Spring-y Pastel Sponge (Happy 8th Birthday Coffee & Nail Polish)

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday!

Sorry for being MIA this week, so far. It’s been rough — the kids have been & fighting some viruses which has led to a couple hospital trips. I actually originally had planned on posting this look yesterday, but spent the previous evening in the ER with my daughter (she’s fine!), & didn’t get home until 7am.

So not a lot of nail posting was happening yesterday. Just napping. & a very sleepy day at work.

But I did do these fun pastel sponging nails with the intention of sharing for my 8th Blog-iversary yesterday, so I really wanted to share these with you! Especially because they’re pretty, & springy, with just a sprinkling of holo glitter.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sun-showers
  • Sally Hansen MG She’ll-ebration
  • Londontown Lakur Mint No Chip
  • Essie Playdate
  • OPI Gelato on my Mind
  • China Glaze Fairy Dust
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge

Such an easy look to do, & I always love these spongy designs for Spring. They make a great base for other nail art designs, or they’re just pretty on their own! & a layer of China Glaze Fairy Dust is pretty much mandatory, especially when sunny days are expected.

I’ve been doing these sponge nails a long, long time. When I was looking for a nail design to celebrate my blog-iversary, I wanted a look I’ve been doing a while, & this one just felt right!

Can you believe this blog has been around for 8 years now? While I’ve been blogging since it became a thing, 2003 or so, I don’t think I’ve had a continuous blog for this long. So it’s so exciting! & here is to many more years—as many years to come as the internet will have me.

Have a lovely day 💕

Glam Nails Challenge March — Flames 🔥

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

A brand new week, (almost) a brand new month, & look at that… my nails are looking brand new too. Unfortunately, I had a pretty nasty break on my ring finger, so that means I’m back to rocking some serious shorties. But we have just two prompts left for Glam Nails Challenge March & I’m going to end this month strong!

The second to last prompt for this month is flames, which is a nail art design I have never, ever done. So I was both excited & nervous. Thankfully, I had some old flame nail vinyls, which made creating this look that much easier!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Hardener 
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Watermelon
  • Starrily Eclipse
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Trouble Maker
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush
  • URSugar Flame Nail Vinyls

How much fun are these holo flames? I was really feeling this base, & thought that this holo pink would be perfect for flames. I added the black tracing of the flames because I thought it would really emphasize the look of everything.

& I think it worked! The flames really pop against the nail. & I’m really happy with the outcome.

What do you think about these flame nails for Glam Nails Challenge March? Can you believe this month is almost over & we only have one prompt left?

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Infinite Shine The Sound of Vibrance (OPI Malibu Collection — Summer 2021)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today I’m excited because I’m sharing a fun purple OPI that I recently found at my local Winners. I love how I’ve been finding displays with full previous season collections, which I may have missed on the first go around. This is OPI The Sound of Vibrance that was released as part of the 2021 Malibu collection released last Summer.

3 coats, no top coat

The Sound of Vibrance is a beautiful pink toned purple with shimmery blue glow & small glitters. Obviously, I’m drawn to purple easily (heck, even my hair is purple!) but this one really caught my eye because of that glow. It gives me so many nail art colour combination ideas, but also — it just looks really pretty on its own.

The formula was a wee bit on the thinner side. It wasn’t 3 coats on every nail, but I did need to do 3 coats on a few nails when I had some patchiness. However, the polish levels on its own very easily. & the beautiful colour is definitely worse a few extra swipes of polish.

You can definitely see why this was a part of a Summer collection, because it’s giving me all the Summer-y, beauty vibes.

Also, lately, I’ve been really finding myself drawn to a lot of red polishes, so it was nice to go back to an old favourite colour, & remind myself that Summer is coming, even if these chilly rainy days are making me feel otherwise.

What do you think of The Sound of Vibrance & it’s beautiful colour? Did you get any shades from this Malibu collection for Summer 2021?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Yellow Spring Flower 🌻🌼

Hello lovelies & happy Friday!

It’s rainy, and yucky here, but it could be worse — it could be snow. So I will take the rain. Today I have a pretty floral look to share with you to brighten up your day. They’re a bit Sunflower-esque. This nail design was actually prompted by a co-worker of mine who told me I should do yellow nails with yellow flowers. & so this design was spawned.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Hardener 
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sun-Showers
  • Essie Check My Baggage
  • Essie Sandstone
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • China Glaze Autumn’s Up
  • China Glaze Loves You A Latte
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

These turned out so dainty & pretty, I love them.

Now that Spring is coming, I hope, I just want to wear all my florals. I’ve been breaking out my floral shirts, & even a few dresses on those warmer days. &, obviously, on my nails because floral nails always fit — even on snowy, or rainy, days.

What do you think about this yellow on yellow floral? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments, & let me know what floral you would like to see me do next!

Glam Nails Challenge March — Checkered 🏁

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

Today I’m excited because today’s prompt for Glam Nails Challenge March is checkered, & that’s a design I don’t think I’ve ever done in all the years I’ve been doing my nails. So I was very excited for this challenge, & decided to make it even more of a challenge by free-handing the whole look. Haha it’s not like I didn’t have a stamping plate I could have used. I just wanted to see if do it.

& instead of the classic black & white, I decided some Spring-y colours, & peak-a-book negative space, would be perfect.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sinful Colors Fit Chick
  • Sinful Colors Blue Me Away
  • Sinful Colors Fitspo
  • Sinful Colors Yolo Yellow
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

I picked up a few of these funky bright Sinful Colors shades at my local Walmart, 3 for $6, so I went with that colour scheme because it would be the most fun. Bright, funky & colourful! Perfect for these almost Spring days we’ve been having.

Also I’m really, really proud of how this freehanding turned out. I was very nervous to attempt something as complex & time consuming as this. But you know what, I’m really glad I did, because they turned out so freaking perfect.

What do you think about this checkered design? Are you feeling these bright, & colourful shades? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!