Abstract Dots Featuring Essie

*features gifted products*

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! How crazy is it that we’re already half way through the week?

Today I have a fun look to share with you I did with a few of the shades from the Essie Summer 2020 collection! This is actually a redo of a design I did a few weeks ago (& posted on Instagram) that was inspired by @thesammerasaurus. I’ve really been loving Kaf-tan, Spice It Up & Mosiac On Down, & I decided I had to do a design pairing them together. & since I’ve been kind of obsessed with abstract designs, I decided to give this abstract dotticure-ish look another go!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Strong Start
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Essie Spice It Up
  • Essie Kaf-tan
  • Essie Mosiac On Down
  • Essie Bobbing for Baubles
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio — I used a medium sized dotter (Use COFFEE10 to save 10%)
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush (for my tiny navy dots)

Isn’t this just such a cute look? I love it! Besides the fact that the colour options are endless, because you’re not trying to be “perfect” in your dots, you can’t really mess it up! I don’t know about you, but sometimes trying to make my nail art perfect gets me a little frustrated. Plus this nail art took me maybe 20 minutes from start to finish — which is great because I was doing my nails before bed. Haha. So I needed a quick manicure.

What do you think about this design? Are these abstract dots something that you would rock? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! & let me know what your favourite quick & easy nail art look is!

SWATCH SUNDAY — ‘Ard As Nails Fairy Flakes

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday!

Sorry for the quiet on the blog this week. Last weekend, I got the devastating news that my Grandad had passed away, so I’ve really been struggling with posting. But prior to that, I had taken advantage of the Canada Day sale at NailStuff.ca & splurged on a whole slew of new polishes (including some new to me brands) so I’m really excited to share them with you over the coming weeks!

First up, let’s start with some holo & flakies! I’ve never owned a ‘Ard As Nails shade before, but as soon as I saw Fairy Flakes I knew it was the nail polish I’ve been missing all my life.

2 coats over Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Lilac Insomniac plus top coat

Look at that close up in the bottle. ‘Ard As Nails Fairy Flakes is chalked full of holo glitters & chameleon flakies. I love the combination of the two, because you get that amazing holo but also the shift from the flakies. & depending on what colour you layer this over, it changes the over all look. It’s just absolutely stunning!

I picked this base shade to test it out first, because it was nice & bright & summery, but also brought out the fuchsia tones in the flakes. I definitely want to try it out next with like a deep, dark plum or purple, or maybe a beautiful dark teal. I feel like it will be perfect come Fall as well.

& for fun, a macro shot. Look at that holo. I’m in love.

& of course, I wanted to get a sunshine shot. I wish this had captured the holo a bit better, but I do think it’s so beautiful. Holo always looks the best in the sunshine.

What do you think about this beautiful holo flakie topper? What is your favourite nail polish topper/transforming top coat? Let me know in the comments below!

& if you’re looking to add this shade to your collection, NailStuff.ca currently looks to be sold out. But they do have a ton of gorgeous other shades from ‘Ard As Nails to choose from! &, as always, you can use my code affiliate COFFEE10 & save 10% off your purchase. & stay tuned, because I have even more polishes to share with you from my Canada Day shopping spree.

Matte Half Moons

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Strong Start
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • OPI I Eat Maine-ly Lobster
  • Essence Let’s Get Lost
  • Paper Hole Reinforcements

What do you think about these half moons? What colours or shades do you wish you reached for more often? Let me know in the comments below!

A Fresh Floral

 

Happy Tuesday lovelies! Hope your week is off to a fantastic start. Today officially marks the last day of June, & even though I had a pretty quiet month blog wise, I’m back & going to end June with my absolute favourite thing to paint: floral. 🌸🌿 It’s actually been a hot minute since my last floral design, so I thought it was long overdue. (Plus flowers just make me so happy.)

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Strong Start
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Warm Regards
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Malibu Peach
  • Sally Hansen MG Bourbon Babe
  • Sally Hansen MG Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen MG Black-y O
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie First Timer
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush (COFFEE10 to save 10%)

I’m super obsessed with how these turned out — they actually remind me a bit of a design I did a few years ago that were inspired by a day planner of mine. But I think I love these even more! I absolutely adore rustic floral designs over something a little more realistic. Maybe because there is beauty in the imperfections. Either way, I think this design turned out so beautiful & I couldn’t stop staring at them. The peach & yellow just go so well with the red-ish base shade. I can’t get enough. 

what do you think about this floral design? Are you more a fan of rustic or realistic floral? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below (& maybe share what your favourite real life flower is as well!) 

Tie-Dye Nails Inspired by @BadGirlNails

Hello lovelies & Happy Wednesday.

Today I’m sharing a cute look I did a few weeks back. Tie-Dye is everywhere this year, including on nails. I haven’t yet found the perfect tie-dye sweatshirt yet, & I’m too scared to do one myself, but as soon as I saw Sonya at @badgirlnails tutorial for tie-dye nail art I knew I needed to recreate them!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Malibu Peach
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Lemon Chillo
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Miami Nice
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Fuchsia Fever
  • NailStuff.ca Round Clean Up Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • Pure Acetone
  • Plastic Yogurt Lid

Ahhh, I love this colour combination so much. Like, I wish I could transfer it into clothing. The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Neons from last summer are absolutely perfect for this kind of look & feel so Summer-y. & Sonya’s tutorial she posted was so easy to follow to recreate this look, I’m definitely going to recreate with a variety of colours.

Like I said, thanks to @badgirlnails easy to follow tutorial, the look was a breeze to create! You definitely want to make sure you have an extra thick layer of top coat down before you start applying your tie-dye (so you don’t destroy your base) but other thank that this is a quick & easy look to do! & so on trend right now!

What do you think of this tie-dye look? Have you attempted tie-dye on your nails yet, or at home on clothes? Let me know any tips you have for creating your own tie-dye sweatshirts at home because I really want to give it a try (without, you know, tie-dying myself in the process!)