Holiday Inspired Red & Gold Velvet Dotticure

Hello loves & happy Friday!

It’s officially (pretty much) the weekend which means I’m in full holiday haze. It also means, I have been thinking about holiday manicures a lot. Even though I no longer attend many holiday parties — I’m more of a homebody these days — that doesn’t mean I don’t mind if my nails have somewhere special to go.

Today’s look is totally something I would wear to a fun holiday party, paired with the perfect little black dress.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Santee Magnetic 04 Metallic Tropical Rose
  • Starrily Magnetic Wand
  • Santee Magnetic 21 Sand Burst
  • Smallest sized dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

First off, I apologize for how difficult these were to photograph. Apparently using flash on these particular magnetic base gave it almost this blurry effect in some pictures.

I’ve had these magnetics in my stash for… a while haha. Apparently I picked them up for 99 cents at my local Lawton’s on clearance… & just never tried them out! I used my Starrily Magnetic Want, & it gave this red base the coolest crushed velvet effect. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I wish I had pulled them out sooner.

What do you think about these holiday nails — are they giving you Christmas vibes? We have our first Tax Free Event this weekend at work, & it’s going to be crazy, so I need all the festive spirit I can get! I would much rather be drinking egg nog & nibbling on Christmas cookies with my pretty nails.

Enjoy your weekend loves, however whatever you’ve got planned. 🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — ORLY Color Blast Garnet Luxe Shimmer

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Is it too early to start sharing some very holiday appropriate nail polish shades? I mean — the holiday parties are already starting, aren’t they? So some jewel inspired red nail polish is just what I need in my life. Today’s pick is another oldie from the stash, from the now defunct ORLY Color Blast line: Garnet Luxe Shimmer.

2 coats, no top coat!

This stunning shimmery cherry red applied to the nail beautifully in two smooth coats. The formula was smooth, & easy to apply, & self levelled without any need for top coat. It also had a beautiful shine without any need for top coat.

This shade is 100% a Christmas red if I ever saw one. I’m not even sure where I originally picked this polish up — I don’t see a Winners/Marshall’s tag on it, so I’m assuming (maybe) Sally Beauty, but I honestly don’t remember. All I know is it is a great red, & I’m sure happy to have it as part of my collection.

Sadly, as mentioned, the Color Blast line is no longer in production — however I did find a few similar ORLY shades on their website which are very similar: Stronger than Ever, Crawford’s Wine, & Cran-Barely Believe It. I only have Stronger Than Ever in my own stash, so I’ll have to do a comparison to see how close they really are!

What do you think of ORLY Color Blast Garnet Luxe Shimmer? Are you feeling the holiday vibes with this shimmery red polish? Are you ready to jump head first into all the Christmas/Holiday polishes I can share?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Black & Red Chevron Claws 🔪🩸

Hello loves — it’s Friday. I hope everyone has had a not too stressful week.

I’m definitely excited for this weekend, as there is a big Halloween celebration where I work & I plan on dressing up as Wonder Woman for work. Haven’t decided on the manicure yet, though.

Today though, I have a simple design that could definitely be used as a Halloween look. I wanted some black & red Chevron claws & I’m so happy with how they turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Red Carpet
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • Snail Nails Deep V chevron vinyls

I had a bit of an internal debate over whether to do black or red for the chevrons themselves, but I’m quite happy with how this look turned out! I always love a chevron moon design, especially chevron claws. They’re fun, & look especially good when my nails are at a longer length.

It’s also a pretty simple design to do, as long as you have the patience to wait for your base to dry fully.

What do you think about my chevron claws? Do you like this combination of black & red — does it give you Halloween vibes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to binge the new Blink 182 album. Happy Friday. 🖤

Autumn Abstract Stripes🍂🍁

Hello lovelies & happy Monday. & happy Labour Day! I hope everyone is enjoying this last long weekend of Summer. I’m getting excited because back-to-school is just a few days away, & I’m pumped that my days off during the week will actually feel like days off!

Today I’m showing off all the Fall vibes, with some abstract stripes featuring some China Glaze autumn shades from collections past.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Quo by ORLY Color Amp’d Top Coat
  • China Glaze Prairie Tale Ending
  • China Glaze Spice To Meet You
  • China Glaze Modern Auburn
  • China Glaze Loves ‘Em & Leaves ‘Em
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (11mm liner brush)

Look at these colours together — if this doesn’t scream Autumn vibes, I don’t know what does! The colours blend beautifully together. & this is what I always mean when I say this abstract stripe design is my favourite because of the endless colour possibilities; there are infinite combinations. & it’s so easy. This design probably took me maybe 30 minutes from start to finish, not including dry time.

What do you think of these Autumn Abstract stripes? Do you have big Labour Day plans? Drop a comment below, & let me know how you celebrate the end of Summer. My big plans for today? Laundry… lots of laundry.

Have a beautiful day!

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze High Hopes

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I feel like it’s been a while since I did a Swatch Sunday post, even though it’s only been 2 weeks. Today I dug deep deep into the stash for a bit of an oldie shade: China Glaze High Hopes.

2 coats + top coat

According to Google, this shade was originally released as part of the Spring 2010 Up & Away Collection. I believe I purchased this bottle myself circa 2013/2014, although I’m not 100% sure. It’s been in my stash a while though.

Formula on this beauty is smooth & easy to apply. The colour is a beautiful vibrant coral that was a smidge hard to photograph accurately. But I feel like these photos capture it most accurately.

The bright colour feels perfect for Summer, but would be easy to transition into Fall by pairing it with a deep burgundy. Yes, my mind is going there. I’m trying my best not to start thinking about Autumn, but our local Dollarama has Halloween already popping up, & Halloween is my favourite season!

But back to High Hopes! This shade is lovely & the colour is a great alternative to my usual go-to red manicure that I love so much.

I did find a few listings online for this shade — Sparkle Canada has it listed for sale, as well you can find the Gelaze version on the China Glaze website. I also found an Amazon listing, but I’m not sure if it’s a secondhand seller or not. However, there are definitely a few listings floating around for this fun vibrant shade!

What do you think about this beautiful vibrant coral shade? Do you have China Glaze High Hopes in your nail polish stash?

Let me know all your thoughts, & what shade you’re currently loving this week!

🖤