Author: Shannon Rae

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Jewel-toned fingers.

I am definitely in a bit of a nail art rut recently. I’m just hopeless with ideas right now… The other night I did my nails 5 times before giving up on doing anything pretty, and just going with a simple, but pretty, accent mani.

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The polishes  I used for this (simple) manicure were:

  • Color Club Disco Dress.
  • China Glaze Skyscraper.
  • Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat.

I was surprised at how well Skyscraper and Disco Dress ended up going together. Both polishes were picked up on my mini haul this week of Fall toned colors. The scattered glitter in Skyscraper is absolutely fantastic. And I don’t think I own another purple in my stash anywhere close to Disco Dress. Truthfully, I bought it because of the name (I do that sometimes) but the color is just so rich. It’s amazing. I definitely will have to try a glitter gradient using these two polishes. They just go so well together.

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Yep–I’m in a full fall mode now. And even better? Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is  being released early this year!

So what colors are you feeling the most for Fall? I haven’t made up my mind on what Fall polish collections I’ll need to splurge on, but I’m definitely feeling all the jewel tones (as you’ve probably noticed already).

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Swatch Post: Quo by Orly Sailor’s Blue.

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It’s been a while since I shared a swatch of a polish with you, so I thought today would be a good day. Back at Christmas, the boyfriend bought me the QUO by ORLY 18 pack holiday collection of nail polish. It was actually a big surprised, because I think I had only mentioned to him once how much I wanted it, in passing, while we were at Shoppers. This polish–called Sailor’s Blue–comes from that holiday pack.

Sailor’s Blue is a thin sheer blue polish with a duocrome shimmer that flashes pink. The polish is thin–thin enough that I had to apply it over some dark undies (Maybelline Color Show in Sapphire Siren). Thankfully though, the pink shine scattered through out is not hidden–if anything it pops more! I wish that the weather had been more agreeable yesterday so I could have shown off the duocrome effect–it came through a little bit, but the sunshine wasn’t agreeing with me. Never the less, I managed to capture the pink a little bit (second photo down.)

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Now I haven’t seen Sailor’s Blue in the regular collection of Quo polishes at Shoppers, so I’m not sure if it’s still available. But if you have the chance to find this beauty,  I recommend it. It’s definitely the perfect color for fall. Deep, rich, and jewel toned.

 

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Also, I picked up some new polishes the other day (thank you, payday) so expect to see these new polishes in upcoming posts. Chatter’s had their China Glaze on sale Buy 2 get 1 free… how could I say no? Oh yeah… I couldn’t. Haha. =) So keep your eyes out for these beauties coming up. =)

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Zig Zag accent nails.

Today I’m sharing a NOTD with you I created on a whim. I was in the mood to do something a little bit different–and keep away from doing another dotticure. Since I have some fun new stripers, I decided to give them another go. I’m also trying to work on creating straighter, cleaner freehand lines so I need all the practice I can get!

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The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • Essence Bloom Me Up! in Blow my Mint.
  • OPI in Miss You-Niverse.
  • Mariposa Striping Polish in White.
  • Mariposa Striping Polish in Mint.
  • Art Club Striping Polish in Paisley Paradise.
  • Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat.

 

 

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So what do you think of these zig zags? I went with colors that were a little darker, as like I’ve said I’m just craving fall colors. Also, I absolutely love Blow my Mint by Essence. I scored it for a DOLLAR earlier this year at Shoppers, and couldn’t say no. Also… my nails are getting long again! Yes! Yes! Yes!

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Pastel Stripes, and a few “diamonds” for good measure.

Finally!  Something that isn’t just polka dots. 😉

I bought some new stripers last week at–of all places–the Dollarama! They’re by the brand Mariposa, whose polish I’ve featured in manicures before. I really love stripers as I’m not as good at using striping tape for manicures. Since I hadn’t had a chance to test out my new stripers yet, I decided to pull them out yesterday to see what they could do. And the end result? I’m very happy with it. The brush is thin, which is important so you don’t end up with gloopy, ugly freehand lines. Also the polish is fairly opaque which means they could be used over darker colors as well.

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The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Birthday Suit.
  • Mariposa Striping Polish in Mint.
  • Mariposa Striping Polish in Pink.
  • OPI I Snow You Love Me.
  • Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat.

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So what do you think of this stripey manicure? Also, I’m seriously digging I snow you love me and all the glitter placement possibilities. From a distance, it looks like you have rhinestones on your nails, as they catch the light really well. It’s only when you look up close you see that they’re flat and glitters. Love, love, love.

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Gradient Dotticure.

Okay… I’m getting a little bit repetitive with my nail art. I’m still on a dotting kick. This is another manicure which I’ve been wanting to do but hadn’t gotten around to trying it. Since I’ve been playing around with my dotting tools a lot I decided why not give it a try!

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The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.
  • Sinful Colors Thimbleberry.
  • Sinful Colors Island Coral.
  • Rimmel Reggae Splash.
  • Seche Vite Top Coat.

 

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Feeling a little uninspired, nails wise, so time to hit up Pinterest and Random Nail Art to inspired some new manicure ideas. =)