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Vada 🧿

@_shadow_work

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Therapist Musings
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I’m Vada, here’s my face and naked nails. If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for sticking around, and if you’re new, welcome! Thank you all for supporting and witnessing my ever-evolving creative expression 🥰 An endless lover of all things ethereal and curious, you’ll see an array of magical props against a backdrop of houseplants and mid century modern furniture. I’m a Jungian inspired psychotherapist by day, nail polish enthusiast… also by day 👻 All swatches shown here are in natural light ☀️ with no editing or filters on my natural nails. All polish is purchased by me unless otherwise stated. Enjoy! 💅🏻🔮 by @_shadow_work
30
3 years ago
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“You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood…” said Thomas Wolfe. As I drive from Atlanta to my hometown of Fenton, MI, I sense space and time bending and shifting. The same roadside attractions along I-75 still stand, fog still shrouds the tops of Tennessee mountains, and golden hour rays still illuminate open farmland through Ohio. My parents will be at my sister’s house when I arrive. We will get ice cream and play mini golf at Uncle Ray’s where there’s a picture of baby Vada on the wall inside. Where the owner’s son still knows my name. But people’s faces are more textured and their bodies move at a slower pace. There’s a familiarity and yet everything is different and all at once my eyes blur and my throat tightens. Today is my dad’s 83rd birthday, my oldest living aunt has closed eyes while breathing her last breaths, the pool where decades of family reunions were held has been filled and is covered over with bare dirt. I feel the weight of grief - the experience of love and joy and pleasure that all must end. The way things are always changing and somehow stay the same. The beautifully tragic impermanence of all things. But for now, I’m sitting in the shade with my feet in green grass, watching dragonflies hunt as the waning moon sets over a turquoise pond. The muffled hum of familiar voices on the deck, traveling on a cool breeze while cattails sway. Trying to stay present for these precious moments before the bubble bursts 🫧 Wearing @polishedfordays Shockwave (an unexpected favorite) over Cuticula Coconut Milk base with QDTC. #nailinspo #nails #naturalnails #indienails #indienailpolish #polishedfordays #shockwave #bubbles #impermanence #presentmoment #anticipatorygrief #youcantgobackhome by @_shadow_work
123
2 years ago
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🎈 IT 🎈 Memories are slippery things. Some claim prime real estate at busy intersections, demanding to be seen, like gaudy billboards, while others lay comatose in hidden vaults - resurrected only by a forgotten voice from the past. My fear of clowns began in a small town in 1990. My six year old eyes caught a glimpse of Pennywise on a Michigan tv set, and the memory was formed - just enough to shape shift (as fears often do) into different faces and iterations. Over time, receding into the darkness. Lying in wait. Timeline jump: 27 years later… 🎈 Far away from my small-town home, Pennywise reappeared on a larger screen. That shape-shifting form from long ago, yet only the tiniest sliver of the past accessible in my mind’s eye. A foggy image of a painted white face, but the memory of fear palpable - like a thudding heart upon waking from a nightmare. Instead of shrinking away, I found myself drawn in by something unexpected this time. The Loser’s Club (similar to Stranger Things, Stand By Me, or Now & Then - cinematic portrayals of childhood friendship and courage) was foreign to me. A memory I didn’t have. Peering out into the vast ocean of corn and wheat fields that surrounded my childhood home, I imagined unseen horrors dwelling within. But no late night bike rides or clubhouse meetings. I faced it all alone. I never learned about the true power of friendship until I was an adult. Always somewhat of a loner (loser/lover) I never thought I needed anyone. But as time does, vaults erode and buried things resurface. Sometimes the things that emerge are too big to face on your own. YOU (yes, you), you’re my Loser’s Club. Conjuring forces of feral humor (beep! beep!), love, and whimsy when memories surface and IT shape-shifts. All of us together proving that friendship and love can overshadow evil and horror - maybe the only things that can. Wearing IT 🤡 by @bcblacquers Thank you to the Loser’s Club hosts: @thelovelynailbot @nerdlovesnails #StephenKingCollab #StephenKingCollabIt by @_shadow_work
