Crazy Colourful Plaid Nails

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Hello lovelies & happy Friday! It is Friday right? I feel like my days are blending into each other a bit. Winter maternity leave is like one never ending day haha. I miss the sunshine. BUT winter does mean one thing: Christmas is coming. & even better… it’s time for all my favourite Winter/Christmas/Holiday designs.

Today is a design I haven’t done for a long time–plaid. I used to do multiple plaid designs every year, but I kind of lost my momentum, so I feel like it’s about time to bring them back! However, I think I need some practice, or maybe a reference picture, because these turned out… interesting. However, I still loved them enough to post them!

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Strengthener
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Stronger than Ever {PR sample}
  • Jordana Cosmetics Pop Art Nail Design in Blue Abstract
  • Rimmel London Camouflage
  • Yellow gold metallic (no name)
  • Black & White acrylic paint
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Liner Brush (use COFFEE10 to save 10%) {PR sample}

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For this look, I started off with a base of Quo by ORLY Breathable in Stronger than Ever which is a really nice shimmery red that is great for Christmas. Next, I took my NailStuff liner brush & made base lines using my black & white acrylic paint. This is where a reference picture would have been useful, because I was a bit haphazard in my line placement. But even still, it does have that plaid-esque feel to it.

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Even though I was a little disappointed with how these nails turned out at first, after applying top coat & staring at them, they really grew on me & I ended up loving how they turned out. They really make me excited to do some more plaid nails that are a little more Christmas-y — I have visions of an emerald green base with red & gold lines. Oooooh yes! Bring on all the plaid!

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What do you think about these plaid nails? Would you rock a look like this? Share your thoughts down in the comments below! ♥️

Silver Snowflake Pattern

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Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their week! Did you do anything over the weekend? This past weekend, I went to a Christmas craft market with the family, & it’s crazy to think that Christmas is only a little over a month away! So obviously it was about time for some snowflake nails! ❄️

& is there anything better than blue & silver? Nope, I can’t think of a better combo! This design turned out looking like wrapping paper!

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Strengthener
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Essence It’s Raining Men!
  • Essie No Place Like Chrome
  • NailStuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set (use COFFEE10 to save 10% off your purchase!)
  • BornPrettyStore BP-L018 (item# 19373)

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Yes yes yes. These looks like wrapping paper & I’m so into it! A little bow on one nail & you’ve got easy(ish) present nails. Also have I mentioned how much I adore my NailStuff clear stamper lately? I’ve been going a little crazy on stamping lately so I’ve been using it a lot. Do I miss freehanding? Absolutely, & I’m itching to do some Christmas floral soon, but sometimes I have like 20-25 minutes to do my nails so stamping is just easier. It really is the perfect nail art option for Moms with no time that want pretty nails.

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How cute would this look be for a Christmas/holiday party? I don’t have one of those to go to this year, but if I did I could so see myself wearing some this like this! I’ve been thinking about doing a “cute nail art designs for your holiday party” blog post, so if you want to see that let me know in the comments below! I’d include some easy & more difficult designs so there is something for everyone!

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What do you think about this stamped snowflake design? Have you started your holiday nail art yet? Let me know down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence It’s Raining Men!

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Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today I’m sharing a pretty old polish from my stash that I haven’t worn in ages: Essence It’s Raining Men! It’s been quite a while (like 5 years) since I last wore this colour, so it felt like a good polish to grab. I’ve gushed before how much I love the Essence line of nail polishes, so I have a ton of them in my stash. & some of my favourites are like this beautiful blue: deep, right & slightly sparkly.

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For my swatches I did base coat (always), & two coats of colour. For my swatches, I didn’t apply top coat so you could see it on its own when it dries, & as you can see it dries pretty shiny! The base is a beautiful dark blue, with a ton of lighter blue, turquoise shimmer & purple glass fleck glitters. The first coat goes on pretty patchy, but with the second coat you can see how opaque the polish becomes.

