Category Archives: Nail Art

31-Day Challenge (#31DC2016): Day One

01 Thursday Sep 2016

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It started! The annual 31-day challenge! This was my first ever challenge and I completed it within a month of starting the blog. It holds a special place in my heart and I will participate as long as it continues. It definitely difficult to do nail art every day but it challenges me to work harder (and sometimes try new techniques; half moons, I’m looking at you!) and maintain a consistent (albeit, tight) schedule.

Sometimes, nail artists choose a theme to stick to the entire month. I don’t have that  kind of motivation so I do what I want, whenever I want. I stick to RA-friendly techniques since they are generally easy and quick!

The beginning of the challenge focuses more on basic colors than interpretations. I have not decided if this makes it easier or harder because often times, it is kind of nice to have some structure! On the other hand, I get creative license to do anything! Either way, I ease my way into the month with simple nail art. Otherwise I feel like I have to stick to flashy, over the top looks and I don’t have the patience to do those for thirty one days straight (who does, right??)!

 

red2.jpgFor today’s red I went with a basic fan brush gradient. It went on surprisingly quickly and evenly so I felt confident adding some stamping. I hope you like it! I think it is a great start to the month!

 

redGradient: Sephora by OPI Mr. Right Now (dark red and my all time favorite red of all time. When Sephora discontinued this brand I bought two back-ups!), Sinful Colors GoGo Girl

Stamping: Konad Special Polish White, Born Pretty Store plate BP 43

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous red looks at the Inlinkz below!

Born Pretty Store Nail Foils | Review

31 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Items provided for honest review.

foilsThe 31-Day Challenge starts tomorrow and I had this marvelous idea to use these new foil stickers (linked here) for the first prompt. If you are familiar with the 31-Day Challenge you know you do one look a day and generally don’t have time for multiple ones. So, it was my luck (and maybe good sense) that I tried out these stickers beforehand because there is no way I could put them on Instagram! They did not work well or look cute on my nails.

 

review3Now, due consideration, these foils are supposed to be used with gel polishes (so the stickers cure and set under the UV lights) but they are certainly not interchangeable with traditional lacquers.

 

review1They are not stretchy like traditional water decals from Born Pretty Store and do not bend nicely over the “c curve” of the nail. Furthermore, they do not disintegrate with acetone so I have to cut them perfectly to match my nail size and there is no wiggle room for clean up. The foils crumble and bunch at the tip so they peel off relatively quickly and top coat does not extend their longevity in the slightest. Thankfully, even though I cannot remove them traditionally (with nail polish remover) they peel off nicely and evenly.

 

review2I do not use gel polish so I will probably never use these again which is a shame because the designs are super cute!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

10% off code

Watercoloring Water Decals | Nail Art

25 Thursday Aug 2016

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Some items provided for honest review.

I completely fell behind reviewing products this summer because of my summer camp job. I was just too exhausted to paint my nails let alone try and maneuver new products. Back in May, new to me brand, Nicole Diary, contacted me about trying some water decals and I jumped at the chance. You all know how much I adore water decals. They are quick and easy nail art which are perfect when I don’t have time or am too tired to do my nails.

 

I also played around with coloring the designs in with watercolors since I’ve been on a huge coloring stint lately. On paper, I use everything from pens to pencils and gel pens (throwback to the 90s!). It was fun to do my nails in the same way but took a lot of patience and a steady hand. Regardless, I am definitely pleased with how well these came out and think they are worth the extra time.

 

WATERDECALS

I couldn’t leave well enough alone and added some Born Pretty Store nail sticker/vinyls. I waited a full day to add these since I didn’t want to ruin/bring up the base color.

 

The water decals are typical, run of the mill and easy to use. After submerging them for about 20 seconds in cool water they slid off the backing paper smoothly. Over at Amazon.com and Aliexpress.com Nicole Diary has a wide selection of cute designs.

While I am personally not the biggest fan of the nail stickers this is more a personal choice than an issue with the actual product. I prefer easy, quick nail art options (like water decals) instead of waiting a full day to apply vinyls. Yes, I could have waited a couple of hours but a) I didn’t want to and b) it didn’t seem like enough time! While in theory the circles are extremely cute they would work better on larger bigger nails as to capture more of the design. On my short nails, I did not get enough circles and got too much negative space.

You be the judge, though!

 

withvinylsBases: China Glaze UV Meant to Be, Formula X Nails White Matter

Decals: Nicole Diary (linked here – design 08)

Vinyls: Born Pretty Store ($1.79 here)

 

What do you think? I hope you like these as much as I do!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Don’t forget to use my discount at BPS!

10% off code

Summer Days Aren’t Here To Stay | RA & Nail Art

16 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Nail Art, Rheumatoid Arthritis

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This summer, I snagged a science camp job at my old elementary school. I had a blast! I forgot how much I loved working full-time, waking up early, and going in for the same job every day.

But, while I looked forward to each session (four in total over seven weeks) I barely made it out unscathed. I was a total wreck by day’s end. If I wasn’t a full on zombie from fatigue and pain I was totally disabled.

I tried to sit or “rest” as often as I could but camp was not only teaching science. The day was a hodgepodge of walking to and from recess across campus, transitioning students to their afternoon camp and depositing them in aftercare at the end of the day. Of course, my co-teacher and I swapped responsibilities daily but with an active form of Rheumatoid Arthritis, I still found this work load difficult.

The age range of students was rising Kindergarten all the way to rising 4th grade. The younger kids definitely needed help with some activities. I continuously moved about, lifted materials and helped with finer motor activities. I took part in games and walked around recess to keep an eye on my group.

