Category: Christmas

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Can’t Beet Royalty (& a new Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat)

PR Sample/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Who else is in shock that Christmas is less than two weeks away?! While I’m super excited that this year is almost over, I can’t believe it either!

But before we skip ahead, I have a fun gift that Santa dropped off on my doorstep last week. Sally Hansen recently reformulated their Miracle Gel top coats (both glossy & matte) & they were so kind as to send me a bottle of their top coat & an accompanying shade: Can’t Beet Royalty.

2 coats + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat

First off, let’s talk about this beautiful Christmas-y red.

The formula is slightly cruelly, but still lovely, & I got almost full coverage in 2 coats (there was a bit of faint nail line, but it really wasn’t anything worth applying another coat of polish). As I’ve mentioned before, the larger brush means better application, because you’re able to do a single swipe over the nail. The colour is perfect for the holidays, & you know I will never shy away from a good red any time of the year. I also felt like this shade is very complimentary to my skin tone.

Now, as for this brand new formula for the Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat, I’m pretty impressed!

It boasts 8 days of chip free wear, which is always a plus. It again applies quite easily, & I noticed that it definitely has a speedier dry time than past versions. My one & only complaint was that I tried to apply it over some nail art, & it smeared everything. So I don’t know if it would be the best nail art top coat—I might try waiting a bit longer before applying—but it was great over a single colour. & I did notice it held up really well through work, which it helpful when you’re dealing with copious amount of stock boxes.

Such a pretty red!

How gorgeous would this look with some gold glitter in a gradient? Very festive! I swear my nails has been the most festive part of me this year. Christmas 2020 definitely feels very different.

What do you think about Can’t Beet Royalty & the brand new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel top coat? Have you tried either out yet? Let me know in the comments below what you think!

These items were sent to me for review. However, all opinions are my own

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#GlamNailsChallengeDec — Holly

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! This week is certainly speeding by. The whole month is speeding by! It’s kind of crazy.

Today I have prompt #3 for #GlamNailsChallengeDec — Holly! Holly is definitely a classic Christmas nail art design, but instead of going with the classic depiction of holly we see this time of year, I wanted to go with a more rustic interpretation.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • OPI This Isn’t Greenland
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red My Lips
  • OPI Suzy & The Arctic Fox
  • L’Oréal Feeling Kilty
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

Originally I though I might go with the traditional holly look, but after browsing Pinterest, I decided I wanted to go a different direction. Maybe it’s because I haven’t done any floral designs in longer than I can remember—what is that about—that I needed to go with the next best thing. & the end result just looks so pretty to me.

I wanted to get a picture with the holly bush in our front yard, but sadly the birds are all the holly berries off our holly bush, so it’s looking pretty naked.

What do you think about this design? Do you like my take on the holly prompt? Have you been keeping track of all the other beautiful designs for this challenge? Let me know in the comments below.

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#GlamNailsChallengeDec— Santa’s Sleigh

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! Hopefully you’re week is off to a lovely start. After a busy weekend—that’s Christmas in retail for you—I’m excited for a day off filled with peppermint mocha cold brew, cleaning & hopefully some nail polish fun.

But first I have another prompt for #GlamNailsChallengeDec to share with you! Prompt #2 is Santa’s Sleigh, which I’ll admit I was super nervous about because I wasn’t 100% sure if my freehand skills were up to par.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Under The Twilight
  • Essie Starry Starry Night
  • Sally Hansen Lustre Shine Azure
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • Latex free make up sponge

For this look, I decided that I wanted to create the silhouette of Santa’s sleigh against the moon, with a pretty night sky base. I sponged on a few beautiful blues as my base, & then painted a big moon on my nail. Once that was dry, I used my black acrylic paint to attempt to draw Santa’s sleigh with a few (barely visible) reindeer pulling it.

These definitely aren’t perfect, but you know what, I’m super proud of how they turned out. It’s not your traditional Santa design, but that is what makes it kind of fun.

What do you think about this design?

I’m super pumped for this month’s challenge, & can’t wait for all the prompts to come! You should definitely check out all the other beautiful designs for this month’s challenge!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Santa’s Side Chick

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. December is in full swing, & the Christmas vibes are… starting. Haha. Truthfully, I’m still not 100% feeling Christmas yet this year, especially because the weather outside is warm & not December-y at all. But all the more reason to pull out my Christmas polishes from years past.

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a oldie from China Glaze The Glam Finale Holiday 2017 collection: Santa’s Side Chick.

I originally picked this shade up at Winners, in a two pack with Slay Bells Ring, post holidays. I think it was something crazy silly like $5 for the whole thing, which was an awesome deal! But I’ve never actually worn this shade before, so I was excited to pull it out this year!

2 coats.

First thing I noticed about this shade was that it dries down to a beautiful satin matte. Seriously, I love a good matte nail polish. The polish itself is a beautiful bright berry, with this stunning underlying shimmer.

The formula was pretty easy, only needing two coats for full coverage. Like I find most reds, it’s a bit more jelly, but still had great coverage on the nail. It also dried really quick, which is always nice! & it dries really evenly, which I always appreciate in a matte polish.

Check out that close up (minus the cat hair, haha 🙈) — such a pretty shade, & finish. I

’ve actually been wearing this shade for the last three days — both matte, & with glossy top coat. You know how much I love a good red nail polish, so I’m glad I finally put this one out! Plus the name just makes me laugh so much. Best nail polish name ever!

What do you think about this beautiful Christmas red? 🎄 When do you pull out your holiday collection shades — just around their intended holidays, or anytime of the year?

Let me know in the comments below.

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#GlamNailsChallengeDec — Candy Canes

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! & happy December!

We’re officially in the end zone of 2020 now, & the count down to Christmas is officially on. I thought it would be fun to finish off this year with another round of #GlamNailsChallenge! Christmas manicures are one of my favourites to do, so I thought this would be a really fun month to participate.

Our first prompt of the month? Candy Canes!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Starrily Diamond Rain
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Warm Regards
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)

I thought about going the traditional candy candy stripe route, but I was really feeling some mini candy canes! These were actually super easy to do, just takes a little patience (& a teeny nail art brush certainly helps!) I actually painted these while drinking my morning coffee, in about 20 minutes, so that’s always a plus. &

they’re just oh so festive to boot!

I wore this look to work, & I got so many compliments on my nails. I mean, who doesn’t love Christmas nail art? Especially something cute & dainty.

What do you think about this nail art look? Would you wear these candy cane nails? Have you started your Christmas nail art looks?

Let me know what nail art you can’t wait to wear this holiday season!