Category: Essence

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Butterfly 🦋

Hello lovelies & happy May 1st! Can you believe we’re almost half way into this year? It’s crazy. But before I jump head first into a new month, I want to finish off Glam Nails Challenge April with the last prompt — Butterfly.

There were so many ideas that popped into my head with this prompt, but in the end I decided I wanted to do a neutral, almost naked, base with a little sparkle & shimmery butterflies. & I’m so beyond happy with the end result.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Frill Seeker
  • Color Club On The List
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Essence Violet Voltage
  • OPI My Gecko Does Tricks
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set
  • Unknown stamping plate (which I bought as part of a set at Dollarama years ago.)

How pretty did these turn out. I just knew I wanted my butterflies to have a little bit of colour & I adore the shimmery purple & green together. It’s a very pretty combination. Works very well with the little bit of holographic glitter on the base shade. It’s subtle but also eye catching at the same time.

I’m kind of obsessed!

I can’t believe another month is behind us! Kind of crazy. I had so much fun with the challenge this month, & I hope you enjoyed all the manicures too!

Did you have a favourite design? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Monday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Violet Voltage

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope the weekend is treating you well. We’ve had a beautiful one here on the East Coast & I’m so happy for sunshine!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a shade I picked up last Summer when Essence revamped their line. I’m always excited when they switch things up — I own a lot of Essence shades, so I love when I can add new ones to my collection!

Today’s pick: Essence Violet Voltage.

3 coats + top coat

This semi sheer pearlescent purple has a beautiful glowing blue shine that hits at just the right angle. The formula is quite thin, which is why I did 3 coats of polish. It is a bit streaky, due to the pearlescent finish, & can show flaws on your nails if you’re not careful. I have a patch on my middle finger from a bad crack in the nail, & it shows that little bit of raise in my nail in that spot.

BUT that doesn’t stop me from enjoying this shade. That glow alone makes me fall in love every time I look at my nails.

& a macro shot of course.

This shade is definitely Y2K vibes. It also works well for glazed donut nails if you use one coat. I originally used it for my Glazed Donut Half Moons last Summer & loved how it looked!

I purchased this shade at my local Shoppers Drug Mart in their Essence display. Essence is also available on their website — although this shade is currently sold out.

In Canada, you can also buy Essence at Superstore/Loblaws. You can also buy Essence nail polish through their website as well!

What do you think about Essence Violet Voltage? Are you a fan of the Essence brand of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Birds 🕊️

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! This post probably finds you late in the day — especially those of you not in North America. But this morning was a busy one, so my posting got messed up a smidge. Today, I have another prompt for Glam Nails Challenge April to share & it’s the second to last one of the challenge!

It’s almost May, how crazy is that?

Today’s prompt is birds. I looked through my stamping plates, because I wasn’t sure I was up to free handing a bird, & surprisingly I don’t really have many plates with bird images on them. BUT I did have an Essence one with a flying sparrow design, so I thought that would look pretty.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Kozmic Colours shimmery blue (no name — bought at Dollarama)
  • Kozmic Colours teal (no name — bought at Dollarama)
  • Kokie Professional Rock Star
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Essence “Stamp It!” plate (no longer available)
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set

I started off this design by creating a kind of “smoosh” design. My base shade was originally just the Kosmic Colours blue, but I found it a bit thin & patchy, so I decided a kind of marble base would look pretty. I smooshed a few other colours using my stamper & then sealed everything in with top coat. Then one by one, I stamped on the bird image, trying to give it the effect of them kind of flying. Simple, for sure, but I think over all the design turned out really cute.

What do you think of this bird design for Glam Nails Challenge April? Are you a fan of a simpler look like this?

I also have to say I enjoyed taking these pictures in my own garden, listening to all the birds finally fluttering around. Spring is such a beautiful time of year, & I’m excited about these warmer days!

Have a lovely day! ♥︎

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Daffodils

Good morning lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone’s week has been lovely so far. The weather has been seasonal so far, which I can’t complain about too much. & the flowers are beginning to bloom.

It’s time for the next prompt of Glam Nails Challenge April: daffodils. & I’ll be honest I was nervous, again, about this prompt. I love love love doing floral, but this was a type of flower I’d never painted before. But, you know, I think I nailed it!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Glos-Sea
  • OPI Nature Strong Make My Daisy
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Essie Cliffhanger
  • ACO by Ardene Jungle Green
  • Essence Bloom Me Up! Blow My Mint
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush

First off, check out this blue! I recently picked it up at Shoppers when I had some optimum points, & I’m really in love with it. It’s kind of hard to see in this lighting, but it has the prettiest pink-y shimmer in it. A fantastic colour for Spring. Also the perfect base for these beautiful yellow flowers.

Second I’m so, so proud of how these daffodils turned out. Sometimes I get self conscious when it comes to nail art I’ve never done before, but I really do love them. & it’s inspired me to do more floral again. I feel like I stopped doing florals for a while, & now that Spring is here, it’s time to pick up doing them again. Because, they really do make me so happy.

What do you think of my daffodils for Glam Nails Challenge April? Did you miss all the floral? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Easter Chicks 🐣

Hello beauties & happy Wednesday!

It’s also the second prompt of Glam Nails Challenge April! & we’re keeping with our Easter trend with Easter Chicks! 🐥

Now when I think of Easter chicks, my mind immediately goes to Peeps — you know, those squishy marshmallow chicks that I feel like are a VERY controversial Easter candy. But since I wasn’t confident in my ability to freehand some peeps, I decided to go with these cute chick Easter decals I got a few years ago.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Essence Blow My Mint (Bloom Me Up Collection)
  • Formula X for Sephora Chaotic
  • Essence Nail Art Pastel Ombré
  • Chick nail art decals
  • Daisy nail art decals

How cute are these little chick decals & daisy nail art stickers? I added the little black dots for eyes myself. Definitely Spring/Easter vibes. & yes I’m not done with speckled nail vibes yet — maybe in a few days. Haha. But for right now, I’m just going to stare at cute speckled nails & obsess over them.

Also just have to do a cute shout out because today is my 9th Blog-aversary! I swear, I always forgot that it’s coming haha so once again I forgot to do a special blog post. But I still want to celebrate because an almost decade of anything is reason to celebrate.

So happy birthday Coffee & Nail Polish. 🎂

What do you think about this quick Easter Chicks nail art look? Would you wear this quick & easy nail art design? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!