Icy Blue & Gold Glitter

Good morning lovelies & Happy Tuesday!

I can’t believe we’re a full week into November—& I’m not going to lie… it’s been quite the week. Post Halloween I ended up with the stomach virus my kids had, all while preparing for the last couple days at my jobs. Hence why it’s been extremely quit. But I’m feeling better, & have a crazy amount of free time on my hands, so how about some nail art!

Todays it’s an old favourite nail art technique: glitter placement. I’m also wearing a nail polish I haven’t ever worn — the new formula of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-chip Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (the new formula)
  • Essence Cosmetics Steeling the Scene
  • Small dotting tool (I always use mine from NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

Okay, so first off: I know I’ve talked a lot about how mad at Sally Hansen I am that they replaced the original amazing & flawless Pacific Blue, & I still am because they messed with perfection. BUT I won’t lie — this new version, as a separate polish on it’s own, is beautiful & frosty, & a great late Fall/Winter polish. It kind of reminds me of China Glaze Frostbite, which means I might have to do a comparison post soon!

Also this bottle of Essence Steel-ing The Scene has been in my stash since almost the beginning, & it still remains my go to for a nail art look like this. I’ve bought other shard glitters over the years, but I always seem to go back to this beauty. It’s a classic, in my opinion. But you can’t argue with how pretty the look is. & if you’re already thinking about those holiday party looks, this is an easy one you can do with minimal effort, in any colour scheme you need!

November is such a weird time for nail art — I feel like I struggle with it every year. But with some open days ahead of me, & time to fill, I’m hoping to get creative & show off some fun nail art looks in this pre-Christmas season. Let me know if they’re are any nail art looks you’re dying to see, & I’ll try my best to make wishes come through!

Have a lovely Tuesday.

SWATCH SUNDAY – Personnelle Cosmetics Daisy

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their day, & is enjoying their weekend however they can. It’s a bit rainy here, but the temperatures have been very mild for October, which I’m enjoying. Perfect boots & tights weather, without needing too many layers.

Today I’m excited though, because I’m sharing a new polish with you I picked up last weekend while I was away to my parents in Northern New Brunswick. No matter where I go, I always got to check out the clearance rack, & I ended up finding this beauty at the local pharmacy (Jean Coutu) for $2.

This is Personnelle Cosmetics Daisy, which is the Jean Coutu in-house cosmetics line.

1 coat, no top coat.

Holy Moses, this is a stunning polish, & the formula is absolutely amazing! The colour is this beautiful darkened purple-y blue, with metallic finish. I was also really really impressed with how well this formula applied — I only needed one coat for each nail, which is awesome! Especially with a finish like this, because it cuts down on the amount of brush strokes you need to apply.

Just look! It’s so beautiful! & the colour is a perfect jewel tone for this time of year. & the little hint of silver sparkles is beautiful. I ended up wearing this shade for a few days, topped with Starrily Eclipse holographic top coat, & it was a stunning combination. Definitely very impressed, especially for a pharmacy nail polish that was only $2. But even at the regular price ($5.99) it’s definitely a great quality choice.

This brand is sadly only available in Ontario, Quebec & New Brunswick Canada (as far as I’m aware) so it’s a pretty limited scope, but if you’re even in a location with a Jean Coutu location, I definitely recommend popping in & checking out their cosmetics, especially their nail polish. I’ve always had good luck finding clearance nail polish there, including some Essie shades I had been coveting for years!

What do you think of Personnelle Cosmetics Daisy? Would you wear this beautiful metallic shade? Have you ever tried this brand before? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE OCTOBER — Haunted House

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! I hope everyone’s week is going well. Mine has been busy — as evidenced by the fact I’m late, again, on posting my next prompt for Glam Nails Challenge October! But here are my fun Haunted House nails for the next prompt of Glam Nails Challenge.

I decided to go with an accent nail vs a full manicure, mostly because I was short on time. But I’m so happy with how my accent nail turned out, & how awesome my spooky haunted house turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fiery Island
  • Sally Hansen CSM Warm Regards
  • Sally Hansen CSM Red Over Heels
  • Sally Hansen CSM Belle of the Ball
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Yellow Taxi
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge

I know I talk a lot about how much I love when a nail design turns out, but this is one of those nail art looks that came together so perfectly that I feel really good about how they turned out. While I like to think that my freehand skills have gotten better, when it comes to some nail art looks I still worry about the end result.

These definitely gave me the spooky Halloween vibes I was craving. Plus I love the dark shades I picked to go with this design. Also, a sneaky shot of my cinderella hand, which doesn’t get a lot of nail polish love. I matched with an accent nail on that hand, but went with a spooky tree & graveyard scene, which I think pairs perfectly with my haunted house.

What do you think about this fun spooky nail art look? Let me know all your thoughts on these October nail art looks I’ve done so far, & share down below which one has been your favourite so far!

& don’t forget to click #glamnailschallengeoct to see all the other fun nail art looks.

SWATCH SUNDAY— Essie Bell-Bottom Blues

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far. Can you believe it’s the last weekend of August? That’s crazy! This Summer has definitely been a blip. But I had my first PSL yesterday from Second Cup, so I’m all in on Autumn.

Today though, I’m throwing it back to Fall 2015 with Essie Bell-Bottom Blues from the Essie Fall 2015 Leggy Legend collection. I remember when this collection was first released I was obsessed with all the colours in the collection, but especially Bell-Bottom Blues, & it was the one I almost immediately bought upon finding it in stores.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

For a polish that is 7 (!) years old, this shade is just as perfect as it was back when I first purchased it. The formula is still smooth & easy to apply. The formula is pigmented enough it could be a one coat wonder, but I did used two coats for full opacity. The polish itself is a beautiful dark blue, with vibrant blue shimmer, & this hint of purple which you can, sadly, see best in the bottle.

On its own, it dries to a soft satin finish. I much prefer it with top coat though as I feel like it shows off the shimmer much better.

It’s been a while since I pulled this shimmery blue from my stash, & I’m super glad that I did. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really been paying that much attention to the upcoming Fall collections, aside from swatches posted on Instagram. But I’ve been spending a lot of time shopping my own collection for fun Autumn shades to wear, including some oldies but goodies.

What do you think about Essie Bell-Bottom Blues? Do you have any of the shades from the collection in your stash? Let me know down in the comments, & let me know when of the 2022 Autumn nail polish collections you’re most excited about!

Vibrant Blue Geometric Pattern Nails (featuring the new formula Sally Hansen Pacific Blue)

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! Can you believe how quickly this week is going by? It’s been kind of rainy & gross here the last few days, which kind of had me craving some brighter colours in my life! So hence today’s nail art look.

I won’t lie — I’m still craving a lot of Fall & Autumn things right now. But every so often I like to mix things up with some not-Fall colours. & I thought this polish combo was really a lot of fun ( & the right amount of sparkle!)

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (the new formula)
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rock Star Pink
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

How gorgeous is the combination of Sally Hansen’s new formula Pacific Blue & Rock Star Pink? I’ve owned this bottle of the new Pacific Blue for a few years, but I’m fairly certain this time is the first time I’ve actually worn it. We all know much I adore the original Pacific Blue, so I think I was just being a snob about it haha. Of course, this new version is not as perfect as the original, but it’s still a pretty polish — especially with a cost of Rock Star Pink layered overtop.

Originally I had planned on just wearing my nails plain, but I got this idea about doing some geographic lines over top, & I feel like it completed the look. Something about the contrast of the silver over the blue is just perfect. It’s a very vibrant look, & I love that.

What do you think of this nail art look? Do you love the combo of the pink glitter over the blue as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below! & have a lovely Thursday!