Category Archives: Nail Art

Nail Art: August Blues

03 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

To see the accompanying post click on the image below.

I tried many blue manicures for over a week. I am not a huge fan of blue polish so I had difficulty settling on something. I finally decided on this one. It had a soothing effect on me because it reminded me of the ocean and the waves crashing on the shore.

While I feel calm looking at my nails, I know that they accurately show how I felt back in August. I had no control over my emotions. I very rarely feel so low and I felt confused and helpless. I could not find a way to boost my spirits.

August Blues

August Blues

I used two coats of Milani “Blue Moon”. I am on the fence about this polish. The formula is thick but easy to work with. It dries quickly. However, the brush is not great. The bristles are uneven which makes it difficult to apply the polish around the cuticles. Otherwise, it is a great color. It is a heavily shimmered navy blue.

I then used a small brush to apply random strokes of Essie “Blanc”, Milani “Peacock”, and Color Club “Pucci-licious”.

For my ring finger, I water-marbled the same colors minus “Blue Moon” and the addition of Zoya “Crystal”.

I finished with Cult Nails “Wax That” effect top coat.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#31DC2013 Day 3: Yellow Nails

03 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Today’s 31 Day Challenge theme is yellow nails! I really love yellow. I usually only wear it on my toes since it looks great with sandals. Since I did the red nails, on the first day, I have had fire color schemes on the mind.

Yellow Nails Prompt!

I started with three coats of Color Club “Almost Famous”. I am not a fan of the formula but I love the color. It is a bright neon yellow. The formula is thick and hard to work with. When I try to use thin layers they streak. When I use thicker layers they dry unevenly.

I let the base color dry. I marbled Color Club “Mrs. Robinson”, OPI “Red Lights Ahead…Where?” and Cult Nails “Feel Me Up” on a paper plate before using my finger to pat it on each nail.

I used a mix of nail polish remover (Zoya Remove +) and Feel Me Up to add more yellow while “watercoloring” the red and purple.

I applied one coat of Sephora by OPI “Be-Claus I Said So” before the polish dried to blur any sharp lines.

31DC2013

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#31DC2013 Day 2: Orange Nails

03 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Today’s 31 Day Challenge nail prompt is orange nails!

31DC2013

It is very Halloween but I love the bright orange, white and black combination so I decided to keep things simple.

Orange Nails prompt

Orange Nails prompt

I started with two coats of Color Club “Wham! Pow!”.

I applied two coats of Milani “Sprinkles”. The second coat I dotted on extra pieces to fill any gaps.

I used Bundle Monster plate “303” and Wet n Wild “Black Creme”. The stamp came out very light so I went over it with a brush.

I finished the look with Cult Nails “Wax That” top coat. I am not a huge fan of the matte finish top coats but I like Cult Nails’ wax top coat because it is a very subtle matte effect. It dries and works quickly which is always a plus!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#31DC2013 Day 1: Red Nails

02 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I not only decided to do the Nail Art Ideas Link-Up, more information here, but also I decided to try my hand at the 31 Day Challenge.

Click on the image to see original post.

Click on the image to see original post.

I am already behind by one day but this would have been my idea for the “Red Nails” prompt.

#31DC2013

Red Nails Prompt

I used two coats of butter London “Knees Up” for my base color.

I used a small artist’s brush to swipe a line in Color Club  “Warhol” and Cult Nails “Feel Me Up”. I then mixed the two colors and added a gentle swipe in between them for a linear gradient look.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art Ideas Link-Up: September Week One – Back To School

02 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

I am taking part in this awesome Nail Art Ideas Link-Up (NAIL) hosted by Eeeek! Nail Polish!

For this first week I decided to take inspiration from my wonderful university Colorado State University!

Ram Pride

Let’s Show Some Ram Pride!

I painted my index, middle and pinky finger with two layers of Zoya “Goldie”. I sponged the tips with Zoya “Suvi”. To maximize the sponging in the middle I lightly sponged Chanel “Peridot”. I love Peridot because depending on the light it will look gold or green. Perfect for some Ram Pride!

I water-marbled my ring finger with the same colors. I wanted an accent nail to look different but not overwhelmingly so.

I used a toothpick to dot Color Club “Almost Famous” and “Twiggie”.

Finished off with INM “Northern Lights” top coat.

Enjoy!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: All in my Mind?

29 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

To see the accompanying post click here.

For this nail art I wanted to show my frustration. Whenever I do not see visible signs of swelling I always feel like a hypochondriac. It makes me wonder how much of this is in my mind. The fire represents the frustration I always feel and the little devil represents the insecurities that plant themselves and grow.

I apologize for the messy cuticles. I tried water-marbling before I did the fire. I also apologize for my index finger. I have not been able to shape it quite right recently.

Fiery Frustration and the Demons in my Mind

I started with three coats of Sephora by OPI “Metro Chic”. It is a very runny, sheer color and it does not reach full opacity before three coats. 

I then used a skinny artist’s brush to create the flames in Milani “Foxy Lady” (dark red), Color Club “Almost Famous” (yellow), “Wham! Pow!” (orange), and “Poptastic” (pink).

I applied one coat of INM “Northern Lights”. I like how it makes it look like there are sparks flying from the flames.

I used Bundle Monster plate “305” and Wet n Wild “Black Creme”.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: When I Was a Child…

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

When I was a child, I loved art-related activities. One of my all time favorites was ScratchArt.

Do you remember ScratchArt? A black waxy substance covered a multi-colored piece of paper. You scratched away the wax coating to show the colors underneath.

I decided to try doing a ScratchArt-inspired nail art.

ScratchArt

This nail art was tricky. It was important that each layer of nail polish dried completely or the colors got muddy.

I started with two coats of Essie “Blanc”. I added Seche Vite top coat. I did this so I would not rub down to bare nail.

I applied two coats of Zoya “Reece”, “Crystal”, “Goldie” and Urban Outfitters “Blue Velvet”. Urban Outfitters is so pigmented I only used one coat.

I ended with two coats of Wet n Wild “Black Creme”.

I used Q-tips soaked in nail polish remover to gently rub away the polishes. I used an upward stroke towards the tip of the nail. I did not rub the Q-Tip back and forth because the colors mix together.

I used fresh Q-tips for every two or three swipes to get sharp color contrast. They needed to be totally soaked in polish remover or the colors mix.

Did you ever use ScratchArt as a kid?

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.