GlamnailschallengeDec — Candles

73B9C26F-4AE2-4311-989A-967ABD9AEA3F

Good morning lovelies & Happy December 2nd! I thought since December is one of my favourite times of year for nail art, it would be fun to join in another round of GlamnailschallengeDec. I’ve had a ton of fun joining in on these challenges, & I thought this would be a fun way to come up with some new & creative holiday looks!

The first prompt for this month is Candles! At first I was a little stuck on what I wanted to do for this prompt, but after some Pinterest stalking I saw this manicure & decided to use it as my inspiration!

2314F280-CE8E-4962-87D7-E4CF741EB031

202DD4B3-0634-4C42-A59F-7CDBD071A3C9

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Strengthener
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Maybelline Color Show Auburn Ablaze
  • Acrylic paint
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush (use COFFEE10 to save 10%) {PR sample}

.

121892B1-A1C1-4516-941B-75EFBB7CF0FC

9A84599F-2902-4BE9-BC7C-87A637AA196F

This was my first time attempting a design like this–maybe aside from a birthday candle look forever ago–so I was a little nervous about how they would turn out. But you know what… I absolutely am obsessed with how they turned out. The dark base colour reminds me of the early darkness that comes as we approach Christmas, & the glow of the candles in the window. It really gives me all the fuzzy feelings just staring at my nails.

AADBA850-6A1D-4F4F-8501-670BFA3CAE2D

5547CC70-C0B8-4843-A6DC-6D50D10E21FD

What do you think about this look? Are you excited for another month of prompts for GlamnailschallengeDec?! Don’t forget following along with all the designs by checking out #glamnailschallengeDec on Instagram to see all the fun & festive designs to come!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Icing Stores Santa Baby

6BD25297-2380-4DB6-AD99-BEAE3A6CBE0A

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy December 1st as well! The countdown to Christmas is officially on, so naturally it’s time to get SERIOUS about all things holly & jolly. This month, I’m going to be dedicating all my Swatch Sunday posts to polishes of Christmas past, which are my favourite to pull out during the holidays.

First up, I chose a shade that’s a few years old but is probably one of the most Christmas-y shades I own: Icing Stores Santa Baby. For those who don’t know what Icing is, it’s a accessories store owned by Claire’s–basically Claire’s big sister store–& during holidays like Halloween, Christmas, or Easter, they always come out with themed collections. This bottle of polish was originally released as part of their 2015 Christmas collection, & I’ve been pulling it out ever since!

6815C8CB-A788-4D79-8E21-8CEFF34CB073

881839F5-F4E7-4736-82DA-7B5898DB82B7

Santa Baby is a glitter topper — the base is clear, & it is packed full of an assortment of glitters in red, green & white, all ranging from tiny micro glitters to medium sized bar glitters. But the coolest part about this polish is that it is scented like peppermint/candy canes once dried, & it comes through even with a nice coat of glossy top coat to seal it in. Seriously… the barista at my local coffee shop commented on how cool this polish looked on my nails, & I literally was like “you have to smell them! It smells like candy canes!” I’m a little weird sometimes.

73C99CE1-ADB5-4818-8C61-A8AAA6BE2F85

C9B5D02C-F233-4A59-88D0-4DC40DD1B94F

0601315E-5907-4F4F-A168-05636FF45053

For my swatches, I applied one coat of Santa Baby over Essie Wrap It Up, & sealed everything in with Essie Gel Setter to level my nails out. This is one of my favourite ways to wear this polish & the best option for showing it off in all its glory. Second to that, this shade makes for the most perfect glitter gradient which I’ve shown off in years past. I’d love to try to sponge it on someday, & maybe I will as like an accent nail with some peel off base coat if I’m looking for a one night kind of manicure. I’d be really curious to see what it looks like all sponged on.

0A036C16-4986-4202-8882-95FBA15AFBCF

ED973995-B66C-4719-AF5B-415647057D97

As you can see, it’s like Christmas-y confetti on the nails. How amazing is that? I just adore the different range of glitter styles packed into one bottle. It always makes me feel festive whenever I put it on, even if I’m feeling more Grinch-y than Elf-y! Instantly it is like my holly & jolly levels will begin to rise, no rum spiked egg nog needed at all.

810A48BB-6BB1-4D46-9AC8-42A27932C435

353D9382-2C98-4BD8-95BC-63FD86943466

Sadly this polish is 4+ years old, so it’s no longer in production. I even checked online to see if there was a similar product available, but there doesn’t seem to be any Christmas nail polishes at all this year by them. So this is definitely one of those lock it in the vault kind of shades if you happen to have it as part of your collection, because it really is special.

Do you have any special to your Christmas polishes you pull out every year? Let me know what yours are, & stay tuned because I have more Christmas themed nail polishes to share with you this month!

Crazy Colourful Plaid Nails

E2BD854C-AD38-4318-B44D-BCF8F8A1992A

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! It is Friday right? I feel like my days are blending into each other a bit. Winter maternity leave is like one never ending day haha. I miss the sunshine. BUT winter does mean one thing: Christmas is coming. & even better… it’s time for all my favourite Winter/Christmas/Holiday designs.

Today is a design I haven’t done for a long time–plaid. I used to do multiple plaid designs every year, but I kind of lost my momentum, so I feel like it’s about time to bring them back! However, I think I need some practice, or maybe a reference picture, because these turned out… interesting. However, I still loved them enough to post them!

