Category Archives: Nail Art

Watercolor Distressed Nail Art

09 Monday Mar 2015

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Have you ever had those moments when you just hate on your dominant hand nails? For the most part I love the nails on my left hand. I don’t have to do a lot to them to keep them neat and in shape…but today they just look horrid with nail polish on. I am so tempted to take EVERYTHING off because I can’t even handle it right now. This art did take me a boatload of time; specifically, the entire Bachelor finale and after the final rose episode, so maybe I’ll keep it on.

I love how the final result came out, though, but it looks hideous against gross nails. Know what I mean?

 

I wanted to try this watercolor nail art again with pinks, purples and blues. I really like messing with a look until I have it “just right” without it looking bulky or manipulated. Thinning the polish with acetone ensures neither of those happen! I think the watercolor distressed look is really RA-friendly but I would necessarily classify this look as such.

The polishes I used definitely worked differently than the ones I used in the green plaid (linked here) because I think they were a lot thicker. This didn’t make them harder to work with but definitely created a different effect.

I sealed everything with Seche Vite but everything still finished sort of matte! I hope you like it!

 

Watercolor Distressed Plaid | The Rite of Aging

 

DSCF4413_fotorFor this look I started with Formula X for Sephora Thrilling as my base.

I used acetone, a square brush and detail brush and the following polishes

  • Pahlish Le Bijou de Roi
  • Milani Vivid Violet, Fast Fuchsia
  • Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot
  • Color Club Warhol
  • Sephora by OPI Domestic Goddess

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Stamping and Glitter Nail Art for A2Z Series: Q is for Quirky

08 Sunday Mar 2015

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I am on a glitter kick. When I decided to re-visit my glitters I loved them all (I guess there was a reason I bought them to begin with! – There was speculation I only purchased them because how they looked in the bottle!)

For the quirky prompt I decided to mix a textured polish with bright glitter, neon polish and stamping. Why not go whole hog? This would be the perfect time to do so!

During the “buy 3, recieve 3 mystery polishes” Zoya promotion I bought my first PixieDust! I’m not the biggest fan of these type of textured polishes but this one was so intriguing I had to have it! I heard a rumor that Zoya was discontinuing the PixieDust collection so I wanted to get hold of it before it was gone for good. I mean, to be a good nail art blogger, I had to, right? Hehehe!

I hope you like it!

 

Stamping and Glitter Nail Art | The Rite of AgingI started with American Apparel Neon Green as my base.

I applied a generous coat of Serum No. 5 Happy Special Day! One of my favorite polishes of all time, I am really sad I haven’t used it in so long!

I stamped with a Pueen Cosmetics plate from the Love Elements collection and Milani Black Swift.

I used Zoya PixieDust Imogen for the accent.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Don’t forget to check out the other quirky manicures below!

February Showcase

08 Sunday Mar 2015

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The photos link to original source.

Here are my favorite nail art and things from February! Don’t forget to check out my pinterest pages, respectively, here and here.

 

The Nailasaurus - Kitty DecalsSammy is one of my nail icons. She has short nails so it is easier for me to visualize inspiration from her. She focuses on sleek, simple designs that she executes flawlessly. I am not the biggest pink fan but this dotticure really suits those kitty decals!

 

Nails of Aquarius Edgy Valentine'sI already love Karolyn’s blog (photos, nail art, and writing style) but she seriously knocked a variety of Valentine’s Day manicures out of the park. I really feel Valentine’s Day, I don’t do romance or lovey-dovey (though I have to admit they provide all sorts of nail art inspiration) and I cannot usually stand the color scheme. I changed my tune when I saw Karolyn’s edgy designs. I loved all her themed manicures but I liked this one the most because she incorporated the colors but didn’t make them “squishy”. (This is my term for when I’m surrounded by the balloons and the colors and confetti and want to gag because it’s so in your face…do you know what I mean?)

 

Saw this GIF on http://www.auteurariel.com/2015/02/the-pom-of-all-poms.html?showComment=1424828051126

I felt really bad for Neil Patrick Harris at this year’s Oscars because even he couldn’t save the awful writing and poor jokes. However, NPH interviewing the “seat filler” Steve Carrell was one of my favorite moments and it was not until I saw the GIF that I had a new favorite moment: Channing Tatum giggling in the background! Too funny!

 

Wonder Wolf - Onyx NailsDebbie over at WonderfulWolf does the best pokemon nail art! When the Gameboy Color game first came out my mom let me choose which one I wanted. I happily chose the Red version because I thought the Charizard was cuter than the Blastoise (this was the first time I ever snuck awake after lights out)! Anywho, I remember how thrilled I was I caught an Onyx…and beat Brock’s. It seriously took me days to figure out how to beat him with the Charizard! This design brought me straight back to my childhood and I think it’s freaking amazing Debbie used crushed shells for the base!

 

I found my next pet! My friend and I don’t believe red pandas and slow loris exist. We are pretty sure they are completely magical. Seriously one of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen, but look at those nervous eyes…one unexpected move and it’ll probably try to gauge my eyes out!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Striping Tape and Glitter Nail Art

07 Saturday Mar 2015

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Striping tape rarely makes it on to the blog (actually, for that matter, neither does negative space); but, last night, I had a dream about a glitter gradient peeking out from underneath a black layer. I recently noticed Instagrammers sponging over striping tape and I wanted to give it a try. It took longer to build up the color but it minimized pooling under the tape.

