Category: Red

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Sable Collar

Hello & happy Sunday!

We finally have some nice Winter sun today which is nice after a week of not the greatest weather. Today, I’m pulling out an oldie Essie shade I’ve own for a long time: Sable Collar. I actually picked up this shade at my local Dollarama circa 2015 & I remember being so excited to find this shade.

2 coats + top coat

Sable Collar was originally released as part of the 2013 Essie Winter Shearling Darling collection. It is this beautiful smokey reddish brown, with an irresistible shimmer. It’s been so. long since I put this shade on, I totally forgot how gorgeous it is. The epitome of a winter shade (in my opinion). These are exactly the kind of shades that make me think of January.

The formula was pretty easy to apply on this one — two coats needed for full opacity. The first coat was definitely streaky, but upon the second we got the beautiful finish you see in my swatches. I did apply Essie Speed Setter top coat over my swatches, mostly because this ended up being my manicure for the last few days.

A nice close up of the finish.

Below you can really see the reddish brown shimmer in the bottle. I’m kind of obsessed — which is funny, because I’ve owned this bottle of polish almost a decade, but this is. the first real time I’ve worn it all on its own. & it’s giving me the cosiest vibes.

What do you think about Essie Sable Collar? Do you remember this shade from its original release? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & if this shade is giving you the same Winter vibes I’m feeling.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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Christmas Ribbon Candy Swirls

Hello beauties & happy Friday! It’s almost the weekend, & not just any weekend, but Christmas weekend! That’s insane but exciting. I had to keep my holiday inspired nail art going with some more abstract nail art.

The first thing this design made me think of after I did it was the Ribbon Hard Candy you get around Christmas. I’m sure you know the stuff, but if not it’s this stuff.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • OPI Unfrost My Heart
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 5 Golden Blings
  • Red & Green Acrylic Paint
  • 16mm Striper Brush from Nailstuff.ca

I decided to use a combination of acrylic paint & nail polish for this design to make it a bit easier for me. Sometimes, I find when I’m doing bigger stripes, my polish starts drying a bit too quickly, but you don’t have the same issue with acrylic paint.

I really, really like how these stripes turned out. I know, I know — I say this every time. But I don’t think there is anything wrong with being proud about your nail art! For a long time, I was extra critical of my work, so I’m glad to enjoy what I do. & it is a little bit different from typical Christmas nail art.

What do you think about these ribbon candy inspired abstract swirls? Do you like the holiday vibes they are giving off? Would you wear these for any Christmas celebrations you’re partaking in this weekend? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Friday 🎄

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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! 🖤

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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! ♥︎

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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! 🎄💗