Category: Manicure

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s another snowy Sunday here, which is not what I was hoping for. But it matches well with the nail polish I picked for this week’s Swatch Sunday pick: Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot. This shade is actually a super oldie, going back to (I think) 2013! I picked my bottle up on Clearance a few years ago, after Maybelline had stopped making the Color Show brand.

3 coats, no Top Coat.

The first thing about Blue Marks The Spot is that it is very, very thin. This is 3 coats of polish, & you can still see the nail below. I’m not sure how many coats you would actually need for full opacity, but I’m going to guess it’s more than I would want to do haha. You could definitely do a white or blue base, though, if you wanted to the sheerness.

The formula is sheer, like I said, but other than that it’s not too hard to work with. The coats dry quickly, & the glitters are very well dispersed so you don’t have to worry about digging around trying to find them.

Obligatory macro shot.

I used to be so, so scared of glitter nail polishes & never want to wear them because removal would be impossible. Obviously, taking off glitter polish isn’t my favourite thing, but I’m not quite so scared of wearing my glitters like I used to be. Which, is good, because I love, love, love these spotted polishes & have quite a few in my stash from different brands.

What do you think about this fun spotty nail polish? Do you remember the Maybelline Color Show line, & these spotted polishes in particular. I also have the green one, Drops of Jade, I’m kind of sad I didn’t get the whole range of these shades were they were out, but maybe some day I’ll discover more in the bottom of a clearance bin to complete my collection haha.

Have a lovely Sunday!

Posted on

Red Pink & Purple Sparkly Glitter Gradient ✨

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! It was feeling like Spring here this weekend, but now we’re officially back in Winter mode with about 30cm of snow that fell yesterday. I’m just so over Winter. It’s cold, & slushy, & I miss wearing cute dresses. I can’t wait for us to officially defrost.

But in the meantime, I guess I’ll distract myself with some pretty nails.

It’s been a long while since I did a gradient on my nails that wasn’t just some glitter. Honestly, I find the clean up–even with liquid latex!–a pain, & I don’t have time for it. But I was really, really feeling a sparkly gradient after putting on my Swatch Sunday pick Essence Me & My Lover, so I decided to give it a try.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essence Me & My Lover
  • Aco by Ardene Boudoir
  • Aco by Ardene Wish
  • Latex free make up sponge

Check out those layers of glitter! It’s been a long time since my last gradient like this with lots of glittery shades, but I’m obsessed with how it turned out.

Instead of doing the classic gradient sponging where you apply all three colours onto the sponge & then apply it to the nail, I sponged each layer of glitter on the nail instead… which still gave me the same effect without having to worry about the clean up! I find it’s easier to do that with glittery shades like these, because they blend into each other easier, & you don’t have those unblended lines you might get with a cream polish. & of course, sealing it all in with top coat also helps blend things.

What do you think of these glittery gradient nails? Would you wear a super glittery gradient like this on your nails? Let me know what you think down in the comments below, & what colour combination you would wear!

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Me & My Lover (Sparkle Sand Effect)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. ❤️

I thought since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I should pick out something sorta Valentine-y for my nails. After digging through my stash, & through a lot of red nail polishes, I decided on this oldie from Essence: Me & My Lover.

2 coats, no top coat.

This shade was originally released in 2014/2015, which is when I picked it up at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. It is a sparkle sand effect shade, which means that it dries down to a textured finish.

Unlike some other sand effect polishes I’ve used, Me & My Lover has a finer grit, so the textured finish is a bit more subtle. It’s there, but it’s also easy to smooth out with a coat of glossy thick top coat.

The red is a beautiful pink leaning red — there seems to be some gold glitters & magenta glitters mixed in. It makes for a very, very beautiful polish. It also dries fairly quickly, which is an important thing when it comes to textured polishes. No body has time to be waiting around for their polishes to dry for hours.

The formula is also really easy to work with, which I always get excited about when it comes to extra old polishes in my stash. I’m definitely glad I decided to pull it out, because it was just the red I was looking for!

What do you think of this Essence shade? Do you remember the textured polish craze? Do you still have any of your old textured shades—which ones were your favourites?

Let me know in the comments below!

& have a happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow!

Posted on

An (Early) Spring Floral

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. Yesterday the temperatures were above freezing & it felt a bit like, dare I say it… Spring. Oh, & it was perfect since I was wearing this pretty Spring-y floral.

Originally I did this floral because I had bought this pretty new Sinful Colors shade at Walmart, & I thought it would be a great base for floral nail art. I also wanted something that was kind of, sort of Valentine’s Day-

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sinful Colors Wonder Mint
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure One in a Melon
  • Sally Hansen CSM So Much Fawn
  • Sally Hansen CSM Berry Fancy
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Check My Baggage
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie Cacti on the Prize
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

So I know everytime I do a new floral look, I gush endlessly about how it’s my favourite, so I’ll save you that — but I am really proud proud of how these turned out, especially the rose buds. The feel delicate & romantic, & I literally didn’t want to take these off! Plus the bright blue base is vibrant & makes me forget it’s only February.

It gives me thoughts about Spring days, & sunshine & pretty dresses. & I’m so ready for all of those things.

What do you think about this pretty Spring floral? Do you like the roses paired against this vibrant blue base? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Posted on

Valentine’s Inspired Leopard Print 💗

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday!

Less than a week until Valentine’s Day, & I feel like I haven’t really done any related manicures this year. Usually there is at least one pink/red dotticure, haha. Kind of crazy! So I thought I would share this fun Valentine’s Day inspired leopard print design that I did recently.

& yes, this is another new holographic Color Club shade I recently picked up from Walmart because I’m obsessed.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Color Club Trick of the Trade
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in Black
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

So turns out, trying to draw heart shapes & turn them into leopard spots is not as easy as I thought it would be — or as clear as what it’s supposed to be. But I think I was semi successful? I really like the pop of holo pink on the smooth, slightly milky base of Ballet Slippers. It really makes the holo pop!

I like that this look is Valentine’s Day, but swap out your pink for basically any other colour & it’s a good everyday look too. I always forget how much I love Leopard print on my nails, until I do it again.

What do you think about this Valentine’s Day inspired nail art look? Are you a big fan of this holiday? Honestly, I’ve never really been a huge fan, but I do love cinnamon hearts, Love Hearts, & any excuse to paint a theme on my nails.

If you’re looking for some Valentine’s Day nail art inspiration, I do have this post from a few years ago: 5 Cute Valentine’s Day Designs (inspired by Pinterest).

Have a great Tuesday!