GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER — Mistletoe 🌲

Hello beauties & happy Monday. & happy one week could down to Christmas! The end of the year count down is officially on, & 2024 is looming. I swear I’m still in 2020 some days, & now we’re almost mid-way through the decade. Time is a crazy thing!

But I digress. We still have some prompts left for this month’s Glam Nails Challenge December & I’m so excited to share the manicures to come. Today’s prompt is Mistletoe, & I just love how my design turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • ORLY Garnet Luxe Shimmer
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Red Carpet
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Central Pink
  • Dimension Nails Amazonian Manatee
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Thyme is Money
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush

I was a little bit nervous about creating mistletoe nails, because I wasn’t sure how exactly to do them — & Pinterest was showing me holly nails when I typed in mistletoe, which was confusing — but I think my design turned out beautiful! I was inspired by this look on Pinterest by @tessalynnails.

& I got a ton of compliments at work for my nails, which is always satisfying. I love when people notice & love the work I put in. Just feels so satisfying for people to recognize your nails, especially when you’re super proud of them! & I’m very proud of these ( even if the lighting for these designs wasn’t my favourite.)

What do you think about these mistletoe nails? Do you like the simplicity of this design? I absolutely love how festive they turned out. Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Monday! ♥︎

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER— Santa Claus

Hello beauties & happy Monday. It’s a snowy December here on the East Coast of Canada , & we put up our Christmas tree this weekend, so it’s feeling very Christmas-y here. It’s also the beginning of Glam Nails Challenge December, & I’m very excited to close our 2023 with a month of festive nail art designs.

Our first prompt for the month is Santa Claus, & I went with a Santa Claus inspired half moon chevron design.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Red Carpet
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod!
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

I created my negative space chevron moons completely freehand, then went in with a small sized dotting tool & added the white accents. I think it’s the perfect nod to Santa Claus without being too literal about it. However, my 6 year old totally guessed my inspiration, so it gets the point across!

Also how cute does our Christmas tree look as the base for my manicure. I would expect to see a few designs posed in front of my tree this month!

Are you excited to finish off December & 2023 with one final month of Glam Nails Challenge? Are you excited for lots of holiday nail art content? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & don’t forget to follow along on Instagram with the hashtag #glamnailschallengedecember to see all the beautiful December designs.

Enjoy the beginning of your week lovelies! 🎄💗

SWATCH SUNDAY — Yves Saint Laurent 6 Rouge Dada

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Is everyone having a lovely Sunday so far? Who has started their Christmas shopping?

Today I was feeling some red nails, so I searched through my stash, & found this beautiful Yves Saint Laurent shade that I’ve owned for a few years. If there is any time to pull out all my red polishes, now is the time! So here is Yves Saint Laurent 6 Rouge Dada

2 coats + top coat

At first, I was expecting I might need a lot coats of this to get a good opacity, but I actually managed to get full coverage in two coats. The formula, like I said, is a bit thin but easy to apply, & I didn’t have to worry about any pooling around the cuticle line or anything — especially nice when you have a red like this, which can be a bit difficult to clean up.

Because of the syrup-y formula, this would definitely be a great choice for a glitter sandwich. It also dries quickly, so you wouldn’t have to worry about huge layers of polish staying wet on your nail. It also means you probably want to add a nice thick glossy top coat over top, to plump up the finished look.

I did not use a more plump top coat, which I’m kind of regretting, but I did end up adding glitter over my base when I wore it for the day.

Sadly, it looks like with the expect of second hand stores, the Yves Saint Laurent polishes are no longer available for purchase, which is a shame. The whole collection, including this shade, is still listed on their website, but I couldn’t find any options for buying.

What do you think about Yves Saint Laurent 6 Rouge Dada? Do you like this glossy, syrupy red? Do you own any Yves Saint Laurent (or other designer) shades in your nail polish stash? Let me know down in the comments! & stay tuned, because I have plans for lots of fun glittery, holiday polishes to share in the Sunday’s leading up to Christmas!

Have a lovely day ♥︎

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!