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Michelle

@polished_pianist

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Asian American 🇵🇭🇨🇳🇺🇲 gemini (6/6 🎂) w eczema. Here to see and share nail love. Be kind. 💗 🌈 💐🙂🏖🎄🧋🍨📚🎵
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#ManisForHumanity celebrated Immigration Heritage Month for June. What is Immigration Heritage Month? It's a fairly young celebration that just entered its teens, but the goal is to celebrate - whether or not you are an immigrant - the contributions and impacts immigrants have made on our communities and nation.

As is my style, I created a mani based on a children’s book, "Cora Cooks Pancit," by Dorina Gilmore. Cora is a little Filipino girl who longs to help the older generations in her family as they prepare traditional dishes. When all the helpers are away, she gets her chance to take on some of the tasks of the older family members and help make the rice noodles - pancit.

It's a beautiful book that teaches a little bit about Filipino family culture while making your mouth water with delicious foods. Have no fear, though, for the recipe for pancit is shared at the end!

I've said before that learning about cultures can happen at any age, but exposing children to various titles while they're younger makes it a natural part of their becoming good, compassionate, appreciative humans. This book, like so many children's books, is also a simple, digestible way for adults to learn about the other cultures in a limited amount of time.

There are many immigrants who have contributed to this country's good health. And while food is the most obvious way we all enjoy the benefits - how many people enjoy pasta, curry dishes, stews, boba, dulcet de leche or the thousands of international dishes due to the beautiful melting pot we've become as a result of immigrant influence? - we should also remember that the people who bring these food dishes (and music and dances and learning) are laborers and taxpayers who help sustain our economy.

Many thanks to @polished.mess
and @vexed.lacquer for hosting this thoughtful and thought-provoking collab. 💗🫂

#Pinoy #DiversityMatters #PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist [freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

Just posting something blue today...

#PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist #BlueWave #Swatch by @polished_pianist

Remembrance. Feliz Día de los Muertos to all who celebrate.

I have painted both marigolds and papel picado before, but for some reason I felt compelled to create the papel piano again. While they are used for other occasions as well, they are always present for the Día de Muertos celebrations and often found in the ofrendas which are set up to honor and welcome deceased loved ones.

@mexicoinmypocket describes papel picado on their website as follows: "During Day of the Dead, papel picado serves as a symbol of the fragility of life.

The yellow and purple colors often used during Día de Muertos symbolize purity and mourning, and it is believed that the holes in the tissue paper make it possible for the souls to travel and visit us."

Other readings have similar descriptions, which I find both comforting and bittersweet, of the purpose of these beautifully crafted papers.

The Philippines have a similar celebration called Araw ng mga Patay, which also translates to Day of the Dead, most likely owing to the Spanish influence on the country. I know graves are cleaned and decorated and the dead are remembered.

Why do I say this? Mainly because Día de Muertos is not Mexican Halloween - it is a celebration specific to its culture and to be honored as such. Araw ng mga Patay is specific to Filipinos. Some celebrate Samhain or All Souls Day or other occasions. So, while we can honor and admire each other's customs, it is important not to impart your own interpretations onto another culture's/community's celebrations (e.g., don't dress up with sugar skull facepaint for Halloween).

Thanks to @vexed.lacquer and special cohost @nailshewore for hosting the #DiaDeMuertos edition of the #ManiForHumanity collab. Swipe for the beautiful collage.

#PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist #DayOfTheDead [freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

Happy Halloween! Many haunts, both tiny and not-so-tiny, have visited my home seeking sour, sugary spoils, and their echoing screams of delight are subsiding.

In full disclosure, my husband served as doorman tonight because I am feeling less than human right now, but I did catch sight of some of the earlier trick-or-treaters.

I do feel like the numbers have dwindled over the years, maybe due to the aging of our neighborhood. I remember running out of candy the first year we lived here, despite having over 200 pieces, and now we have candy leftover at the end of the night.

Did you have any good plans for this dark night?

