Tag Archives: Zoya

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: 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: Strawberries and Cream

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews, Rheumatoid Arthritis

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I was painting my nails when I was reminded of the snacks my mother used to make me after school. She suffered from Lupus and kept a healthy diet which I followed. I rarely ate ice cream or cake. I never had soda or any other carbonated beverage. I even drank fresh vegetable juice. 

I never had a big sweet tooth but my favorite after-school snack was strawberries and cream. My mother sliced strawberries in a bowl of milk and sprinkled a little sugar on top. 

Zoya "Kissy" and SerumNo5 "Happy Special Day" over China Glaze "Fuchsia"

Strawberries and Cream

I started with two layers of China Glaze “Fuchsia”. It is a great bright pink. It is a little too bright for my skin tone but I think it is pretty anyways. The formula is thin but not runny. It did not streak on the nail even on one coat.

I added a coat of Zoya “Kissy”. It is a dense pink shimmer suspended in a clear base. There are a few shiny silver rectangular glitters as well. The formula is smooth and the pink glitter is dense. It is very difficult to find any of the rectangular pieces, even after shaking the bottle. Within seconds they collect at the bottom.

I can not help layering Serum No5 “Happy Special Day” over everything! Especially if I am not doing any nail art. I have ranted about this polish here.

 

My diet has definitely changed since my diagnosis: I stay away from starch, cut out most junk foods and lower my lactose intake. Even so, I will always enjoy my strawberries and cream.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Sprinkles

20 Tuesday Aug 2013

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There is this great independent ice cream parlor near my house called “Sprinkles”. They make the most amazing black and white milkshakes. If you are unfamiliar, the black and white milkshake is vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup mixed in. Of course, you can substitute the vanilla for any flavor.

My first Etsy purchase was from SerumNo5: Happy Special Day! I love this sprinkle nail polish. It is a multi-colored shimmer top coat primarily comprised of white hexagons of multiple sizes. There is also an assortment of thin rectangular, hexagonal, and square pieces in different colors and sizes. This nail polish has a great formula and it is not hard to get a lot of product on the brush. This polish is so much fun! Each nail looks different and I never stop looking at my fingertips when I am wearing it. Recently I noticed that the pieces even vary in opacity!

Every time I wear this polish I constantly think of the ice cream parlor and crave a milkshake. In honor of this craving…nail art!

Nfu Oh 51 over Zoya “Gwin”, SerumNo5 “Happy Special Day”, Accented Ring – Milani “Hot Pink”

Base and top coat are a must. I started with two coats of Zoya “Gwin” which is a bright coral orange. It has a dense gold shimmer in the bottle that does not translate completely to the nail. The formula is sheer, not runny and totally covers the nail in two coats.

I added one thin layer of flakies amazing-ness Nfu Oh 51. This is the ultimate flakies polish. No matter what color the base coat is, it darkens it without changing the color and the flakes and shimmer pick up the original. I have seen that the base of some flakies lean towards warmer colors or cooler colors but rarely both. Nfu Oh has a variety of flakies polish available but 51 is the most universal.

Next up: Happy Special Day. I did not apply this polish in the regular way. I applied one thin layer with very little product (this way, I minimized the amount of white pieces). I went back and tapped extra pieces onto the bald areas.

On the ring finger I applied one coat of Milani’s “Hot Pink”. For a glitter polish this has a wonderful formula. It does not clump and applies evenly. Also, it does not dry so quickly that I can not move glitter pieces after application.

Can you tell I love sprinkles on my ice cream?

Just a note about Nfu Oh: the company recently discontinued their Nfu Oh Opal Glitter series. The polishes in the collection are on sale from the usual $12.50 to $11.25. If you are interested, take a look at the website here.

And one on SerumNo5: I purchased from the shop on Etsy but there is also a website. When I run out I am definitely going to repurchase and try a couple of other enamels I have my eye on. On my list: Happy Place, Starry Nights and May Flowers.

Hi, I’m Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Struck by Gold

17 Saturday Aug 2013

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Recently, I took advantage of Sephora’s polish sale (more information here) and the rewards that came with it. One of the nail polishes I bought was Sephora by OPI’s “212 – Sephora”.

It has a great formula that I applied with two coats. The polish goes on very sheer with one coat but intensifies after that. It is an awesome color! It is a dark brown with orange flakies and multi-colored shimmer mixed in. I am on the fence about the brush. It is a lot bigger than most nail polish brushes so  I have to use a very steady hand to apply, but the formula does not streak on the nail.

I am very happy with my purchases, which also include my favorite grey “Metro Chic” and a Jewelry Top Coat “Be-Claus I Said So”, so I used a lightening bolt stamp that mirrors my “struck by good fortune” happiness.

For the stamping I used Bundle Monsters plate “BM 305”.

"Struck by Gold" Nail Art: Zoya - Goldie, Sephora by OPI - 212 Sephora

Zoya “Goldie” over Sephora by OPI “212-Sephora”

Hi, I am Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Galaxy Accent

11 Sunday Aug 2013

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I’m going to try and climb tomorrow so I decided not to go hog-wild with my nail art today. Also, I went for a hike with my dog and I was exhausted by the time I got home.

I tried the galaxy nail art a few weeks ago and I really liked how it came out, so I decided to try it again to see if I could get the same results.

The polishes I used: CND – Stickey base coat, two coats of Essie – Power Clutch, SpaRitual – Running with Wolves, Zoya – Goldie, butter London – Knackered, Wet n Wild – Blue Moon, Revlon – 902 Celestial FX, and Seche Vite top coat.

Straight On

Once the base coat and base color dried I tore three small pieces from a foundation sponge and, with a pair of tweezers, sponged the SpaRitual, Zoya, and butter London polishes in diagonals across the nail.

I used a toothpick to splotch-dot Wet n Wild.

I used an eyeshadow sponge-tipped applicator to apply one star from the Revlon polish.

Topped all nails with Seche Vite which has a great shine!

Galaxy Accent

Unfortunately, today was one of those days when my fingers “stuck” in certain positions when I was removing the old enamel, and using the brushes to paint the polish. I am currently at 10mg of prednisone and while I feel like I am just getting by and I could feel a little better, I’d rather not increase the dosage.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.