SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Expressie IRL

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful sunny Sunday, that is supposed to be quite warm. Spring has officially sprung, & I just want to keep soaking it in. Today, I decided to grab a pretty polish I was gifted by my daughter for Christmas. She knows how’s much I adore purple, so she picked up this pretty polish for me at her school Gift Mart.

This is Essie Expressie IRL.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful grape purple is smooth & easy to apply. I had almost full opacity in one coat, but I did find I struggled a smidge with the brush, so I needed a second coat to perfect my application — especially around the cuticle line. I found I had some weird lines with my first swipe, just because the brush, so I needed to go back in to smooth everything. The end result, though, was a pretty perfect looking manicure.

The cream formula dries quiet, although I did find the shine a bit flat, but a quite swipe of Seche Vive fixed that.

The colour is so purple! Which I love. Honestly, with the exception of the kind of wonky brush–which could be a defect with this bottle as I can’t remember having this issue with my other bottles of Expressie–I have no complaints about this polish! & I just love the colour.

Essie Expressie IRL is part of the core collection, so if you’re looking for this shade you can find it anywhere that Essie shades are sold– for example, I found it listed at Shoppers Beauty for $14.99 CAD, Walmart Canada for $10.96 CAD, Amazon.ca for $10.96 CAD, & for my American friends, on Target.com for $9.99 USD.

What do you think about Essie IRL? Do you love this purple polish as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday ♥︎

Fun Pastel Abstract Nails

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday!

I hope you’re having the most wonderful week so far. It’s surprisingly chilly today, albeit sunny, so I’ll try to enjoy that. Today I have a fun nail art look I created on a whim, that I couldn’t wait to share. Abstract nails are such an easy nail art look to do, because there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do them. You just basically get to throw some polish on your nails, & you end up with something fun! I love manicures like that.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Tutu At The Ballet
  • Essie Muchi Muchi
  • OPI Infinite Shine Sickeningly Sweet
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Gloss-Sea
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • Quo Beauty Stormy Night
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

How much fun! I’m not sure what kind of art I was going for, but these kind of remind me of like early 90s TV opening. A fun look to wear.

What do you think about these fun abstract nails? Would you wear this look? Let me know what abstract design you enjoy the most? Share all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Pretty Spring Dotticure 🌸

Good morning & happy March 1st.

It’s an absolutely frigid March 1st here on the East Coast of Canada. I am basically an icicle right now. So let’s try the encourage some warmer, Spring weather with some Spring vibes on our nails I’m always feeling a dotticure, so I decided that a pinky/purple one was just what I needed.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top 
  • Essie Muchi, Muchi
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art Pen in Purple

Another super easy dainty dotticure using my I ❤️ Nail Art Pen in Purple. The dark purple over the soft pink is such a romantic combination. I think when we get a bit closer to Easter, I’m going to do a skittle version of this design in Easter-y colours. I’m also thinking I’m going to take on Glam Nails Challenge March this month, as the prompts look awesome for this month, & just what I need to pull me out of my nail art blahs.

What do you think of this teeny tiny dotticure? Do you like this colour combination? My little girl was so in love with my polka dots, she got me to do the same design on her nails (but with the opposite colour scheme.)

Have a beautiful Friday! ♥︎

Purple & Turquoise Wavy Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! It’s a rainy Wednesday here, which is a tad disappointing. But I have some fun vibrant nails to share to shake things up a smidge because I’m so over Winter, & I want all the bright colour.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top 
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Craze
  • Essie Expressie FX Iced Out
  • Essie In the Cab-Ana
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

These were super simple to create. I started with my shimmery purple base, then just drew some wavy lines in a brighter, lighter shade overtop. So easy!

What do you think of these purple & turquoise wavy lines? It’s an easy look to do, but definitely catches the eye. I’m still trying to create fun nails, but lacking in inspiring (even after perusing Pinterest for far too long) but hopefully as the days get warmer, I’ll feel more like painting my nails & creating fun looks!

Enjoy your Wednesday loves! ♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear With The Beet

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you all survived your week okay. Can you believe that February is almost over? This year is speeding by quickly, which is kind of insane — but I’m definitely looking forward to Spring.

Today though, I’m sharing a shade that has been in my stash for ages but I’ve never swatched. This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in With The Beet.

2 coats + top coat

I wish I knew when this shade was originally released (I know I’ve had it for a few years) but it is still in current rotation as part of the Xtreme Wear core collection.

This beautiful berry shade has a great glossy formula that builds to full opacity in 2 coats. This dark shade is a nice mix between a purple & a burgundy, which is kind of the best of both worlds in terms of shades I love.

Look at that colour! It’s just beautiful! I don’t know why, but when my nails are extra short like this I tend to feel more drawn towards darker shades as I just feel like they look more classy, or something. I did end up painting some really pretty floral over this base that I can’t wait to share with you, so stay tuned for that!

What do you think about this beautiful shade from Sally Hansen? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line? What is your favourite shade? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Have a beautiful Sunday 🖤