31DC2013 Day 20: Water Marble

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art, Reviews

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Now that my water-marbling is coming out the way I like it. I love working on them. They keep me and my mind busy from wandering.

Water Marble

For this manicure I started with two coats of Cult Nails “Feel Me Up”.

I then marbled Milani “Dark Coffee” and “Key West”, Cult Nails “Deal with It” and Orly “No Chip” top coat. 

I topped off with one coat of INM “Northern Lights”.

So far I love how Milani polishes marble. The rings remain thick and pigmented in the water. They do not mix when I am swirling the colors.

My only gripe is that “Key West” (turquoise) stains my skin like crazy.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

31DC2013 Day 19: Galaxies

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

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Galaxies is the prompt I am most excited for! I love working on galaxy nails. They are time-consuming but so much fun!

No matter what I do, it will still look like a galaxy. It is my nail-art dream!

Galaxies

Polishes Used

  • Zoya “Goldie”
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On”
  • Milani High Speed Fast Dry “Black Swift”
  • Urban Decay Naked “Hustle”
  • Urban Outfitters “Mystic”
  • Cult Nails “Feel Me Up”
  • Color Club “Wham! Pow!” (orange), “Poptastic” (pink), “Pucci-licious” (light purple)
  • Nfu Oh “Opal Nfu 51”
  • butter London “Knackered”
  • INM “Northern Lights Hologram Top Coat – Gold”
  • Seche Vite “Dry Fast Top Coat”

Techniques Used

  • Small sponge pieces held with tweezers
  • Regular sponging (wedge foundation sponges)
  • Multiple artists brushes

Notes

I started with one coat of Milani “Black Swift”. I love this black creme. It applies wonderfully in one coat. It does not dry as quickly as some of the other high speed Milani polishes so it has time to set evenly.

On my pinky, ring, and middle finger I added one coat of Urban Outfitters “Mystic”.

On my index and thumb I applied one coat of Nfu Oh “Opal Nfu 51”.

I alternated colors and top coat (Seche Vite) to give the manicure a 3D effect.

I applied Seche Vite before the polishes dried completely so that they blended together.

I used Bundle Monster plate “BM-311” to stamp some stars in Zoya “Goldie” to add dimension. 

I sponged Nfu Oh on every nail to bring out the base color.

Finally, I applied two generous coats of INM top coat.

This is the first time I used colors in my galaxy. Most of my galaxy nails are a variation of this.

 

I am really proud of this manicure because I can see specific components, but it is also hazy like the night sky!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

31DC2013 Day 18: Half-Moons

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

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I have never done a half-moon manicure before and honestly, I am not a fan of the trend.

When something does not end up cleanly…add glitter!

Half Moons

I started with two coats of Cult Nails “Feel Me Up”.

I used a brush to ballpark the half moon and then filled in the rest with Milani “Dark Coffee”.

I then swiped two diagonals of Urban Outfitters “Westside”.

I then used a good old glitter pen in orange to cover the half-moon lines, which were not totally even. 😛

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

NAIL September Theme 3: Games

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

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I used my cat Sunsilk as the model for my game theme: Cat and Mouse!

When I was little the game “Cat and Mouse” referred to the game where somebody puts their hands underneath another person’s and they had to turn over and slap their hands before they moved them away. I know there are multiple names for that game but that is what it was for me.

Cat and Mouse can be used to describe any chase…game or otherwise!

NAIL September Week Three: Game

I am going to just list the polishes I used for this post because there was a lot of mixing. If you would like more information please comment:

  • Milani “Black Swift”, “Dark Coffee”
  • SpaRitual “Howl”, “Running with Wolves”
  • Urban Outfitters “Westside”
  • Color Club “Poptastic”, “Warhol”, “Twiggie”
  • Cult Nails “Deal with It”
  • butter London “Scuppered”
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On”
  • Zoya “Gwin”

Sunsilk!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

31DC2013 Day 17: Glitter

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

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I rarely wear glitter but somehow I have at least ten glitter polishes in my collection. I think I just like the idea of glitter…

I am a huge fan of green and pink even though they clash like mad.

Apologies for the chipping. I actually did this manicure over a day to make sure everything dried properly.

Glitter

I started with two coats of Cult Nails “Deal with It”. I love the color but not the formula. Was I wrong! The formula applies streaky and sheer but dries evenly. It reaches full opacity with two coats, but for a richer color I suggest three.

I used a sponge-tip applicator to add a gradient of Milani “Key West” to the tips.

I applied one generous coat of Zoya “Kissy”.

Using masking tape, I taped off a line on each nail.

I used butter London “The Black Knight” on the parts not covered by tape. 

I pulled the tape off gently before the polish dried.

 

I chose to wait a day to do the taping to ensure that the base dried and set.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

31DC2013 Day 16: Tribal Print

16 Monday Sep 2013

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I decided to do just one accent nail for this manicure. I could not get each nail to look just right so I focused on one.

Tribal Print

I started with two coats of Milani “Dark Coffee”.

I used a sponge-tip eyeshadow brush to sponge Milani “Key West”, Sephora by OPI “Mr. Right Now” and Zoya “Goldie”. 

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On”. 

The beads are from the Martha Stewart Luster Microbead 12 pack set in Copper and Garnet.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Believe or Not Believe

16 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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I am so resentful of my condition that it has become self-loathing.

I would not say that I hate myself because I do not.

The arthritis is just a quality that I dislike about myself.

If there is a quality about myself I do not like, I can actively change it.

This is not the case with the RA.

 

And that is where that resentment comes from.

 

People who know about my condition sometimes treat it like a personality trait. One that I can turn on and off like a switch.

If I am able, nobody minds.

If I am disabled, it is my fault because I am not trying hard enough to fight it.

 

Auto-immunes do not work like that.

 

There are a handful of things (heck, I can probably count them on one hand) I know for certain flare me up. Bouldering (shorter climbs without ropes), for example, is one of them.

I make that perfectly clear.

However, people still assume I can do it. Or I can do it in the future if I work on it.

Overcoming RA is not like practicing a skill and getting better.

 

It is a barrier that I have to live with; with the understanding that I am incapable of certain activities.

 

But somehow, that is my fault.

I do not understand that rationalization.

How is this my fault?

This disease is not all in my mind.

 

What I begin to realize is people do not understand this. They assume I “cry wolf” because they cannot see the symptoms.

How I feel is based on my opinions alone.

Maybe when my joints start to deform people will finally realize that there is a lead-up. Joints do not just disfigure overnight.

 

That seems like a very, very dire price for me to pay so people believe me.

 

It would be easier to find new people to surround myself with. People who do not make me feel worse about myself. Unfortunately, I hit this block everywhere I go.

Even from my own family.

What I begin to realize is I am alone in this.

 

Nobody sees me during a bad flare. I hide away and cancel all plans.

Just because people see me during a controlled phase does not mean that I am always like that.

And what really gets me, if I do venture out when I am feeling unwell, people respond “You could have stayed home, we would have understood”.

Don’t lie.

What they understand is that I am making excuses and hiding behind my disease.

 

Anyone who knows me, please, list three times I used my disease as an excuse.

I dare you.

 

Just because there are people out there who have control over their auto-immunes does not mean I do. I am still new to this diagnosis. I know it will take time to stabilize.

 

I just wish other people knew that too.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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