Fall Leaves Stamping | Nail Art

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Now that Halloween is over I can focus on fun autumn looks. And, since winter/holiday nail arts are my absolute favorite I will definitely sneak those in as well!

For today’s looks I tried triple stamping! I used a variety of different stamps and plates and am so thrilled with how this came out. I sometimes struggle with double stamping so this was a real treat for me!

I debated between a pure gold or white gold base and am glad I chose the latter. The orange wouldn’t have shown up as well and it works nicely with the other colors.

My nails remind me of looking down at the ground! Everywhere. We had a massive rainstorm and it took down all the leaves last week. Unfortunately, now they have all turned brown and dead but hopefully we have another wave of leaf fall before the winter!

I hope you like it!

 

Triple Stamping Fall Leaves Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBaseZoya Severine

StampingBarry M ChiliZoya LouiseSinfulColors Feel the Vibe, variety of stamps from both Pueen Cosmetics plate PUEEN76Born Pretty Store BP19

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Candy Corn Sponging with Water Decals | Nail Art

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Items provided for review. All opinions are my own.

These are the only Halloween decals I would do. The skeleton is so happy and the bat is smiling. How can those be scary??

Every year I try to do a candy corn gradient on my nail and this year I decided to switch to an acrylic sponging. I had to re-do the base just because I didn’t realize how over-powering the orange was. The first time I sponged the design across the nail I ended up with a purely orange nail! After that, I painted an pin-size drop and even then you can see how much it spread!

I hope you like it!

 

Candy Corn Sponging and Decals Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBaseSinful Colors Whiteboard, acrylic paints

DecalsBorn Pretty Store ($1.99/sheet) – linked here

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

10% off code

Simple Halloween Glitter Gradient | Nail Art

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When the Formula X first landed at Sephora I scurried over to my nearest store. On first look, I was completely gutted about the price tag. It was nearly twice as much as the old Sephora by OPI line. No thanks…For a seemingly unfamiliar brand, my guess is most people would not be interested in purchasing these new polishes.

Of course, I had gone all this way just for this polish range (yeah, I kept telling myself that) so I had to purchase one! Two years later, I am glad I did. Bombshell, a black and orange hex glitter topper, was discontinued soon after it’s release. It’s still one of the most unique glitters I’ve seen to date. I only use it during October for obvious reasons and it never disappoints.

I hope you enjoy today’s simple glitter gradient!

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Halloween Glitter Gradient Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBaseZoya PippaUrban Outfitters Banana Hammock

GlitterFormula X for Sephora Bombshell

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Bath and Body Works | Haul

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Purchased by me. Not affiliated.

I am by no means a Bath and Body Works devotee but I regularly use their hand soaps. More often than not I think Bath and Body Works is too expensive for the products they sell. This being said, B&BW has frequent promotions and apps like RetailMeNot help me score extra coupon codes so I never purchase anything full price and the hand soaps cost less than those at the drugstore!

In my most recent haul I purchased seven hand soaps and two candles. I rarely purchase candles at B&BW as I prefer Yankee Candles for my scented wax needs but the medium sizes were 40% off so I took a look. I prefer the medium jars because the minis are too small and the 3-wicks burn too quickly. The mediums do not last particularly long but at the sale price I’m happy to try a few out.

What do you think of Bath and Body Works? Are you a mega-fan or not?

Ebates RetailMeNot App

 

Bath and Body Works Candles - Fall 2015 | The Rite of Aging

(White Barn – Vanilla Bean Medium Scented Candle)

(B&BW Home Pumpkin Pie Medium Scented Candle)

I love vanilla and all the scent variations it comes in. This candle smells exactly like the spicy vanilla bean which is my favorite form. Unfortunately, while the unlit wax has some scent once lit it barely has any. It has a very heavy, stagnant quality that does not transfer to the whole room. This was not entirely unexpected as the holder does not come with a cover and scented wax loses it’s potency when exposed to air. I may have purchased this for the cute frosted jar and will repurpose it.

I took a chance with Pumpkin Pie hoping it would not be too sweet. I was happily surprised. It is sweet but smells exactly like pumpkin pie spice. Unlike the Vanilla candle, this candle’s scent is light and drifts easily through the house. Within the hour my entire basement smells strongly and starts to creep up on to the main floor. A definite re-purchase for next year.

 

Fall 2015 - Bath and Body Works Hand Soaps | The Rite of Aging

Cozy Vanilla CreamWhite Peach ChardonnayFall Lakeside BreezeSunlight & Apple TreesMarshmallow Pumpkin LatteWarm Vanilla Sugar | Japanese Cherry Blossom

I opt for the Gentle Foaming soaps during the colder months because they do not dry out my hands like the Deep Cleansing ones do. Unfortunately, the pump is difficult to control and I waste the soap because I only need a half-pump of product!

