Author: Shannon Rae

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Freehand Stripes

Good morning lovelies & happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is having a lovely week so far. ♥️ I’ve been mostly stuck in bed or on the couch because I messed up my neck somehow, but at least that gives me a chance to work on some blog stuff!

Now I know I said I wasn’t going to start thinking about Fall quite yet, but man… I had one sip of Pumpkin Spice latte & now it’s all I can think about! Haha. I kid, but I’ve definitely been finding myself drawn more to darker colours the last few times I’ve painted my nails. In fact, I’ve already switched my pedicure over! Today’s manicure was a combination of both; a little bit Autumn, with some lighter shades thrown in as well.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen CSM Pat On The Black
  • Essie Kaf-tan
  • Essie Bikini So Teeny
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Sheer Luck
  • Dimension Nails Blue Morpho Butterfly
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush(COFFEE10 to save 10%)

Stripes make your nails look longer, right?

As you might have noticed from Sunday’s swatch post, I’ve rounded my nails off again. I’m really trying to get them to grow a bit better, & I find an almond/rounded look suits me better for healthier nail growth. So we’re back to rounded, & hopefully with some serious nail self care, we can grow them super long again! (Like circa 2017 long!)

I really like the pop of colour on the dark base colour. Pat On The Black is such a perfectly dark burgundy shade, I love wearing it in the Fall. & when you add the stripes of lighter shades overtop, they really pop! It also lightens things up, so I’m not fully committing to Fall just yet. However, I’ll drink Pumpkin Spice if I want to… that I’m not budging on! Haha.

What do you think about this striped look? Do you prefer a square or rounded nail shape? Let me know down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Nubar Prize

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely, relaxing, beautiful start to their week!

I’ve been trying to figure out what shade to share for this week’s Swatch Sunday. I’m definitely finding myself being drawn towards darker shades, but I took a poll on my insta-stories, & the winning vote was to keep things Summer-y. So I dug deep into my stash, & pulled out an oldie but a goodie: Nubar Prize.

Anyone else crave holo during the sunshine-y days of Summer? I definitely grab from my stash of holo more so in the Summer, especially July/August, because that’s when you see the sun most often.

Nubar Prize is a pink jelly polish choked full of scattered holo glitter. Sadly, Nubar no longer exists or makes this shade, so this polish is definitely a special one to me. The base is so bright, & the holo sparkles from every angle.

2 coats + top coat

Surprisingly, for a shade that is jelly like this, you can get fantastic opacity in 2 coats with no visibly nail line, or need for undies. & just look at all that glitter! There is no inch of the nail that doesn’t sparkle. It really makes me wish I had a back up bottle of this shade… or a good dupe! Let me know in the comments if you know any good dupes first this shade!

What do you think of Nubar Prize? Do you have a favourite holo shade? Let me know down in the comments below!

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FASHION FRIDAY — How I Keep My Clothing Organized

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! It’s been a while since my last Fashion Friday post! Today I have a bit of a different post for me — I wanted to give a little insight into how I keep my closet organized.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I own a lot of clothing. & therefore, I’ve always made sure to put effort into keeping things organized! In fact, I started my closet organizing obsession in my teenage years, making sure everything was categorized by type, colour, & even sometimes season! While this doesn’t mean I don’t ever end up with a messy room–I’m a busy girl–it definitely helps keep at least my clean clothing somewhat organized which can make getting dressed in the morning that much easier.

Organize by Colour

One thing I’ve always tried to do is organize my clothes by colour order; pink with pink, red with red, blue with blue. Over the years, I’ve upped that by organizing from shortest sleeve to longest sleeve, which makes things even easier. Not only does it make my clothes look more visibly appealing, but it does save on time. If I’m looking for a particular blue shirt, I know exactly where in my closet I need to look.

