Dermatitis, Weight Gain, and Nails

At the risk of sounding boring, I am going to moan about dermatitis again, not to elicit any jot of sympathy, but to mark what might be seen as a hiatus in my T-girl journey. Prior to last Summer, I had various skin conditions, but all were both discrete and discreet. Then dermatitis around my eyes broke out. At the beginning, before I realised what was happening, I looked rather Panda-esque, but without the cute fluffiness. Yesterday, was the first time in seven months that I was able to apply foundation 'close' to my eyes and use eyeliner (mascara must continue to wait). In celebration, I also intended to paint my nails.

The problem I had was to find my nail varnish. After some deep contemplation, followed by wrecking my bathroom, I found the varnish and, luckily, it was still fluid. The nails were the best outcome from yesterday's dressing. Over the months I should have replaced things like lip pencil and blusher, but had relied on  tail-ends, as the impetus for spending on make up had not been there while the dermatitis was in full swing. Worse still, over the last few months, my weight has shot up and I find my tummy quite embarrassingly proud. However, vanity must prevail, and pictures were taken. 

My partner has 'spread' things around the living room (necessary as she sorts all the things she needs with the onset of chemo) so, without looking inside, I took myself into a very blustery garden. The photos were not good, but were a record (and I do like the colour of my new sweater, even if it is rather autumnal - it goes with my 'cranes' skirt). Then my partner said she had cleared up the living room, in case I wanted to take photos in there. That was really thoughtful of her ... I should have looked!

The varnish was kept on overnight and it started me thinking about the last time I wore any (given the trouble I had finding it). Going back through my flickr photos I came across this. Uh? the last time I wore nail varnish was last March and then the commentary was to do with not having painted my nails since???

To my mind, wearing nail varnish is one of a girl's most obvious expressions of femininity. You cannot hide from it while typing or doing almost anything, whether dressed, or not. They're there now ... the bold redness flying acros the computer keys. The sight of them is like lightning, a direct and immediate connection to my inner self.

 I know now that Spring 2022 must be a time of activity - I must lose weight and I must keep my T-girl awareness raised despite other problems ... more nail varnish, please!