Category: NOTD

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Pink & Cactus 🌵🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! It’s hot & balmy here on the East coast (our second day of heat warnings) but that’s exactly my kind of weather. As someone who is always cold, I live for this kind of weather! So I though, why not paint some bright, poppy nails to match the weather!

It’s been way too long since I rocked some cactus print nails, & I thought they would look gorgeous over a base of Essie Pucker Up.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Pucker Up
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie Watermelon
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

Oh man, these are so bright & colourful! They are definitely giving me Summer vibes. I got so many compliments on them at work as well (which always makes me feel awesome). I’m also not sure why I haven’t painted any cactus nails in a while, but it was definitely an oversight. I won’t be waiting this long again!

What do you think about this cactus pattern look?

I’m absolutely loving this Essie shade, which is from their Summer 2021 collection! I had planned to share swatches this past Sunday, but real life got in the way. So hopefully this coming weekend!

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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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Neon Chevron Moons (Happy National Nail Polish Day!)

Hello lovelies — happy June 1st! & happy National Nail Polish Day!

Here we are, almost at Summer! Can you believe it?

I feel like May has really, really sped by. Which is crazy, considering we spent it in lockdown here. But it’s officially June, things are finally starting to open up, & it’s also National Nail Polish Day. So far, everything about June is looking up!

In honour of my new favourite holiday, I decided I needed to do one of my favourite designs, in some bright crazy colours. It’s been ages since I wore any kind of chevron moon, so it was long overdue. & who doesn’t love some neon!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • China Glaze Shocking Pink
  • China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy
  • Beyond The Nail Half Chevron Vinyl Nail Guides

Hello brightness, my old friend. It’s been ages since I wore anything this neon, & it’s been way overdue. Also it gave me a reason to test out my new half chevron vinyls I picked up from Beyond the Nail a few weeks back. I’m actually really loving the shape of them, because I feel like they give me a really good chevron shape — sometimes I get frustrated with vinyls that are a bit more rounded, & you end up with more of a half moon than a chevron moon. These look great though, & we’re super easy to use!

What do you think of my mani pick for National Nail Polish Day? Do you have plans to celebrate today? I do—but they’re top secret! I promise I’ll be able to share soon though!

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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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FASHION FRIDAY — A Walk Down Memory Lane

Hello lovely & happy Friday! It feels like absolutely forever since I posted anything Fashion Friday. Winter did not inspire me in the least. But now the days are warmer & I’ve been feeling inspired to dress up again.

So truth be told, I’m a bit of an emotional clothes hoarder. I hold on to clothing the way some people hold onto photo albums — I revisit them, remembering the people & moments attached to them. I love pulling out old clothes I haven’t worn in a while, just to take a quick walk down memory lane. So just for fun, I decided to pull a few dresses from lifetimes past, & do a quick then & now.

Continue reading “FASHION FRIDAY — A Walk Down Memory Lane”