Thanks to @aculednails @myrznails and @idic.idk.holo for hosting #RCCRound28 of the #RainbowConnectionCollab . This is my failed attempt at creating dimension using jelly layering between the spiderwebs and spiders - it just looks flat - but I'm okay with it

#HappyHalloween #PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist

P.S. I'm planning on using one of my favorite classical pieces for the music, and the section I'll choose is one that always makes me think of spiders. by @polished_pianist

Happy, Happy Birthday, Ambar-Lilly! Vanessa got a bunch of us together to celebrate you with spooky style! 🎁🎉🎂

As for me, I chose to do the windows from Wednesday's and Enid's dorm room in the series. I think it's kind of like how you love pink and whimsy but also have a taste for the gothic edge of Halloween. I painted the outlines of the web design before top coating and adding color with my homemade jellies. I didn't replicate the colorful details exactly, but I think the esthetic is similar.

@ambskc , I know you're not active here as much as before, but as Vanessa said best, you are always so kind and supportive of others when you are. I hope your birthday is filled with warm wishes, good times and yummy food!

Thanks to @vanailartbyheart for hosting the #BOOtifulBirthdayAmbarLilly collab and swipe for the collages. 💗

#HappyBirthday #WednesdayAddams #PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist [freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

Get-Lots-of-Candy/ Send-Those-Kids-Home-With-A-Sugar-High Day is almost here and I'm excited to see all the costumes. My favorite will be all the tiny children tootling up the stairs in whatever costumes their parents picked out, but I also have a soft spot for the teenagers that still crave their candy fix. My thought is that there are so many worse things a teen could do than ask for candy, so why not spread the sugar wealth?

Anyway, I made this pumpkin design, heavily influenced by a saved mani from @clairelynailedit , on the @lacquistrynailpolish base "I Put A Spell on You," which I recently swatched. I love the cutesy faces and think it fit the bill for this month's #MonthlyFreehandMani collab theme, hosted by @sabinemil_nails and @herzauslack . Swipe to see the "Halloween, but make it cute" collage. 💗🎃👻 Thanks to both our hosts!

#HalloweenButCute #Pumpkins #Polished_Pianist #PolishedPianist by @polished_pianist

Happy, Happy Birthday, Rish! Asta, Ez and Nesha threw a tropical to-do to celebrate you today. 🎁🎉🎂

I decided to recreate a Bird of Paradisa mani @press_reset_nails did a while ago. Erika did her original with gel polish, but I thought I would try my hand at it with regular polish. I painted the floral details and sponged on the accent nails before using glitter grabber for the 3D elements on the flowers. The clear blobs ln rhe flowers were made using suspension base for glitter (or glitter grabber).

Lovely Rish, always be the witty, friendly, authentic person you are. You weren't in the chat, but it was clear that you are so, so loved and beloved by those who know you and can call you friend. Have a most wonderful turn around the sun. 💗

Thanks to @shreddedcuticles , @lovemesomesparkle and @popandpolish for hosting the birthday collab for @i.havenails . #HappyBirdDayRish ! 😘

#BirdOfParadise #HappyBirthday #PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist [freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

Happy Spoopy Ace Week! I joined some friends to celebrate this week, whose goal is to bring awareness to and understanding of the ACE (ase×ual) community.

I decided to go with the new ACE flag as a skittle, with the ghosties adding the black and white in the flag. On my thumb, I did the base in black and dotted on the other colors for a little bit of a confetti look. I didn't realize it when I made it, but I inadvertently twinned woth @caseythelacquerist 😀 and I think it's giving #MarshmallowGhostiesArmy .

When I first was learning about the different communities within the LGBTQ+ umbrella, I found that an analogy about ice cream (comparing it to se×ual attraction) that I read about that seemed to explain it best to me:

Say you don't care much for ice cream. However, sometimes you eat it because you want to share it with someone you love - maybe they like ice cream and you know they'd love to have it with you. And even though you never really crave it, you do find it enjoyable sometimes when you do have it. But you're still not having hankerings for ice cream on the regular.

