Mermaid Nails featuring Claire’s Mood Nail Polish

Happy Friday lovelies! Who is excited for the weekend to be (almost) here? I’m working all weekend but that’s okay! There is a Cheer Expo in town so that always makes it busy which in turn makes work speed by. I also just got a new smart watch & I’m so curious so see how many steps I get in on a busy day!

Today I’m showing off some mermaid nails! I actually can’t remember the last time I used my mermaid vinyls, how sad is that? Who doesn’t want to be a mermaid 🧜🏼‍♀️ after all? For this design, I decided to pull out a few of my thermal polishes! Sadly I forgot to get any pictures of it in the hot state (which isn’t often–I’m always cold!) but I did get a whole bunch of before shots!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Breathable Kiss Me, I’m Kind
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Claire’s Mood Nail Polish Blue
  • Claire’s Nail Polish Mermaid
  • Layla Cosmetics Thermo Effect No. 01
  • Layla Cosmetics Thermo Effect No. 04
  • What’s Up Nails Scale Stencils
  • Pearl stud from Icing.

Gosh I love thermal/mood nail polish, even if the only time it changes is when my hands are warm first thing in the morning. I always run cold, so I feel like the effect gets lost on me a little… but I still adore them! In fact, I just bought a few more of the Mood nail polishes from Claire’s (in Spring colours) which I’m very excited to show off. I also definitely need to get my hands on some of the Indie thermals, because Indie brands make some of the most beautiful thermals I’ve EVER seen. & now that I’m back to work, I will definitely be adding them to my “must buy” list.

However I do really enjoy the fact you can find thermal nail polishes while out shopping at the mall. I’ve written before I feel in love with these polishes in early 2010 when Claire’s first released them, & I keep going back & buying more because they are just as awesome to me as they were back then! Hoping they come out with some new shades soon, maybe some neons!? That would make me so happy!

What do you think of these mermaid nails? Do you have a favourite thermal nail polish or thermal polish/brand suggestion? Share all your thoughts in the comments below!

Negative Space Stripes (Again!)

Hello Lovelies & happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fantastic week. I’m getting prepped for a busy week ahead–it’s March Break week which means that it’s going to be busy busy busy for me at work! I’m still getting used to being back to work but that’s why they invented espresso, am I right? I’m also getting used to fitting in doing my nails to my daily routine on top of working & being a Mom–it definitely takes practice! So I’ve been leaning more towards easy nail art looks.

Today’s nails were done using some striping tape from Born Pretty Store (Item #40423) that I recently bought. I picked up a three pack of different sizes that I thought would be perfect for achieving different sized stripes. Plus it’s pretty & purple… & I love purple!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Kiss Me, I’m Kind
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie Cashmere Bathrobe
  • Essie Where’s My Chauffeur?
  • Born Pretty Store Aurora Rainbow Nail Striping Tape (item #40423)
  • Small detail brush from Bundle Monster

These were so simple to do & I love the pop of colour against the dark grey polish. All I did was apply my different sizes of striping tape over my completely dry base coat, & then painted over top with Cashmere Bathrobe. Then I took my small detail brush & added stripes of Where’s My Chauffeur? freehand. Definitely one of my favourite Spring polishes & it works so well with Cashmere Bathrobe because it stands out so much! You can never go wrong with a good turquoise nail polish.

Also negative space makes me so happy. Like–it’s such an easy way to make your nails look fancy without a lot of work. & I’m all about quick & easy while still looking fancy.

What nails are you rocking to start off your week? What do you think of this negative space look? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Color Club Crystal Baller

The buzz on the polished Canadians group I’m part of is all about the fact that Color Club Halo Hues collection has been popping up in Winners stores. For those who don’t know, Winners is the Canadian sister of Marshall’s & TJ Maxx & one of my favourite places for nail polish deals! So when I heard this amazing holo collection had been popping up in stores for only $6 a piece, obviously I had to check it out for myself. & Surprise! It was hanging out at my local Winners, & I want all of them.

Even though I wanted want all of them, I decided to limit myself to just one (to start, let’s be honest). Crystal Baller was the one who caught my eye the most, so I decided if I was starting a Color Club Halo Hues collection, that was the one I absolutely couldn’t miss out on. So what better polish to pick for this week’s Swatch Sunday than this gorgeous blue holo.

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Color Club Crystal Baller”

Spring Stamping

Happy Friday lovelies! & happy March! Can you believe another month is down? I definitely can’t. Our countdown to Spring is officially at 18 days…. can you tell I’m really excited? Especially since the last couple days have been so beautiful & warm! I can’t wait. Which also means my nails have to match.

Give me all the Spring polish picks!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Breathable Kiss Me, I’m Kind
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie In The Cab-Ana
  • Essie All the Wave
  • Born Pretty Store Stamping Plate BP-L026 (item #21812)
  • Born Pretty Store Clear Jelly Stamper
  • Edge Perfection Cuticle Barrier

I really love the blue on blue with the vine pattern. It reminds me of a Spring dress pattern! & you know how much I love my dresses & cant wait to wear them again. Hopefully maybe by Easter & the end of the month I’ll be able to wear a few. A girl can dream!

I’m so glad I bought this stamping plate from Born Pretty! There are so many beautiful patterns that are going to be perfect for Spring & Summer. Obviously I love freehanding Floral patterns, but something I just don’t have the time to do it so this gives me another option. Plus leaves have never been my strong suit–Roses I can do, but try & freehand a leaf & sometimes it just ends up looking like a green blob. If I’m feeling some greenery, this will definitely make me less frustrated, which I am so happy about.

What do you think of this Spring design? Are you as ready for Spring as I am? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 🌿🌱

SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene Twilight Zone

There has been a lot of pink & red happening on the blog in preparation for Valentine’s Day,  so I thought it would be fun to break it up with something a little different! So today’s Swatch Sunday is all about this beautiful multichrome from Ardene called Twilight Zone that’s been in my stash for a good 2-3 years now. I’m not sure if it’s still available in store, although I do know they come out with different (similar) duochrome & multichrome shades every so often, so I would recommend popping into a store near you to see what hidden beauty you might find!

For this swatch, I applied two coats of Twilight Zone over a dark base of Essie Under the Twlight because the polish itself is fairly sheer & would require more coats than I have patience for.

As you can see from the bottle, the base of the polish is a sheer-ish green blue with iridescent blue shimmers. You could definitely try & build it up to opacity, but I’m not sure how many coats that would be. If I had to guess, I’d say you’d be looking at least 4. & besides, I really find these shades work best with undies–it makes the change that much more apparent. You can see above that it flashes between blue & pink/purple depending on how you move your hand.

Ugh, it’s just so pretty! Why do I always forget how much I love shifty shades until I’m wearing them again? I’ve been reorganizing the nail room because I got some new storage, & gushing over my old school shades so much, like this beauty & my Claire’s Villain shade dupes from 2010. I keep trying to figure out how to best share my stash on the blog, but with 1000+ nail polishes I’m not sure the best way to document them. Any suggestions on the best way/app to organize what I have & be able to share?

 

Like I said, I don’t believe that Ardene Twilight Zone is still available for sale in store (unless you check out a Outlet perhaps) but I know that they’re always coming out with new & interesting shades so I would definitely recommend checking out what they have. I’ve bought some pretty fun polishes there over the years that are still favourites of mine.

What do you think of this shade? Have you ever bought an amazing polish in a surprisingly place? Let me know your thoughts on the comments below.