Category: Manicure

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Barielle Shades Secret Encounter

Hello beauties & happy Sunday! It’s an absolutely frigid day here in Halifax — this whole weekend has been in the negatives. I’m not a fan of the cold, mostly because I’m a petite person who wears multiple layers in October. Also, the cold absolutely wrecks havoc on my nails, so we’re back to some serious shorties… again!

But you know what makes short nails so much better? A pretty polish colour. & today’s beautiful shade is also one I had to dig super deep into the stash to find: Barielle Shades Secret Encounter.

2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

I’m actually surprised that when I looked up this shade in previous blog entries, I haven’t posted about it! I picked up this shade in 2015, on clearance at Winners (where else). But according to the internet, this shade was originally released as part of the 2008 Fall Affair Collection. So she goes back a few years.

The colour itself is this beautiful deep cranberry with metallic shimmer. I needed two coats for full coverage but the formula was easy to apply. The brush was definitely on the thinner side, which made cuticle line application a little more difficult, but that was the trend for most bottles of nail polish back then.

I was looking for something kind of Valentines-y to wear, & I think this is a great option! Like I said, this shade is one of the older ones in my collection, but she’s held up quite well over the years. I do believe Barielle is still making nail polish, although I haven’t seen any in my neck of the woods in a long time. However, according to their website, this shade is no longer in rotation.

What do you think of Barielle Shades Secret Encounter? Do you like this throwback shade as a Valentine’s Day option? I had originally planned on doing a little heart accent on this guy, but didn’t quite have enough time. Either way, I think it’s a beautiful polish colour all on it’s own.

Happy Sunday loves!

♥︎

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Nail Art Warriors for Maria (@so_nailicious)

Hello lovelies.

Today’s post is a special one for a very special member of the nail art community. Maria, aka @so_nailicious, has been a huge inspiration in the nail art world for a long time, & a personal nail art inspiration to me since I really started painting my nails. Over the last year, she has been facing some really tough health battles as she was diagnosed with MS, & as a result been forced to stop doing things that once brought her joy… like painting her nails. So Magda (@redheadnails) banded a group of us together so do some very special manicures in her honour, & I absolutely had to jump at the opportunity!

The colours orange & blue were chosen — orange, which is the colour for MS awareness, & blue which is a colour Maria loves. We also went with a “power” theme, to inspire & show off the strength that Maria is showing in her fight against this heart wrenching disease.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (the original formula)
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure One in a Melon
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Pump-kid
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set
  • Essence “Stamp It!” plate
  • Unknown stamping plate (bought as part of a set of Dollarama in my early nail art days)

As I mentioned, I was super proud to do these nails in honour of Maria, as her nails & nail art has been an inspiration of mine for a long time, & I wanted to show even though she may be struggling right now & unable to do one of the things she loves, she’s still inspiring her friends in the nail art community everyday!

Check out #nailartwarriorsformaria on Instagram to see all the other beautiful & empowering manicures!

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Hot Pink & Polka Dots

Hello beauties & happy Tuesday! A very, very snowy Tuesday here. The weather definitely cannot make up its mind lately.

Today I have a pretty design to share that I actually did a little while ago, but didn’t get a chance to share. I thought that it would be gorgeous for a pre-Valentine’s Day design, so I wanted to share.

The polishes I used for this manicure are:

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • Dotting tool (I always use mine from NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

Gosh I love a good polka dot design. It’s literally the easiest & quickest nail art I think you can do — & it always looks so put together. This is definitely a great nail art look for anyone wanting fun nails, without wanting to put an hour+ into painting something.

What do you think about this nail art look? Is this a nice prelude to February & the Valentine’s Day looks to come? Let me know all your thoughts down below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI All About The Bows (Holiday 2019 Hello Kitty Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s a beautiful Sunday here, albeit a little bit chilly. But the sun is shining, & that is nice to see for a January day. I thought I would match the brighter days, while also getting a little a little Valentines-y with some pinkish nails. I fee like end of January into February is the only time I really wear a lot of pink, so I’ve got to share when I do!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is OPI All About the Bows from the 2019 Hello Kitty Holiday Collection. Technically this shade is kind of enigma, because I feel like sometimes it leans hot pink, & sometimes it looks more reddish. Getting the right lighting for these nails was definitely a bit of a challenge, but I tried my best!

1 coats, No Top Coat

Hello beautiful! & hello one coater. I was super impressed with the smooth formula of this shade because it applied effortlessly in one coat. The formula itself has a syrupy feel, but with a good opacity. I was actually really, really impressed with how easily it applied. & the dry time was super quick as well, probably because I only needed one coat to reach full opacity.

I will say though, if my nails were longer, I might need two if I wanted a little more coverage. You can see a bit of visible nail line on my ring finger — but honestly, it’s barely visible unless you’re really looking for it.

I love how this shade is somewhere between a hot pink & a red. We all know how much I love a good red, but it still gives off the Valentine’s vibes I was hoping for. After all, it’s just a little over 2 weeks away so it’s time to start really getting my manicure & nail art ideas into action.

What do you think of OPI All About The Bows? Are you a fan of a hot pink shade like this? Let me know all your thoughts about this shade, & which shades you’re already planning on wearing for Valentine’s Day (& black totally counts!)

Have a happy Sunday loves.

♥︎

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Embracing the Nostalgia with Crackle Nail Polish

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. I decided to throw things back a bit (& embrace the crazy nostalgia taking over my life thanks to my very own mid-2006 emo playlist) with a fun look featuring a very nostalgic nail polish finish— crackle.

For anyone not around during the early 2010s, crackle nail polishes became huge around 2012, & by 2013 everyone & their mom was coming out with their own version of the crackle (or shatter) effect. Black was the beginning shade I remember being everywhere, followed by a whole assortment of different colours & finishes.

Recently I was going through my stash, & found a bottle of Avon Mosiac Effects Top Coat — aka their version of the crackle nail Polish — & decided to give it a little shake to see if it was still good. Sure enough, the formula is still perfect! So I had to give it a try to see how it looked after all this time.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Illamasqua Aorta
  • Avon Mosiac Effects Top Coat Black

I still have a couple crackle/shatter shades left in my stash, although most have long since dried up to be unusable. For this look, what you’re seeing is one rather thick coat over my base shade. I waited about 5 minutes for the cracked effect to set before applying my top coat, & I thought the end result was pretty perfect. I prefer my cracks to be larger so you can see more of the base shade underneath.

Is crackle/shatter nail polish going to make a comeback? I don’t know. I feel like these shades are so controversial, even 11 years later. You either love them, or hate them, & obviously I am firmly planted on the love side. I also think it’s a nostalgia thing, as I remember crackle being the first “nail art” trend I really feel in love with.

What do you think? Do you think crackle is due for its revival? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.