Moody January Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! A busy Tuesday at that! Even though January can sometimes be the worst month, this one is definitely turning out to be a crazy one for me.

So my nail art is tending to fall on the easy side of things. As you could probably tell from my previous post, I did a big chop on my nails. Not only do I like to start a new clean with a fresh canvas, I also started a second job working at a cafe as a barista, so I wanted to trim back my nails as I get used to that (after 2 years being away!)

But just because I have short nails doesn’t mean I can’t have cute nail art!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: NailStuff Essentials Base Coat *
  • Top Coat: Essence Colour Shield Top Coat (I ran out of my NailStuff one & need to make an order!)
  • Essie Expressie Take The Espresso
  • Essie Skirting the Issue
  • Essie Sable Collar
  • Londontown USA Opal
  • Quo by Orly Black Striper
  • NailStuff 4mm Micro Detail Brush  

**pr/gifted

How cute are these short little stripe-y nails? The colours are also kind of dark & gloomy, great for these gloomy days. & I do love a dark nail. The combination of Essie Skirting the Issue over Expressie Take The Espresso makes for such a dark Ox blood red. I adore it.

What do you think of these moody stripes on my new shorties? Do you like these darker manicures? We’re a month away from Valentine’s Day, so I’ll have to start thinking up some designs for that now!

Have an amazing Tuesday.

🖤

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE MARCH — Pastel

Good morning lovelies & happy Monday. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. This weekend was the beginning of March Break, which meant that work was pretty busy. It also means my kids are home all week during the day, which should make trying to get any nail art done a moot point haha.

But today we’re diving into the 3rd prompt for Glam Nails Challenge March, & this one was an easy one — pastel. Obviously, I had to do a pastel skittle look using a few Spring-y shades.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top 
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Crying Out Cloud
  • Londontown USA Bell Flower
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie Chillato
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sun Shower
  • Essie Expressie FX Iced Out

Oh I love a good skittle, & I’ve really been loving the pastels lately as well. This look is an easy way to do some “nail art” that isn’t really nail art but totally passed for it. Quick, easy, super cute; all the things I look for in a manicure, to be honest. & the addition of Essie Expressie FX Iced Out gives all the nails a nice cohesive look that pulls everything together. I know the glazed nail look is kind of on its way out, but I’m kind of obsessed with it.

I’ve never been one for following trends anyway.

What do you think of my pastel skittle look for Glam Nails Challenge March? Is it beginning to feel a bit like Spring where you are? We’ve had nothing but rain upon rain the last couple days… so yeah, definitely feeling like Spring haha.

Have a great Monday.

♥︎

Dainty Negative Space Floral 🌿🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

Today I’m starting off this week with another floral look. At this point, you can pretty much expect that I’ll be posting a floral design at least once a week for the foreseeable future. I’m kind of obsessed. Today’s look was another one of those random designs I kind of came up with in my head, & was beyond happy to bring to life on the nail. I really just wanted something dainty, & I think was successful in creating that.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

I’m kind of obsessed with how this turned out. I decided to go minimal on my floral — I usually use multiple polishes for each flower & my leaves — & I love how it looks. It’s clean & simple, which is exactly the look I was craving. A nice palate cleanser for the nail. I also really like that Princess Charming is quite neutral, so it doesn’t stand out too much on the nail & keeps that naked look I was going for.

What do you think about this dainty negative space floral design? Do you like simpler cleaner looks like this, or more bright & colourful nail art designs? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

You know you can count on me to do a nice mix of both.

Have a super amazing Monday. ♥︎

Itty Bitty Gradient Dotticure

Hello lovelies! Yes it’s me — only we’re rocking some shorties again. (Okay, & I’m drinking a matcha lemonade — my other drink aside from coffee!) I mentioned I had a patch on my middle finger nail of a bad crack. I finally decided I was over trying to keep it from cracking worse, & decided to chop my my nails down.

Today I went with a simple but fun look to wear. I love a good gradient dotticure, but I realized it’s been a long time since I actually did one. This design was actually inspired by this look from 2016. I thought since we were back down to shorties, why not find some fun nail art to do on short nails!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Londontown KUR Mint No Chip
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in purple
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in turquoise
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in pink
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Itty Bitty Dotting Tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

How absolutely adorable as these itty bitty polka dots? You could definitely do this with a tiny dotting tool & an assortment of polishes, but I love those Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pens because it makes it so easy! I really wish Sally Hansen would bring them back, because they’re amazing for nail art — & mine are starting to empty out after all these years.

What do you think about this Gradient dotticure? Do you think you’d wear this fun (& easy!) look? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

& feel free to share any nail art you’d love to see me do on my new short nails!

Happy Friday! 🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Spring Vibes with Londontown

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday? Can you feel that in the air — it’s the feeling of Spring in the air! Which means it’s time to break out the pastels.

Recently I was at my local Winners, & I happened to see some cute nail polish duos by Londontown. I’ve purchased some of their nail polishes before, so I was excited to get some more nail polishes to try. I decided on a set featuring two very Spring-y shades — Mint No Chip & Briolette.