Organize by Style

Another thing I’ve always tried to do with my closet, no matter the size, is group all different like-styles together. This means all my dresses are organized with my dresses, shirts with shirts, cardigans with cardigans. Again, it makes it a bit easier when getting dressed because I know exactly where to go to find what I’m looking for.

Rotate by Season

So something I try to do twice a year is rotate my closet. This means, in the Spring I’ll rework my closet & push my cardigans & sweaters towards the back, & bring my kimonos & Spring jackets towards the front. I repeat this process in the Winter, basically flipping it again. Not only does this give me access to the clothes I wear more frequently, but I have the opportunity to go through & purge anything I’m not really wearing (or rediscover clothing maybe I’ve forgotten about!)

Take Advantage of Storage

So finally, one thing that I really find important for my closet is taking advantage of storage. I have a lot of clothing… I’m not joking. & not everything hangs easily in my closet. So I take advantage of all the storage I can. Everything is organized where I can put it, including at the top of my closet, the built in storage in the middle, & in bins under my bed. When I moved into my first apartment years ago, I didn’t have the room I do now, so I started storing clothes in under the bed bins, & it makes life so much easier. Plus, you can just slip your comforter over the side the bed, & no one even knows they’re there! A great idea for small spaces, or someone like me who has a lot of clothing to put away!

& that’s a little insight into my closet! Do you have any tips on how you keep things organized? Let me know down in the comments below!

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Neon Dotticure (again 🕶)

Hello lovelies & Happy Thursday! I don’t know about where you are, but the August swelter is real here in Halifax. So I thought it would be a good idea to pull out some neons, embrace the heat, & enjoy what is left of Summer before I dive fully into wanting all things Fall (& it’s coming…. oh it’s coming!)

Today I thought I would share this fun neon dotticure I did with a few of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel’s neon shades they released last year! It’s fun, it’s bright, & it takes little real talent to look gorgeous, which is why they’re my favourite to do when I’m short on time, or too tired to function.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Peach Please
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Electri-Lime
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Miami Nice
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Fuchsia Fever
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Violet Voltage
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool from Dotting Tool Trio

Hey, so I know what you’re thinking: Hey Shannon, haven’t you already done a dotticure with these shades? Yes, yes I have. But that was a much more dainty dotticure, & this one is much more BAM! in your face. Or, at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Haha.

Or maybe I just totally forgot. I mean, 2020 has all kind of done our brains in a little bit. Who even remembers last year anymore?

What do you think about this dotticure redux? Are you still embracing the neon? Let me know what you think down below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene 80s Prom Dress

Hey lovelies! & happy Sunday. Can you believe it’s August?! How did that happen? The pumpkin spice is calling me already. But since it’s still Summer, I won’t get into the Autumn colours just yet… though I will say, I’m already planning a post featuring my picks for Fall so stay tuned!

But let’s starting off August by embracing Summer! In fact, let’s go way back with a neon Ardene nail polish circa 2014! 80s Prom Dress.

For those who don’t know, Ardene is a Canadian retailer that focuses more on clothing now, but used to be all about jewelry & accessories & has a pretty impressive nail polish selection. I used to be a manager in the company, so I would see first hand all the nail polishes as we got them! It also means I own entire drawer of their polishes.

80s Prom Dress is a beautiful neon coral jelly, with a striking fuchsia shimmer. The formula is semi sheer, so I applied two coats of polish over a base of YSL Corial Colisee to make sure I had full opacity. & the two go so well together, you can’t spot where one ends & the other begins! You can also build full opacity with this shade, but it takes about 4 coats.

I love how unique this shade is. The colour is so vibrant, the shimmer stands out, & the combination is perfection. & feel like the name suits this shade so well, because this totally is the colour you would expect to see on a garishly loud prom dress from 1982.

A close up to really see that beautiful glowing fuchsia shimmer.

What do you think about this beautiful neon shade? Are you still all about summer shades, or do you find your mind wandering to Autumn polish? Let me know down in the comments below!