Glam Nails Challenge March — Hearts 💚

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! It’s a brand new, fresh week. Hopefully this one will be warmer & more Spring-like (although, I’ll be honest… my hopes are not too high.)

But — I have a brand new look for Glam Nails Challenge March, & I’m excited. The prompt is hearts. Originally I had a completely different heart look done, but I’ll be honest: I was not feeling it. & it did not photograph well. So I did what any crazy person does… I completely redid the manicure at the very last second. & I absolutely adore how they turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Wrenn Polish I Know Guac is Extra
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Tutu the Ballet
  • Sally Hansen MG Crying Out Cloud
  • OPI Two Timing the Zones
  • L’Oréal Jardin Des Roses
  • L’Oréal Pistache Royale
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

I’m calling this look Spring Floral Heart, & it turned out exactly how I pictured in my head. This was originally what I thought about doing, but decided to go with a dry marble heart look, which was kind of ugly, so I’m glad I switched back to my original idea.

These were actually pretty easy to do. I started by freehanding my green heart, then added a few tiny flowers & finished off with some green leaf details. & it turned out so beautiful & Spring-y. This is definitely a look I will be attempting again because it’s just lovely!

I mean, how beautiful would this be as a wedding manicure?

What do you think of this floral heart look for my next Glam Nails Challenge March?

SWATCH SUNDAY — L’Oréal Paris Le Vernis à l’Huile by Colour Riche 554 Carmin Parisien

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday. It’s been a busy weekend, but I can’t start a new week without a Swatch Sunday post. Quite honestly, I think they’re the most viewed posts that the blog gets, so we’ve got to keep them going!

I’ve been on a nostalgia kick this week, & that means I’ve been looking at lots of old photos. & you know what was a constant trend in my pre-nail art days? Red nail polish!

As I’ve mentioned, oh a million times, red nail polish used to be my signature during my University years — unless of course I was feeling broody, in which case I would break out the black. & even though my nail polish collection has expanded considerably over the years, red nail polish still holds my heart. Which is why I was excited to pull another red beauty from my stash to share: L’Oréal Paris Le Vernis à l’Huile by Colour Riche 554 Carmin Parisien.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

Oh man, this is a beautiful cool toned red. The formula on this shade is really, really smooth which is lovely, & fairly opaque—I did two coats for full coverage, & I had no hint of visible nail line or anything. Very impressive!

I do find the colour brings out a bit of my yellow undertones, but I don’t mind it so much. As such, this is probably a red I would reach for more in the Autumn months, just as I feel the colour is a bit more suited to the cooler days. When it comes to Summer, I usually go for more orange-y/coral leaning reds as they compliment & enhance my tan a bit more.

This shade isn’t super vampy, but I do consider it a very “classy” red, if that makes sense. It has a nice creamy finish that just feels very luxurious. Plus I really like that the Color Riche line of L’Oréal polishes (or whatever the full name is) has oils infused into it. Because, when you polish your nails as much as I do, you’ll take any chance to give your nails some extra love.

What do you think of L’Oréal Color Riche 554 Carmin Parisien? Do you love a good red nail polish as much as I do? Would you be interested in seeing a post featuring my all time favourite red nail polishes? Let me know in the comments below!

Dainty Purple Polka Dots

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! The weekend is quickly approaching. & I don’t know where you are, but the weather here is starting to really, really feel like Spring. I might even wear a dress to work today!

But in the mean time, I’m showing off some simple & dainty polka dot design. Purple makes me happy, & I always love a dotticure whenever I need a quick, simple look.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • L’Oréal Color Riche Violet Vendome
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art Pen in Purple

Such a simple look, but a classic polka dot look just makes me happy. There is something about a simple look like this that is just so pleasing to the eye. Plus I feel like you can make it match any outfit or occasion—go wild with your colours, or keep it simple.

Also my favourite way to do simple dotticures like this is with my Sally Hansen nail art pens. I discovered these in the early days of my nail art journey, but I still own them, & still use them, especially for a look like this. Makes creating evenly placed polka dots, that are all the same size, so quick & easy. I kind of wish I had more colours, to be honest. I’m not even sure if they still exist to buy anymore!

What do you think about this dainty dotticure? Would you like to see me feature more of these easy manicures? What colour combination should I share next? Let me know in the comments below!

Spring Gradient Dotticure

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday!

I’ve very much been enjoying the warmer days around here—I even wore a jumpsuit the other day, & it was really exciting. & that means I’ve been enjoying all the pretty spring nail polishes in my stash. Although, I’m not going to lie… I feel like I’ve been grabbing the same Spring-y shades over & over. Haha.

But I was really feels some sanity polka dots, & I decided that some pretty pastel gradient polka dots would be perfect!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • Sally Hansen In The Sheer
  • L’Oréal Colour Riche B01 Pistache Royale
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Orchid-ing Aside
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • China Glaze Shocking Pink
  • Essie Bikini So Teeny
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

Oh man, this was such an easy look to do, although a bit time consuming.

It gives you that gradient effect without having to go through all the time consuming effort of sponging on colour & cleaning up around the cuticles. Because, I won’t lie, even though I absolutely love gradients, I just don’t always have the time (or energy) to go through all the effort of doing one. But this totally makes me happy & feels like a perfect gradient alternative!

What do you think about this pretty pastel gradient dotticure? Would you wear this look? Do you think it would work for Easter? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

#GlamNailsChallangeFeb — Stars

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! & happy March — how crazy is that? We have reached the end of February already! But I did have one more manicure from #GlamNailsChallengeFeb to share: stars! ✨⭐️

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • L’Oréal Colour Riche B01 Pistache Royale
  • China Glaze Flying Dragon
  • Bodico Stamping Plate B-17
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper

I really, really adore how this manicure turned out. I haven’t tried to use this stamping plate since I reviewed it, but I decided to try it out with a matte shade from China Glaze, as I find they sometimes work quite well for stamping. & I think my stars turned out really, really well! & I think the bright purple really pops against my pale minty pastel base. It’s giving me Spring/Summer vibes, which is perfect because I’m officially over winter. I just hope that this March doesn’t last as long as last year.

What do you think about this star design? Which design from February has been your favourite? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!