• About Me
  • Supply Sites for Arthritis Friendly Nail Art
    • Disclosure Policy
  • The 31 Day Nail Art Challenge
  • Dumb Sh*t People Say: RA Edition

the Rite of Aging…early

~ Navigating Rheumatoid Arthritis through Beauty and Nail Art

the Rite of Aging…early

Author Archives: MonicawithRA

Dumb Sh*t People Say: RA Edition – Series One, Part One

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Dumb Sh*t People Say Series, Rheumatoid Arthritis

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

dumb shit people say ra edition, rheumatoid arthritis

“But you don’t look sick!”

 

Thank you?

I am glad I am not a walking billboard for the disease.  I am relieved there is no huge neon sign above my head flashing “PERSON WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS RIGHT HERE!”

I know people mean this as a compliment. Unfortunately, this comment bothers me the most.

It alludes to the fact people may not believe I am truly ill. The misconception remains that most illnesses have outward symptoms.

That is not the case with RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a silent illness. It is an inflammatory disease that affects the cartilage around the joints. It also affects other organs and systems in the body. Generally, there are no visible signs of the disease.

So, people with RA do not look ill.

In the beginning people are concerned, after all, they know it is a disease and it is chronic. That much they understand. As time passes, the people who were most concerned are also the people who get the most annoyed.

 

They think:

‘She is probably fine’

‘She is making excuses’

‘It’s all in her mind’

‘It’s probably just stress’

 

This one thought, that is meant to sound supportive, is the gate-way to more misguided ideas of what it is like to have this disease.

It allows people to suspend belief when most convenient. They choose not to care when it suits them. They are able to place blame on the sick person because they do not understand the nature of the disease.

 

Part Two explains my personal feelings on this comment.

Part Three contains “the silver lining”.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...

31DC2013 Day 31: Inspired by Nails I Love (…or Eye Make-up)

30 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#31DC2013, butter London, Color Club, Cult Nails, freehand, Milani, Nail Art, Sally Hanse, Sephora by OPI, Zoya

I could not decide which nail art to re-create so…

I decided to cheat a little and re-create something from “Hobbit Fan of the Week” (from the movie facebook page) Katie Alves who did this awesome Hobbit-inspired eye look. I know for sure I could never do this on my eyes but I wanted to give it a go on my nails.

http://katiealves.deviantart.com/art/The-Hobbit-Eyes-348188217

This manicure came out so much better than I anticipated. I am so glad this is the last prompt so I can keep it on for as long as possible!!

…And chances are I will be doing it again in December when the next movie comes out!

Image

Image

Bases:

Thumb: Zoya “Goldie”

Index & Middle: Cult Nails “Feel me Up”

Ring & Pinky: Color Club “Wham! Pow!”

Detailing

Thumb: Milani “Black Swift”

Index & Middle:

    • Gradient: Color Club “Wham! Pow!”, “Poptastic”, Sephora by OPI “Caffeine Fix”
    • Detailing: Milani “Black Swift”, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On”

Ring & Pinky:

    • Gradient: Cult Nails “Feel me Up”
    • Detailing: butter London “Knees Up”, Zoya “Goldie”, Milani “Black Swift”

After I took the pictures, I sealed the designs with Seche Vite. I was nervous that the artwork would smudge, though, Seche Vite is awesome at preserving detailing.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...

31DC2013 Day 30: Inspired by a Tutorial

30 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#31DC2013, China Glaze, Cult Nails, freehand, Nail Art, Wet n Wild, Zoya

I wanted to try this manicure for months but never got around to. Today’s prompt was the perfect time to do so!

http://www.refinery29.com/nail-art-s-new-wave-mod-world#slide-1

I love the colors and the crazy psychedelic feel of this manicure.

Unfortunately, the hand tremor monster reared its ugly head again…and things got a little messy. I still think it came out pretty well.

Image

The dots are a little different just because I ran out of room on my nails.

I used China Glaze “Caribbean Temptation” as my base.

Other Polishes Used:

  • Zoya “Goldie”, “Reece”, and “Gwin”
  • Wet n Wild “Blue Moon”
  • Cult Nails “Deal with It”

Other Tools:

  • bobby pins
  • toothpicks
  • small artist’s brush

I used the brush to apply the gold blobs and I applied top coat before I did the dots.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...

31DC2013 Day 29: Inspired by the Supernatural

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#31DC2013, Bundle Monster, Color Club, Cult Nails, freehand, INM, marbling, Milani, Nail Art, Sally Hansen, Seche Vite, stamping, Urban Outfitters, Zoya

I racked by brains trying to think of ideas when it came to me: my favorite cartoon, ever…SCOOBY-DOO!

Supernatural without the scary!

 

31DC2013 Inspired by the Supernatural

31DC2013 Inspired by the Supernatural

Polishes Used:

  • Color Club “Twiggie”, “Wham! Pow!” and “Almost Famous!”.
  • Cult Nails “Deal with It”
  • Zoya “Gwin”
  • Milani “Quick Teal“, “Key West” and “Peacock”
  • Urban Outfitters “Westside” and “Blue Velvet”
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On”
  • Seche Vite top coat
  • INM Northern Lights top coat

Detailing

  • Bundle Monster plate “BM 311”
  • small artist’s brush

Groovy!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...