I never hesitate to buy the nature-inspired scents because they always smell fresh and B&BW does fruit well. White Peach is the sweetest and smells exactly like peach juice. Sunlight is my favorite with a crisp scent. Fall Lakeside smells like warm, wet autumn woods.

I always purchase a few classics like Japanese Cherry Blossom and Warm Vanilla Sugar for the spring months when I lose interest in seasonal collections. Bath and Body Works classic scents are always the most understated and non-offensive to me.

I was bitten by the Fall bug so I couldn’t help but try a couple of their limited edition scents. I am not too impressed with either of them. They smell remarkably similar. Cozy Vanilla Cream and Marshmallow Pumpkin both smell like nondescript dessert  cocktails but Marshmallow Pumpkin is a little sweeter and more marshmallow-y.

 

I would highly recommend the Pumpkin Pie Scented Candle and Sunlight & Apple TreesFall Lakesides hand soaps.

I hope this post was helpful for you. I love haul posts and I think they’re helpful with stores like Bath and Body Works where if you place an order nose-blind it really can be hit or miss!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Neon Sugar-Spin | Nail Art

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Neons in October strongly remind me of Halloween. There is something costume-y about day-glo colors! Admittedly, since my freshman year in college I have gone to every Halloween party as a neon something or other. My absolute favorite thing to do is pull out my neon makeup and clothes and go wild.

Am I the only one who thinks this? Doesn’t neon have that Halloween vibe?

 

I tried something new. I matte-fied the base and attempted to matte the sugar spin as well by mixing the neon polish with a matte top coat. It didn’t work out exactly as planned and the matte top coat changed the consistency of the polish. It took down some of the shine but not enough to make a real difference. The polish became too thick and not in a yummy drizzle sort of way but in a globs to the toothpick and doesn’t pull across the nail way.

Not sure how I feel about this. Definitely not one of my favorites but as you can probably guess with this technique there is not enough time in the day to do a sugar-spin again! I definitely want to try this again without dulling the neons!

 

Neon Sugar-Spin Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Wet n Wild Black CremeEssie Matte About You

Sugar-SpinsAmerican Apparel Neon Yellow, Neon Green, Neon PurpleColor Club Wham! Pow!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Bat’s Blood Sugar-Spin | Nail Art

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I posted this look to Instagram earlier this week but didn’t get the chance to post it to the blog at the same time.

Aside from cute-sy water decals, this is the closest I get to Halloween nail art. I just don’t like Halloween! When I was younger I dressed up and went trick-or-treating but I honestly thought it was kind of creepy going up to strangers’ houses and asking for candy. I only ever went with my best friend’s family and every year it gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I am kind of annoyed about the sugar-spin. It came out nicely but I waited too long for the polish to dry and it became too stringy for my tastes. It was the right thickness but  a little difficult to control.

I hope you like it!

 

Bat's Blood Sugar-Spin Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBaseBarry M Gelly Lychee

Splatter & Sugar-SpinBarry M Gelly Chilli

StampingBundle Monster plate 314Wet n Wild Black Creme

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Top Three Nail Polishes for Fall | Autumn 2015

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Top Three Polishes for Fall | The Rite of AgingMost of the polishes I own are used only for nail art and when it comes to wearing plain nail polish on my fingers I am very fickle. Now that summer is long gone I decided to root around my polish cupboard and pull out my favorite autumnal colors. Below are the three I know I will wear over and over again this fall! Yes, only three!

 

SpaRitual – Howl (2 coats)

SpaRitual Swatch - Howl | The Rite of Aging

Howl is a dark brown with golden shimmer running through it. When the shimmer is prominent it elevates the color to a rich golden brown. The formula is a little thick but it is easy to work with and dries quickly.

 

OPI – Lincoln Park After Dark (2 coats)

OPI Swatch - Lincoln Park After Dark | The Rite of AgingLincoln Park After Dark is a deep almost black oxblood. The color generally looks black but every so often the light hits it and I get a glimpse of the subtle red tint. There is a reason this polish is a cult favorite. It looks great against all skin tones and I feel extremely confident wearing it. There is just something about pulling off a gorgeous dark shade like this. The formula is sheer but three coats covers any bald spots. This polish stains so I always use two bases.

 

Serum No. 5 – Sleepy Holo (2 coats)

Serum No. 5 Swatch - Sleepy Holo | The Rite of AgingSleepy Holo is a stunning deep silver holo. In normal indoor light the silver shimmers  beautifully but in the sun it explodes. The rainbow holo is out of this world (and you can probably see it from there too) and I cannot help but look at my fingers when I wear this.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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