FAQ

Tell us a little about yourself!
My name's Sam. I'm 25, and I'm a student at Virginia Tech, about to finish a degree in meteorology and geography, with a lot of study of the Russian language over the course of my college years. I have gone storm chasing with our school's chase crew, and now go on my own occasionally. My current job is as a sound and lighting tech, with preference for writing and running light shows; I am also a supervisor occasionally. In my spare time, I love swimming and gaming. I love tattoos (have one - a weather station symbol for thunderstorm with hail) and piercings (have a lot). I have two cats that I love very much - Eris, a.k.a. Mr. Cat, and Stormy, who is famous on the intertubes (try a google image search for SURPRISE MOTHERF**KER I WAS WATER THE WHOLE TIME).

Your blog name. What's up with that?
I'm just a huge weather nerd, and "nailstorms" sounds like "hailstorms", so it makes me giggle like a schoolgirl. 

What are all these magical things you take pictures of your hands with?
People who know me will tell you that I'm at work all the time! As I said above, I do sound and lighting work, so you will be seeing a lot of my hands with lighting fixtures, trusses and battens,  microphones and stands, sound boards, light boards, cameras, and more.
You will also see me complain a lot about work, as it is the major cause of nail breakage for me...hard to avoid when you're spending the day lifting heavy equipment, crawling and climbing, etc.

What camera do you use?
Currently, I'm just using my phone camera (iPhone 4S). I have plans to buy something better as soon as possible!


How do you store your polish collection?
I have two Melmers stacked on each other - I plan to invest in a Helmer soon though, as these don't seem to like having full drawers - they don't slide easily. They are sorted by brand, then vaguely by color; my top drawer is dedicated to top/base coats, treatments, and nail art supplies. My China Glaze drawer is starting to spill over into others, and I suspect my OPI and Zoya will do the same soon.

What top coats/base coats/treatments do you like?
Base coats: Orly Nail Defense; China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
Top coats: Poshe, INM Out the Door
Treatments: OPI Nail Envy, NailTek 2. I also have a three-piece set from Sally Hansen that I use when my nails are in really bad shape; I'm not sure what it's called - I'm not sure it's being made anymore. Luckily, I have backups! Also, I suggest taking biotin supplements.

How do you care for your nails and hands?
-Moisturize ALL THE TIME. Seriously, I keep various hand creams, lotions, cuticle balm, and cuticle oil all over the place. I can get bad about keeping up with this at work, but I try to moisturize at least 4 times a day, taking time to massage my cuticles as well. I like OPI's Avojuice (I keep the minis in my purse), Burt's Bees lemon cuticle balm and almond milk cream, Hard as Hoof (smells horrible - you've been warned!), and Queen Helene cocoa butter lotion.
-When I break a nail or they start getting too long, I file them down with a 320 grit file, then finish them with a 600 grit file or my crystal file.
-If I have issues with peeling, I try to file the length past the peeling...buffing lightly can also help, but I try to avoid taking that route, as the peeling makes my nails thin as it is.

Got more questions? Comment or e-mail me at weatherbamf@gmail.com!