Category: Mint

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SWATCH SUNDAY— OPI Gelato on My Mind

Good morning loves! Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday & well caffeinated! ☕️ Today I have another oldie but goodie swatch to share with you: OPI Gelato on My Mind.

This minty shade was originally released as part of the OPI Venice collection for Fall/Winter 2015 & was the first shade I bought from that collection as you know I’m a sucker for any shade of blue. Also I remember that the name was just too cute, which was part of the reason I NEEDED to own this shade. (It’s also the reason I had to own OPI Pineapples Have Peelings Too.)

For my swatches I did two coats over my base, followed by top coat (Essie Gel Setter). You have great coverage in two coats, but like a lot of light/pastel shades the levelling on this shade wasn’t great, so I needed that top coat to give you a nice glossy finish & eliminate any potential streakiness. Maybe if you’re more careful you can get it to level out, but I couldn’t & needed my nails to dry quickly so a glossy top coat always works for me.

As I mentioned, this shade was originally released as part of the OPI Venice collection, which was for Fall/Winter 2015. Personally, to me this is more of a shade I lean towards for Spring but I can also see pairing this with a few darker/vampy colours for a fun Fall design as well. I definitely can see myself doing another fun tribal design (similar to this look) but with much darker, vampier colours.

What colour are you currently rocking on your nails? Which polish do you think I should pick for next week’s Swatch Sunday feature–something Summer-y or Fall-esque? Share your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Black & White Chevron Accent Nails

Good morning lovelies& happy Tuesday!

I know things have been quiet on the blog, but I have a good reason: baby #2 has made her arrival! Madeleine Lena was born very early last Tuesday morning, so I’ve had a busy week of readjusting to newborn life. & I’m still wearing my blue drag marble nails which ended up being my labour nails!

However, going through my phone I found a few nail art looks I haven’t yet posted, so until I’m able to actually paint my nails–which is hard when you’ve got two little ones keeping you busy… no surprise there!–I have a few nail polish & nail art looks that I can post for you!

First up I have some stacked chevron accent nails–this is a look I’ve done before a few times because it’s super easy to do & is such a cute look!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Bamboo & Green Tea Strengthener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle
  • Quo by ORLY Platina
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • The Base Coat Vinyls Stacked Chevron

First off I love love love how blinding China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle is! Such a great Summer Polish to wear for a serious pop of colour. It’s just so good! I thought the simplicity of black & white accent nails worked really well because it added some art while still letting my polish shine.

what do you think of this look? Share your thoughts down in the comments below.

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(Even More) Cactus Nails

Good morning lovelies. I hope you’re not sick of cactus nails yet! I was inspired by my brand new make up from my previous post, so obviously I had to create some nails to match!

Cactus pattern nails have become a serious favourite design of mine to do, & I love how each nail design always turns out just a little bit different.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie Turquoise & Caicos
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Essie First Timer
  • Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Black Heart
  • Nailstuff.ca 4mm micro detail brush {PR sample}
  • Nailstuff.ca dotting tool {PR sample}

How cute are these? I know I’m slightly bias, but I really like how these turned out. I think adding the black detailing really makes the design pop out more on the nail & reminds me of a pillow I have. Originally I was going to try & do some stamping, but I couldn’t find the plate I was looking for, so freehanding it is! & using my super tiny detail brush from NailStuff.ca was perfect for this tiny little design.

what do you think of this cactus design? Are you sick of cactus yet? Let me know what designs you’d like to see next by commenting down below!

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Mix & Match Spring Nails

Good morning lovelies & happy Wednesday. It’s a new day & I finally have new nails to share. This look is what I created over my Swatch of Julep Alyssa from my previous post & I’ve been wearing it since Sunday! I really wanted something bright & Spring-y for my Easter festivities, & I loved the look so much I could bare to take it off yet!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Julep Alyssa (It Girl)
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Peach Side Babe
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Orchid-ing Aside {PR sample}
  • NailStuff.ca Gold Mixed Decoration Nail Wheel {PR sample}
  • TheBaseCoat Drag Marble Nail Vinyls

Seriously loving the mix & match look of this design. The colours are Spring-y but not too Easter Egg-esque & the studs just give it a little something extra. Really, really loving the whole combination. I’m sure in a few weeks I’ll be all about neon (when I’m really craving Summer) but right now these semi-pastel shades are giving me life.

what do you think of this design? Share your thoughts down in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Julep Alyssa (It Girl)

Good morning lovelies! & happy Easter to those who celebrate! Today I’ve got another Spring-y swatch to share with you. Today I’m wearing a new-ish to me polish: Julep Alyssa (It Girl).

I was looking for a polish to wear as a base for some Spring/Easter Nail Art, & I thought this minty turquoise polish would be an awesome polish choice. This was another polish that was gifted to me, courtesy of @helloluli_, & I think it is such a beautiful shade for Spring.

For my swatches, I did 2 coats of polish over my base, & finished off everything with glossy top coat. According to the Julep website, their polish formulas are designed to make your nails look more beautiful — they are also vegan. I’m always here for polish that is going to help my nails, especially because pregnancy has left my nails looking rough (hence why they’re staying so short). The polish definitely dried quickly, which I appreciate–no one wants to wait forever to apply nail art.

Seriously, this colour is so gorgeous, I’m so in love with the Spring-y vibes it’s giving me. The formula was a bit thick for my liking & the brush was a bit big for my small nail beds, but other than that the coverage was good & it dried down just lovely so that I was able to add nail art on top as soon as I finished taking these pictures.

I am definitely a sucker for a pastel blue shade & I can see myself wearing this a lot.

By the looks of things, this shade might be hard to track down as it’s currently out of stock on the Julep website & I couldn’t really find another source to buy. I know I see Julep shades popping up in my local Winners & Marshall’s stores on occasion & eBay might also be an option.

So what do you think of this shade? Share your thoughts down below! & stay tuned this week to see what nail art I added on top for my Easter celebrations. 🌸