Category: nail polish

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Blue on Blue Polka Dots 💙

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, & for my fellow Canadians, a relaxing long weekend! It’s finally starting to feel like Summer now, which I am absolutely here for. I mean, I could take a few more 20+ sunny days, but I’m a whimp when it comes to cold, so anything less than 12 degrees feels like Winter to me.

Today I’m show off some simple blue polka dot nails. As I mentioned in my last post, I’m rocking some serious shorties again, so my nail art inspiration is a little lacking right now. But polka dots always make me feel better!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Avon Vintage Blue
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Blue

Oh wow, these nails are short. & just when they were really starting to get long again. It’s always my middle finger, on either hand, misbehaving. Ah well, I’d been thinking about a short return to square nails, so this is the perfect excuse.

& now I just need some serious nail art inspiration. I have a few days off coming up, so I’m going to try & come up with some fun & funky nail art looks to share! Time for a deep dive through my Instagram saved folder & Pinterest.

What do you think about this simple blue on blue polka dots? Are you feeling this kind of look? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! & share what nail art looks you might want to see coming up, perfect for short nails!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Yves Saint Laurent Violine Surrealiste

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today we’re starting off a brand new week with another polish swatch: Yves Saint Laurent Violine Surrealiste. I’ve had this shade a long, long time in my stash, but I’ve never done a legit swatch post for it, & it’s such a fun shade for (almost) Summer, so I wanted to share!

3 coats + Essie Gel Setter

Originally, this shade was gifted to me circa 2014 by a family friend, along with a great selection of other YSL nail polish shades. I think it was originally released in 2013, but I’m not 100% sure.

The formula itself is crelly-like — it’s not quite a jelly, & not quite cream. I applied 3 thin coats for full opacity, although you could probably get away with two with just a hint of visible nail line. Obviously you can see my nails are very short right now, so I don’t have very much nail line going on. That being sad, I liked the almost gel like finish I got with 3 coats, finishing off with my Essie Gel Setter.

I’m not going to lie, trying to photograph this colour was a bit tricky, but I think I captured it the most accurately. I really do love this fuchsia shade a lot as well — it’s a beautiful much needed pop of colour that my itty bitty nubs need badly. I’ve been really uninspired since I broke my nail & had to file the rest down, but this colour makes me very happy! & hopefully I’ll feel like some real nail art very soon!

What do you think about this gorgeous vibrant shade? Are you a fan of YSL nail polishes? Would you like to see more shades from my collection? Let me know in the comments below!

Sadly this particular shade is no longer available, as far as I could find, but you can find a ton of other gorgeous shades via YSLbeauty.ca if you’re in the mood for some high end nail polish!

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Mermaid Gradient Nails

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday!

How is it almost the weekend again? I’m not complaining, it’s just crazy how this weekend is speeding by. & it’s Victoria Day weekend here in Canada, which has always felt like the kick off to Summer to me! Of course it’s going to be a rainy mess all weekend here in Halifax, but you can’t win them all.

Today I’m sharing some very fun, very Summer-y nails. I’ve been saying forever that I needed to order some new mermaid nail vinyls, so when I placed my Mother’s Day order at Beyond The Nail, I made sure to include some mermaid nail guides in there!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat
  • Beyond the Nail Blazing Blush
  • Beyond the Nail Honeymoon
  • Beyond the Nail Auburgine
  • Beyond the Nail Mermaid Scale Nail Guides
  • Latex free make up sponge (I buy mine from Dollarama)

Okay, so I know I call pretty much every manicure I do my favourite, but seriously just look at this design. I’m obsessed!

I decided to go all out with a gradient (another look I haven’t done in a while) for my scale base, then added my Aubergine over top. & I am so freaking in love with how these three polishes look together. Seriously— I wore this design for three whole days, before I snapped my middle finger nail clean off. Plus the combo totally matches my current hair colour combo.

I can’t even begin to explain my love for this look. I also really like the mermaid scale guides because they were super easy to use, & they’re quite large so I managed to split them so I could use one guide per 2 nails. That makes me so happy!

What do you think about these bright & colourful mermaid nails? Does this design scream Summer to you? Have you done mermaid nails in a while? Let me know down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Beyond The Nail Blazing Blush

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today I’m excited because I have a fun bright shade to share with you that I picked up for myself for Mother’s Day: Beyond the Nail Blazing Blush. (I also picked up Aubergine & some mermaid & chevron vinyls!) I was really drawn to this soft neon pink, & thought it would be perfect for our impending Summer months!

2 coats, no top coat.

Blazing Blush is described as “a delicate pink shade with a hot pink attitude!” & honestly, I can totally see it. The polish itself is a beautiful cream formula with this underlying glow. I love that this isn’t quite a neon & isn’t quite a neon — it’s like the perfect combination of both! It also glows under UV/Blacklight, which is pretty cool.

I’m not usually drawn to pink as a first choice of polish, but I really loved Blazing Blush which is why I had to have it. It really is a great option for Summer — I’m already picturing pedicures & nail art. Also look how freaking tan this makes me look! I love any polish that gives me an instant tan.

All of Beyond the Nail shades are available via their website, as well as nail vinyls & decals, & some other neat items! All polishes are hand mixed & Canadian!

What do you think about this fun bright pink? Would you wear Blazing Blush? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Red, Navy & White

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! Can’t believe this week is going by so quickly. But also, I have the next two days off work so I have big BIG plans. Cupboard organizing plans. It’s very exciting.

But first, how about some nail art? That’s what you’re all here for, right?

I finally decided to pull out my nail vinyls, because it’s been a while, haha. I was feeling coral/red with some stripe-y accent nails, so that’s exactly what I did. Actually I was inspired by this look after some Pinterest-ing, & thought it was be an excellent nail art combo.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Illamasqua Aorta
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod!
  • Essie After School Boy Blazer
  • SnailVinyls straight nail vinyls (multiple thickness)

Such a classic combo, & I really like it. I feel like I’ve been neglecting my vinyls so much so it was nice to pull them out again. Plus I could never even attempt to freehand lines this straight. I also really like how simple this colour combo is, but that the red gives you that bright pop of colour. It’s definitely a fun combination. I might not wear a head to toe coral suit with striped shirt, but I can definitely achieve a similar look in my nails!

What do you think about this look? Wojld you wear a combination like this? Let me know in the comments below. & speaking of nail vinyls — I just stocked up on some mermaid vinyls from Beyond the Nail, so stay tuned for some fun mermaid nails to come!