Category: Flakie

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SWATCH SUNDAY— Essie Viva Antigua! (Summer 2016)

Good morning, happy Sunday! It’s been a beautiful, warm & busy week for me — hence the lack of nail art posts! I was super busy at work, plus prepping for my little girls birthday party yesterday, so I had no time for any nail art at all! It’s been kind of crazy!

But today I’ve got some swatches to share of an Essie shade from 2016 that I remember I was absolutely obsessed with when I first purchased it. This is Essie Viva Antigua!

2 coats + Essie Gel Setter

This beautiful turquoise has a relatively thin formula which is perfect for showing off the glass flakes scattered throughout. It was super easy to apply, no issues with formula — which is pretty much perfect! It also dries down super quickly, even without applying your top coat.

Look at that glass flake finish! Doesn’t it just remind you of tropical waters? I was obsessed back in 2016 when I first bought this beauty, & I’m obsessed with it now. It’s such a beautiful fun colour with a very unique finish.

& it totally screams Summer, don’t you think?

What do you think about Essie Viva Antigua! from the Summer 2016 collection? Do you remember this unique fun shade, or have it in your stash? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

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Black Swirls on Blue Shimmer

Good morning lovelies & happy Tuesday! We all survived Monday, & today is looking to be a beautiful day.

Today I’m sharing a somewhat simple to do nail art look, that is still super eye catching! As I’ve been mentioning, I’m absolutely obsessed with layering glitter over nail polish lately. It’s my go to look. But sometimes, I still want something more which is where this nail art look came from. I loved the flakie over blue look, but it felt like it needed something more.

Thank goodness for nail art stripers!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Ardene Blue Tide
  • ‘Ard as Nails Fairy Flakes
  • Quo by Orly Nail Art Striper Black

This look was sort-of inspired by this previous look. After applying to my base, I saw that design in my Instagram feed & realized I wanted to wear something like that. & I’m so in love with the eye catching result. Obviously, you can never go wrong with glitter (as is my new motto) but it’s fun to add something a little extra to the look.

& seriously, these took no time at all to create which is even better!

What do you think of my blue abstract stripes? I definitely am hoping to get more time for more complex nail art soon, but in the mean time I’ve really been loving these simpler looks so I hope you’re enjoying them too!

Happy Tuesday!

♥︎

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Glittery Pastel Galaxies 🌌✨

Hello loves & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s week is starting off well. &, if not, that it improves from here on out.

Today I’m sharing some new nail art with you on my baby nails, & it’s a nail art design I don’t think I’ve done for a while: galaxies. 🌌 I was wearing a beautiful glittery nail polish base, & wanted to do something fun overtop. After some time browsing on Pinterest & Instagram for ideas, I decided that a pastel galaxy look was the perfect choice!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Cadillacquer Lavender Sunset (NailStuff.ca exclusive) *gifted
  • Starrily Space Debris
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Lavish Lavender
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Crying Out Cloud *gifted
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel
  • Icing Stores Nail Art Stickers from 2015 (these are similar)
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush *gifted

Okay I’m kind of obsessed with these. The base of Lavender Sunset topped with Space Debris is already very eye catching, & then you add this pastel galaxy over top & it’s perfection!

I’ve had these stickers from Icing forever (like 2015-ish) but I haven’t really used them. But they made creating stars for my galaxy so easy, then I just added a few dots of Buffalo Nickel so complete it! Bam — the easiest galaxy nails you can create.

What do you think of these glittery pastel galaxies? Is this a look that you would rock? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below & share what design you’d like to see next!

Happy Tuesday 🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Cadillacquer Lavender Sunset (NailStuff Exclusive)

•contains pr/gifted product•

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Sorry for another week of radio silence — I had a massive allergy attack on Sunday that turned into a brutal sinus infection, so I’ve been trying my best to recover from that which is why my nails have taken a back seat unfortunately.

BUT I’m so excited today because I have a polish to share with you that I’ve been keeping a secret for months! NailStuff just released a brand new exclusive shade on their website from Cadillacquer & I’m absolutely in love with it! This is Lavender Sunset.

2 coats + top coat

How to describe this complex polish? It’s a stunning duochrome with a dark blue base with the most incredible shimmer that gives it flashes of purple & pink, & is finished off with a scattering of holographic flake glitters. The formula was thin, so you definitely need to add a few coats to build up your opacity. However, because of the beautiful finish, I find you can get away with a thin application & it still looks beautiful on the nail.

Depending on the lighting, it can appear golden, pink, purple, or even show off flashes on green. I can definitely see the inspiration, which is described as being inspired by the “beautiful lavender fields in Provence, France”.

How gorgeous!

I’ve worn this polish ( in secret) a few times over the last few months, & I always get fabulous compliments! It really does look like magic on the nail. I’m also very impressed with the formula, as I’ve worn this polish 4+ days more than once, without expirencing major chipping of my nails — which is always impressive when you’re working in retail.

As mentioned, this is a NailStuff exclusive polish, so it can only be purchased via their website. It retails for $19.99 CAD. As well, like all Cadillacquer shades, it is 5-free, & cruelty free.

If you’re looking for a super unique shade to add to your collection for the Summer, I definitely recommend picking Lavender Sunset up! It’s absolutely eye-catching, & will get your nails noticed! I also haven’t tested it yet, but I feel like with it’s thin formula, you could use it as a topper on other shades for some unique looks!

Let me know what you think of this shade down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

Products featured in this post were provided in exchanged for content. 

All thoughts are honest & my own.

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Mermaid Sparkle Nails ✨🧜‍♀️

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday!

It’s a beautiful sunny day & it’s lovely. Definitely feeling like Spring more & more, & I’m just soaking it up. Today I’m sharing a really pretty manicure with you that I did recently, which was actually super easy to do! A while ago — probably sometime last year—I picked up these pretty iridescent glitters from Dollarama, & I’ve had yet to use them! So I was so excited to finally pull them out. 

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: LA Girl Rapid Dry Top Coat
  • Nailtural Keep Palm, & Swim On
  • Icing Mermaid Oil Blue
  • Dollarama Nail Art Glitters iridescent shard glitters
  • Small nail art brush (to pick up glitters)

How pretty did these turned out?! I feel like with my new blue hair, I’m all about the mermaid vibes lately. Mermaid hair just needs mermaid nails.

These were so easy to apply the glitters to my nails, & it turned out so beautiful. I really really love how they look. Of course, I did have some little peices sticking up on my nail, but I feel like a thicker top coat might help with that issue. Either way, I wore the heck out of this manicure!

What do you think about these mermaid glitter nails? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below! I’d love to know all your thoughts on this design!

Happy Thursday 💙