Category: Holiday

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Cosy Legging Inspired Nail Art

Good morning! Don’t know where you are this morning, but here in Halifax it’s grey & rainy. Yep–still no snow in sight. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to dress my nails all cosy in hopes that maybe we will finally get some snowy weather in time for Christmas. (If not though, we’ll be driving to snow so I’ll have a white Christmas regardless haha.)

These nails are actually inspired by a pair of my favourite pair of winter leggings. I’ve been trying to come up with “short nail” designs & feeling frustrated, but I realized pretty much anything I can do when my nails are long I can create on short nails too! & this design is perfect for that. Also because I used nail vinyls & minimal freehanding, I would say this design is a good option for beginners. It looks much more complicated than it actually is.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek Foundations 2
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essence Rock My World
  • Essence Dream On
  • ACO by Ardene Daydreamer
  • Quo by ORLY The Antidote
  • L’Oréal Feeling Kilty
  • Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hard to Get
  • Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Black Heart
  • Xroma Polish & Vinyls Straight Vinyls
  • Bundle Monster tiny detail brush

I love how these turned out. They remind me a lot of cosy sweater leggings, which is perfect for this time of year. Also like I said, these are so easy to do thanks to the use of nail Vinyls & only a bit of freehanding details. They look way more complicated to do than they actually are, I swear. For beginners, trying maybe one accent nail might be a little less overwhelming.

Oooooh these nails make me want snowy days to wear comfy leggings so bad. Is it snowing where you are yet? Do you typically get White or Green Christmas’ where you are? It’s usually hit or miss Snow wise in Halifax for Christmas–& it’s usually Christmas Eve before we see anything. January on, though, is a whole other story.

What do you think of this design? What designs remind you of Christmas? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Christmas Cookie Mani Swap

Happy Monday!

Today is National Cookie Day & I have a super exciting post to share! Sarah aka @25sweetpeas brought together 8 nail bloggers to create a Christmas cookie & mani swap! Christmas is the time of year for swapping cookies with friends & Sarah brought us all together to create our favourite Christmas cookies & a manicure based on them! Below you can see all the nail bloggers that were involved:

Such a great group of girls & we all came up with such unique Christmas cookies! & even better Sarah gathered everything together into a downloadable magazine to feature our recipes & our nails. This is definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever been apart of & Sarah went beyond in creating this cool magazine featuring all these recipes & nail designs. Down below I’ve featured 2 different ways you can check out this magazine!

Download Here
Continue reading “Christmas Cookie Mani Swap”
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Holiday Gift Ideas with Quo by ORLY

Good Morning! Today I have a fun post to share with you featuring some fun gift ideas for the nail polish addict in your life (even if that happens to be yourself!)

I don’t know if you’ve visited your local Shoppers Drug Mart, but they currently have some amazing holiday nail products available. Every year they come out with packs of items & I always love checking them out to see what they have! This year, these holiday packs are all about keeping your nails healthy!

Each one of these items would make a great gift for that nail addict in your life, or a great last minute stocking stuffer!

*PR SAMPLE* Some of these items were sent to me for review. However, all opinions are my own.

Continue reading “Holiday Gift Ideas with Quo by ORLY”

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Silver Snowflakes ❄️

Is it too early for snowflakes? Probably (& I’m definitely not trying to encourage Mother Nature in any way) but my few Christmas/Winter plates were sitting on my desk the other night looking so lonely so I decided maybe some snowflakes would be pretty. 

I do a variation of this design pretty much every year, with varying levels of success haha. I love how it looks a bit like wrapping to me. Honestly, the only time I like snow is between December 20th & January 2nd, or when it’s painted on my nails. 

For my manicure, the polishes I used were: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Zoya Yves
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel 
  • Born Pretty Store Clear Jelly Stamper
  • Born Pretty Store Snowflake Stamping plate (no longer available) — this one (also Born Pretty) could be a good alternative. 
  • Edge Perfective Cuticle Barrier 

I was really impressed with how well Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel stamped. I find metallic shades can be so hit or miss when it comes to how well they stamp, but it turned out awesome! I thought about adding a bit of glitter in the middle of my snowflakes, but decided against it just in case I hated how it looked. 

We’re slowly creeping into the holiday season. We were at the grocery store yesterday & you could already hear Christmas carols being played! Trying my best to like Christmas this year, especially because it’s baby’s first Christmas (& my husband’s absolute favourite holiday!) so wish me luck. Maybe if I do enough Christmas manicures, it will subconsciously make me love it? 

What do you think of these snowflakes? Do you think it’s too early for Snowflake/Christmas/Winter designs? Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

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SWATCH SUNDAY— Joe Fresh Gel Look 2017 Holiday Collection

Happy Sunday everyone! It’s one of the best days of the week… Swatch Sunday! & I have not one but EIGHT polishes to share with you today from the Joe Fresh Gel Look Holiday 2017 collection. For my thoughts on the other Joe Fresh shades I’ve featured, feel free to check them out here. 

Like all Joe Fresh Gel Look shades, these polishes are designed to need no base or top coat, easily removes with nail polish remover, & is designed to last up to 14 days. 

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Mauve-ulous

 

First shade I have on my swatch fest is Mauve-ulous a taupe-y grey that leans a little brown. This is 2 coats for full opacity, with no base or top, & you can really see the flawlessness of the formula. This isn’t a shade isn’t one I would normally reach for, but it is a great neutral shade. 


Frosted

Next up is Frosted which is the perfect way to describe the pearl white polish. Again, I used two coats but I feel like 3 would be better to hide any patchy-ness. This shade feels very retro & brings me back to my love for white polishes just like this in the early 2000s, & I love it. Perfect white polish for the impending Christmas season. 


Soul Train

Soul Train is a two coat black polish that is dark & vampy & applies flawlessly. I don’t usually associate black nails with the holidays, but with some gold polka dots added (maybe using a few of the others from this collection) you’d have a great New Year’s Eve manicure. 


Pink Wish

Another frosty shade from this collection, Pink Wish is also 2 coats. This pale frosty rose gold applies a bit better than the other frosted shade in this collection. I’ll be honest—this is not a shade I would probably wear on its own (I don’t often wear golds alone) but it would be great as part of some nail art. 


Lover’s Kiss 

This crelly red shade is Lover’s Kiss & it was the only shade that needed 3 coats. You could probably survive with 2 if you don’t mind a bit of visible nail line but I prefer full coverage. This red screams Christmas to me & no holiday collection is complete without a little red. 


Sparkling Glitz

Next up we have another gold, this time with a metallic finish. Sparkling Glitz took 2 coats for coverage with minimal brush strokes when the polish dries down. You definitely want to let your polishbdry down before you’re second coat to avoid pulling your first coat. 

Dark Pine

Okay can we talk about this polish? Dark Pine is another vampy shade that fits in so perfectly with a holiday collection. Again, 2 coats was all that was needed for flawless application. & this shade is just… it’s so pretty. & it’s not your typical holiday green which makes me like it even more!


Gothika Blue

Last, but definitely not least, we have my absolute favourite shade from this whole collection! Gothika Blue is a deep shimmery blurple that took 2 coats for application. & it’s beautiful—it’s just straight up gorgeous. Like I don’t think I’ve seen a more beautiful polish. I’m going to need a couple back up bottles for sure. 


& that is it for the Joe Fresh Gel Look Holiday 2017 Collection! These shades are available to buy at your local Loblaws & Real Canadian Superstores for $5 each. 
Which of these 8 polishes are on your “have to have” list? Let me know your thoughts on this collection in the comments below! 

*PR SAMPLE* Some of these items were sent to me for review. However, all opinions are my own.