Tag Archives: freehand

#31DC2013 Day 1: Red Nails

02 Monday Sep 2013

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I not only decided to do the Nail Art Ideas Link-Up, more information here, but also I decided to try my hand at the 31 Day Challenge.

Click on the image to see original post.

Click on the image to see original post.

I am already behind by one day but this would have been my idea for the “Red Nails” prompt.

#31DC2013

Red Nails Prompt

I used two coats of butter London “Knees Up” for my base color.

I used a small artist’s brush to swipe a line in Color Club  “Warhol” and Cult Nails “Feel Me Up”. I then mixed the two colors and added a gentle swipe in between them for a linear gradient look.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art Ideas Link-Up: September Week One – Back To School

02 Monday Sep 2013

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I am taking part in this awesome Nail Art Ideas Link-Up (NAIL) hosted by Eeeek! Nail Polish!

For this first week I decided to take inspiration from my wonderful university Colorado State University!

Ram Pride

Let’s Show Some Ram Pride!

I painted my index, middle and pinky finger with two layers of Zoya “Goldie”. I sponged the tips with Zoya “Suvi”. To maximize the sponging in the middle I lightly sponged Chanel “Peridot”. I love Peridot because depending on the light it will look gold or green. Perfect for some Ram Pride!

I water-marbled my ring finger with the same colors. I wanted an accent nail to look different but not overwhelmingly so.

I used a toothpick to dot Color Club “Almost Famous” and “Twiggie”.

Finished off with INM “Northern Lights” top coat.

Enjoy!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: All in my Mind?

29 Thursday Aug 2013

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To see the accompanying post click here.

For this nail art I wanted to show my frustration. Whenever I do not see visible signs of swelling I always feel like a hypochondriac. It makes me wonder how much of this is in my mind. The fire represents the frustration I always feel and the little devil represents the insecurities that plant themselves and grow.

I apologize for the messy cuticles. I tried water-marbling before I did the fire. I also apologize for my index finger. I have not been able to shape it quite right recently.

Fiery Frustration and the Demons in my Mind

I started with three coats of Sephora by OPI “Metro Chic”. It is a very runny, sheer color and it does not reach full opacity before three coats. 

I then used a skinny artist’s brush to create the flames in Milani “Foxy Lady” (dark red), Color Club “Almost Famous” (yellow), “Wham! Pow!” (orange), and “Poptastic” (pink).

I applied one coat of INM “Northern Lights”. I like how it makes it look like there are sparks flying from the flames.

I used Bundle Monster plate “305” and Wet n Wild “Black Creme”.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: When I Was a Child…

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

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When I was a child, I loved art-related activities. One of my all time favorites was ScratchArt.

Do you remember ScratchArt? A black waxy substance covered a multi-colored piece of paper. You scratched away the wax coating to show the colors underneath.

I decided to try doing a ScratchArt-inspired nail art.

ScratchArt

This nail art was tricky. It was important that each layer of nail polish dried completely or the colors got muddy.

I started with two coats of Essie “Blanc”. I added Seche Vite top coat. I did this so I would not rub down to bare nail.

I applied two coats of Zoya “Reece”, “Crystal”, “Goldie” and Urban Outfitters “Blue Velvet”. Urban Outfitters is so pigmented I only used one coat.

I ended with two coats of Wet n Wild “Black Creme”.

I used Q-tips soaked in nail polish remover to gently rub away the polishes. I used an upward stroke towards the tip of the nail. I did not rub the Q-Tip back and forth because the colors mix together.

I used fresh Q-tips for every two or three swipes to get sharp color contrast. They needed to be totally soaked in polish remover or the colors mix.

Did you ever use ScratchArt as a kid?

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Bright Lights in the Tunnel

25 Sunday Aug 2013

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I have been overwhelmingly low recently so I have not prepared any posts. I finally got myself to paint my nails. I decided to go bright colors in hopes that I might feel better.

I started with two coats of Essie “Blanc”. I then used the cling-wrap method to splotch the colors on top. For the colors I used Urban Outfitters “Westside”, Milani “Peacock”,  and OPI “Red Lights Ahead…Where?”. I alternated adding the colors in dots and stripes just to see if the effect would be different. It splotched the same.

Bright Cling-Wrap Mani

I let the colors dry for about 30 seconds before adding a very thin layer of butter London “Knackered”. I cling-wrapped lightly. It added a little shimmer without being too overwhelming. It is a very sheer color so it did not affect the colors underneath. I finished the look with a coat of Seche Vite Top Coat which softened the look and then added a coat of INM Northern Lights Holographic Top Coat. It is an amazing glitter top coat. The shimmer is very sparse and subtle. It adds a little finishing touch.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Rocky Horror Picture Show Theme

09 Friday Aug 2013

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Over the last two weeks I increased my prednisone dose from 8mg to 12mg because of a bad flare. The pain and fatigue just came on…no warning. I stopped climbing, I even found it difficult to brush my teeth, get out of bed and feed the dogs.

All the side-effects of the steroid came back like clockwork. I got insomnia and some anxiety. The sharp increase also came with the feeling of inflammation around my lungs and heart. So, after five days on 12mg I tapered back the dosage as much as I could.

I’m still not feeling great on that lower dose so I decided to have a relaxing Friday night stay-cation.

So, what does a 23-year-old with a RA flare do to keep herself busy on a Friday night? In preparation for my first live performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” I decided to design a nail art for the occasion.

I water-marbled most of my nails and left one accent with a red-lip stamp. I also did a red-drip on the tips.

The nail polishes I used: Essie’s “Blanc”, Butter London’s “Knees Up”, Wet n Wild’s “Black Crème”, and Zoya’s “Goldie”.

I apologize for the messy clean-up. I am still getting used to lighting and good angles but the colors are pretty accurate.

Left Thumb

Left Hand

Right Hand

Base: Essie Blanc (white “undies”), Wet n Wild Black Creme

Water-Marble: butter London “Knees Up” (red), Zoya Goldie (gold), Black Creme

Stamping: Knees Up, Bundle Monster plate BM 303

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.