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I know it’s not a typical Christmas polish, but I love love love blue for Christmas for some reason. Maybe it’s because my Granny’s favourite colour was blue & she used to decorate with so many blue ornaments it makes me think of her. & Christmas was my favourite time of year with my Granny, so that’s why I just wear so much blue as December approaches. I mean, she would have never worn a polish this colour, but I feel like she would appreciate it on me. 💙

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Sadly, this shade is way discontinued as Essence has update their nail polishes a few times since I purchased this beauty. I did look in my stash, & I’d say that China Glaze Blue Iguana is a close shade. Also, Essie Tied & Blue from their new holiday 2019 collection is very close in colour (from the swatches I’ve seen), although the finish is much different.

What do you think about this colour? Do you have a non-green/red polish that you love to wear during the holidays? Let me know in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie For The Twill Of It

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Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a lovely start to this new month. Today I decided to pull an old favourite from my stash & one of the first Essie shades I ever owned: Essie For The Twill Of It. This polish was originally released as part of the Fall 2013 collection & I picked it up back then in a set of 4 minis at my local Marshall’s.

Now I have featured this shade before in my original China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You Post, but it’s long overdue for me to give this gorgeous polish its own spotlight!

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For my swatches, you’re looking at 2 coats of polish over my usual base coat. I skipped top coat for my photos so you could see For The Twill of It in its natural state. There are a few bumps in the polish once dried, but that could be chalked up to this polish being A. 6 years old & B. being a mini bottle, which I always find let’s to the polish getting gloopy or dried up faster. However, a nice coat of thick top coat (like Essie Gel Setter) will smooth any issues out.

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Look at the silver to fuchsia & green/turquoise shift… how gorgeous! Depending on the light it can be very apparent & pops off the nail! I also really love the tiny micro shimmer that is almost Holo-esque in the sunshine. It really gives this polish an amazing dimension that is unlike most other grey metallic polishes I own. I saw someone refer to it as an “oil slick” nail polish, & that really is the perfect description.

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For once, I picked a Swatch Sunday polish that was still available for purchase! You can find For The Twill Of It available in a few places like…

If you don’t already have a bottle in your stash, I definitely recommend picking one up. Also who else thinks that this shade would be the perfect base for an over the top glitter gradient? Holiday party ideas are brewing!

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What do you think of Essie For The Twill Of It? Do you own this beautiful shade? Let me know down in the comments below!

GlamnailschallengeOct—Spiders 🕸

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We are almost halfway through the month, can you believe it? & Happy Thanksgiving to all my Fellow Canadians celebrating today with Turkey, Tofurky or whatever else you’re making for the occasion.

Today I have another look for GlamnailschallengeOct! Today’s prompt is Spiders, which is quite possibly my least favourite thing in the whole wide world, but a popular choice this time of year for nail art. & I do seem to do some kind of Spider web look each year, as it’s a time honoured Halloween classic.

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Bonder
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Nicole by OPI Totally in the Dark
  • White Acrylic Paint
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

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Okay, so regardless of my phobia toward legit spiders (& their sticky webs), I am really loving how these turned out. These turned out much more delicate than some of my previous spider web attempts, which I’m very happy about. Turns out good nail art brushes really make a huge difference in how nail art turns out! My nail art brushes from NailStuff.ca has really improved how my nail art looks & has brought my freehanding to another level… even when I’m on a nap time time crunch. Also I fought it for a longtime, but using acrylic paint also really helps with upping the look, probably because it doesn’t dry as quickly as nail polish does.

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Halloween manicures make me so happy, even ones involving spiders (ick). This would definitely be a fun manicure to wear for a witchy Halloween costume, or something like Mortica. I have quite decided what I’m being for Halloween, although Kenneth tells me I’m being a princess, but if I go with a spooky look I may have to recreate this! I did end up wearing this manicure for a good 5 days.

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What do you think about this spider design? Are you already planning your spooky Halloween designs? Don’t forget to keep checking out #glamnailschallengeOct on Instagram for everyone else’s amazing designs this month!