Tag Archives: Milani

#31DC2015 – Inspired By a Color…Combination Dotticure Nail Art

21 Monday Sep 2015

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We are now on the home stretch of the 31-Day Challenge! I hope I finish as strong as I started!

How can I only choose one color for today’s prompt? I can’t! So, I created a dotticure with my favorite color combination: blue and orange. I know the colors are not typically found together but they go so well!

I hope you like it!

 

#31DC2015 - Inspired by a Color Dotticure Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: SpaRitual Running with Wolves

Dots: Milani Power Periwinkle, China Glaze UV Meant to Be, Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot, Color Club Wham! Pow!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Follow me on Bloglovin’ | Twitter | or Facebook to keep up with me during the challenge!

#31DC2015 – Blue Galaxy Nail Art

19 Saturday Sep 2015

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Items provided for honest review.

I should do galaxy nail art more often. It is surprisingly RA-friendly. Galaxies parade around as complicated, tough nail arts but are actually quite simple. All they entail is a lot of sponging with a lot of colors until I am happy with the final result!

I thought this would be the perfect time to use some new star studs I received from Born Pretty Store. I like their holographic finish which goes together quite well with the holographic top coat I used!

 

#31DC2015 - Galaxy w/ Star Studs Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Wet n Wild Black Creme

Details: Barry M Chai, Color Club On the Rocks, Revlon Parfumerie White Linen, Milani Power Periwinkle, Blue Print, and China Glaze UV Meant to Be

Studs: Born Pretty Store ($2.39 for 1 box of assorted colors linked)

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Follow me on Bloglovin’ | Twitter | or Facebook to keep up with me during the challenge!

10% off code

#31DC2015 – Black and White Nails

07 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews

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Items provided for review.

(The first photo is my first attempt, the second is my actual black and white nail art for the 31 Day Challenge).

 

For today’s black and white prompt I attempted two different designs. At first, I wanted to incorporate the #31DC2015 and #clairestelle8sept challenges into one look. I recently received a set of beach stickers from Born Pretty Store which I thought  would be perfect!

Unfortunately, these stickers did not perform well. They were easy enough to use. I peeled off the stickers with tweezers and applied them to my nail. However, I had difficulty laying the stickers flat and even after top coat application I could see the edges and any air bubbles trapped underneath. I would recommend using these with light, already top-coated base colors. Beware, if the base is still tacky and you re-position the sticker, it will bring the polish up with it…These remind me of the cell phone screen protectors!! They are extremely easy to use but I would prefer to stick with the BPS brand water decals.

 

Black and White Coral Nails | The Rite of Aging

Stickers: Born Pretty Store Magico Brand Stickers ($3.69/1 sheet linked here). Since these are not the BPS brand nail art decorations they are a little more expensive than what we usually see from them!

10% off code

 

The above look did not turn out at all the way I wanted so I stripped the white nails and re-did them.

Hope you like the final look!

 

#31DC2015 - Black and White Glitter Nails | The Rite of AgingBases: Sinful Colors Whiteboard, Wet n Wild Black Creme

Glitters: Sally Hansen Scale Up (iridescent); Milani Sprinkles (black & white)

Puppy Decal: Pueen Cosmetics

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Follow me on Bloglovin’ | Twitter | or Facebook to keep up with me during the challenge!

31DC2015 – Red

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

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It is officially the start of the September 31-Day monthly challenge! I really hope I can keep up this year. I completed the challenge during my first year of blogging and during a time when my RA was at its worst…If I could get through the daily prompts then I can certainly manage them now…Right? Only time will tell!

 

For today’s prompt I decided to ease my way into the month with a simple glitter gradient. I spent the last few days re-arranging, de-cluttering and making sure my nail polish swatches were up to date. In the process I re-discovered a few old favorites! I blame it on the small bottles. When a company manufactures a travel/trial size of their bigger products I never hesitate purchasing the smaller version. It is especially difficult for me to get through polishes so the mini bottles are my best bet!

In actuality, this entire look features forgotten polishes: the glitter is from my favorite indie brand and the base is an old Milani…I’ve probably mentioned this multiple times  but I do not want to use any of my old Milani polishes! I am less than impressed with the new formulation and I never want to run out of the old ones I have left. Is that weird? Do you do that too? Let me know in the comments! 

