SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Revenge’s a Beach (Summer 2022)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far & that the weather, where you are, is not apocalyptic.

Today’s Swatch Sunday post is decidedly Summer appropriate. I posted last weekend about the other polish I picked up during my small Shoppers haul, & here she is: Essie Revenge’s A Beach from the Summer 2022 collection.

2 coats + top coat

I’ve been eyeing this shade in their clearance bin for a month or so, but I’ll be honest — the price wasn’t right. But when I saw it for $3 on my last visit, I knew it was coming home with me.

Formula is pretty good on this one — I could almost do one coat, but I applied a second for full coverage. It dried down a bit flat, but adding top coat gave it that glossy finish you see. The colour is a beautiful blue leaning teal that you just know needs careful removal because it’ll be a stainer. I’m still wearing this shade, so we’ll see how it goes when I attempt to remove it tonight!

It really is a beautiful colour. Definitely a little bit bluer than Essie Garden Variety & a little more teal & darker than Essie Strut Your Stuff. It also definitely appears lighter in my light box versus natural lighting. Not necessarily a colour I immediately reach for in the Summer, but I very much get the beach vibes they were aiming for.

Obviously, as this was part of last years Summer collection, availability is limited. I did find it still available on NailPolishCanada.com, & I have no doubt if you Google around you can find more. My best advice is check the clearance section at your favourite place to buy nail Polish — that’s where I usually score finds like this. It’s also possible it will pop up at your local Winners/Marshal’s, as mine always seems to get in these previous collections.

What do you think of Essie Revenge’s A Beach from the Summer 2022 collection? Are you feeling the beach vibes? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Sunday! 🖤

Easy Holo Ocean Themed Nails

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! It’s the beginning of a brand new week, & I’m sharing a super easy look with you.

This was a super quick & easy look I did the end of last week, inspired by a request by my little girl. I had these cute ocean themed nail art stickers I picked up from Icing circa 2014-2015, though I thought they would be super cute paired with an ocean-y blue nail polish for some easy nail art.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Superchic Lacquer Throwing Shade
  • Icing Nail Art Stickers — can find similar styles on Etsy.

I’ve raved before about my love for nail art stickers for easy nail art, especially when time is an issue. You can use a whole bunch on the nail, or one on each nail for a simple look. I have quite the collection myself, so they’re fun to grab when I’m lacking time (or inspiration).

& there are some great brands out there to choose from.

What do you think about these simple holographic ocean nails? Are you a fan of simple nail art like this? Have you ever tried any nail art sticker brands that you absolutely love? Let me know your favourites down in the comments below!

Have a fantastic Monday!

Shimmery Mermaid Vibes 🧜‍♀️

Hello loves! It’s Monday again.

It’s also 3 days away from June, which just blows my mind. I mean, I’m happy for Summer weather — although, we could use some rain here so send rain vibes! — but also this year is speeding by & it’s kind of unbelievable. How is it even possible that we’re almost half way through this year?

But I digress; you’re here for nails, so let’s talk nails! Today’s look was what I promised in yesterdays swatch post. I knew that OPI Blue My Mind would be a beautiful base from some nail art, & I knew I was feeling mermaid nails. So naturally, I knew what I had to do.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • OPI Blue My Mind
  • Essie Viva Antigua!
  • Beyond the Nail Mermaid Scale Vinyls

My little girl is absolutely obsessed with all things mermaids right now, so this was the perfect manicure to impress her! This was also super easy to do. I only applied one coat of Viva Antigua! over my base, so it’s kind of spotty in some spots, but I like it because it gives a more watery scale look (if that makes sense). You can kind of see the base showing through, & I like that. Over all, it’s a very pretty look.

In fact, I’ve been wearing this manicure since Thursday, & it’s still holding up very well. I usually wear a manicure maybe 3 days max (& that’s if I’m really busy) but I’ve just loved this look so much, & it’s barely even showing tip wear, it felt like a shame to remove it. Of course, I will probably change my nails today, but it’s been fun to wear. I almost wish I had gone to see the Little Mermaid this weekend, as it would have been the perfect manicure for it. But I’ll have to redo one when I take my little girl in a few weeks.

What do you think of my mermaid nails? Are you feeling all the mermaid vibes? Let me know all your thoughts on this look down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Blue My Mind

Hello lovelies! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to a new week. It’s a beautiful weekend here on the East Coast, & I could get used to this. It’s starting to feel like Summer, & I love it.

Today I’m showing off a shade from the stash that I’ve never worn! (& honestly… I don’t even remember when I bought it!) This is OPI Blue My Mind.

2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful vivid sapphire blue with a turquoise shimmer. According to my internet research, it was originally released as part of the 2005 Brights collection but then became part of the core collection. However, upon looking it may now be discontinued as it’s listed as out of stock on the OPI website, & No Longer Available on Nail Polish Canada. I’m sure if you really look for it, though, you could find it via smaller beauty supply websites.

The formula on this shade was smooth & easy to apply. First coat has a bit of patchiness, so a second coat was perfect for full opacity. That’s what I like in a polish. Obviously a one coat polish is always the most desirable, but it’s not always realistic, so I don’t mind having to apply two coats. I did also finish things off with a coat of top coat, to give it a little extra gloss.

How pretty is the glow on this shade? I’m super impressed with the colour, the shimmer — all of it. Not your typical “summer” colour, but I’m digging it — & I think it would be the perfect base for some aqua stamping or some chevrons.

I actually do have some nail art featuring this as a base, so stay tuned to see what I did with this colour!

What do you think about OPI Blue My Mind? Are you a fan of this pretty blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Negative Space Purple Moons

Hello lovelies & happy freaking Friday! The weekend is upon us, & the end of the month is quickly approaching. I feel like May just started, & now it’s almost June? Crazy!

Today I’m showing off another fun Spring/Summer look that’s actually super easy to do. I’ve kind of been leaning back into my easier nail art, mostly because sometimes (or, a lot of the time) I’m quite tired at the end of the night when I go to do my nails. So I’ve been leaning back on go to easy nail art looks. It’s a combination of easy to do, but also super cute! The best kind of nail art.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri VaVa Violet**
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Glos-Sea**
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • Paper Hole Reinforcements

**Both purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart & currently in stock

How cute are these two colours together? My original plan had been to use Glos-Sea as the moon, topped with Va Va Violet but it was already pretty late at night, & I was feeling sleepy, so I decided a negative space moon would look great… & I was right! I think I like it even more than if I had used the blue for my moon.

What do you think about these negative space moons? Do you like this colour combination? What is your favourite colour combination together for a look like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Have a happy Friday ♥︎