Category: Red Nails

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Subtle Red Dotticure

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! We’re half way through the week, & half way to the weekend. I hope everyone’s week is going well so far. We’ve had a pretty week & chilly week so far, but after all those wildfires swept across the province, I’ll take a little rain.

Today, though, I have a super easy & chic nail art look. I did another subtle red nail art look last Summer, & I really liked it, but I really wanted to do something with polka dots. We all know red & polka dots are my two favourite things!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Cherry Delightful
  • Sally Hansen CSM Killer Heels
  • Small Dotting Tool  (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

I really, really love how these turned out. Obviously, you don’t really notice the red unless you’re searching for it, but to me it takes it just a step above the usual plain red manicure. It also kind of reminds me a bit of a pond manicure, without having to worry about all the coats of polish.

Also I’m really loving this Sally Hansen red Cherry Delightful. It’s been in my stash for ages (5 years at least) but I don’t think I’ve worn it that frequently because I totally didn’t realize that it’s a one coater! I feel like a good one coat red polish is urban legend at this point, because trust me I’ve been looking. It also has this beautiful squishy finish which just makes me so happy.

Over all, I’m obsessed.

What do you think of this subtle red dotticure? Are you a fan of polka dots on your nail? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Have a happy Wednesday loves! ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Too Too Hot ❤️‍🔥

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s been a beautiful balmy week this week (at least in terms of our usual April days) so I’m feeling all the Summer vibes I can handle. I even broke out my favourite holo sandals. So with these beautiful Summery days, I felt like switching gears from pastel vibes to full on Summer with a classic Essie shade: Essie Too Too Hot.

This shade was originally released circa 2011 as part of the Braziliant Summer 2011 collection ( found swatches online of the full collection here).

3 coats + Seche Vive Top Coat

I ended up with 3 coats of polish for my swatches, which I feel like was a bit too much, but I the formula was a bit on the thinner side, so I found I needed to do a lot less polish on the brush to avoid flooding my cuticles.

The colour is this beautiful mix between a bright tomato red, & a coral, although in my photos it’s definitely leaning more towards the red side. That could also be due to the fact my skin tone leans more on the yellow/olive side, so I feel like that brights out the red tones more.

We all know I love a good red nail polish, & I love an Essie red even more! It’s actually surprising how few Essie reds I have in my stash, so I think I need to fix that.

This shade is beautiful though, because I find it would be pretty universally flattering on a lot of skin tones. It reminds me a bit of Sally Hansen Cherry Delightful from their RED/ESIGN collection from a few years ago, which was designed to compliment everyone. So this definitely seems like a red that anyone could wear.

Sadly, this shade has been discontinued from the Essie core line, which makes me really sad because I think everyone needs a classic flattering red in their collection. Red nails make everything better (which is why I spent the majority of my early 20s rocking some shade of red.) So I would totally be down with championing a petition for Essie to bring this beauty back to their core line!

What do you think of this beauty? Do you own Essie Too Too Hot in your nail polish stash? What is your favourite Essie red? Let me know in the comments below.

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Sally Hansen Salon Effects Perfect Manicure Press On Nails (Review)

• gifted • PR •

Features Gifted Product in Exchange for Content

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! The weekend (& holiday) is upon us, so I thought I would switch things up with an extra post. Recently, I was gifted some of the new Sally Hansen Salon Effects Perfect Manicure & was excited to try them out.

As you might remember, I tried out the Kiss brand press on nails around Halloween, but to be honest I’m not someone who wears them on the regular. I am, however, a huge Sally Hansen fan so if they’re jumping into the press on nail game, I figured it would be fun to get them a try.

Continue reading “Sally Hansen Salon Effects Perfect Manicure Press On Nails (Review)”
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Valentine’s Gradient Dotticure

Hello beauties & happy Thursday! & what a gorgeous & sunny Thursday it is here on the East Coast — too bad we’re going to hit another Winter storm tomorrow.

Is it Spring yet?

Today though, I’m concentrating on some more Valentine’s Day inspired nails with a fun (& easy) gradient dotticure. I wanted something pink & fun leading up to the big day, but didn’t necessarily want to go fun on hearts with this look. So I thought why not capture the essence of the holiday with the colours I was feeling, without out right saying Valentine’s. & besides, what is more fun than a dotticure.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Almond Tan
  • Sally Hansen GKP Eco Rose
  • Sally Hansen GKP Peony Origins
  • Sally Hansen GKP Pomegranate Punch
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

I wanted a really neutral base shade, that wasn’t white & wasn’t completely naked, which is why I picked Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure in Almond Tan. I feel like it’s pretty close to my natural colouring. & then I figured, why not just keep the Good. Kind. Pure. train going with a few more of my favourite pink-y shades from my stash. & bam! A fun gradient dotticure which is perfect for a Valentine’s date night, or to enjoy 50% off chocolate on the 15th. Either way, it was a super easy design to do, so I was excited to wear it!

What do you think about this gradient dotticure design? Are you a fan of these funky easy designs, or do you prefer something a little more complicated? Let me know what you think, & what colour combination you would rock this design in!

Have a happy Thursday loves ♥︎

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Embracing the Nostalgia with Crackle Nail Polish

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. I decided to throw things back a bit (& embrace the crazy nostalgia taking over my life thanks to my very own mid-2006 emo playlist) with a fun look featuring a very nostalgic nail polish finish— crackle.

For anyone not around during the early 2010s, crackle nail polishes became huge around 2012, & by 2013 everyone & their mom was coming out with their own version of the crackle (or shatter) effect. Black was the beginning shade I remember being everywhere, followed by a whole assortment of different colours & finishes.

Recently I was going through my stash, & found a bottle of Avon Mosiac Effects Top Coat — aka their version of the crackle nail Polish — & decided to give it a little shake to see if it was still good. Sure enough, the formula is still perfect! So I had to give it a try to see how it looked after all this time.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Illamasqua Aorta
  • Avon Mosiac Effects Top Coat Black

I still have a couple crackle/shatter shades left in my stash, although most have long since dried up to be unusable. For this look, what you’re seeing is one rather thick coat over my base shade. I waited about 5 minutes for the cracked effect to set before applying my top coat, & I thought the end result was pretty perfect. I prefer my cracks to be larger so you can see more of the base shade underneath.

Is crackle/shatter nail polish going to make a comeback? I don’t know. I feel like these shades are so controversial, even 11 years later. You either love them, or hate them, & obviously I am firmly planted on the love side. I also think it’s a nostalgia thing, as I remember crackle being the first “nail art” trend I really feel in love with.

What do you think? Do you think crackle is due for its revival? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.