SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Orchid Around

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday!

& a bright, sunny, warm Sunday at that. Finally, it’s starting to feel like Spring. So naturally, I needed to pick out some kind of Spring-esque shade for this week’s Swatch Sunday polish pick.

After perusing my polish stash for a while, I decided on this pastel beauty from Sally Hansen: Orchid Around from the Xtreme Wear line.

2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

How pretty is this beautiful pastel is somewhere between pink & pale purple, with a very pretty shimmer which — sadly — is hard to actually see on the nail unless you’re really looking for it.

The formula was a good consistency & easily applied in 2 coats. I did need to apply top coat to smooth things out, as I found it had some streakiness, but since I always add top coat when I’m wearing nail polish anyways, it’s not a big deal — & definitely not a deal breaker.

You can see that pretty shimmer in my macro shot! I just wish it was more visible.

The colour is so perfect for Spring! & I’m always here for a pretty pastel shade to inspire warmed days. This would be the perfect base for some Easter nail art (which, is less than a month away!) I’ve always had good luck with the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line in terms of wearability, which is awesome because it’s a great affordable option.

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Orchid Around? Would you wear this shade for Spring? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Sunday! 🌸

Romantic Floral Accent Nails (featuring Essie)

Hello beauties & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s weekend was lovely, & for those still in the grips of Winter like myself, not too snowy. Today I have another Spring inspired manicure to distract myself from the snow.

For a while, I wasn’t really in a floral kind of mood. You might have noticed, though, things have changed because I’m feeling floral inspired again & loving it. Today is another floral accent nail look, this time featuring one of my all time favourite things to freehand: roses. Seriously, these feel so romantic & lovely, I just can’t get over how pretty they turned out. Like my last floral look, all the shades I used for this design are from my Essie collection.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Essie Cocktail Bling
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Mrs Always Right
  • Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie Gel Couture Zip Me Up
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

Come on… I mean, how pretty did those roses turn out? I seriously could have worn these nails for forever. Or, at least, a week. Which is basically like forever when it comes to me & nail art. I’m just so proud of how they turned out, & I’m already planning on more floral nails in the very near future. I mean, Winter doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere, so I guess I’ll just have to pretend on my nails.

What do you think of these romantic floral accent nails? Do you love them as much as I love them? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Have a lovely Tuesday. ♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — ORLY Desert Rose

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. It’s a sunny Sunday here, although the snow situation is a little depressing — Spring is definitely feeling far away. So I thought I would pick something Spring-y to wear on my nails for this week.

Today’s polish is one that I picked up a little while ago now, on a whim while making a NailPolishCanada purchase. I saw the colour & thought it was so pretty, so I added to cart: ORLY Desert Rose, originally released as part of the Neon Earth Collection for Summer 2018.

2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

Desert Rose is a beautiful vibrant coral pink, with reddish undertones. It plays a good balance between that coral feel and the red feel, which are probably two of my favourite colours to wear. The formula was really easy to apply, & went on smoothly, with a good self level. I did apply Seche Vite over which added some extra gloss, but that was because I was planning on wearing the shade & needed it to dry quickly.

This colour is definitely the vibrancy I need for these never ending snowy days. It’s the perfect brightness, & the colour is absolutely gorgeous. I looked back on Nail Polish Canada, but the listing is no longer available sadly (I think it was on clearance when I bought it), BUT I did find it on the official ORLY website for sale, so if you’re looking at this shade, it is still available for purchase through them.

What do you think about ORLY Desert Rose? Do you love this shade for Spring? Are you already dipping into your Spring shades? Let me know in the comments below!

Fuchsia Floral Accent Nails

Hello beauties & happy Thursday! I’ve been struck down by a cold from Hell, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show off some pretty (early) Spring nails — right? Especially since it’s supposed to be relatively warm today.

It feels like ions since I last did any floral. Floral has always been one of my favourite go to nail art looks, but I think I went through a floral rut for a while, because I was not inspired to do any on my nails. But I’m back, & I’m showing off the prettiest floral in hopes that Mother Nature gets the message.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Lilac Insomniac
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Ski Bunny
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Unicorn Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Wet My Thistle
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Me, My Elf & I
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

Okay, first off I apologize for my shitty pictures because I’ve been having photo troubles lately. My photo quality has been dipping dramatically, so I might switch back to just using my photo box & daytime lamp for a while to see if it makes a difference. Second — I’m so happy with how this look turned out! It definitely took some time to get the colouring right on the flower. But I decided not to go super complicated in the background. & I’m so happy with how cute they look!

What do you think of this floral look? Have you missed the floral as much as I did? Let me know down in the comments below!

L.O.V.E. nails (Happy Valentine’s Day!) 💗

Good morning loves & happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s a snowy Valentine’s Day here in Halifax, after a big dumping of snow. Not super impressed with the weather, but that won’t stop me from sharing my last Valentine’s Day look for this year! I really wanted to do more hearts — like accent hearts — but at the last second I decided to write L.O.V.E in the middle of them. & I’m obsessed.

They’re like heart shaped scrabble tiles! & I love it.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • QUO Beauty Velveteen
  • ACO by Ardene Flawless
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

I’m not sure why, but I really wants to do heart accent nails at the base of my nails. But when I finished my little pale pink hearts, they looked a little basic, so I decided to outline them in black — my go to for jazzing up a manicure. BUT THEN, I thought: what if I attempted to spell out Love in my hearts. It was a risk, but it turned out so awesome, so I couldn’t be happier!

What do you think about this love themed design? Do you like this simple nail art? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

I hope everyone has a happy Valentine’s Day, & if it’s not your thing then I hope you enjoy tomorrow which is 50% of chocolate day!

♥︎