Category: nail polish

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Black & White X-pattern Nails ✖️

Happy Tuesday lovelies! Anyone else currently attempting to survive the heat? Thank goodness for air conditioning because I haven’t really had to deal with the humidity much. Never thought I would be happy to spend 95% of my day at work, but if it keeps me from being sweaty I’m all for it!

Today I’ve got the day off though, & I’m showing off a fun design I wore for 3 days last week. You know I’m in love with a design when I wear it for more than a day, & I really loved this look! Seriously, I probably would have worn it longer, but my nails started chipping at work & I couldn’t deal.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen CSM Let’s Snow
  • Essie Frock ‘N Roll
  • Xroma Polish & Vinyls X-Pattern Nail Stencils
  • Make Up Sponge

How cute is this look?! This was the last of my x-pattern vinyls, so I’m definitely going to need to pick up some more ASAP. I’ve tried to freehand this look before but it looks way better when it’s done with vinyls (oh, & takes WAY less time too!) Also even though Essie Frock ‘N Roll isn’t technically a black polish, it looks close enough & works so perfectly over my white base. I love wearing black & white nail designs & pairing them with a bright & colourful outfit.

So what do you think about this black & white design? What are you wearing on your nails this week? Share down below! ♥️

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Seas the Day

Good Morning Lovelies & Happy Sunday. Today I’m sharing another red polish because I’ve recently been LOVING wearing red polish!

Today’s red shade of choice is China Glaze Seas the Day which is from the Summer 2014 Off Shore collection. This was the first full nail polish collection I ever purchased (thank you Winners clearance section) & even 4 years later I’m still loving these shades.

Seas the Day is a vibrant cherry red polish that applied well in 2 coats (+ top coat.) Like most reds, I find you can still see a hint of nail line, but the application was smooth & covered well. The pink undertones means that this shade leans different in different light–sometimes it looks more pink, sometimes it looks more coral. It reminds me a bit of Revlon Cherries in the Snow although that polish seems to lean more pink than Seas the Day. & now I’m wishing I had thought to do an official comparison between the two!

As I’ve mentioned before, red polish is one of my favourites. I’ve managed to accumulate quite the collection over the years thanks to literally only wearing red nail polish between 2003 – 2006. Even though my nail polish repertoire has increased since then (& love of nail art has grown!) my heart still swells for a good red polish. & this is a beautiful red! ♥️

Do you have a favourite red polish? Do you have a nail polish colour that you used to wear religiously? Let me know down below which colour you love the best! & let me know what shades you’d love to see me feature on here for Swatch Sunday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Let’s Snow

Good Morning Lovelies! It’s Sunday, so you know what that means… it’s Swatch Sunday! & today I’m sharing one of my favourite white polishes at the moment: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Let’s Snow.

I picked up this polish at my local Lawton’s (another clearance find) for the amazing price of only 99 cents! I thought maybe that meant it was a discontinued polish because of the amazing price, but you can still find it on Amazon & Sally Hansen so I’m not 100% sure. I think maybe I just got really lucky, which I’m happy about because I’m definitely going to need back up bottles of this shade in my stash.

For today’s swatches, I used 2 coats + top coat. (Right now my top coat of choice is Essie Speed Setter.)

I find white polish can be tricky, because it can come off looking streaky or chalky. Let’s Snow definitely needs two coats for opacity & adding top coat just levels it perfectly. Before top coat, I found if slightly streaky. A third coat of could have fixed that out, but I figured top coat would be an easier option & it was.

Also the brushes on the Complete Salon Manicure bottles are love. Seriously. I need every bottle of nail polish to apply so easily & perfectly.

Let’s Snow is definitely a true white, with no other undertones. I would call it a paper white, which is probably why it’s my current favourite go-to white for nail art–it’s the perfect black canvas. But I also like the fact it’s a very wearable white! You can use it for creating beautiful nail art, or you can just wear it on its own. From my own personable experience, that is a fine line to achieve. So when I find a white that does both, I automatically fall in love with it. Hence my current obsession with this shade!

If you’re looking for a great white in your life, I definitely recommend searching out this Sally Hansen shade & adding it to your stash. The formula is easy to apply, the brush is perfection, & this is a white that isn’t going to be chalky or streaky once applied. I definitely do recommend adding top coat though, just because it leads to a more perfect finish.

So what’s your favourite white nail polish? Do you prefer white polish on its own or as a base for nail art? Let me know what your favourite is down in the comments below!

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Mermaid Nails

It feels like ages since I last pulled out my mermaid stencils for some mermaid nails. The other night I was playing with some new flakies from NailStuff.ca & after looking at them on my nails, I couldn’t help but think they would make an amazing base for a mermaid nail design! I’ve had this mermaid tail idea floating around a while, so I grabbed some more vinyls from What’s Up Nails (I believe it’s suppose to be a whale tail) & have it a go.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • FingerPaints Fun Peel Off Base Coat (to apply flakies)
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Ocean Daze
  • NailStuff.ca Flakies — these guys aren’t currently available but there is a huge selection here!
  • What’s Up Nails Scale Stencils
  • What’s Up Nails Whale & Tale Stencils
  • Color Club Eternal Beauty
  • Layla Cosmetics Mermaid Spell
  • Color Club Crystal Baller
  • Wrenn Polish Mesmerizing
  • Wrenn Polish Summer Sands
  • NailStuff.ca Summer Nail Wheel — Silver seahorse stud

This design didn’t quite turn out how I pictured on my head, but that’s mostly the tail look on my ring finger. I really wish it was bigger. I do however love the holo scales over the flakie base just makes me so happy! I also wish I had done that look on the majority of my fingers with just the stud being my accent! (& if I had more of these nail vinyls left, I probably would have… going to need to buy some more ASAP!)

Also holo & flakies have to be the most beautiful combination. Definitely trying out these flakies OVER holo next!

What do you think of this mermaid nail design? Are you a fan of the holo & flakie combo? Let me know what you think down in the comments below! 🧜🏼‍♀️

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SWATCH SUNDAY — New Essence “Out of Space Stories” Shades

Happy Swatch Sunday lovelies. Today is an exciting day because I have a few brand new Essence shades to share with you that I just discovered!

I didn’t even know they were coming out with any new polishes in the Out of Space Stories line, but I was out at Shoppers checking out the Polish section & discovered these two beauties tucked in a display off on its own with a few other Essence products. Naturally, I had to buy both to add them to my collection. (So it would be complete!) Not going to lie, it feels like absolute ages since Shoppers has had any new fun Essence collections–limited edition or otherwise–so this was a very happy discovery!

Now onto the swatches!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — New Essence “Out of Space Stories” Shades”