I came in early and left late. I set up and scrubbed down the classroom every day. If this were an all-year thing I definitely could not keep up, no matter how much I willed myself. But, given that it was seven weeks, I muscled through.

I froze my climbing membership (no way I could drag myself up the wall after work or even on the weekends) and I declined all social engagements. This was a major bummer as summer was my favorite season and the only few months of the year I enjoyed going out. More time for nail art and blogging then! Nope. I was so spent by the end of the day I could barely use dinner utensils let alone maneuver a polish brush.

In the end, was it all worth the long hours, the lost sunny days of summer? Oh yes! I think so. Even though I spent a bulk of the summer in a perpetual painful flare-up I enjoyed every minute I was at work.

 

And, for your enjoyment, I have some summer-y pink lemonade nails to share with this post! I hope you like them!

pinklemonade

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Green Smooshy Nails w/ Stamping | Nail Art

07 Sunday Aug 2016

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Some items provided for review.

 

Wow! I cannot believe it has been over a month since I last blogged! A few days after my last post I started my full-time summer schedule. It was years since I last worked full time (because of the RA) and it was amazing! I remembered how much I loved working!

Unfortunately, full-time hours took their toll. I was more or less destroyed afterwards and barely had enough energy to eat dinner let alone anything else. Blogging and nail art took a backseat.

I have a few weeks (roughly five) until I start fall semester so I look forward to vegging out, doing nail art, and hanging out with my pets!

I hope you like my homecoming Smooshy Nails Sunday look with a stamping polish from Born Pretty Store on top!

 

greensmooshBase: SinfulColors Whiteboard

Smoosh: American Apparel Parakeet (mint green), Zoya Maria Luisa, SinfulColors All About You

Stamping: Born Pretty Store Stamping polish in Black ($4.99 here), Pueen Cosmetics plate PUEEN83

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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Spring 2016 Collection – daniPRO Nails | Review

19 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews

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Press Sample

 

IMG_2163I was recently contacted by a PR agency I’ve worked with in the past to test and review a new-to-me brand called “daniPRO”. According to the PR statement, this brand is innovative because it was created by podiatrist, Dr. Gary Evans. daniPRO lacquers are 4-free (meaning they do not contain toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP). However, upon closer inspection, I noticed these nail polishes do contain camphor, which is considered a toxin making daniPRO’s “free of toxins” statement website not completely true.

The stand-out ingredient in these polishes is undecylenic acid which helps prevent fungus. It is also important to note the fine print on both the bottle and website that say this ingredient is “not effective on nails”. What does that even mean? The ingredient is not effective on nails or it is not effective at treating fungus?

Honestly, even before I put on this nail polish, I noticed too many “discrepancies” for my liking but as long as its 3-free (no DBP, Formaldehyde or Toulene) I’m happy to try the nail polish as nail polish.

I was sent four separate colors, and a top coat, for review. The colors are a light petal pink, a more electric one and a “true” red.

The top coat was nothing special. It dried relatively quickly but it pulled the base color which does not make it ideal for sealing in nail art. This type of pulling and base removal is one of my biggest pet peeves and I cannot overlook it!

 

Forever Girl is a light petal pink. I applied four (yes, 4!) coats and the result was still patchy and streaky. The formula is thin and floods the cuticles easily. My camera is very forgiving in daylight but as you can see in both photos below this polish is no good.

bottleshotingrass

 

My Girl is your typical bright pink. It appears more electric in the sun. I achieved “acceptable” opacity with 3 coats but the final result is just as streaky as Forever Girl. The formula is very thin and immediately floods the cuticles. However, this polish’s one redeeming quality is that it cleans up very easily (which is rare with a color like this). It’s a shame really because I loved this color against my skin tone.

pink2pinkwbottle_edited-1

 

First Kiss is a true candy apple red . I am pleasantly surprised with this formula. It is thin but not streaky and I reach full opacity after two coats. If I am in a rush I might get away with one coat but there is a slightly visible nail line.

red

red2_edited-1

 

Final Thoughts: The formulas were subpar (there are much better ones out there). I could forgive this major flaw if the colors were ones I could not live without. Even after looking at the full selection on the daniPRO website I am 100% sure every other nail polish brand out there sells them. The top coat pulls the color and does not given the same glossy finish as others I’ve tried. It will, however, work well in creating DIY jellies.

At $18.00 a pop you’re better off buying Zoya. Their polishes are cheaper, have better formulas in the exact same colors and more.

daniPRO social media:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Neon Sugar-Spin | Nail Art

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Nail Art, Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Nothing to disclose.

I have been in a fantastical mood recently. Last week, I felt so great after my infusion I climbed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This week, I climbed Tuesday and Wednesday (and hopefully today).

I am not sure why I feel so good this month versus last month. It might have everything to do with being ill. I had a serious sinus infection and as a result I flared up badly. On top of everything else, it was rainy and dreary so I barely got any vitamin D which reduces inflammation in the body.

neonsugarI tend to wear neons more when I am in a good mood. I crave them more when I’m in a bad mood but it was so bad I couldn’t enjoy the bright beauties!!

I had a little extra time and decided to sugar-spin over my favorite neons. The colors are different but the brown glitter really ties them together.

I hope you like it!

Join my Spoonie family!

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sugarspinneonBases: SinfulColors Whiteboard (white undies), from pinky to index — American Apparel Neon Purple, Color Club Warhol, Wham! Pow!, China Glaze Daisy Know My Name?

Sugar-Spin: butter London Scuppered

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.