I hope you like my simple nail art today. I have an entire month to build on my techniques and as it is, I probably will focus on RA-friendly looks anyways!

 

31dc15 - redBase: Milani Foxy Lady

Glitter: Serum no.5 Fallen

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Follow me on Bloglovin’. It’s the best way to keep up with me during the challenge!

Neon Gradient Sugar-Spun Nail Art

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

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I am so so so sorry for the quality of this picture. I took multiple photos, many times and I never got a decent one! Eventually I snapped one with flash and while my skin is freakish, I got a clear shot of the sugar-spin.

There are multiple Instagram challenges going on in August and while I am not sure I will take on each and every prompt, I will definitely do the ones that peak my interest. Gradient and rainbow did so the following manicure covers both the #clairestelle8august and #dreamnailschallenge challenges!

I was a little skeptical about using neons for the sugar-spin especially since Sun Worshiper dries down sort of matte. I was pleasantly surprised. All three polishes I used worked wonderfully and the gradient came out exactly how I wanted.

I am a little peeved my middle nail ended up a little stringier than usual but my nails are so short I had to make the threads a little thinner.

Check out the bottom of the post for some of my tricks for a great sugar-spin!

 

Neon Gradient Sugar-Spun Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Milani Fast Fuchsia

Sugar-Spin (from cuticle to tip): Color Club Wham! Pow!, China Glaze Sun Worshiper, Daisy Know Me Name?

 

I am not sure I can do a proper video tutorial until I get a new camera. I am still using my phone and I just don’t know how to take a video while doing a sugar-spin! So, for now, I will just write down so tips below! If you have any questions please ask!!

 

  • I use a clean white piece of paper for my polish puddles. This way I do not mistakenly blend pigments.
  • I pour out the polishes before I apply my base color. That way, I am not waiting around for ages for them become tacky.
  • I use separate toothpicks for each color.
  • While I wait for each layer of my base coat and base color to dry I turn the polish over so it dries evenly.
  • After I am done with the sugar-spin, I use the clean side of the toothpick to gently push the edges of the threads underneath the nail. Then, I pull the excess straight back for easier clean-up. Otherwise, the cleanup brush will move the polish around and ruin the design.
  • If parts of the threads are too gloopy use the clean side of the toothpick to gently pull from the center of the thread to the edges of the nail.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

OMD3 – Ocean Watercolor and Stamping Nail Art

23 Thursday Jul 2015

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Check the sidebar for links to challenge information.

Many moons ago I did a Galapagos-inspired look for the FIFA World Cup challenge (linked here)! I was trying out my new light box and the photos were horrendous! I was completely bummed as the actual nail art came out really nicely! I always wanted to re-try it for better pictures…except, I didn’t realize how DIFFICULT this look was to photograph! I think there was just too much going on with all the different colors and stamping, etc. I tried my best and still  have to say I love what I came up with.

I hope you do too!

 

#OMD3NAILS - Ocean Watercolor and Stamping Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Milani Color Statement Blue Print (I have to say I am not particularly pleased with the brand’s new polishes especially when compared to the old ones…)

Watercolor: Sephora by OPI Go My Own Way, Sally Hansen Slick Black, Blue My Mind, Zoya Crystal, Yara, Opal, Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream, Essie No Place Like Chrome, Milani Power Periwinkle

Stamping: Color Club On the Rocks, MoYou London plate SAILOR 08

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.


Wiki It Challenge – Blood Drips Nail Art

23 Thursday Jul 2015

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Check the sidebar for link to challenge information.

I took part in the first prompt so it is fitting I took part in the last! I kept up with everyone’s looks but did not participate myself. This challenge was exceptionally hard and every week I told myself I would attempt it. Before I knew it we were at the following week, fast forward to the end of the challenge and here we are!

This week’s Wikipedia article is “horror icon” (linked here). There are so many horror icons to choose from but in  the end I decided on Dracula. In high school, I wrote a whole term paper on the book and thought it was the most fascinating story I had ever read. It also doesn’t hurt that I wanted to try the drip art technique!

…I kind  of wish I hadn’t top coated the paint, it looked so much more like blood before! Ah well, I still like it :)…hope you do too!

 

#WIKINAILS - Blood Drip Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Barry M Gelly Chai

Blood Drip: acrylic paints

Stamping: Milani Dark Coffee, Bundle Monster plate BM-314

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.