Category: Essie

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Neon(ish) Stars ⭐️

Happy Wednesday loves… I mean, I think it’s Wednesday. My days have been blurring into each other which has made it hard to keep things straight! I’m trying my best to keep to my posting schedule, but right now things are a wee bit hectic. & by wee bit, I mean life is all around insane. But just because I’m working 50+ hours a week doesn’t mean I don’t have time for pretty nails!

Who needs sleep anyways? That’s why they invented coffee!

Today’s nails were based on the fact I wanted pretty nails, with a pop of colour, that were relatively easy. I realized I hadn’t used my stamping plates in forever, so it felt like a good opportunity. Plus I love the look of a pop of colour over a neutral sheer base–@oliveandjune is always posting amazing inspiration on Instagram that I’m constantly saving, so I decided to try the look out. & I love it.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel In the Sheer
  • Sally Hansen Insta-dri Va-Va Violet
  • Born Pretty Store Image Plate BP-L006 (item #17924)
  • Born Pretty Store small clear jelly stamper
  • Edge Perfection Cuticle Barrier

I was in serious need of something bright & colourful to cheer myself (& my nails) up! Even with obsessive moisturizing, a ton of cuticle oil, & anything else moisturizing I can find, my hands have been hurting the last few weeks. The up & down temperature changes have been the main culprit I think, plus the fact that work is dry as heck. They’re not used to not being babied like they were! Plus paper cuts are seriously the devil. Still working on testing out my own hand pampering mask recipe, so once I find one I want to share I will make sure to post it! Also if you have any favourite hand treatments to share, let me know in the comments below!

What’s your favourite “cheer up” manicure to do when you’re feeling down? share it in the comments below!

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Vine Nail Art inspired by @ameliasaccount & @polishpeach

Happy Tuesday lovelies. Craving some serious greenery nails because Mother Nature decided to curse us with a whole ton of snow on Sunday… like 20cm of snow. So that’s fun! Just when it was starting to feel like Spring (for real) Mother Nature decided to ruin everything. That’s why I definitely needed something Spring-like on my nails.

I’ve done this design once before, & it’s originally inspired by @ameliasaccount who was inspired by @polishpeach. Instead of a white base, I decided to go with a brand new polish I recently picked up at Shoppers Drug Mart called Thyme is Money. It’s a beautiful pale green that’s part of the newly formulate Insta-Dri line & holy is it ever lovely!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Thyme is Money
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in green
  • Quo by ORLY Second Hand Jade
  • YSL Beauty Vert D’Orient
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in black
  • Small detail brush from Bundle Monster

Seriously, I can’t even begin to describe how much I love the outcome of these. Definitely achieved a much more delicate design versus my first attempt at this manicure. & the green of the leaves pop so well against the pale base polish.

I spent my Sunday off from work out shopping for new plants to fill our house with & I’m just loving the look of fresh greenery in every room. We’re trying to find the perfect hanging plant/vines for in the living room, but in the mean time at least I can enjoy them on my nails.

Here’s hoping that these nails inspired Mother Nature to get her act together. After all, nobody wants to deal with shoving the driveway when they would much rather be basking in the mildly pleasant Spring sunshine. Here’s hoping the snow will be melted in a few short days, & I can go back to wearing flats & the occasional Spring dress.

What do you think of my version of the vine design? Have you tried this shade from Sally Hansen yet? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

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Floral Accent Nails featuring Color Club Eternal Beauty

Happy Friday lovelies! Two posts in a row, I’m on a roll! Today I’m sharing more floral accent nails because my obsession isn’t dying down any time soon. It’s just a floral kind of week I guess!

Today’s design features Color Club Eternal Beauty from the Halo Hues collection which I picked up at Winners a few weeks back. It’s a stunning purple holo, so I decided that it would look lovely with some roses. Honestly, I think every polish looks lovely with roses.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Color Club Eternal Beauty
  • Essie Go Ginza
  • Essence Out of Space Stories We Will Spock You
  • Sally Hansen CSM Killer Heels
  • Sally Hansen CSM Red It Online
  • Sally Hansen CSM Rose To the Occasion
  • Sally Hansen CSM Blush Against The World
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in green
  • Quo by ORLY Second Hand Jade
  • Bundle Monster small detail brush
  • Bundle Monster small & large dotting tool

Check out those rainbows… seriously! Eternal Beauty is such an absolutely beautiful shade & the holo is absolutely vivid & incredible. I finally understand the Color Club Halo Hues obsession & the reason people rave about them so much! They really are just incredible polishes. I really need to go back & pick a few more up before the rest of the world snaps they all up! You can never own enough holos! They make those chilly but sunny days just so much better.

what are you wearing on your nails on this Friday? Let me know in the comments below!

