Pretty Spring-y Stripes

Hello Lovelies & happy Tuesday!

I don’t know where you are, but here it’s feeling so Spring-y. Yesterday I work flats & a jean jacket to work, & even enjoyed an iced coffee. It was so amazing — I have so missed the warmer weather. The next couple days are supposed to be lovely, & then it’s going to get colder & rainy, so I’m going to soak it all in as long as possible!

I’ve also been wearing a lot of Springy nail polishes, like this stripe-y design from last week.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • China Glaze Boho Blues
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Color Club Art Club Pink Pastel
  • Sally Hansen CSM Let’s Snow
  • Art Club Nail Art Striper in Paisley Blue
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

Oh yes, these brighter colours just feel so good to wear again. & stripes are so easy to incorporate all sorts of colours at once.

Now… it’s time to pack away all the winter sweaters, & move all the Spring dresses to the front! Bring on sunshine, the beach days, all the sundresses — I just can’t wait! & of course, all the Summer nail polish collections which always make me so happy. Maybe I’ll even start sharing Fashion Friday outfits again, now that every outfit doesn’t consist & 15 layers & a scarf. Haha.

What do you think about this nail art look? Are you a fan of easy freehand stripes like this? Let me know what colour combination you would pair together in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Boho Blues

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

After a few days of warm, Spring-y days, I’m living for all things Spring. & what is more Spring than a beautiful cornflower blue? You know how much I love a good blue!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is China Glaze Boho Blues. This shade was originally released circa Spring 2015 as part of the Road Trip Collection, but I do believe it’s now part of the permanent collection as it’s currently listed for Sally on the Sally Beauty website & a few other websites where you can purchase China Glaze polishes.

2 coats + Essie Good to Go

The cream formula is really easy to work with, & I managed 2 coats for full coverage. It does dry fairly gloss on its own, althouh didn’t completely level out — but that could be because this is an older bottle. I did apply top coat to kind of smooth things out a bit (& also because I was planning on some nail art).

As you can see, this is just such a smooth, beautiful, vibrant blue. It is definitely a perfect colour for Spring. I’ve always had an affinity for this shade of blue, or so says my nail polish collection, so they tend to be the first ones I’m drawn to in a nail polish collection.

What do you think about this beautiful shade? Do you have Boho Blues in your nail polish stash? Let me know in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen CSM Black & Blue

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is off to a lovely start to their Sunday — the weekend is almost over! & February is quickly rounding the corner too.

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is another score from my favourite nail polish clearance section at Lawton’s: Sally Hansen Black & Blue. I’ve actually picked up this polish a few times when out shopping for nail polish, but never actually bought it. So obviously when I saw it on clearance (& for $1 too!) I just knew that I needed to add it to my stash.

3 coats + Essie Good To Go Top Coat

Sally Hansen Black & Blue itself is a grey-ish blue-ish multichrome shimmer (there is some purple in there too depending on the way you move your hand). It’s also very, very, VERY sheer. Like super sheer. The above swatch is 3 coats of polish, and if I move my hand in certain ways you can definitely see my nail line. The blue shimmer is very prominent, while the purple all depends on how you move your hand around — as you can see above, I managed to capture it a bit, but it’s not the easiest to pick up on camera. I have a feeling this shade would definitely probably stand out more layered over a darker shade, as a lot of people have done for swatches, If I was going to wear this shade for everyday wear, that’s probably how I would do it too!

This is definitely a pretty, although very sheer, shade. Application was pretty easy considering it has one of those shimmery formulas that love to streak, & I didn’t find it was too, too watery. The colour, all things considered, is pretty. I could definitely see it being the perfect base for some mermaid nails (whenever I finally get more mermaid scale vinyls — I haven’t had any in AGES.) That being said, I’m kind of glad that I waited to get this shade on clearance, because I don’t think it’s going to be one that is in my frequent nail rotation. That being said, we will see how it looks layered over a darker shade… it may very well blow my socks off!

What do you think about this Sally Hansen shade Black & Blue? Do you have this shade in your collection? What is your favourite thing to do with shades that are more on the sheer side? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Roses

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday lovelies!

As you can see from the background of my nail art pictures today, it’s Winterland here in Halifax! But on my nails, it’s totally Spring. Today is prompt #3 for GlamNailsChallengeFeb, & it is Roses! & as you know, if you’ve been around the blog a while, roses are one of my favourite things to paint on my nails!

This time I decided to go with a vintage inspired rose look. Usually I tend to go for a more realistic looking floral, but I wanted to try something different!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • Matte Top Coat : Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Essence shine last & go! Take Me To Heaven
  • L’Oréal Jardin Des Roses
  • Sally Hansen CSM So Much Fawn
  • OPI Koala Bear-y
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Essence Gel Nail Polish The Green & the Grunge
  • Sally Hansen MG Wet My Whistle
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

How pretty did these roses turn out with the black accents. It gives them almost a sketched effect, which I really like. It reminds me a bit of a manicure I did a few years back, obviously with a different colour scheme (& a bit more nail art practice!)

This is my first time wearing this Essence shade in a manicure, I think. I really like the blue background against the brightness of the pink roses. I really think this is a super cute design, both for Valentine’s Day, & Spring in general.

Yep, already dreaming of Spring. Winter can be over now!

What do you think of this rose design for #GlamNailsChallengeFeb? Are these giving you Valentine’s Day feels? Would you wear this look for a Valentine’s Day date?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Matte Gold Shatters Glitter Placement

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! Hopefully you’re having a wonderful start to your Monday, & not a rough one! I have today off, so the plan is to be productive—we’ll see how successful I end up being!

Today though, I have some nail art to show you! As I mentioned a few post backs, I’ve really been wanting to return to trying out some old nail art techniques I have done in forever. I used to love doing shattered glass glitter placements, like this one Here, but it’s been a minute since a did one. So it was definitely, definitely overdue.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat
  • Matte Top Coat: Butter London Matte Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen CSM Belle of the Ball
  • YSL Beauty Feuille D’Or
  • small dotting tool (mine are from NailStuff.ca — save 10% using COFFEE10)

I’m really quite obsessed with these, especially with the added effect using matte top coat! It really feels like absolute ages since I pulled out any shattered glitter like this a glitter placement look, & it was long overdue. Plus the gold looks so beautiful over this pretty navy base shade.

I also really like how this manicure has a bit of an edge to it! I feel like it needs to be worn with a leather jacket &, maybe, a pair of motorcycle boots.

What do you think about this glitter placement look? Are you a fan of these kinds of designs? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!