Nail Art: Wavy, Swirly

05 Sunday Oct 2014

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I did not have any true vision for today’s nail art. I wanted to water-marble so I picked up my pink Barry Ms and went from there. My hands were so shaky today! It was hard to get a clean line but I took deep breaths, didn’t worry about the end result and found it was really relaxing and a lot of fun. I am no longer working on weekends and I feel ready to tackle the week with really pretty nails!

I opted for a couple of accent nails but felt the other nails were too bare. I wanted to stamp but the marbling was so labor-intensive I decided on decals. I wanted to use my long neglected Born Pretty Halloween decals but the color combination didn’t match so I reached for my new Pueen water decals (click here
to see the full set). Initially, I was drawn to the specific set because of the cats. ….Yeah…However, I love all the designs (even the florals!).

The quality of the stickers is really good and they are easy to use. Stick them in water for a few seconds and slide them into place. I prefer to use my fingers over tweezers since I tend to hack through the delicate plastic. Unfortunately, I had trouble lying the stickers flat on my nail. I am not sure if this was because of my shaky hands, though. The edges stuck up in a couple of places because of this but top coat evened them out without bubbles!

The decal on my right smeared and faded with top coat but it was my error. I am pressing too hard when I apply top coat. I was a little more careful with my left hand so you are going to see a rare picture of it!

 

Now that I have rambled on and on…

I hope you like today’s manicure as much as I do!

 

purple wavy, swirly

Purple Wavy, Swirly MarbleI used Milani Power Periwinkle and Barry M Grapefruit as base colors.

I marbled with the same polishes and Barry M Rhossili.

I used decals from the Pueen D124 sheet.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

SIMPLES Challenge – Week 11: Gradients

05 Sunday Oct 2014

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I am a couple weeks late on Week 11’s SIMPLES prompt because I was not feeling particularly gradient-inspired. Tonight, I was itching to paint my nails but lacked inspiration. Sitting down in front of my supplies, I wanted to sugar-spin or splatter but could not get on board with the color combinations so I flipped through my new Pueen plates.

I recently purchased the Love Elements collection from Amazon.com and I’m so excited to use them. The designs are super cute and versatile! The theme may be “love” but they are not overtly romantic or girly. I did not read the description properly so I was pleasantly surprised the collection comes with a storage binder to keep the plates all in one place. I immediately played around with them when they arrived last week (my stamping was pretty abysmal and not fit for show) and from the designs they appear really good quality and apply very crisp. They make my amateur stamping look pro!

 

When I saw the leaves, I knew I had to do a green gradient. I’ve been on a green kick lately but I have to admit these nail polishes were very difficult to sponge. Even after many layers, I still saw a very severe demarcation line between the colors. It’s a shame because these colors look really good together. From afar the leaves look really nice but when I applied top coat they smeared a little bit! Thankfully, in person, it is not that noticeable.

I hope you like it!

 

simples week 11: gradientsI started with two coats of Milani Spotlight White as my base.

I used a makeup sponge, Milani Spotlight White, Barry M Key Lime,  and Deborah Lippmann Defying Gravity.

I stamped with Pueen plate Pueen-33 and Konad Special Polish in Black.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway here! There are about 5 days left 🙂

NAIL (October 2014) – Week One: Splatter

03 Friday Oct 2014

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The first NAIL prompt for October is splatter-painting! Splatter is one of my favorite techniques. It is fun (who doesn’t like getting messy?), abstract, and RA-friendly!

In honor of October, I used Halloween colors. I really like the final effect but I do not like this orange. It is too yellow and dulls the white base underneath. It also stains the skin like mad. I should have used my trusty Wham! Pow! but I am running low so I used this Zoya polish instead. Oh well, I learned my lesson for next time.

I hope you like it!

 

NAIL October week one: splatterI started with 2 coats of the Julie G White Orchid and Serum No. 5 Happy Special Day as my base.

I splattered with Zoya Gwin and  Milani Black Swift.

I sealed the detailing with Seche Vite before adding a generous coat of INM Northern Lights. I noticed however long I wait the Milani polish always smears which is a bummer because I love this polish otherwise.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

100 Followers & Celebratory Giveaway!

01 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art, Rheumatoid Arthritis

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It is giveaway time!

In honor of reaching 100 followers and receiving 100% reimbursement of my medicine’s out-of-pocket expenses I put together a giveaway to say thank you. I am so appreciative to all of you for sticking with me!

The prizes in this giveaway mostly consist of nail art goodies but some other items, as well. If you would like to enter, check out the Rafflecopter widget below. Please do not enter with give-away only accounts. This giveaway is a thank-you to the people who follow and read my posts!

 

100 followers giveaway

The giveaway will run until October 10, 2014.

