Author: Shannon Rae

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#GlamNailsChallangeFeb — Stars

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! & happy March — how crazy is that? We have reached the end of February already! But I did have one more manicure from #GlamNailsChallengeFeb to share: stars! ✨⭐️

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • L’Oréal Colour Riche B01 Pistache Royale
  • China Glaze Flying Dragon
  • Bodico Stamping Plate B-17
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper

I really, really adore how this manicure turned out. I haven’t tried to use this stamping plate since I reviewed it, but I decided to try it out with a matte shade from China Glaze, as I find they sometimes work quite well for stamping. & I think my stars turned out really, really well! & I think the bright purple really pops against my pale minty pastel base. It’s giving me Spring/Summer vibes, which is perfect because I’m officially over winter. I just hope that this March doesn’t last as long as last year.

What do you think about this star design? Which design from February has been your favourite? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — B01 Pistache Royale

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their day so far. I definitely need an extra coffee today! But at least my nails are pretty!

Today I’m channeling & calling for Spring with my Swatch Sunday pick from L’Oréal: Pistache Royale. It’s been way too chilly & Winter-y, so we need some serious Spring vibes happening (& some warmer temperatures would also be lovely.) I found this beauty at my local Lawton’s in the clearance, along with a few other Spring-y shades I might have to go back for!

2 coats + Essie Good to Go Top Coat

The L’Oréal Colour Riche line touts that it is “a unique formula infused with 4 precious oils for mirror shine and rich colour with an easy, one-stroke application.” The brush is nice & wide, so it does go on pretty easier. The formula is also quite buttery, which I love because it makes for very smooth application.

The colour is very beautiful, a stunning minty pastel green that is perfect for Spring. I was also happy that it was beautiful coverage in 2 coats, because I think we all know that pastels aren’t the greatest ones for full coverage, & can sometimes be chalky, but Pistache Royale had neither problem. It was downright perfect!

Look at that shade — is it giving anyone else mini chocolate chip ice cream vibes? My husband said it reminded me of Mini Eggs, so I’ll definitely have to add it to me yearly mini egg inspired manicure come Easter time.

What do you think of L’Oréal Pistache Royale? Is it giving you the same Spring vibes it’s giving me? Let me know in the comments below!

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#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Bears 🐻

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. I’m another day late on posting this prompt for #GlamNailsChallengeFeb, so I apologize. It’s been one of those busy kind of weeks!

The latest prompt for #GlamNailsChallenge is Bears. I don’t think I’ve ever done a “bear” design before, but I had this cute panda image on a stamping plate I bought from Essence a few years ago, so I decided it would be perfect for this design!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • L’Oréal Color Riche Blanc De Lune
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Malibu Peach
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Orchid-ing Aside
  • Zoya Daisy
  • L’Oréal Color Riche Pistache Royal
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper (COFFEE10 saves you 10%)
  • Essence Stamp It Stampy Design Plate (no longer available)

I started off with my tie dye base & then decided to stamp the panda over top. I figured pastel was more fun than simple black & white! I thought it was a fun look. The image was so teeny it was a bit difficult picking up completely, but it turned out cute over all!

What do you think about this bear design for #glamnailschallengeFeb? Are you a fan of my pastel tie dye background? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Plants 🪴

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. I’m totally late posting this manicure thanks to a crazy work weekend! But late is better than never.

The next promo for #glamnailschallengeFeb is plants! & I am definitely plant obsessed, so I was excited for this prompt. Plus anything floral or plant related are definitely favourites for me to create on my nails. For this particular look, I decided to go with my pothos & philodendrons for inspiration.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Quo by ORLY Planita
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essence The Green & The Grunge
  • Essie First Timer
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush(COFFEE10 to save 10%)

Oh man, I love a dainty manicure, & I feel like these vine-y leaves are super dainty & beautiful. They were also super easy to do… well relatively easy to do. You just have to kind of work with your brush, & it really makes it easier to create the leave shape.

Also how perfect does this design look against my heart leaf philodendron. It was the perfect prop for my photos! He loves in our living room window in one of my macrame hangers, & gives my morning coffee some serious jungle vibes. 🪴 I love him.

What do you think about this plant design? Do you think I nailed the prompt? Let me know what your favourite plant is down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen CSM Black & Blue

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is off to a lovely start to their Sunday — the weekend is almost over! & February is quickly rounding the corner too.

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is another score from my favourite nail polish clearance section at Lawton’s: Sally Hansen Black & Blue. I’ve actually picked up this polish a few times when out shopping for nail polish, but never actually bought it. So obviously when I saw it on clearance (& for $1 too!) I just knew that I needed to add it to my stash.

3 coats + Essie Good To Go Top Coat

Sally Hansen Black & Blue itself is a grey-ish blue-ish multichrome shimmer (there is some purple in there too depending on the way you move your hand). It’s also very, very, VERY sheer. Like super sheer. The above swatch is 3 coats of polish, and if I move my hand in certain ways you can definitely see my nail line. The blue shimmer is very prominent, while the purple all depends on how you move your hand around — as you can see above, I managed to capture it a bit, but it’s not the easiest to pick up on camera. I have a feeling this shade would definitely probably stand out more layered over a darker shade, as a lot of people have done for swatches, If I was going to wear this shade for everyday wear, that’s probably how I would do it too!

This is definitely a pretty, although very sheer, shade. Application was pretty easy considering it has one of those shimmery formulas that love to streak, & I didn’t find it was too, too watery. The colour, all things considered, is pretty. I could definitely see it being the perfect base for some mermaid nails (whenever I finally get more mermaid scale vinyls — I haven’t had any in AGES.) That being said, I’m kind of glad that I waited to get this shade on clearance, because I don’t think it’s going to be one that is in my frequent nail rotation. That being said, we will see how it looks layered over a darker shade… it may very well blow my socks off!

What do you think about this Sally Hansen shade Black & Blue? Do you have this shade in your collection? What is your favourite thing to do with shades that are more on the sheer side? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!