Let me start off by saying, treat yourself (if that wasn't already evident by the article title). As a woman, buying yourself cute clothes, getting your nails, hair or eyelashes done really boosts your confidence. I don't know about you, but when I have the chance to do something for myself, it instantly boosts my mood, energy, and mental health. I know how silly that sounds, but when you don't have much money like myself, it really makes you appreciate the things you can do. I know that no matter how much money I have, I always make sure to set aside a "treat yourself" fund. By doing this, I ensure that I still feel like I'm being rewarded from all the hard work I'm doing with school, extracurricular activities, and my job.

Every month, the one thing I make sure to do for myself is to get my nails done. As I said, it really boosts my confidence, not only because I love having them done, but also because I'm stopped so frequently by other women (and sometimes even men!) who say that they absolutely love my nails. They often even ask me where I get them done so that they too can go. Having people stop to compliment me instantly puts a smile on my face. You'd be surprised how a compliment can make someone's day. And boy, it does for me.

To show a few, here are a few sets of nails that I've had done within the last year.

1. Gold is my thing.

Ruby Quintero

Okay, let's start off by saying, wow, wow, wow. I loved these nails. They were elegant, simple, but also professional. I could match everything with this set.

2. Baby Boomers are so in.

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Apparently these type of nails are called "Baby Boomers." They're an ombre form of french nails and they're the new trend. These were by far my most favorite nails I've had. Great for a wedding, an anniversary, a fun night out. I felt gorgeous with these.

3. Can someone say sparkles?

Ruby Quintero

You might begin to start seeing a pattern here.... Sparkles. I love sparkly nails and I try to incorporate them in almost every set I've had. They really put a pep in your step.

4. Dark never looked so good!

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I've never tried black nails before but I decided to just go for it. The result? I LOVED THEM. I was always so apprehensive about black nail polish because I was afraid it would make me seem unprofessional, immature, or maybe as if I was in a dark place. But these created the exact opposite effect.

5. CHRISTMAS.

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If you haven't tried making your nails match a specific theme, then you haven't lived. Last Christmas I decided to give it a try and I definitely felt more festive. I asked my nail lady to give one of my nails the illusion that icicles were dripping down a nail, and WOW did she impress. I swear she can do anything.

6. Seasons greetings.

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Last fall I was inspired by a fall theme. I really wanted to include a tree with the seasonal colors and my nail artist was all for it! She created a hand-painted tree with orange-colored foil for the leaves. Of course we had to throw some glitter in there to top it all off. It really came together well.

7. Love is in the air.

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This set was a Valentine's themed set. I didn't want to go too crazy on the red and pink, because to me, it seems too cliche. What I did, instead, was feature a small amount of pink and white with a heart-shaped jewel. Very simple, but so cute.

8. The path to beauty.

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I saw some nails on Instagram that I was inspired by with the split of colors on the ring finger-- how I'd otherwise call it a different colored nail path (I just made that up). I decided to do this similar idea but changed up the colors and put my own spin on it. This was the final product and I was so in love with it. Have we sensed the fact that I geek out over nails?

9. Roses are red.

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Again, sparkle is a go-to for me. WIth this set, I wanted more of a spring feel to it, so I decided to ask my nail artist to sculpt a flower. This was the final product.

10. Violets are blue.

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I never do super bright colors. I normally like to tone my nails down just slightly, so this set was a huge change for me. I had this urge to do blue nails but wasn't sure if I could match them with anything. Turns out, I have absolutely no blue in my closet, but I didn't care. I was apprehensive about these at first. I thought no one would like them. But actually, I think I've had the most compliments on this set alone. I had people stop me after class to ask if they could look at my nails. Even some men had complimented them. These were a huge hit needless to say!

Since high school, getting my nails done has always been one of my favorite things to do. Since going into college, I've found the perfect nail artist to implement my ideas and create some amazing nails. What I love is finding others who also get just excited about nails as I do.

I follow numerous Instagram accounts the feature custom nails all over the world and it gets me really excited to try to mimic them or even create a whole new idea for a set. If you know me, you know I'm always sporting some fancy nails. They make me happy, they make me feel confident, and I even meet new people just by their starting up a conversation with me. Something as little as getting your nails done breaks the ice and helps you meet new people.

I really want to emphasize this.... TREAT YOURSELF. Whether you're a man or a woman, you deserve to feel rewarded for the hard work you're doing. I think if I didn't make a conscious effort to treat myself once a month, I'd probably go crazy. We all need to feel appreciate and feel like our hard work is actually worth it, and for me, that's getting my nails done.

If you're looking for an amazing nail artist to do your nails or just want to geek-out on some fancy sets, follow my nail artist @caylasnails or @lacqueredupllc to see the other nail artists in her salon. I swear, they're miracle workers. They can do anything.