This page explains the cookies NailHandbook uses, why they are here, and how to shut them off if you would rather they not run. I keep it plain because that is how I keep everything on this site. If you have read a cookie policy on another site and your eyes glazed over, this one should go down easier.
What a cookie actually is
A cookie is a small text file a website asks your browser to save. It holds a little bit of information, like a setting you picked or an ID that lets a service recognize your browser next time. It is not a program, it cannot read your hard drive, and it does not know your name unless you type it into something. When you come back later, your browser hands that file back so the site or a connected service can pick up where things left off.
The cookies this site sets
Here is what runs on NailHandbook, grouped by what it does.
- Functional. These keep the basics working: remembering a preference, keeping a page loading correctly, holding a session while you move around. Without them, parts of the site would forget what you just did.
- Analytics. I use analytics to see which guides get read and where people drop off, so I know what to fix or expand. This is counting, not surveillance. It tells me a page got 400 visits, not that you personally read it.
- Advertising. NailHandbook runs ads through Google AdSense, and those ads pay for the wear tests and the products I buy at the same prices you do. AdSense and its partners set cookies to serve ads and, in some cases, personalize them based on browsing. Google explains its own handling on the Google advertising page.
The general rule behind all this: a site can only place cookies for what it actually uses. I do not set anything I cannot point to a reason for.
How long they last
It depends on the cookie. Session cookies disappear the moment you close the browser. Others stick around for a set stretch, anywhere from a day to a couple of years, depending on whether they are remembering a preference or supporting analytics and ads. You do not have to wait them out, though. You can clear them yourself whenever you want, which brings me to the next part.
How to refuse them
Your browser is the master switch. Every major one lets you block cookies, delete the ones already saved, or get warned before any new ones are set. Look under settings, then privacy. In Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge it lives in roughly the same spot.
For the ad side specifically, you have direct opt-outs. You can manage Google ad personalization at Google Ad Settings, and turn off personalized ads across many companies at once through the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out or the Your Online Choices page. Blocking cookies may make some things load oddly, but the guides will still read fine.
Contact
Questions about any of this, or something on the page acting up? Reach me through the contact form and I will get back to you.