(More) Autumn Abstract Stripes

*contains PR

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! & a chilly Wednesday at that. October is really speeding along, isn’t it?

Today I’m excited because I recently received some PR from Essie & they were more than generous sending me 25 polishes (!!!) from their regular line, Expressie line & Gel Couture line. Happy early birthday to me. So naturally, as soon as I received these shades I had to grab a few to do my nails with! & since it’s been a while since I rocked them, I decided to test out some new polishes with a little abstract stripe action.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base 
  • Base Coat: LA Colors Mega Grow Treatment 
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Expressie Feel The Hype
  • Essie Expressie Never Skip A Beat
  • Essie Expressie Power Moves
  • Essie Expressie Take A Breakdance
  • Essie Nail Art Studio Separated Starlight
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

Oh man, I’m so excited by new nail polish — it’s actually hard to convey via blog post, but expect to see a lot of Essie manicures over the next little while. There are some shades I received that I can’t wait to swatch for you!

What do you think about this Autumn abstract stripe design? Are you as excited for some fun Essie manicures to come? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Wednesday

♥︎

Vibrant Floral Shorties 🌱🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! We have another rainy one today, which is quite disappointing. But you know what can turn a lame, rainy day around? Cute floral nails!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Viva Antigua!
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Essie Muchi Muchi *gifted
  • Essie Play Date
  • Essie Willow in the Wind *gifted
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush *gifted

Yep! We’re back to some shorties again. At this point, it’s inevitable! I work in retail, & retail is rough on your nails! But I do kind of like these rounded shorties. & you know I am always going to love when I paint floral on my nails.

What do you think about this pretty floral? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Thursday 🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Muchi, Muchi

•contains pr/gifted product•

Hello lovelies & happy first Sunday of March. We have 17 days until it’s officially Spring, & I cannot wait for warmer days. So let’s channel some Spring vibes with a classic Essie shade: Muchi, Muchi.

3 coats + top coat

Okay, first thing first: three coats for this application, which is not ideal, but the formula is very thin so you need it to build it to escape a patchy, uneven application. I also found I needed top coat to really smooth it out which is a shame. But, the colour is really pale so that kind of comes with the territory.

But the colour is beautiful! This is giving really beautiful Spring vibes, & I’m all about it.

Look at that beautiful pink. The finish is so smooth — it took some work, but the end result is absolutely beautiful. We actually had some lovely Spring-like weather yesterday, so much so I got to wear one of my favourite Spring dresses! I could definitely get used to that. Thankfully, this week is looking pretty good temperature wise, so maybe we’re coming out on the other side of Winter. A girl can dream!

What do you think of Essie Muchi, Muchi? Do you have this classic Essie shade in your collection? What colours are you feeling drawn towards for the impending Spring-like days? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday ♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball

Hello loves & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend (& staying warm if you happen to be suffering under that arctic vortex taking over right now!) Today, I’m sharing a beautiful polish I can’t believe I haven’t swatched yet!

This is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball. I was originally gifted this by Sally Hansen in 2018 as part of their REDesign Collection, but as I was newly pregnant & constantly sick, I didn’t get a chance to swatch the whole collection. However, this shade found it’s way into Sally’s permanent CSM line up — & is still in rotation!

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful darkened plum is packed with a surprising red shimmer that looks beautiful depending on you move your fingers. It gives the polish a beautiful dimension which makes it more than just a simple purple nail polish. It was originally released as part of the Sally Hansen REDesign collection, but I was always confused by that as I don’t consider it a red (personally).

But it’s very, very pretty. & even after 5 years the formula in bottle is easy application perfection. Smooth, easy to build opacity. & thanks to those wide brushes, takes barely any time to apply at all. I also found the dry time, even before I applied my quick dry top coat, to be pretty speedy — I had no issues with polish bleeding onto my top coat brush when I applied it.

As mentioned, this shade is still in rotation (at least in Canada), & can be found with other Sally Hansen CSM polishes. For my fellow Canadians, Sally Hansen can be purchased c/o: Shoppers Drug Mart for $13.49 CAD. It can also be found on Amazon.ca. I’ve also seen it at my local Walmart as well.

Sadly, I didn’t find this shade listed on the actual Sally Hansen website, so I hope it’s not on the verge of being discontinued, because it really is stunning!

What do you think of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball? Is this a shade that you would wear on your own nails? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen CSM line? I do have quite a few of this line in my stash, & I’ve always been a fan.

Happy Sunday ♥︎

Easy Christmas Party Nails (with NailStuff.ca)

Contains PR/gifted product from NailStuff.ca

Good morning & happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their day. It’s windy, cold, & icy here — so I’m probably going to skate to work!

I know I don’t usually post on Thursdays, but I decided I wanted to try & squeeze in a few more manicures before Christmas! Today’s look is a super simple one, using another set of nail art stickers I received from NailStuff.ca.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Dimension Nails Pygmy Sloth (c/o: NailStuff.ca) — such a good shade for Christmas
  • NailStuff.ca Merry Christmas (Gold & White) Nail Art Sticker

First off… yes my nails are super short again. I have a break on my thumb down super low, so I had to trim it down to avoid disaster, so I trimmed them all down for a fresh start. I swear, the same thing happened this exact same time last year too.

But HOW CUTE are these stickers?! I thought this gold & white set would be perfect over my red base, & I was right! These are perfect for last minute party nails, or any occasion for a little extra pizazz (without a lot of extra time!)

What do you think about these quick & easy Christmas party nails? Do you like easy nail art designs with stickers? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Stay warm today! 🖤