Norway Nails Nail Art Diabetes Awareness Contest Entry (2013)

Hello everyone!

This was my entry for the Norway Nails Nail Art Diabetes Awareness Contest in 2013. As you might have seen on facebook, I didn't win. You can see the winner manicure here. :-) I'm going to write a little about diabetes, and give you some links. Just click on the blue words if you want to know more. To read about this nail art, scroll down.

This is is a part of what Wenche, from Norway Nails (sells indie nail polish), wrote about why she chose to host this nail art contest:

"In october last year I were diagnosed with Diabetes 2 - the 14th of November are the World Diabetes day. I think it's important to spread awareness around this disease and how to prevent getting it and to manage it if you already got it. 

So - I'm putting up a nail art contest that will run from today until the 13th of november."

(I hope it's ok that i added the links above.)

Very short about diabetes:

Diabetes is a serious illness. It has to do with too little production of insulin or that insulin cannot be processed, and the glucose level gets too high. If you have diabetes, you can get many other deceases later in your life, if the long-term glucose levels are high. One thing you have to pay close attention to is wounds, because wounds can take longer to heal if you suffer from diabetes. There are very many types of diabetes.

These 3 are the main types of diabetes:

Type 1 is the most serious, and you will need injections with insulin to stay alive. Luckily the insulin pen was invented, and that made it much easier to regulate the insulin level and it allows people to be more free regarding to what they can eat, and they no longer have to stay on a very strict diet. Many get it early in life, and that can be a challenge. I still remember how my friend cried when she had to get her injections when she was a child. It can also be a challenge for adolescents to stay on a very strict diet and to not be able to party like their friends.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common (90%), and it often affects people who are overweight. Many can get well by simply loosing weight. This type of diabetes can in many cases be prevented by living a healthy life and maintaining a normal weight. But people in the world are getting bigger and bigger, and that makes diabetes a huge problem worldwide. 

Gestational diabetes (GDM) affects 25% of all pregnant women. Although many get well after giving birth, it's important to be aware of it, because it can lead to complications for both child and mother.

What you should do:

Be aware of the symptoms.

Get your glucose level checked every year. Remember to not eat the day you take the test. This can be measured in urin or a blodtest. And ask for both a glucose test and a HbA1c test (measures long term glucose level).

Be aware of the risk factors.

I also found this link: How Does Obesity Cause Type 2 Diabetes?

About the nails:

I wanted to use LilypadLacquer: Blueberry, a blue jelly, because blue is the color for diabetes awareness. And because I got it as a free sample when I bought something from Norway Nails. And because making a "stampwich" was the weekly challenge in a stamping group back then. I used images with a curve going up and down, like the glucose level.

Products used:

LilypadLacquer: Blueberry
Emily de Molly: Belissima
Konad SN White
MoYou London: Suki Collection 08

What I did:

This was a year ago, so I don't remember exactly how many layers of the jelly I used, but I stamped between the coats of the blue jelly. On the thumb I put glitter between the layers. So this is a glitter sandwich and my first jelly stampwich. Emily de Molly describes the glitter in Bellissima as "Holographic silver, matte pink and holographic lavender dots and hexes". It has a clear base, and the silver and pastel colored glitter is perfect for jelly sandwiches. The stamping wasn't perfect, so I used a brush and white to try to make it perfect.

I bought the jelly and the glitter from Norway Nails.

Everything is 50% off if you use the code BLACK on Norway Nails tomorrow; Friday the 28th of November 2014! (00.01- 23.59. CET) She has international shipping. If you want to try the Norwegian brand Linda Johansen, I recommend Razzle Dazzle and Lilac Lilly.


Lani

Polish Me Happy aka World Mental Health Day

Hello everyone!

As I'm writing this it's 10th October. This year World Mental Health Day will focus on depression as a global crisis. I try not to focus on sad things on this blog, but mental illnesses are such an important thing to be aware of, and to know how to handle. I made this manicure to help raise awareness about depression, and to give a hug to all of you who need it. I will also give you some links to what Scrangie and others have written about depression (in a much better way than I would be able to).

Nfu- Oh #52+ #54

Hello everybody!


Nfu- Oh #52 is one of my favorite nail polishes. Earlier, I had only used it over other blue nail polishes. This time, I wanted to see how it is on its own. And this is the only nailphoto that I took of it on its own that was nice:

Nfu- Oh #52


Nfu- Oh #52 has a blue jelly base with flakies that look mostly green, and sometimes pale blue. It is sheer, so including base coat and  top coat, this is probably 6 layers. And therefor my nails look a little disfigured on some photos. And also, I got some bubbles. Next time, I will see if it is better to use a skin colored polish under Nfu- Oh #52, to make the nail line disappear, so that I can use fewer coats.

Before taking the rest of the nailphotos, three days later, I put one coat of Nfu- Oh #54 over #52, because I thought it needed some more  flakies.


Nfu- Oh #54

In the bottle, Nfu- Oh #54 looks like this perfect turquoise jelly filled with turquoise flakies, that shift to green or pale blue. But the base color is so transparent that I only use it as a layering polish. But it is a very nice layering polish because of the amount of flakies you get on the nail with only one coat.

And I do not know if it is just something I imagine, but I think it freshens up the blue base of #52. In my opinion it made #52 more beautiful. The only bad thing was the total amount of layers, with yet another coat of top coat...


Nfu- Oh #52 + one coat of Nfu- Oh #54: