Tag Archives: Serum No 5

A New Year’s Metallic Waterfall | Nail Art

02 Saturday Jan 2016

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I still maintain my purchase of the limited edition Chanel Le Bleu nail polishes was completely necessary because when I combed through my collection of polishes for something to wear on New Year’s Eve none of them seemed right. Fortissimo was the only one that spoke to me as the perfect midnight blue for a late night. It definitely did not disappoint! The color and sparkle were quite noticeable, necessary for the glitziest night of the year. Sure, I had other midnight blues but they looked dull next to this gorgeous Chanel!

I also wanted to use this great polish as the base for a fun New Year’s look and thought metallics would pop against the color. I created something that reminds me of fireworks without the extra work of drawing them out and I am very pleased with the final result!

I hope you all had a great start to the New Year and I will talk to you soon!

 

New Year's Eve Metallic Waterfall Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Chanel Fortissimo

Waterfall: Serum No. 5 Sleepy Holo, OPI I Drive a SuperNova, Essie On a Silver Platter

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Top Three Nail Polishes for Fall | Autumn 2015

11 Sunday Oct 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.

#31DC2015 – Phoenix Stamp and Sugar-Spin Nail Art

29 Tuesday Sep 2015

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Today’s prompt is always a difficult one for me. I do not really care for the supernatural or scary things in general so I always hit a creative wall.

I combed through my stamping plates and water decals in hopes of finding inspiration when I happened across a phoenix. They are gorgeous mythical creatures that represent life, death and rebirth. I decided to go with a cool silver scheme instead of the warm flames phoenixes are associated with.

I hope you like it!

 

#31DC2015 - Phoenix Stamp and Sugar-Spin Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBases: Serum No. 5 Sleepy Holo, Formula X Nails Platinum Prime

Stamping: Bundle Monster plate BM314

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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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!

Ziploc Marble Nail Art for NAIL – Butterflies

24 Sunday May 2015

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Check the sidebar for more information.

Have you ever just looked at something and thought ‘this really annoys me’? I opened my blog this morning and I could not stand my layout. I decided to change themes. So far, I do like it. I especially like the background color; I think it is a lot easier on the eyes. What do you guys think?

 

I first attempted freehand wings. I created a Monarch butterfly-inspired marble base but the wings looked really wonky on my short nails. I remembered the Pueen Cosmetics decals but had spent so much time on this first try, I felt too discouraged to re-do it.  Now, a few days later, I repeated the ziploc marble method and applied the decals on top.

I hope you like it!

 

Butterflies on Marbled Base | The Rite of AgingI started with a base of Color Club Wham! Pow!

I added a few drops of OPI Red Lights Ahead…Where?, Serum No. 5 Fallen, and CoverGirl Cosmetics Glosstinis Inferno before I lightly placed a ziploc bag on top to blend them together.

The decals are from Pueen Cosmetics.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

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

RA-Friendly Glitter Gradient and Water Decals Nail Art

07 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Nail Art, Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Did You Know?

Rheumatoid arthritis is often diagnosed late or after joint damage begins. Symptoms are often mistaken as having a less severe cause.

When I first noticed symptoms it was six months before my diagnosis. I sustained a wrist “injury” that took six months to heal. In retrospect, this type of problem should not have eaten away at my mobility, let alone over six months. This was a huge indicator of a larger problem. As the wrist healed, I noticed issues in my other joints.

Thinking even further back, I may have experienced symptoms during college! I lived on the third floor of my dorm and I thought my knees and ankles and hips hurt because I carried my textbooks and heavy backpacks up and down the stairs all day, all over campus. I was unhappy, excessively tired and I just assumed it was stress. How wrong was I?!

I was always healthy before this. I got the occasional cold and sinus infection but there was no indication I could be seriously ill. I just chocked these symptoms as “college life”.

Here’s a tip: NEVER EVER blog before you’ve taken your medications. I woke up at 5 am this morning because I needed to pee. Prednisone is a diuretic and the higher the dose, the more urgent my bladder becomes. I forgot I cannot drink water after 11pm at night before and well, I did. After I woke up I remembered I Love Lucy was on and then I was fully awake.

I thought about using my Dragon Dictate (voice recognition) software but didn’t? I have no good reason for not using it.

As a result of this second of stupidity, I was tired, run down, listless, today,..(heh! [minus the listless]) and I had a boatload of errands to run. So, today, I present a seriously RA-friendly nail art: sponged glitter and water decals.

 

Sponge Glitter and Water Decals | The Rite of Aging Early

 

Sponge Glitter and Water Decals | The Rite of Aging EarlyI started with 2 coats of Color Club Twiggie as my base.

I used a sponge tip applicator to apply a generous helping of Serum No. 5 Happy Special Day! to the cuticles.

I applied Pueen Cosmetics water decals to random fingers.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Stamping and Glitter Nail Art for A2Z Series: Q is for Quirky

08 Sunday Mar 2015

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I am on a glitter kick. When I decided to re-visit my glitters I loved them all (I guess there was a reason I bought them to begin with! – There was speculation I only purchased them because how they looked in the bottle!)

For the quirky prompt I decided to mix a textured polish with bright glitter, neon polish and stamping. Why not go whole hog? This would be the perfect time to do so!

During the “buy 3, recieve 3 mystery polishes” Zoya promotion I bought my first PixieDust! I’m not the biggest fan of these type of textured polishes but this one was so intriguing I had to have it! I heard a rumor that Zoya was discontinuing the PixieDust collection so I wanted to get hold of it before it was gone for good. I mean, to be a good nail art blogger, I had to, right? Hehehe!

I hope you like it!

 

Stamping and Glitter Nail Art | The Rite of AgingI started with American Apparel Neon Green as my base.

I applied a generous coat of Serum No. 5 Happy Special Day! One of my favorite polishes of all time, I am really sad I haven’t used it in so long!

I stamped with a Pueen Cosmetics plate from the Love Elements collection and Milani Black Swift.

I used Zoya PixieDust Imogen for the accent.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

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