SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Mine has been very busy, to say the least, but I always find (a little) time for nail polish!

Today’s Swatch Sunday post is a throwback shade that I picked up a few years ago: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Beatnik. It was originally released in 2015 as part of the Boho collection, but I think it became a part of the permanent collection after that.

2 coats, no top coat.

The formula on Beatnik was really smooth & easy to apply. All I needed was two coats for full opacity, which is always something I love in a nail polish — especially when I’m short on time, like I have been lately. I’m also really digging this darker shade for some reason. I know I should be all about the neon, but these darker jewel tones are just calling to me. It’s a nice change from the lighter shades I’ve been wearing a lot lately.

As I mentioned, this is 2 coats without top coat. I did end up adding a coat of the Miracle Gel Top Coat for my actually wear (along with some simply nail art) which always helps with the wear. My nails get beat up bad right now while working (especially because I’m working 10+ hour days) so I need all the extra nail power I can use.

What do you think about this blue shade? Are you a fan of Sally Hansen Beatnik? What shades are you wearing on your nails right now? Let me know in the comments below!

Simple pink & blue floral.

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday.

Can you believe it? we’re midway through June! Which means I’m in full all-floral-all-the-time mode. I’m sure you’re not surprised. Today’s nail art look was actually a quick nail art design. I had painted my nails, & wanted to add a little something using my nail art pens, which turned into a full floral mani. Sometimes, I just can’t be stopped haha. But I actually really like how these turned out; usually I go for a more rose centric floral design, but I wanted to create these almost daisies, & I think they turned out really beautiful. & I did them completely without any true nail art brushes.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Zoya Blu
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Fuchsia
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Purple
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Green
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen White
  • Art Club Nail Art Duo Neon Green
  • OPI Where Did Suzi’s Man-go

First off, I know these are not my most perfect floral, but I’m really kind of digging them. My little daisies turned out so colourful & cute. I would totally wear this pattern as a full sundress too. It’s all floral, all the time over here. Also, I feel like these nail art pens are so underrated & deserve a comeback. While my nail art brushes will always be the best for nail art, using these pens can still create an awesome pattern! Also they are still number one for dotticures.

What do you think about this cute little floral design? Is there anyone else who loves these nail art pens like I do? The Sally Hansen ones were always my go-to (I have so many), but I haven’t found them for sale in a very long time. Does anyone know of any else nail art pens you can buy? I’d totally be down for adding more to my collection for quick designs like this! Let me know down in the comments below.

Blue on Blue Polka Dots 💙

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, & for my fellow Canadians, a relaxing long weekend! It’s finally starting to feel like Summer now, which I am absolutely here for. I mean, I could take a few more 20+ sunny days, but I’m a whimp when it comes to cold, so anything less than 12 degrees feels like Winter to me.

Today I’m show off some simple blue polka dot nails. As I mentioned in my last post, I’m rocking some serious shorties again, so my nail art inspiration is a little lacking right now. But polka dots always make me feel better!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Avon Vintage Blue
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen Blue

Oh wow, these nails are short. & just when they were really starting to get long again. It’s always my middle finger, on either hand, misbehaving. Ah well, I’d been thinking about a short return to square nails, so this is the perfect excuse.

& now I just need some serious nail art inspiration. I have a few days off coming up, so I’m going to try & come up with some fun & funky nail art looks to share! Time for a deep dive through my Instagram saved folder & Pinterest.

What do you think about this simple blue on blue polka dots? Are you feeling this kind of look? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! & share what nail art looks you might want to see coming up, perfect for short nails!

Mermaid Gradient Nails

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday!

How is it almost the weekend again? I’m not complaining, it’s just crazy how this weekend is speeding by. & it’s Victoria Day weekend here in Canada, which has always felt like the kick off to Summer to me! Of course it’s going to be a rainy mess all weekend here in Halifax, but you can’t win them all.

Today I’m sharing some very fun, very Summer-y nails. I’ve been saying forever that I needed to order some new mermaid nail vinyls, so when I placed my Mother’s Day order at Beyond The Nail, I made sure to include some mermaid nail guides in there!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat
  • Beyond the Nail Blazing Blush
  • Beyond the Nail Honeymoon
  • Beyond the Nail Auburgine
  • Beyond the Nail Mermaid Scale Nail Guides
  • Latex free make up sponge (I buy mine from Dollarama)

Okay, so I know I call pretty much every manicure I do my favourite, but seriously just look at this design. I’m obsessed!

I decided to go all out with a gradient (another look I haven’t done in a while) for my scale base, then added my Aubergine over top. & I am so freaking in love with how these three polishes look together. Seriously— I wore this design for three whole days, before I snapped my middle finger nail clean off. Plus the combo totally matches my current hair colour combo.

I can’t even begin to explain my love for this look. I also really like the mermaid scale guides because they were super easy to use, & they’re quite large so I managed to split them so I could use one guide per 2 nails. That makes me so happy!

What do you think about these bright & colourful mermaid nails? Does this design scream Summer to you? Have you done mermaid nails in a while? Let me know down in the comments below!

Dainty Spring Floral with the Sally Hansen Rainbow Lights Collection

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Morning lovelies & happy… Tuesday? I think it’s Tuesday anyways. I feel like May is actually going by at Turbo speed, which is nice when you’re whole city is in lockdown, but hopefully the Summer isn’t gone in a flash as well.

Today I’m excited because I have a super pretty design to share using the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Rainbow Lights collection I share for Swatch Sunday last week. Looking at those colours, all I could think was floral 🌸, so that’s what I went with!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Crying Out Cloud
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Tutu The Ballet
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sweet Pea
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sun-shower
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

First off, please excuse the raindrops — I took my picture when it was just beginning to rain.

Second, how cute is this floral? The colours are so perfect for a floral design & I love the dainty subtle muted shades all together. This is a very Spring-y design, & I really like it. It also is giving me late 90s vibes — maybe I’ve just been watching too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Also I totally didn’t realize until I was done that I used Crying Out Cloud as my base shade, but I did say it was favourite!

What do you think about this dainty floral look? Do you like this combination of colours? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments, & if you’ve picked up any of the Rainbow Lights shades yourself.