66
a year ago
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🍁🍂Falling Trio🍂🍁 Many of you know I’m a psychotherapist by day, so when Jenna over at @lacquistrynailpolish reached out about raising mental health awareness and resources for suicide prevention, I responded without hesitation. My calling in life is to guide others through their darkest moments and let folks know they are never alone, no matter how shadowy the moments might be. In Jenna’s words, “Help is out there. Don’t suffer alone in silence. And if you know someone who is suffering, give them the resources and help them take that first step of seeking help. Sometimes we cannot do it on our own.” {PAID PR} 🎃 the Falling/You Are Not Alone Charity Trio for depression, mental health, and suicide prevention awareness releases 10/10 with details on each slide ➡️ 🌈 Rainbows Don’t Have to End III: $15 • Magnetic 🧲 Flakie, Multichrome, Holo • Charity info: 100% profit goes to The Trevor Project. They are the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. They provide information & support to LGBTQ+ young people 24/7, all year round. o They can call a live person at 1-866-488-7386, TTY # 1-866-803-3699 o Text: 678678 o Chat online at www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/ • Description: Pink/purple/fuchsia/gold magnetic shift on a base that shifts from orange to magenta. Clear golden holographic flakes, red/orange/bronze/copper shifting metallic flakes, orange holo microshreds, lavender micro holo glitter, and orange/pink/magenta microflake shimmer. All the colors to represent a rainbow of challenges, and opportunities for triumphs. Clear base. 🌈 Rainbows Don’t Have to End III: $15 • Magnetic 🧲 Flakie, Multichrome, Holo • Charity info: 100% profit goes to The Trevor Project. They are the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. They provide information & support to LGBTQ+ young people 24/7, all year round. o They can call a live person at 1-866-488-7386, TTY # 1-866-803-3699 o Text: 678678 o Chat online at www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/ • Description: Pink/purple/fuchsia/gold magnetic shift on a base that shifts from orange to magenta. Clear go by @_shadow_work
66
2 days ago
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🍃🌓Equinox Baby🍂🌗 My Dearest Karyssa, I’ve been sitting on these photos since August - but I knew they had to wait for your special day. I was channeling you so hard this day (fit inspo included) 💅 also the light and shadows were just perfect for the balance today brings. The liminal space and boundary between summer and autumn. A blend of Heat 🔥 and Cool 🍂 (just like you). Now go Shake Your (bday) Shamrock! 🛼 Wishing you so much magic, babe 💞 @kars.hoyas #hoyabirthdaykaryssa by @_shadow_work
51
16 days ago
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🪄🔮Magical Tools🔮🪄 Stick around here long enough and you’ll notice I’m a *repeater* … outfits, meals, men 🤗 but also nail combos! I wore this witchy duo in Feb`25 and paired it with one of my favorite writings on relationship with the divine. “What is Divine? Who is the Creator? Witches and Magicians create change in conformity with their will. This is Magic. This is Creation.” Sometimes repetition reflects familiarity. Carefully residing inside the perimeter of the Comfort Zone™️. Sometimes I feel like I’m riding a Karmic Carousel 🎠 Patterns on 🔁 (he texted again 🤗) The Universe will continue to give you the same lessons in different forms until you learn them through change and different choices. Given that The Magician is an archetype for this year, I decided to reuse a medium with new tools 🪄 Instead of a velvety finish with a 🧲 I conjured glass beads and cat eyes (how witchy indeed!) Lessons don’t have to feel like purgatory déjà vu. Repetition doesn’t have to be boring or problematic. With magic (or all of life) it becomes what you make it with the tools at your disposal. YOU are the Creator. What is your will? Using my magical new tool @glassbeadpro to create a new experience with (R)Welcome to the Witching Hour @beeskneeslacquer & (L) Charmed Life @kbshimmer by @_shadow_work
65
a month ago