 

 

One lucky reader will receive (1) Incoco Nail Polish Appliqué in Day Dreams (check out the website for a better picture here), (1) Sephora by OPI nail polish in Metro Chic, (1) Chanel Les Vernis In Taboo, (1) Aveeno Positively Radiant daily moisturizer with SPF 15, and (1)  Bourbon The Original chocolate biscuits.

I really like  Incoco appliqués; it is nice to get pretty nails without the work. I am really bummed they discontinued this brand so when HauteLook had a flash sale on Sephora by OPI I snagged three bottles! Taboo is one of my all-time favorite polishes because, as you know, I have a soft spot for Chanel!

The Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer is my holy grail product. If I had to choose any product, whether it be nail polish or makeup, this moisturizer would take the prize. The medications make my skin look lackluster and this cream hides minor imperfections.  I prefer the SPF 15 over the SPF 30 because it is less greasy. I really love the Bourbon biscuits. They just make me happy. They are difficult to find in the US so I ask my father to bring home packs and packs of these when he travels.

 

These are some my favorites so I am really stoked about this giveaway, which is open internationally. I hope you enter by clicking the link below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Fatigue: The Untreatable Symptom

01 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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I stopped the Orencia infusion two months ago. The good news: I was not in a lot of pain and I was on a stable prednisone dose; the bad news: I was uncharacteristically tired. Over the last three weeks, I only spent about nine hours awake per day. Nine hours. That is a fourth of a day. I wasted away the last three weeks of my life because even when I was awake I so was tired and groggy I barely got anything done. Driving to the grocery store required a nap; not to mention getting the groceries and carrying them put me over the edge.  I love naps. When I nap I naturally wake up after an hour and a half. Lately, I slept five hours straight. That is not natural.

If I was not asleep, I lay in bed barely capable of anything. I could not break this fatigue. I knew it was because of a flare but I was not in any pain so I did not feel it. My inner demons wondered if I was just lazy since I was on “vacation”. But, if you know me personally, you know I like to keep busy and I feel guilty when I am not. Breaks are not in my vocabulary. For the last three weeks I’ve beaten myself up even though the logical part of me knows it was not my fault.

 

Fatigue is a funny symptom. It is also the most debilitating one. I become so run-down and incapable of normal function. Fatigue is a result of many different thing: overwork, infection, or recovery, to name a few. But, once it hits, I have no other choice but to wait it out. I cannot prevent it nor can I treat it.

Extreme fatigue exists with every condition. Endless money, resources and time go into researching the newest medications but rarely goes into fatigue itself. If I could just control this weariness I could resolve a lot issues. I can manage the pain (with medication), I can deal with the nausea (again, with medication), and I can deal with the immobility (you guessed it, with medication) and none of these carry a candle to the exhaustion. There is no magic pill I can swallow so I have to ride out the storm.

The argument behind the research is if I control symptoms my body would not feel tired from attacking itself. If I control the disease, the fatigue will resolve itself.

 

Maybe fatigue isn’t a symptom after all, maybe it is a side effect.

Either way, I wish it did not exist.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

31DC2014 – September 30: Honor Nails You Love

30 Tuesday Sep 2014

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Today is the last day of the monthly challenge! I am pretty impressed I completed the challenge on time. I still caught up even when I missed a couple days here and there. I’m working on my September showcase post but I’m using one of my pins as inspiration for today’s manicure.

 

fairlycharmingglittergradient

I love Stef from Fairly Charming’s manicures. Her nails are perfect and her pictures are great.I am a huge fan of her freehand but I like all her work.  It is no surprise I gravitated towards this glitter gradient. I especially like how the colors meet in the middle. They meld together but still have a distinct speckle.

I had to try this for myself and this marks my first attempt  at vertical gradients. My execution is nowhere near as nice as Stef’s but I think I did pretty well for my first go.  Stef used glitter polishes so I decided to add a glitter gradient atop the color. I started a little heavy-handed but eventually got the hang of it.

I hope you like it!

 

31DC2014 - Honor Nails You Love | The Rite of AgingI started with two coats of Julie G White Orchid as my base.

I created the gradients with a makeup sponge, China Glaze Sun Worshiper, Color Club Warhol, Sephora By OPI Come to Pappa-razzi, and Bundle Monster (BMC)  Cherries On Top.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

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

31DC2014 – September 29: Inspired by the Supernatural

30 Tuesday Sep 2014

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I do not do supernatural well, whether it be downright scary, psychological thriller or friendly ghost. So, for today’s challenge, I wanted something eerie but not scary.  I layered sheer polishes and dots to create a foggy effect.

I hope you like it!

 

31DC2014 - Inspired by the Supernatural | The Rite of AgingI started with two coats of Sephora by OPI Metro Chic as my base.

I “nimbus-ed” with cotton swabs, dotting tools, Barry M MNP– 10/Cancun, and Barry M GNP– 14/Key Lime.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

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

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