RBL Insouciant & some tips on Short Nails

Hello everyone, I'm back!  I apologize for being so remiss in posting.  My last semester of grad school turned out to be a whirlwind, and the following day I moved three hours West and started a new job.  Finally, I feel like I've regained some control back over my free time and I'm happy to be back sharing pretty colors with you.

It seems fitting to start off with Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant.  This shade was my mother's present to me after winning my job.  How did she know that I would absolutely love this sophisticated dusty lavender with a subtle blue shimmer?  I may have suggested it.

RBL Insouciant, two coats with top coat, flash

RBL Insouciant, two coats with top coat, flash

You may notice that my nails are significantly shorter than before.  I'd been having a problem with peeling and so decided to file them all down and let them grow out again to see if that fixed the problem.  Since they've been short, I have noticed a few positive benefits:

• Manicures last longer.  With shorter nails there is much less tipwear, so manicures look much fresher.
• Products last longer.  Shorter nails use less polish, less top coat, etc.  One bottle of top coat will take you farther.
• Removal is a cinch.  Let's face it, those Deborah Lippmann glitters look phenomenal on long nails, but they are a pain to remove.  On shorter nails, there's less polish to take off, so removal is much quicker.
• More Colors Look Good.  Shorter nails are suited by a greater range of colors.  (Not that this ever stopped any of us with long nails from wearing whatever color we wanted.)

I've run into a lot of people that keep their nails short who think that manicures just won't look good on them.  I highly disagree.  I think the short nails is a chic look that can perfectly pull off any shade imaginable.  Let's not forget that Coco Chanel counseled her boutique maidens in the movie Coco et Igor that long nails were "trop vulgare."  While manicure execution may be slightly more difficult to pull off on short nails, here are some tricks I've found that greatly help with achieving a professionally-done look on short nails.

• Make sure nails are filed to a uniform length and shape.  This will make your nails look professionally groomed no matter what the length.
• Attend to your cuticles.  Soak cuticles in warm soapy water and gently push them back with an orangewood stick.  This will give your nailbed a greater surface area, and it looks more groomed.
• Moisturize.  It's always good to moisturize your nails and the area surrounding them.  I like Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.  Doing this right before painting your nails also makes clean-up easier since any extraneous polish on your fingers will wipe right off.
• Cleanse.  You've moisturized your nails, now you need to make sure you have an oil-free surface for polish to adhere to.  Before painting, use an alcohol-free facial toner and swipe over nails with a cotton ball.

After having my nails short, now I understand why a lot of people prefer this look.  I am seriously considering keeping this look for a while.  What do you think?  How long do you keep your nails?  Which length do you think is most desirable?