 

Striping tape is so not good for the OCD part of my personality. I think I did a pretty good job of keeping the stripes straight per nail but I was re-applying tape pieces for over an hour! On top of that, it irked me the nails were not the same. I wouldn’t mind so much if each nail was different but they were supposed to be the same so in my mind it looked messy. I know I am being super picky and hard on myself but this was everything I was thinking during the process!

So, what was the take-away? This was so not RA-friendly nail art! — Thankfully, I took a lot of Vicodin for my back and I was on the full steam nail art train!

 

That being said, I AM PROUD OF MYSELF. Given my complete inexperience with taping this came out pretty well…I almost stopped at the glitter gradient but I decided to go whole hog. I will definitely re-visit this simple gradient when I need a more RA-friendly option.

I absolutely love love LOVE how the index finger came out. I tried to fashion the other nails after it but that did not quite happen.

What do you think of striping tape? Yay or nay? If you are a fan of the technique, does it get easier or more enjoyable?

 

Subtle Glitter Gradient | The Rite of Aging

Negative Space Striping Tape Nail Art | The Rite of AgingI started with one sheer coat of Essie Mademoiselle.

I sponged Deborah Lippman Happy Birthday on the tips. Remember that time I only made a frivolous Sephora online purchase just to get hold of this 100-point perk? Yeah…don’t judge me! I evened the surface with a generous coat of Seche Vite.

I used striping tape, a makeup sponge and Wet n Wild Black Creme for the stripes.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Watermarble and Stamping Nail Art

04 Wednesday Mar 2015

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I wanted to do a watermarble but didn’t feel like fighting the process so I used my trusty Barry Ms. Annoyingly, the first time I painted my nails the lightest color I used and the result appeared muddy and dark. I re-started by painting my base white and it definitely made a difference. I don’t know why I never remember to do this!

 

I seriously can’t get enough of the Pueen plates. They make my stamping look so much better than it actually is….which reminds me I need to re-purchase “No Place Like Chrome” since I’m running low.

 

Anyways, I hope you like it!

Pink Watermarble and Silver Stamping Nail Art | The Rite of AgingI used Milani Spotlight White as my base.

I marbled with Barry M Mustard, Rhosilli, Grapefruit and American Apparel Neon Purple.

I stamped with

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Plastic Bag Marble Nail Art for NAIL and Red Coat Tuesdays

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

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It is funny how inspiration strikes. The last February NAIL prompt was for our least favorite polish. The newest Milani white (Spotlight White) and butter London nude (Tea with the Queen) both made the short list but I could not think of a good nail art with them!…and then it hit me…my Wet n Wild red. I’ve mentioned I don’t like this polish: formula, brush and all…but, for whatever reason, it did not make my original list.

So, why use it? There is a group of bloggers who take part in Red Coat Tuesdays in honor of Pretty Little Liars. I always wanted to take part but never actually created a manicure for the linkup. I am obsessed with this show but even though I love it I have serious issues concerning it. There is too much going on: too many characters, too many plot lines. I tune in every week but this season is seriously lacking. I lean towards colder side of lukewarm because each episode feels like a filler biding its time until the finale.

As excited I am the show was green-lighted for a seventh season (even before this past season aired) I honestly don’t know what else they can do. They are just dragging out everything and it’s getting boring. They just need to tell us who A is, who is torturing the girls, and WHY? I don’t think they ever told us.

Why did they randomly stop thinking Ezra was “A”? (I still think he is just because being A is a very expensive habit and he is the only one who has access to the funds).

 

Anyways, on to the nail art! I decided to do something simple, RA-friendly and abstract. This is my first attempt at plastic bag marbling. There are a couple of ways to do it, either apply the dots directly to the nail or marble on the bag and transfer the design.

I decided to try the latter. I continued to splotch and mash until I was happy with the final design. I hope you like it!

 

Dry Marble - Red Coat Tuesday | The Rite of Aging

Plastic Bag Marble Nail Art - Red Coat Tuesday | The Rite of AgingI started with 2 coats of Wet n Wild Red a Good Book as my base.

I marbled with Wet n Wild, OPI Red Lights Ahead…Where?, Essie No Place Like Chrome, Zoya Goldie, and Barry M Gelly Chili.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Gradient Nail Art with Pahlish and KBShimmer

01 Sunday Mar 2015

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After I fell out of love with glitters last month they began collecting dust at the back of my shelves. I felt bad for them, especially my new KBShimmer “Sand in My Stocking”. I lusted after this polish for months and months and finally purchased it when I bought a cuticle oil pen from the website.

I started a love affair with Pahlish nail polishes and purchased a whole lot of them from Llarowe during the massive New Year’s sale! I did not even think twice about adding them to my cart when I saw how discounted they were. As much as I love all the colors I had I rarely used them in nail art! For some reason, I could not figure out how to use them….until today.

I decided to bite the bullet and go full on glitter. It almost overloaded my nails. I guess after such a long dry spell there was no such thing as moderation!

I am actually quite fond of today’s nail art. I was slightly worried it would get too busy but, I think it came out quite nicely! The colors worked together well! I hope you like it, too!

 

DSCF4104_fotor2

DSCF4119_fotorI started with 2 coats of Pahlish Fevers and Mirrors as my base.

I applied KBShimmer Sand in My Stocking on my thumbs, middle and ring fingers.

I used a makeup sponge, Pahlish Fever and Mirrors and Reinette for the gradient. I alternated Sephora by OPI Cover me in Petals and Fever and Mirrors to brighten the color. When I was finished I applied a dab of Sephora by OPI Be-Claus I Said So at the tips.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.