92. Take Off Your Plastic Nails and Throw Out the Nail Polish

One of the most complicating and time-consuming aspects of the high-tech dress-for-success mode of the 1980s was the highly polished, brightly colored, fake nails craze. When you stop to think about it, it’s hard to imagine any cosmetic procedure we’ve ever put ourselves through that takes more time, costs more money, does more damage to ourselves with toxic fumes and the potential for nail fungus and other problems, and creates more havoc for the environment for less benefit to anyone than fake and/or highly polished nails.

Obviously, spending several hours each week surrounded by noxious fumes while having acrylic nails cemented layer by layer to your fingertips is not compatible with the simple life. Thank goodness, the vampire look is out. If, like me and millions of other women, you have indulged in this practice, it may be time to start developing an appreciation for the simple beauty of neatly filed, closely trimmed, unpainted nails. Just imagine never again having to go through the gyrations of pulling on a pair of nylon stockings after having just touched up your nail polish.