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🎃🪾Sleepy Hollow🪾🎃 {PR} Kathleen & Co. is back with another limited edition Tim Burton inspired collection, based on my spooky season comfort movie, Sleepy Hollow 👻 The six polish collection launches Sep 11 at 7pm CDT, along with a Hocus Pocus trio (magnetic) and a Practical Magic trio (reflective). All orders on Sep 11th will receive a small GWP, and the first 100 orders over $50 will receive a LE polish. 4 different GWP polishes are available and will be picked at random. $14 each / $78 set @kathleenandco Devil’s Fire - a reddish orange jelly with fiery shimmer. Sealed With A Curse - a blackened red with red shifting shimmer. Sealed With A Curse - a blackened red with red shifting shimmer. Lopped Off Their Heads - a black base with pinky red shimmer and orange/gold magnetic. Lopped Off Their Heads - a black base with pinky red shimmer and orange/gold magnetic. You Have Bewitched Me - a white crelly loaded with red/gold/green shifting UCC flakes and iridescent flakes. You Have Bewitched Me - a white crelly loaded with red/gold/green shifting UCC flakes and iridescent flakes. The Horseman Rides Again - blackened violet with purple/red shimmer and light purple reflective glitters. The Horseman Rides Again - blackened violet with purple/red shimmer and light purple reflective glitters. He Comes For You - a smokey bluish grey with aqua/blue shimmer. He Comes For You - a smokey bluish grey with aqua/blue shimmer. Devil’s Fire - a reddish orange jelly with fiery shimmer. Sealed With A Curse - a blackened red with red shifting shimmer. You Have Bewitched Me - a white crelly loaded with red/gold/green shifting UCC flakes and iridescent flakes. The Horseman Rides Again - blackened violet with purple/red shimmer and light purple reflective glitters. Lopped Off Their Heads - a black base with pinky red shimmer and orange/gold magnetic. He Comes For You - a smokey bluish grey with aqua/blue shimmer. Sealed With A Curse - a blackened red with red shifting shimmer. The Horseman Rides Again - blackened violet with purple/red shimmer and light purple reflective glitters. by @_shadow_work
129
a month ago
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🦋 Emo Support Nostalgia 🦋 1998: I’m painting my nails with a shade from Nicole by OPI that would forever live in my (somewhat incorrect) memory as an oceanic multichrome. It sparked my love for polish, and a middle school habit of painting my nails to match my outfits for school. 2026: @kars.hoyas sent me into orbit with Emotional Support Shiny for my bday collab. I snatched it from Mercari as fast as my fingers could carry me across a keyboard. (I also snagged a stack of late 90s teen mags while in orbit 🚀) Not only did it contribute to my already budding annual August nostalgia, it reignited a search for the polish that started it all. Except for one minor detail. The name. I emailed OPI, but I was brutally rebuffed! BUT! If there’s one thing I do, I find out 🕵🏻‍♀️ Scouring subreddits and Pinterest boards for swatches, collection shades, and magazine ads … even using the WayBackMachine for the first time (I’ve never felt more like a luddite in my life 👵🏻) I finally found it. Literally. $7.99 on eBay with free shipping. American Ocean. A shade from the Nicole collection launch, 29 years ago. Suddenly I’m 13 again. Matching butterfly clips to my BonneBell lipgloss. Rewatching Romeo & Juliet in my bonus room, where torn out magazine ads became wallpaper and lit incense became faux cigarettes. But it’s not about a return to youth, nor necessarily “simpler times”. Rather, recalling experiences of life that etched proof of existence into my brain and soul in ways that most of recent life hasn’t held proof of. Not scrolling through media at record speeds, forgotten almost as quickly. Instead, a magazine held in hands, pages turned after pouring over each word and picture. The scent of perfume samples inside paper flaps, the notes somehow recalling olfactory data. Something held. Kept. Treasured. American Ocean needs a little TLC before getting her own post (she’s an old lady now). But it’s ok. It’s worth putting in the effort to restore something meaningful. An emotional support hobby (and community) that will surely be etched into my soul for decades to come. by @_shadow_work
91
a month ago