31DC2013 Day 28: Inspired by a Flag

28 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#31DC2013, Bundle Monster, China Glaze, freehand, Nail Art, stamping, Wet n Wild, Zoya

31DC2013: Inspired by a Flag

31DC2013: Inspired by a Flag

I used two coats of China Glaze “White On White”.

I used a sponge-tip applicator to sponge Zoya “Gwin” on the top and Zoya “Suvi” on the bottom.

I applied one coat of Seche Vite before stamping with Bundle Monsters plate “BM 315” and Wet n Wild “Blue Moon”.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...

31DC2013 Day 27: Inspired by Artwork

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#31DC2013, Color Club, Cult Nails, freehand, Milani, Nail Art, Seche Vite, SpaRitual

I dreaded this prompt especially when my hand tremors returned. There was no way I could do any art piece justice.

Thankfully, I remembered reading about the Picasso Swirl technique:

http://www.glamour.com/beauty/2013/02/14-nail-art-looks-we-loved-from-nyfw?mbid=nl_beautytips#slide=13

I am sort of cheating a little since I did not re-create the painting but I choose to think I am following the very loose translation of “Inspired by…” 😛

I used the color palette from “Houses on Hills”.

Image

Image

I used two coats of Milani “Mint Candy” as my base. I then applied Seche Vite top coat to protect the base color.

On each nail, I applied one to two different sized drops of each color.

I used a toothpick to swirl SpaRitual “Running with Wolves”, Cult Nails “Feel Me Up”, Color Club “Twiggie”, and Milani “Quick Teal”.

I did not use top coat because the swirls look like dried paint on a canvas.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...

My Top 5 Nail Colors for the Summer-Fall Transition 2013

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Chanel, Cult Nails, Nails Inc, review, Sephora by OPI

Sometimes, I just want a nice, simple color to complete my look. Below (with swatches) are the nail colors I love to cycle through during this crazy Eastern seaboard weather change.

 

Sephora by OPI “Mr. Right Now”

This is a great dark red. The formula is neither thin nor runny, however, when I apply it to the nail it streaks. Luckily, it dries to an even jelly finish.

I do not mind adding coats for full opacity. What I dislike about this polish is that even after three coats I have to “spot-treat” bald areas. The silver lining of this is that even when adding to those extra spots, the polish dries evenly.

Unfortunately, the polish remains sheer around the cuticles where I cannot perfectly overlap each coat.

3 coats. No top coat.

DSCF4324_fotor

SOPI "Mr. Right Now"

 

Chanel “Taboo”

This is a highly pigmented deep royal purple with red, purple and gold shimmer. In the bottle it appears purple with red shimmer or red with gold shimmer. Unfortunately, the red and gold combination does not transfer to the nail.

It does not dry very quickly and if the color bleeds onto the nail sans base coat it stains.

I only need one coat and it is unnecessary to apply more!

It was extremely difficult to photograph but I wanted to show the difference between the nail and bottle.

1 coat. No top coat.

DSCF4396_fotor

DSCF4485_fotor

 

Sephora by OPI “Metro Chic”

I love grey for fall. It is completely neutral and goes with every color.

Metro Chic is not a true grey. It has a purple tinge to it and the warm tone works well with darker skin tones.

The formula is not great. It is not runny but I need at least 3 coats to reach full opacity. Even then there are bald spots. Unlike Mr. Right Now, I have to apply one full coat to the entire nail, otherwise, it dries patchily.

Even though I adore grey for fall, I find it boring on my nails. The accent nail is Pretty Jelly “Dream Cloud” (a great silver holographic polish).

3 coats. No top coat.

DSCF4432_fotor

DSCF4445_fotor

 

Nails Inc. “London Town”

Before the magnet the polish appears as a high-shine frosty brown. After the magnet, the brown is clear and deep.

This is my funny polish. It always gets lost in my polish hoard but whenever I dig it out, I absolutely love it on my nails. Yet, I continue to forget it. 

The formula is nice and thick. It is not goopy and applies evenly and without streaks. I apply two coats then use the magnet while the second coat is still wet.

2 coats. No top coat. The pinky shows the polish without magnetization.

DSCF4502_fotor

DSCF4496_fotor

 

Cult Nails “Captivated”

For the colder days, I brighten my manicure.  During the seasonal change, I enjoy bright orange.

The base is coral-orange and the glitters are orange and gold. The color is a lot brighter in the bottle than on the nail but it is still very pretty.

The formula is chunky because of the glitter. It dries evenly and quickly. Top coat is needed to smooth the coats out.

I layered this over 3 coats of Urban Outfitters “Banana Hammock”  and Color Club “Wham! Pow!”.

3 coats of Banana Hammock, 1 coat of Wham! Pow!, 2 coats of Captivated. No top coat.

Banana Hammock

DSCF4579_fotorI am not sure why each nail came out differently but I really like the look.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Like it? Please Share!

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
Like Loading...
← Older posts
Newer posts →

Please subscribe to stay up to date on my RA journey. Join the Spoonie family today!

Follow the Rite of Aging…early on WordPress.com

Follow Me on Social Media!

  • View monicawithra’s profile on Twitter
  • View monicawithra’s profile on Instagram
  • View mysengupta’s profile on Pinterest
Living with RA: the Rite of Aging...Early

Archives

Categories

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    the Rite of Aging...early
    Join 126 other subscribers

    Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.

  • the Rite of Aging...early
    View site in Reader
    Manage subscriptionsSign upLog in
    Report this content
    Collapse this bar
Loading Comments...
%d