SWATCH SUNDAY — Yves Saint Laurent Violine Surrealiste

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today we’re starting off a brand new week with another polish swatch: Yves Saint Laurent Violine Surrealiste. I’ve had this shade a long, long time in my stash, but I’ve never done a legit swatch post for it, & it’s such a fun shade for (almost) Summer, so I wanted to share!

3 coats + Essie Gel Setter

Originally, this shade was gifted to me circa 2014 by a family friend, along with a great selection of other YSL nail polish shades. I think it was originally released in 2013, but I’m not 100% sure.

The formula itself is crelly-like — it’s not quite a jelly, & not quite cream. I applied 3 thin coats for full opacity, although you could probably get away with two with just a hint of visible nail line. Obviously you can see my nails are very short right now, so I don’t have very much nail line going on. That being sad, I liked the almost gel like finish I got with 3 coats, finishing off with my Essie Gel Setter.

I’m not going to lie, trying to photograph this colour was a bit tricky, but I think I captured it the most accurately. I really do love this fuchsia shade a lot as well — it’s a beautiful much needed pop of colour that my itty bitty nubs need badly. I’ve been really uninspired since I broke my nail & had to file the rest down, but this colour makes me very happy! & hopefully I’ll feel like some real nail art very soon!

What do you think about this gorgeous vibrant shade? Are you a fan of YSL nail polishes? Would you like to see more shades from my collection? Let me know in the comments below!

Sadly this particular shade is no longer available, as far as I could find, but you can find a ton of other gorgeous shades via YSLbeauty.ca if you’re in the mood for some high end nail polish!

Mermaid Gradient Nails

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday!

How is it almost the weekend again? I’m not complaining, it’s just crazy how this weekend is speeding by. & it’s Victoria Day weekend here in Canada, which has always felt like the kick off to Summer to me! Of course it’s going to be a rainy mess all weekend here in Halifax, but you can’t win them all.

Today I’m sharing some very fun, very Summer-y nails. I’ve been saying forever that I needed to order some new mermaid nail vinyls, so when I placed my Mother’s Day order at Beyond The Nail, I made sure to include some mermaid nail guides in there!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat
  • Beyond the Nail Blazing Blush
  • Beyond the Nail Honeymoon
  • Beyond the Nail Auburgine
  • Beyond the Nail Mermaid Scale Nail Guides
  • Latex free make up sponge (I buy mine from Dollarama)

Okay, so I know I call pretty much every manicure I do my favourite, but seriously just look at this design. I’m obsessed!

I decided to go all out with a gradient (another look I haven’t done in a while) for my scale base, then added my Aubergine over top. & I am so freaking in love with how these three polishes look together. Seriously— I wore this design for three whole days, before I snapped my middle finger nail clean off. Plus the combo totally matches my current hair colour combo.

I can’t even begin to explain my love for this look. I also really like the mermaid scale guides because they were super easy to use, & they’re quite large so I managed to split them so I could use one guide per 2 nails. That makes me so happy!

What do you think about these bright & colourful mermaid nails? Does this design scream Summer to you? Have you done mermaid nails in a while? Let me know down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Beyond The Nail Blazing Blush

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today I’m excited because I have a fun bright shade to share with you that I picked up for myself for Mother’s Day: Beyond the Nail Blazing Blush. (I also picked up Aubergine & some mermaid & chevron vinyls!) I was really drawn to this soft neon pink, & thought it would be perfect for our impending Summer months!

2 coats, no top coat.

Blazing Blush is described as “a delicate pink shade with a hot pink attitude!” & honestly, I can totally see it. The polish itself is a beautiful cream formula with this underlying glow. I love that this isn’t quite a neon & isn’t quite a neon — it’s like the perfect combination of both! It also glows under UV/Blacklight, which is pretty cool.

I’m not usually drawn to pink as a first choice of polish, but I really loved Blazing Blush which is why I had to have it. It really is a great option for Summer — I’m already picturing pedicures & nail art. Also look how freaking tan this makes me look! I love any polish that gives me an instant tan.

All of Beyond the Nail shades are available via their website, as well as nail vinyls & decals, & some other neat items! All polishes are hand mixed & Canadian!

What do you think about this fun bright pink? Would you wear Blazing Blush? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Holo Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday.

The sun is shining, the weather is warm, & I got to wear a dress yesterday. That’s about all the good from this week, & exactly what I’m going to concentrate on. & you know what else warm sunny days mean? More holo! Because there is nothing better than sunshine & holo.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • China Glaze BFF
  • Color Club Eternal Beauty
  • China Glaze OMG
  • China Glaze IDK
  • Essie Go Ginza
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

I am absolutely smitten with how this look turned out. Yes, I’m a bit holo obsessed, but I a world full of chaos & sadness, we need a little sparkle every once in a while. This look was also super, super easy to do which I’ve been appreciating more & more lately. A few quick but steady stripes of polish & you’re in business! Looks way more complicated than it truly is.

What do you think about my holo stripes? Would you wear a look like this? What holo polishes would you combine? Let me know in the comments below!