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🌊 LAID TO REST 🌊 Farewell Leo Season 🥲👋 My typical late Summer 90s nostalgia hit HARD and EARLY this year, ushering in new creativity and life and warmth (stay tuned 👀). It’s an amazing thing Leos intuitively bring after the potential capsizing from Cancer’s emotional waves. I think it was a universal experience that the recent Mercury Rx was packing 🔫 and I wasn’t spared from the tsunami. Leo inspiration was a buoy for the Crabby Emo whirlpool I barely survived 🫠 Thankfully, this Lioness knows how to keep her head above water and made it ashore. Resuscitated by my season’s life-giving warmth, I not only survived but THRIVED. I was held and celebrated through one of the best birthdays in memory 🥹 (please enjoy a few photos of it 🌈) And while this polish is named Wake Me Up Inside, and is far more Cancer Szn ocean vibes, something needed to be laid to rest 🪦 (IYKYK 🦀🚶🏼‍♂️👻) The Nodes have shifted to Leo and Aquarius, which seem to have ignited both my Sun and Moon, respectively. And while we have one more eclipse on the Virgo/Pisces axis coming up, I feel more alive inside. Many things have ended, finally laid to rest 🪦 (though there *is* always that one fire that never gets extinguished, no matter how much water you douse it with 🧯💦🔥😏) The Leo flames were stoked, fed by a mix-tape of nostalgia, inner child, magic, and spite. I feel reborn, awake, and ready to pass the torch to Virgo’s motherly nurturing to continue the process of bringing creativity to life. Glass bead effect with @glassbeadpro by @_shadow_work
85
2 months ago
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🥫💇🏼‍♀️ WEAPONS 🔔💄 Tyler, I’m not sure what it is about you that inspires me to get into creative director, actor, and editor roles (ok, I do… it’s the Leo - we are Main Character™️ after all 🎥🦁) This year for your bday, I put my g-string and pole away and opted to celebrate a completely different interest we share - a love for horror films. You have put me on to some of my fav flicks recently, so I thought it only fitting to embody a little Aunt Gladys for your special day💋 Care for some soup, dear? 🥣 Wearing @polishedfordays It’s A Knife When… which evokes all the best horror film vibes in both name and shade 🔪🩸 Wishing you an eerie, spooky, and edge-of-your-seat birthday, my Leo love! 👯‍♂️💞 Celebrating @eviltwinnails with the help of @aculednails & @jill_in_technicolor #THEThumbsBday2026 by @_shadow_work
82
2 months ago
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🍰🍓 ShiAnne Bday Lady 🍓🍰 To my Cosmic Twin, and best and longest nail friend 🥹 I hope your birthday brings some sweetness to your life. Wearing Spin the Bottle over Foot Worthy (again) and while it has faded, our love and friendship only gets brighter and brighter! (What else would you expect from two Leo suns? ☀️💞☀️) And since your special day falls on a Friday, you know I had to throw a teeny feral surprise in there 😇 #ShiAnnesScrappyBirthdaySurprise Thank you to Hope and Bea for hosting for our bday girl! 💖 @shanneys.polish.diary by @_shadow_work
47
2 months ago
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🪞🌊 Retrograde Reflections 🌊🪞 Happy New Moon in Cancer, lovers 🩵 Lorraine is the first polish I posted after rebranding this account from a midnight ballerina to everything you see (and read) here. I didn’t know where the rebrand would take me, only that a new creative phase was necessary 🌙 Since then, you’ve followed along through glimmers and gratitude, rediscoveries and reflections, heartbreak and healing. I’ve created photos and captions that serve as timestamps for my life. An online photo book of memories marking growth - the way parents measure their growing children on meter sticks and door frames. Proof of evolution and expansion, even if its existence is too small to observe from day to day. My nails have served as an analogy for my relationships as well 🪞 Looooong stretches of beauty, and awe at what they can withstand. Sudden and unexpected cracks that compromise strength and stability. Repair after repair after repair (patch, glue, and a prayer). Holding on just to delay the inevitable (sometimes out of hope, others out of denial). A final break that results in an unwanted chop. But here’s photographic proof that they *do* grow back (even if I don’t notice from day to day). Words that document my personal evolution (even if the patterns keep patterning). Creative force that flows (even when I feel like I’m drowning 🛟) This Mercury Rx in Cancer has prompted even deeper reflections… On the surface of water, in mirrors, in relationships - on growth, effort, and dreams. When, how, or why my creativity swells like high tide, or evaporates - leaving a dry, desolate landscape begging for a downpour to nourish new life. And as Cancer is associated with the Moon, tides, and emotions (all things that shift and change, ebb and flow) I’m reconsidering what (or who) to water in this new phase. “Pour into your own cup,” is the clearest message I’ve received. The water that nourishes all comes from my own well. Trust that it never runs dry. Stop only looking to others to fill your cup. Pour into those who pour back into you. by @_shadow_work
92
3 months ago
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