Tag, You're It

SNOW DAY!

When I went to bed last night, the forecast called for several inches of snow, so after the alarm went off this morning, I toddled down to the computer, checked the Website of a local TV station, and did a happy dance when I saw that my preschool was closed.

Rather than go back to bed, I ran a hot bubble bath, grabbed a book, and read in the tub till the water was cold. I started a pot of beans (because being snowed in just brings out the domestic in me), ate breakfast, read the newspaper, and checked in with various e-mails, blogs, and other sites.

By mid-morning, I started feeling a little stir crazy. I thought about taking a walk, but the 15 degree temperature (with a 0 degree wind chill) was enough to keep me inside. I decided to do some deferred body maintenance. I rubbed cuticle cream on my fingernails, slathered lotion on my feet, and used some on the dry spots on the rest of my body, too.

As I was applying the lotion, I noticed I had some new skin tags that had blossomed since I last took a good look at my skin. They don't show now, but the annoying little flaps of skin will be obvious when it's time for sleeveless shirts and shorts again. Previously, I've had luck getting rid of skin tags by covering them with clear fingernail polish. The nail polish shrinks it so it eventually falls off. The secret is to keep the skin flap completely covered by applying polish twice a day.

Because the tags aren't visible when I'm dressed, I was afraid I'd forget to keep up with applications of clear polish. However, a splash of color might help me remember. No one would see if I chose to use colored polish, would they? I dug around in the refrigerator looking for a polish with some type of pigment in it, but I came up empty. All that was there was a almost-empty bottle of Clear.

I wondered if I could somehow tint it. The fine folks at eHow came to the rescue with the article How to Make Colored Nail Polish. I found an old blush that I should have thrown out months ago, ground it to a powder, added it to the bottle of clear polish, and gave it a good shake. The polish took on the blush color. I left the bottle on the counter while I fed the cats. When I came back the polish had separated, but it quickly mixed again.

I didn't try the polish on my fingernails, but I doubt it would be very effective. It was just right for what I was looking for, though. I now have several splotches of Earthen Rose covered by my long-sleeved shirt and pants. In my experience, it can take a couple of weeks for the skin tag to dry up and fall off, but the whole process should be finished long before I'm ready for warm-weather clothes.