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Purple Dry Brush Quatrefoil Nails

Happy Friday & almost Easter lovelies! I’m off today with Good Friday & ooooooh do I have so many blog things to do! This has been a crazy week & I’m still trying balance working Full Time & keeping to my blog posting schedule. Thank goodness I’m going at multitasking! Today I’m showing off some pretty purple nails I did forever ago but didn’t have a chance to post yet. 💜 These nails were inspired by a make up bag I saw at Marshall’s.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie Go Ginza
  • Essie Play Date
  • Essie The Girls Are Out
  • China Glaze Grape Juice
  • Sally Hansen Hard To Get
  • Random clear nail polish
  • Born Pretty Store Clear Jelly Stamper
  • Born Pretty Store stamping plate BP-L003 (item #17921) — quatrafoil image

I’m digging all these purples together. I thought about creating a sponge mani, but didn’t have any sponges so a dry brush was my next option! I really wanted the colours to blend together, kind of like a gradient. So I used a random bottle of clear polish (literally it has no label & I no idea where it came from) and smeared the brush strokes together by brushing the clear polish over it over & over again. The cheaper & random the clear polish, the better things will blend. You don’t want to use a quick dry top coat because it dries to quickly. The whole point is to smear all the shades together.

It feels like ages since I played with my stamping stuff. This is definitely one of my favourite images from this particular plate. It just makes doing Moroccan/quatrefoil designs just so, so easy (& definitely quicker than nail vinyls!

what do you think of this purple design? What design are you rocking for the weekend? Comment down below! 💅🏻

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Perfect Shades for Spring!

Happy Sunday lovelies! Today I’ve taken another trip through my stash & picked out 5 polishes that I’m loving for Spring! I did a similar post last year, so I thought I would do another round of my favourite picks for Spring. & yes, I did put Essie Bikini So Teeny on the list again, but this is a brand new bottle so it counts!

Zoya — Daisy

There is something about yellow polish that is so perfect for Spring & Zoya Daisy is a perfect yellow. This shimmery yellow is bright & reminds me of sunshine & I love wearing it as a base for roses because they pop so well. Also yellow always makes you look so tanned!

BUY HERE

Quo by ORLY — Platina

I love white nail polish, this is no secret. & my love for this limited edition Quo by ORLY shade from Spring 2018 is HUGE! The off white with subtle shimmer means you get the look of wearing white nail polish without having to worry about looking like you’re wearing white out on your nails. & the perfect base shade for floral accent nails!

Quo by ORLY polishes can be found at your local Shoppers Drug Mart.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure — Rose to the Occasion

So, yeah… sorry about my bottle shots. This was one of the polishes from Sally Hansen’s Beautifier Collection I won from Lauren’s List & we lost one of the others in transit so my bottle is a mess. But the polish itself–a beautiful blush pink–is one of my favourite colours for Spring! I’ve been buying everything in it–shirts, shoes, nail polish! I just can’t get enough.

You can find this Sally Hansen shade wherever Sally Hansen polish is sold.

Essie — Bikini So Teeny

I literally cannot include a favourite polishes for Spring without including one of my all time favourite shades–Essie Bikini So Teeny! This vibrant corn flower blue also has that subtle shimmer that I love so much. One of my favourite bases for vintage roses or just on it’s own for days when I need something quick & easy.

BUY HERE

Wrenn Polish — I Know Guac is Extra!

I have never been a green person, but wearing this green from Wrenn Polish has converted me! Sometimes you need a little greenery on your nails & this is the perfect shade for that. The creamy green is just. so. good. Seriously, if you’re looking for one green to add to your collection, this is the one you need. (Seriously, I’m obsessed!)

BUY HERE

& just for fun, I had to create some nail art using my Spring Polish picks! How pretty do all the shades look paired in a stripe design. My nails are so short & breaky lately, they need some added length…. even if it’s all an illusion. Haha. I just my Bundle Monster striping Brush for my freehand stripes.

so what do you think of my favourite picks for Spring? Do you have a particular shade you’re loving for the season? Share all your thoughts in the comments below!