Category: Holiday

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SWATCH SUNDAY — QUO Loud & Proud

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s a beautiful, sunny & slightly chilly weekend here on the East Coast. It’s also 2 days until Valentine’s Day, so I went searching for something pink to share for this week’s Swatch Sunday. Pink’s not a colour I wear very often, but one I love to buy. So I thought why not bring out one of those untouched pink’s for this week’s post.

Today’s pick: QUO Beauty Flash Dry Loud & Proud. I picked up this shade last Winter, on clearance–naturally–& have only used it in a couple manicures since. But, since it’s a sunny day, I was feeling some neon.

2 coats, no top coat.

Loud & Proud is a shocking coral neon pink which dries to a semi matte finish, as most neons do. The formula was a bit crelly, leaning on the creme side, but had almost full opacity in two coats. I was actually a bit nervous about needing a ton of coats, but 2 was perfect for me. If you had longer nails, with more of a free edge, you might need another coat, or some white undies.

This shade comes from the QUO Beauty Flash Dry line, which means it’s supposed to dry quicker than your average nail polish. The first coat was definitely quick to dry, although I found the second coat a little bit slower — maybe because I had applied my second coat a bit thicker? The shade was also incredibly hard to photograph the colour correctly, but I tried my best. Originally, it was leaning very orange, which wasn’t true to colour at all.

This were definitely as close to the true colour as I could get it to show.

What do you think about this fun pink neon from QUO? Would you bright this bright, matte pink for your Valentine’s Day celebrations? Let me know what you think & what you’re going to be wearing for any upcoming Valentine’s Day celebrations!

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Valentine’s Gradient Dotticure

Hello beauties & happy Thursday! & what a gorgeous & sunny Thursday it is here on the East Coast — too bad we’re going to hit another Winter storm tomorrow.

Is it Spring yet?

Today though, I’m concentrating on some more Valentine’s Day inspired nails with a fun (& easy) gradient dotticure. I wanted something pink & fun leading up to the big day, but didn’t necessarily want to go fun on hearts with this look. So I thought why not capture the essence of the holiday with the colours I was feeling, without out right saying Valentine’s. & besides, what is more fun than a dotticure.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Almond Tan
  • Sally Hansen GKP Eco Rose
  • Sally Hansen GKP Peony Origins
  • Sally Hansen GKP Pomegranate Punch
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

I wanted a really neutral base shade, that wasn’t white & wasn’t completely naked, which is why I picked Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure in Almond Tan. I feel like it’s pretty close to my natural colouring. & then I figured, why not just keep the Good. Kind. Pure. train going with a few more of my favourite pink-y shades from my stash. & bam! A fun gradient dotticure which is perfect for a Valentine’s date night, or to enjoy 50% off chocolate on the 15th. Either way, it was a super easy design to do, so I was excited to wear it!

What do you think about this gradient dotticure design? Are you a fan of these funky easy designs, or do you prefer something a little more complicated? Let me know what you think, & what colour combination you would rock this design in!

Have a happy Thursday loves ♥︎

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Pink on Pink Valentine’s Hearts 💗

Hello lovelies. It’s officially one week until Valentine’s Day, so I figured that a good enough time as any to start with a little love-ly nail art. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day… minus to opportunity to make cupcakes. But I do like the excuse to pull out all of my pink nail polishes at once, so I’m hoping to share a few nail art looks over the next week.

First up, a simple & slightly rustic heart design. I was inspired by my base polish pick, & decided to build my manicure around it.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • OPI DS Extravagance
  • OPI Koala Berry
  • OPI Pinking of You
  • OPI Chiffon My Mi
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Nail Brush Trio (11mm Liner Brush)

How cute did these little hearts turn out? I feel like free handing hearts can be kind of hit or miss, so I was a bit scared how they would turn out — especially because I was not in the mood to start my design all over again. I did like the hearts just solid colours, but I wanted to try outlining the hearts, & I’m so glad I did because I feel like it made them pop off the nail so much more vibrantly! & they don’t seem so one dimensional. Absolutely adorable.

What do you think about these adorable pink on pink heart nails? Have you been playing around with some Valentine’s (or anti-Valentine’s) Day designs for this year? I’m definitely thinking pink (duh) & maybe a gradient dotticure? I can’t wait to share what design I end up choosing!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI All About The Bows (Holiday 2019 Hello Kitty Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s a beautiful Sunday here, albeit a little bit chilly. But the sun is shining, & that is nice to see for a January day. I thought I would match the brighter days, while also getting a little a little Valentines-y with some pinkish nails. I fee like end of January into February is the only time I really wear a lot of pink, so I’ve got to share when I do!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is OPI All About the Bows from the 2019 Hello Kitty Holiday Collection. Technically this shade is kind of enigma, because I feel like sometimes it leans hot pink, & sometimes it looks more reddish. Getting the right lighting for these nails was definitely a bit of a challenge, but I tried my best!

1 coats, No Top Coat

Hello beautiful! & hello one coater. I was super impressed with the smooth formula of this shade because it applied effortlessly in one coat. The formula itself has a syrupy feel, but with a good opacity. I was actually really, really impressed with how easily it applied. & the dry time was super quick as well, probably because I only needed one coat to reach full opacity.

I will say though, if my nails were longer, I might need two if I wanted a little more coverage. You can see a bit of visible nail line on my ring finger — but honestly, it’s barely visible unless you’re really looking for it.

I love how this shade is somewhere between a hot pink & a red. We all know how much I love a good red, but it still gives off the Valentine’s vibes I was hoping for. After all, it’s just a little over 2 weeks away so it’s time to start really getting my manicure & nail art ideas into action.

What do you think of OPI All About The Bows? Are you a fan of a hot pink shade like this? Let me know all your thoughts about this shade, & which shades you’re already planning on wearing for Valentine’s Day (& black totally counts!)

Have a happy Sunday loves.

♥︎

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New Years Eve Golden Dotticure ✨

Hello Beauties & happy New Years Eve! I told you I would sneak in one more manicure before the year was over. Obviously, it being New Years Eve, I needed to give it my all, & decided to go with gold, silver & black for the full effect.

I also didn’t want to go too crazy because I am still exhausted from working through Christmas, & honestly by 10pm I’m just wrecked. So I decided to go with a classic dotticure… but with a NYE twist.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • OPI Rolling in Cashmere
  • Essie Hors d’Oeuvres
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Dotting tool (I always use mine from NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

I like how I flipped the colours I would usually do. Normally, I would go with black (or another darker colour) as my base, & use the lighter colours as my dots. But I thought I needed more gold & silver, so I decided to use it as my base instead, & use black as my accent… & I love how it turned out! Very glam, with a hint of glitter. Perfect for New Years Eve celebrations, both over the top, & simple.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has visited this blog, liked my designs, & especially commented this last year! You make it worth it to keep posting, & make me excited to keep posting — especially as other social media changes so much! 2022 was a fantastic year for me, albeit challenging & full of change, but this blog was my happy place to come to, & I’m very excited to see what 2023 has in store!

Have a happy New Year Lovelies! Wishing everyone peace, calm, & joy.

♥︎