Category: Manicure

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SWATCH SUNDAY — ARD As Nails Not Your Mama’s Pumpkin Spice

{gifted}

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday. We’re officially almost one full week into September—how crazy is that? I’m in full on Autumn mode, with the exception of buying any Fall decor. But many a soy pumpkin spice latte has been consumed so far! Yep, I’m super basic. All I need are some Ugg boots to complete the look.

Today I have another shade to share with you that was so kindly gifted to me from NailStuff.ca. I actually almost bought this polish back in July during my Canada Day order, so I was super excited when Victoria offered to send it to me! It’s ARD As Nails Not Your Mama’s Pumpkin Spice.

2 coats + top coat

‘Ard as Nails Not Your Mama’s Pumpkin Spice is a beautiful pumpkin orange polish chalked full of micro silver glitters and holo glitters. The application was easy to apply — I only needed two coats of polish for full opacity, & it was quick to self level & dry. I topped mine with my favourite quick dry top coat–Essie Speed Setter–but I would also be curious to see what it would look like with matte top coat added.

Look at those glitters. This polish really is packed full of them. Unfortunately, my lightbox light didn’t want to show off the holographic glitter as much, but in the sunlight, you really got the holo effect.

Usually, I’m not the biggest fan of orange nail polish–it’s just not a colour I usually reach for. But I’ve actually worn this polish 3 times since I got it, so I’m kind of obsessed! I also cannot wait to be able to do some legit pumpkins on my nails using this shade, or some jack-o-lanterns when we get closer to Halloween. This shade is going to be perfect!

If you, like me, need this shade in your collection you can pick it up from NailStuff.ca & used my affiliate code COFFEE10 to save 10% off your purchase (that goes for anything on her site!)

What do you think of this shade? Are you a pumpkin spice lover? What is your go-to Fall drink of choice? Let me know down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Starrily Nails Vantablack & Magma

{gifted}

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their week. Here in Halifax, we have the remnants of a Hurricane passing over us, which is just making it feel even more like Fall. But I’m super excited because I came home Friday to a super exciting NailStuff.ca package featuring some truly awesome polishes!

& I’m really excited to share two of those shades in today’s post! As always, if you like any of these shades & want to order from NailStuff, you can use my affiliate code COFFEE10 & save 10% off your order.

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Starrily Nails Vantablack & Magma”
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Fall Inspired Glitter Gradient

Hello lovelies, happy Tuesday!

It’s been… well I can’t even remember how long since I last wore a glitter gradient. Even though it’s been hot & balmy weather, I was feeling some darker, Fall-esque nails. So I decided to grab a few fun (& Autumn appropriate shades) from deep, deep in my nail polish stash.

I mean, if Starbucks can release Pumpkin Spice today, I think a little dark polish is okay.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Hard Candy Zombie
  • Maybelline Color Show Rose Bling

I’ve always really enjoyed glitter gradients because they’re so quick & easy. In fact, I created this gradient without even using a sponge… just the bottle brush itself! So it really does cut down on application time, & the clean up is even more minimal!

& Oh my, after wearing this combination, I really I think I want to find some more fun glitters — most of my glitter is like pink, or purple, or silver, or gold. I need some bronze-y shades, or something! A nice Fall shade that will pair with a dark purple or burgundy perfectly! I might need to go through my stash a bit better, & see what glitters I’ve forgotten about.

What do you think about this glitter gradient? Are you enjoying this Fall manicure transition or would you like to see a bit more brightness or neon before September? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday. Yes, it’s happened… I’ve stumbled into the Fall polishes, & I’m not even upset about it. In fact, I’m quite giddy about it!

Today I have an exciting Swatch Sunday pick to share with you, because it is a time honoured classic OPI shade & it always happens to be a favourite Fall favourite of mine: Lincoln Park After Dark.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter top coat

This deep purple shade is so dark it’s almost black, which is the perfect combination of witchy & vampy for the Autumn season. In the bottle you can see the dark grape-y purple tones, but on the nails it definitely pulls more black-y.

Application was pretty easy; base coat, two coats of polish, & finished with top coat. It built to even opacity, which I’m always happy about. & I’ve never had any issues with removal, which again is always a plus when it comes to a dark polish like this.

I just absolutely adore this not-black shade. It’s silky, it’s sexy, & it’s pairs perfectly with a pumpkin spice latte & my favourite Fall plaid dress.

What do you think about OPI Lincoln Park After Dark? Do you have this classic OPI shade in your collection? Have you already started pulling out the darker Autumn shades from your collection? Let me know down in the comments below!

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Mint & Floral 🌿🌸

Hello lovelies & Happy Thursday. It’s been a minute since my last floral design, so I thought I was more than overdue. Truthfully, this started out as just a look featuring vining, but something felt like it was missing. So I freehanded a few roses & BAM! The look was complete!

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Thyme Is Money
  • Sally Hansen CSM One In A Melon
  • OPI Suzy Shops & Island Hops
  • Essie Stop Drop & Shop
  • Quo by Orly Diva
  • Essie After School Boy Blazer
  • Essence Black is Back
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

You know I love a good floral — clothing, nails, phone cases. Give me all the floral! Also I really love the look of a pink floral over a pale blue or green vase — it really makes the flowers pop! Also using the micro detail brush from NailStuff really makes a difference when I’m free handing florals. The roses turned out so realistic! I’m so absolutely in love with them.

What do you think about this freehand floral? Have you missed seeing floral on my blog? Let me know down in the comments below!