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 ♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical

Hello loves & happy Sunday! & happy long weekend to all who get to celebrate! The May long weekend always feels like the official beginning of Summer, which I’ll gladly take — even if they’re calling for thunderstorms today. Bring on the beach & BBQ!

Today, though, I’m throwing things back to a shade originally released for Winter 2020. What can I say — I like to keep you on your toes. This is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hip-nautical.

3 coats + top coat

I’m not even sure how to begin to describe this shifty polish. The base is a darker blue that flashes purple or lighter blue depending on the lighting or how you move your fingers. It did take 3 coats for a full solid coverage — & the best shift — but the polish formula is very thin so it dries quickly.

Definitely needs a good coat of top coat to finish it off. Keeps that beautiful shine, & helps smooth out any brush strokes.

The shift between colours is actually very good. Maybe not as shifty as in the bottle, but I rarely find that drugstore polishes are. The flash of blue is very strong on this shade, which is just absolutely gorgeous! & I love, as you can see in this macro shot, you get all the levels on this polish in one shot.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical is now part of the permanent core collection, so you can find it where ever Sally Hansen shades are sold including:

What do you think about Sally Hansen Hyp-nautical? Is this a shade that you would wear? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.

Girly Blue & Pink Freehand Chevron Moons 🌙

Hello loves & happy Wednesday!

Already the middle of the week –how crazy is that? Today I’m sharing another cute look on these new shorties of mine. Whenever I have a bad break, I always get stressed about what I’m going to be able to paint on my nails. But the truth is, nail art looks just as cute on short nails as it does on long… & sometimes it looks even cuter! I always find that a moon/chevron moon design looks best on a shorter nail length, which is why I tend to do them more when my length is short.

Today’s look I went simple, & girlie.

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 Good. Kind. Pure. Love You Lotus
  • Sally Hansen GKP Blue Moonstone
  • Color Club Art Club Striper Passion Flower

Back in the early days of my Instagram, I saw a tutorial from @christabellnails that showed how do easily do the v-shape of a chevron moon, & I’ve been doing it that way ever since. Obviously, I do still do the occasional vinyl look too, but this is so much easier if you don’t want to have to wait for your base shade to full dry.

Also these colours are so cute together! Blue Moonstone from the Good Kind Pure line is still one of my favourites to grab for a quick manicure, so I enjoyed pairing it with this soft pink base. & just a little hint of purple around the edges.

What do you think of these freehand chevron moons? Do you like a simple design like this, or are you a fan of a more poppy complicated look? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

& have a happy Wednesday! ♥︎

*contains PR/gifted items