talia had faced unimaginable challenges at her age, yet she remained positive, energetic, and full of an absolute love for life and every moment. Talia became a tangible reminder to me to stop and smell the roses. Talia helped me to realize just because bad things may happen in life it doesn't mean your life stops. I couldn't allow negativity and fear to take away the joy I could experience.

What I also love about Talia is she was able to express herself , connect with others, and fulfill herself through her passion with makeup. There is so much more to beauty bloggers/youtbers than what we swatch or what we review. Our passion goes deeper because it allows us the platform to connect and share a part of ourselves with the world. The things we share with the world can potentially help, encourage, and inspire others. That is exactly what Talia did for me, and I know she touched many of us in the same way as well.

This is the mint mani I've done for my birthday in honor of Talia.

I started with Essie Mint Candy Apple and topped that off with Krafty Gurl Totally Neon and China Glaze Make A Spectacle. I wanted to make it lively because it is my birthday, and Talia was fun-spirited and full of life!

 

I think this is very fitting mani. It's a great start to 27 with Talia as my reminder to start living and enjoying my life. Talia's life, while unfairly cut short, was certainly not wasted. She positively touched my life in ways I will always be grateful for. Thank you Talia.

To see other bloggers sporting mint manis for Talia or want to add your blog to the list check out below!


Happy Friday!

Imperfectly Painted Turns 3!!!

Three years ago today, I started Imperfectly Painted. I had no idea what I was doing. I had never been able to (still not)  keep any type of journal EVER. I never thought I'd still be blogging 3 years from now. In fact, I don't think I've ever gone more than 3 days without a post on this blog. There are times I stop and think to myself "I wonder if I'll still be blogging a year from now"? A year goes by after that thought and I'm still here. I know there may come a time in my life where my blog may not be what is now, but I do not see that in the foreseeable future at all. I absolutely love blogging. I love sharing with you my pretty polish, goofy stories, geeky self, and even the my more personal challenging stories.

In my first ever blog post I wrote the following that you could expect from my blog:

"-Sense of Humor (I know it's just nail polish, but I find some of my experiences with it to be rather humorous.)
-Affordable products ( Thanks to the blogger Nouveau Cheap I have discovered the beauty and wonders of drugstore products so I will not review/mention nail products over $10.)
-Tips,tricks, and ideas (Share different ideas for layering nail polishes, holiday nail ideas, and etc.)
-Reviews (I will do reviews of newer products I find. Now, I can't get my hands on full collections or every new collection, but I try to sample a few new products I can find in stores.
 -Reader involvement (I want my readers to have a place in my blog. I will read comments and reply to them. If I find some comment interesting or relevant to something I want to blog about I will incorporate your comments,ideas, suggestions into the blog
 -Favorites/Not so favorites
-Future giveaways
-Miscellaneous (I may bring up some non-nail related products or information I may think everyone may find useful.)"

I can honestly say I feel I have accomplished almost all of these. Tips,tricks, and ideas--not so much, but that's OK! I'm really proud of what I've achieved with my blog, and what I'm even more proud of is I've remained true to myself this entire time. I've certainly improved and grown, but I feel the essence of why I started this blog and the foundation of it remains the same. One of the best things from this blog I've gained is all of you. I'm so thrilled with  all the genuine connections I've made with my readers. The cool part about this is hasn't all been about nail polish. Many of you, I've connected with through sharing my insecurities and challenges not only as a blogger but throughout life. That to me is so rewarding. I really appreciate all of your kindness and support through my blogging adventures. I hope there are many more years to come!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate all of you!

P.S. I will have a giveaway for you guys probably sometime in late May. I'm in the process of packing for a move in less than 5 weeks, so money is tight now and I'm surrounded by boxes!!!

Much love and polish!