My ACE friends can correct me if that's not a good analogy, but that's the way that made it easier for me to understand. So, for this week, take a few minutes to learn more about the ACE community and celebrate Pride. 💗

Thanks to @abitofglitzonthetips and @pawprintnails for hosting the #SpoopyAceWeekNailArtCollab2026 . Swipe for the spoopiest collage. 👻

#HappyHalloween #PolishedPianist
#Polished_Pianist
[Freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

Happy, Happy Birthday, Erin! Sanjana invited us for a little party to celebrate you today. 🎁🎉🎂💗

As for me, I went with a different take on a recreation I had done a while ago, using green as the backdrop for my non traditional pink pumpkins (a little nod to Breast Cancer Awareness Month). I freehanded the details and bordered the design with @familiar_polish "Goya," whose reflectives you can see in my last shot.

I hop you like it, Erin - and I also hope you celebrate well today (and this weekend and the rest of the month, year...). Perhaps treat yourself to some polish? 😁

Thanks to @nailwithsa for hosting the #ErinsBdayBash for @erinsnailobsession . Swipe for the collage 💚

#HappyBirthday #Polished_Pianist #PolishedPianist #BreastCancerAwareness [freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

Hopping in with an accidentally seasonal polish for the #TopOfTheMonthSolarThermal edition of the #TopOfTheMonthCollab .

@snacker_lacquer "Let It Ripen (oops version)" is a yummy orange thermal that transitions to a sort of mustardy color when warm. I chose to top it with a very subtle holo topper from @chinaglazeofficial called "Wildflower Hour," because I didn't want to cover the green flakes in the base polish.

Oddly enough, I was running fairly cold the day I photographed this mani and couldn't stay warm enough to keep the yellow shade, but there are a couple of pics where you can see a subtle gradient of color. I was actually kind of glad it was in the cold state because I liked the orange best. Does you feel like it's giving pumpkin harvest? 🎃💚

Thanks to @aviesnailart
, @numerousbeesnails and @nataliesneatnails for hosting this recurring collab!

#Pumpkin #Polished_Pianist #PolishedPianist [Indie polish, support small business, Asian swatcher] by @polished_pianist

Happy, Happy Birthday, Addy! Cydney and Sanjana held a party with a range of beautiful and cute manis that celebrate your eclectic style. 🎂🎉🎁💗

I know that you like to create manis from non-nail inspirations, so I went through one of my own inspo folders to find something that you might see and say, "hey, Michelle, wanna twin?" 😉 I used a dress from @canvasbridal that was absolutely divine, woth its flowery applique (or lace?) details and its rainbow goth trail skirt and train.

I started with an off white and stamped a lacy floral pattern in white (visible in the macros). I then used jellies to create the smoky, faded in look of the various colors before sponging a little navy and black on the tips. I really, really hope you like it.

Addy, my friend, you're amazingly creative and talented, funny and that burst of energy I need when I'm feeling a little sluggish. I love when you're ready for our next twinning adventure and that you're so easy to chat with. I hope this year gives you the steadiest hands yet, that you're happy and healthy and that all the polish you didn't get while on your no buy miraculously rains down into your living room. 😁

Thanks to @prettypolishedphalanges and @nailwithsa for hosting the #AddysPlayfulBirthday collab for @playfulpolishpal . 💗 Swipe for the collages and inspo.

#Rainbow #goth #PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist [freehand and stamped with regular polish] by @polished_pianist

I did this many like 2 or 3 (or more?) months ago, but I think Halloween season works out for finally sharing it. So, Abby and Fabi started the #FictitiousFictionNailCollab where your inspo is a book that doesn't actually exist in the real world but that you've seen or read about on the screen or in a book.

I opted for the Magic Cookbook from the show "Just Add Magic." The show featured a teenaged girl named Kelly who, along with her best friends Darby and Hannah, discover her grandma's magic cookbook in the attic. The recipes call for magical ingredients that have different "properties" that sometimes result in humorous or disastrous consequences.

Watching it felt like reading a middle grade witchy story and it was perfect for family nights when my kids were preteens. We have a lot of fond memories of watching them cook recipes that we wanted to eat through the screen and rewatches brings a happy nostalgia.

I featured the cookbook's cover on my thumb and portrayed a few recipes on the other fingers- you can see the inspos in a collage if you swipe through my carousel.

Many thanks to @fabialejandra and @noon.an.night.nails for hosting this brilliant idea of a collab! 📖📚💗

#JustAddMagic #PolishedPianist #Polished_Pianist #Food [freehand with regular polish] by @polished_pianist