Category: NOTD

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Bare With Me

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. I hope everyone had a wonderful week — & is ready for the new month! I truly can’t believe it’s almost August. Wasn’t it just June? This Summer is definitely speeding by & I’m trying to soak in every sun soaked moment.

After a whole lot of neon, though, I thought I’d switch things up a bit with a more neutral shade. I recently picked up 2 new shades at my local Shoppers Drug Mart that were on clearance for $2! As soon as I saw this blushy neutral I knew I needed it in my collection.

2 coats + top coat

According to my internet research, Essie Bare With Me was released in 2017 as part of the Wild Nudes collection — & is now, sadly, discontinued. Online, it’s described as an apricot, but I feel it’s more pinky/blushy myself.

The formula was easy to apply & smooth, & dried down without much patchiness. I did smooth things a bit with top coat, but it does dried relatively shiny on its own. I just much prefer my nail polish with top coat.

Bare With Me is a very complimentary to my own skin tone, which I really like. It’s nice & subtle — which is not a look I tend to go for, but sometimes you just need to switch things up. I actually ended up wearing this shade for a few days with a coat of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Moonlit Top Coat over it, & it looks absolutely gorgeous together.

Unfortunately, like I said, this shade has been discontinued— probably why I scored it for $2 — but if you do track it down it’s definitely a lovely soft shade to have in your collection. I also think it’ll make a great base for some naked, but not really naked, floral designs.

What do you think of Essie Bare With Me? Do you like a good neutral shade on occasion? What is your personal favourite neutral to wear? Let me know down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

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Neon Stained Glass (featuring Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 90s Collection)

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Hello lovelies & happy Friday! It’s a fantastic Friday here… especially since the countdown to our family vacation has officially hit one week, & I could not be more excited! It’s also been hot & beautiful this week, meaning I’m all about the neon. Good thing I reverently received a fun package from Sally Hansen, huh? I wanted to create a beautiful stained glass inspired look since the formula on the shades I received would be perfect for it… & I was not disappointed.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen MG Toadally Buggin’
  • Sally Hansen MG Did I Blue That?
  • Sally Hansen MG Nostalchick
  • Sally Hansen MG Beet Me At The Mall
  • Sally Hansen MG Mixtape
  • Sally Hansen Instadri Ghouls Night Out
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Liner Brush

I’m not going to lie, I’m absolutely obsessed with this nail art look. I wore it from Tuesday to Thursday, & was actually sad to take it off! This is not my first version of this design, but it might be my most favourite I’ve done.. at least in a while! The colours blended so beautifully together, & I think my lines turned out really good. Anytime I freehand a clean line manicure, I always feel some crazy pride!

Especially since it doesn’t always happen, haha.

What do think of this fun stained glass look? Are you feeling the neon shades this weekend? Would you wear a bright & eye-catching look like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Summer Dress Inspired Floral 🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. What is the weather doing where you are? We’ve been hot & balmy on the East Coast, a big difference from the torrential rainstorm we had on the weekend. I’m definitely happy for brighter weather.

I’m also super excited to show off today’s nail art look. You know the saying “nail art inspiration can come from anywhere”? Well I definitely took that to heart with this nail art look. Recently, I took my daughter thrifting & found the sweetest Summer dress for her, & the second I saw it, I knew I was going to need to do some nail art inspired by it. I’m a sucker for anything floral, & the simple sweet pattern was too cute not to do on my nails!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat
  • Essie White Page
  • Sally Hansen Instadri Ghouls Night Out
  • Essie Frilly Lillies
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Peony Origins
  • Sally Hansen GKP Love You Lotus
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (11mm liner brush)
  • Dotting Tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

How cute is this look! I’ll be honest, this wasn’t a super complicated design to paint, but it was a little time consuming… especially trying to make sure my horizontal stripes were straight. &, as you can see from my pointer, I wasn’t completely successful in that regard. But I think this design turned out just like my inspiration, so that’s a win in my books! Such a sweet, pretty design to match my sweet little girl.

What do you think about this floral design? Do you like this line & floral design? Where do you find inspiration for your own nail art looks? Let me know down in the comments, & enjoy your Wednesday!

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Essie Summer Abstract Stripes

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Hello loves & happy Monday! Another new week… & crazily enough, the last full week of July. This month is almost… over? That’s kind of crazy. This Summer is definitely not dragging, that’s not for sure.

Even though I can see Autumn vibes sneaking into stores, I’m still in full Summer mode! So I have another bright & colourful design to share with you. I haven’t shared any design with the beautiful Essie shades I were gifted last month, so I thought it would be by time to share another. & yes… we’re doing another abstract stripes design. This has become my go to when I’m lacking inspiration, & I truly don’t see that changing any time soon.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat
  • Essie Cute As A Button
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie Blanc
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (I used the 11mm liner brush — it’s been my go to lately)

I really, really like these colours together. Not only are they super bright, & vibrant, but they compliment each other really well. I’ve been doing this look for over 7 years, & it still hasn’t gotten old to me. I feel like this is a look that is super accessible to most people, because no matter what your nail art level, you can totally do this design. Seriously! I recommend anyone looking for a fun & easy nail art design to give this one a try. You won’t be disappointed.

What do you think about these Summery Abstract stripes? Have you tried this design yet? What colour combination would you choose? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 90s Collection (& new Miracle Gel Top Coats)

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Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re ready, because I have quite the swatch heavy post ready for you today. As I’ve previously mentioned, I was gifted part of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 90s collection, & I’m really excited to share these shades with you!

As a child of the 90s, this collection hits me right in the nostalgia. So I was pumped to be able to share these shades with you. The actual collection contains 8 funky 90s inspired shades, & I have 5 of them to share today! I was also lucky enough to receive two of the new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel special effects top coats, to add a little extra sparkle to your manicure.

These limited edition 90s shades can be found wherever you buy Sally Hansen. I’ve found them at my local Shoppers Drug Mart & Walmart stores — both in special edition displays.

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