Category: nail polish

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Simple pink & blue floral.

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday.

Can you believe it? we’re midway through June! Which means I’m in full all-floral-all-the-time mode. I’m sure you’re not surprised. Today’s nail art look was actually a quick nail art design. I had painted my nails, & wanted to add a little something using my nail art pens, which turned into a full floral mani. Sometimes, I just can’t be stopped haha. But I actually really like how these turned out; usually I go for a more rose centric floral design, but I wanted to create these almost daisies, & I think they turned out really beautiful. & I did them completely without any true nail art brushes.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Zoya Blu
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Fuchsia
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Purple
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Green
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen White
  • Art Club Nail Art Duo Neon Green
  • OPI Where Did Suzi’s Man-go

First off, I know these are not my most perfect floral, but I’m really kind of digging them. My little daisies turned out so colourful & cute. I would totally wear this pattern as a full sundress too. It’s all floral, all the time over here. Also, I feel like these nail art pens are so underrated & deserve a comeback. While my nail art brushes will always be the best for nail art, using these pens can still create an awesome pattern! Also they are still number one for dotticures.

What do you think about this cute little floral design? Is there anyone else who loves these nail art pens like I do? The Sally Hansen ones were always my go-to (I have so many), but I haven’t found them for sale in a very long time. Does anyone know of any else nail art pens you can buy? I’d totally be down for adding more to my collection for quick designs like this! Let me know down in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Blanc

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s been a while. I feel like this past week I have not been feeling like myself, so I didn’t feel much like posting. But I’m back, I’m feeling slightly refreshed, & I’m actually really really excited for this week’s Swatch Sunday. If you’ve been around a while, you’ve probably heard me mention my love for white nail polish. It’s what started my love affair with nail polish in the first place. So I’m really excited to share what I think might be the most perfect white nail polish I’ve worn in a while: Essie Blanc.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

I kind of feel silly, because Essie Blanc has been around forever, & somehow I have not added it to my stash. But as you know, I recently participated in an Essie virtual event, & one of the perks was that those attending were gifted a few Essie shades, including Blanc. & I was quite excited, because I’ve been thinking about buying this shade for a while, but hadn’t (for whatever reason—truthfully I’m not even sure why!)

Formula on this shade is great—it’s smooth, creamy, & not chalky at all. Coverage is pretty good in one coat, but obviously it needs that second coat for ideal levelling. The colour is a nice, bright white without verging on white-out. The brush for my bottle was also the new, wide Essie brush which I really like, but is especially good for application on this shade. Covers the whole nail in almost one swipe. Very, very nice.

Is there anything more satisfying than a bright, clean white manicure?

It’s actually been a while since I rocked basic white nails, & I’ve missed them. First off, they’re great against even the hint of a tan, which is perfect for this early Summer season. Second, they’re very Buffy season one. All I need are a few butterfly clips, & a patterned skirt & tank top combo, & I’m instantly transformed back to Sunnydale High circa 1997. & I’m very, very okay with that.

I’ve actually been rewatching Buffy from the beginning again (it’s my guilty pleasure TV show, what can I say?) & it’s making me want to do a deep dive into the many manicures of Buffy Summers. It would be a big endeavour, but maybe I could break it up into a few posts. We will see if I can make it happen!

What do you think about Essie Blanc? Do you have this clean white polish in your collection? Is there a classic nail polish that you keep meaning to buy, but haven’t got around to getting yet? I have a few, but this was definitely a big one! I’d love to know if anyone else is the same way.

Let me know in the comments below!

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Easy Groovy Floral with Essie!

Hello lovelies & happy sunny, beautiful Thursday! I’m finally feeling excited about Summer — because it’s finally starting to feel like Summer! & what is more summery & fun than an easy floral look using some very Summery shades?

On Tuesday, for National Nail Polish Day, I was invited to participate in a Zoom event with Essie Canada with Rita Remark, who is Essie’s global lead educator. This was my first opportunity participating in an event like this, & it was super fun to hear about Summer trends, & polish shades, manicure tips, & even follow a live tutorial on how to create a very cute (& very easy!) floral look created by Rita. They even sent each one of us who attended a selection of polishes so we could follow along while we watched!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Tangerine Tease
  • Essie Pucker Up
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie Blanc

How seriously adorable are these colours together? Two shades (Tangerine Tease & Pucker Up) are from the Summer 2021 collection, & the other two (Mint Candy Apple & Blanc) are core shades, but all 4 go so beautifully together to create this fun, groovy, poppy nail art look. I really love it!

In fact, I can already picture some more Summery nail art looks that I’ll be creating using these shades. I need some brightness in my life.

What do you think of this super cute, super easy nail art look? This was my first time following a live tutorial, & I think it turned out really awesome! Also stay tuned, because I’ll be sharing swatches of Tangerine Tease & Pucker Up! this weekend.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Color Club Evolution

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s another start to the week (& almost another month!) so that means another edition of Swatch Sunday! We’ve been having some beautiful sunny weather, so I was feeling something bright & colourful. I decided to go through my stash & settled on an oldie: Color Club Evolution.

2 coats, no top coat

As you can see, like so many of my Color Club polishes, I scored this beauty on clearance at my local Lawton’s. According to my Google research, Evolution was originally released as part of their Spring 2013 Kaleidoscope collection.

For my swatches, I only needed 2 coats of polish for full opacity. I loved how easily the polish applied on the nail — it also dried down very smoothly, even without top coat, which I always appreciate.

I’m really, really loving this shade. It’s very vibrant, which is perfect for this beginning of Summer time. I do love a good blue polish, & I feel like I’ve been wearing it a lot lately. It’s nice because it brightens things up quite a bit. It reminds me a bit of Essie In The Cab-ana, which has always been a favourite of mine. It’s not quite a dupe, I don’t think, but it’s a nice alternative.

I found this shade on nailpolishcanada.com for sale (& at a discounted price) so if you need this shade in your life that’s always an option. I’m not sure if it’s in Color Club’s regular rotation, so it might be harder to find in store.

What do you think about Color Club Evolution? Would you wear this bright vibrant blue? Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

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Blue, Mint & Purple Colour Block

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. We’re that much closer to the weekend, which is pretty exciting. Also how is this month almost over?

Wasn’t it just the beginning of May, like a week ago?

Today I’ve got a brand new look to share with you that was inspired by @nailsuponatime on Instagram. She recently posted a very pretty pastel geometric look, & I was inspired to fancy up my shorties with my own colour block look.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie All The Wave
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple (greener version)
  • Essie Worth The Tassel

First off, an apology for my rough looking cuticles. Trying to remember my cuticle oil during the day, but when it gets busy at work — & I mean BUSY — it definitely is the last thing I concentrate on haha.

Next up, it’s been a while since I attempted some freehanded straight lines like this, so I feel like they aren’t perfect. But I do love this colour combination. I always forget to wear Mint Candy Apple from Essie — I have both versions of it, & I do adore the colour, but for some reason always forget I own it. So silly.

What do you think about this colour combination & colour blocking? What colours are you loving right now? I’ve been feeling a lot of blues & purples right now (if you haven’t noticed) so I might have to kick up the neons really soon! It’s been too long.