BB584B64-3AE3-4940-8605-3C856DCDDA12

302ABEBF-1E46-4C8B-AC63-F9DA3AA043EC

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Strengthener
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Stronger than Ever {PR sample}
  • Jordana Cosmetics Pop Art Nail Design in Blue Abstract
  • Rimmel London Camouflage
  • Yellow gold metallic (no name)
  • Black & White acrylic paint
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Liner Brush (use COFFEE10 to save 10%) {PR sample}

.

AA297794-3260-47AC-A3CD-D80543014404

99CE5FD3-F568-42CB-A7D8-8537F98DBB93

For this look, I started off with a base of Quo by ORLY Breathable in Stronger than Ever which is a really nice shimmery red that is great for Christmas. Next, I took my NailStuff liner brush & made base lines using my black & white acrylic paint. This is where a reference picture would have been useful, because I was a bit haphazard in my line placement. But even still, it does have that plaid-esque feel to it.

A7135080-92F9-43C7-81E0-E5FE4F8407C8

54423177-E170-4568-9087-E05529367966

Even though I was a little disappointed with how these nails turned out at first, after applying top coat & staring at them, they really grew on me & I ended up loving how they turned out. They really make me excited to do some more plaid nails that are a little more Christmas-y — I have visions of an emerald green base with red & gold lines. Oooooh yes! Bring on all the plaid!

CF552564-8571-45B3-BD0D-160DD457AE87

What do you think about these plaid nails? Would you rock a look like this? Share your thoughts down in the comments below! ♥️

Silver Snowflake Pattern

1C9389CF-9AF1-4DAC-9078-04239CAA28C8

6AAD07F9-A5F0-44A2-81F2-6EFB18B9FFBE

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their week! Did you do anything over the weekend? This past weekend, I went to a Christmas craft market with the family, & it’s crazy to think that Christmas is only a little over a month away! So obviously it was about time for some snowflake nails! ❄️

& is there anything better than blue & silver? Nope, I can’t think of a better combo! This design turned out looking like wrapping paper!

379922C7-3CE4-4B6A-AD0B-6FB6288789F7

064F568A-D891-4937-BDEF-D06F757BDE60

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Strengthener
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Essence It’s Raining Men!
  • Essie No Place Like Chrome
  • NailStuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set (use COFFEE10 to save 10% off your purchase!)
  • BornPrettyStore BP-L018 (item# 19373)

.

B1408F70-7FA7-476E-A5E2-BE6FDA4C77F1

3C76F036-208A-4C9C-859D-17A9CFD8D77C

D06D0477-3E37-4CE7-A4B9-C6E5B67C52C1

Yes yes yes. These looks like wrapping paper & I’m so into it! A little bow on one nail & you’ve got easy(ish) present nails. Also have I mentioned how much I adore my NailStuff clear stamper lately? I’ve been going a little crazy on stamping lately so I’ve been using it a lot. Do I miss freehanding? Absolutely, & I’m itching to do some Christmas floral soon, but sometimes I have like 20-25 minutes to do my nails so stamping is just easier. It really is the perfect nail art option for Moms with no time that want pretty nails.

9B10DA4A-FD61-486D-A2AF-80C9668D106A

056DD1DC-E7AF-4E62-9C7B-0CB7FB187655

How cute would this look be for a Christmas/holiday party? I don’t have one of those to go to this year, but if I did I could so see myself wearing some this like this! I’ve been thinking about doing a “cute nail art designs for your holiday party” blog post, so if you want to see that let me know in the comments below! I’d include some easy & more difficult designs so there is something for everyone!

2744227A-400B-41EA-B255-63696E5363FE

What do you think about this stamped snowflake design? Have you started your holiday nail art yet? Let me know down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence It’s Raining Men!

0B215596-78E1-431A-BA59-F26DC7BCD496

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today I’m sharing a pretty old polish from my stash that I haven’t worn in ages: Essence It’s Raining Men! It’s been quite a while (like 5 years) since I last wore this colour, so it felt like a good polish to grab. I’ve gushed before how much I love the Essence line of nail polishes, so I have a ton of them in my stash. & some of my favourites are like this beautiful blue: deep, right & slightly sparkly.

906AA14A-732F-4BCC-80FC-F2C27C7B64D4

83FDA104-2F27-4D46-A4D7-D1F78CD09DF3

For my swatches I did base coat (always), & two coats of colour. For my swatches, I didn’t apply top coat so you could see it on its own when it dries, & as you can see it dries pretty shiny! The base is a beautiful dark blue, with a ton of lighter blue, turquoise shimmer & purple glass fleck glitters. The first coat goes on pretty patchy, but with the second coat you can see how opaque the polish becomes.

8650CA38-A1C2-4573-B9D4-05D3C7E74C87

496CA3A2-A7A7-42CA-AD1A-63410F3ED5F3

I know it’s not a typical Christmas polish, but I love love love blue for Christmas for some reason. Maybe it’s because my Granny’s favourite colour was blue & she used to decorate with so many blue ornaments it makes me think of her. & Christmas was my favourite time of year with my Granny, so that’s why I just wear so much blue as December approaches. I mean, she would have never worn a polish this colour, but I feel like she would appreciate it on me. 💙

6F7B5EB9-FE3E-4127-8B48-D0DB935EA570

FB889C7D-282F-498E-8F11-27CDDD28FDC7

Sadly, this shade is way discontinued as Essence has update their nail polishes a few times since I purchased this beauty. I did look in my stash, & I’d say that China Glaze Blue Iguana is a close shade. Also, Essie Tied & Blue from their new holiday 2019 collection is very close in colour (from the swatches I’ve seen), although the finish is much different.

What do you think about this colour? Do you have a non-green/red polish that you love to wear during the holidays? Let me know in the comments below!