Red Plaid Holiday Nails

Good Morning Lovelies! Can you believe it’s only 13 days until Christmas… where has this year gone?! Even though I’ve been insane at work with Christmas coming, I’ve been trying to do my nails when I can–& trying to get in as many Christmas-y designs in as often as I can.

(Not going to lie… painting them has been a struggle, but having time to take pictures is another story all together!)

Today I have some pretty red plaid nails that are a combination of stamping & freehand. I LOVE plaid nails, but sometimes they can be time consuming depending on how many lines you have to free hand. By combining a plaid stamping pattern I had with a bit of freehanding, I managed to come up with a cute & relatively easy plaid look that’s perfect for this time of year!

For this look, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Couture Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Good Cheer-y (from the Decadence collection)
  • Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Black Heart
  • L’Oréal Getting Kilty
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper

I’m not going to lie–I’m a little rusty, & my nails & cuticles have seen better days. But it feels so good to be painting my nails again, & it always feels nice when people randomly compliment me on how pretty my nails are. Of course, then stock comes & they end up a mess… but still nice to have them done in the first place! (& more than just a since colour.)

Going to try & cram as many Christmas designs in as possible over the next week or so, since I’ve been so bad at actually posting the last few months. But January is coming… & things are going to slow way down so I’ll be able to get back into my regular posting life soon. For everyone who has stuck around (& continues to stick around!) thank you so much! It means so much to me.

Now the most important question remains… should I do Christmas tree, snowman or penguin nails next? Let me know in the comments below!

Leopard Print & Stripes

Happy Saturday lovelies! I know, a Saturday post… how crazy is that?! Today I’m sharing a super fun design I did a few days ago. First off, yes my nails are exact short again–the crack on my middle finger let go. BUT that’s okay, because I’ll just create fun designs that make me happy.

& this leopard print look makes me extra, extra happy!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Witchcraft protein Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • China Glaze What’s She Dune
  • L’Oréal Feeling Kilty
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in Black
  • Kiss Nail Art Striper in Black
  • Small dotting tool

I started off by doing the leopard print, & realized the blank base needed something extra, so I added the stripes. & I really think they completely the look! Kind of reminds me of something that @nailsbyarelisp or @badgirlsnails.

I love the look of leopard print, but I think this is my first time doing one in this colour combination–I’ve done rainbow & neon & pink & grey, but never such a neutral colour scheme. & I’m absolutely in love with this look!

This would be a cute look to wear with a cat costume for Halloween, although it’s not a Halloween look. But if you were going for a more “glam” kitty for Halloween, leopard print are totally appropriate. But in general I feel like this is a fun, not too crazy, look for this time of year. I rocked this design while doing interviews at work , so who says leopard print isn’t work appropriate!

What do you think of this leopard print design? Share your thoughts down in the comments below!

Fall Houndstooth Accent Nails

Happy October 2nd! Can you believe we’re already a day into Halloween month?! Are you as excited as I am? I’m definitely going to need to start planning my Halloween designs soon.

But in the mean time, maybe some Fall themed nails? With the weather shifting quickly, I’m already digging out some of my favourite scarves, so I figured why not some nails inspired by the coziness of Fall.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Lets Snow!
  • Essence Black is Back!
  • Born Pretty Store Classic Patterns Stamping Plate BP-L006 (item #17924)
  • Born Pretty Store Color Flame Rhinestones colour #2 (item #41753)

First off, can we talk about this Essie shade from the Fall 2018 collection? It’s absolutely amazing. The second I saw the swatches, I knew it was so different from all the other polishes I own & that meant I had to have it! & since it feels so Fall to me, I knew I had to pair it with this stamping plate from Born Pretty Store (which I haven’t had the chance to use yet!)

Also check out these crystals also from Born Pretty Store (item # 41753). I needed something to jazz up my plain nails, & I love the iridescent shift they have. You can kind of see how the shift of your hand shows different colours, which means these crystals will match with so many different polishes & manicures!

what do you think of this Fall inspired manicure? What Fall shades are you wearing on your nails right now? Let me know in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen REDesign Collection (part one)

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Good morning! Today I’m super excited because I have the most amazing nail polish collection from Sally Hansen to share with you! Sally Hansen Canada recently released an all red collection as part of their Complete Salon Manicure collection — including FIVE new shades. The collection is designed so that everyone can pick their perfectly complimentary red, including one shade that is the “universal” red, so it’s design to compliment every skin tone.

I am a HUGE red nail polish lover. It’s literally all I wore on my nails from 2004-2006. So a whole collection dedicated to red nails… I’m definitely here for that!

Today I have the first 5 lighter polishes from the collection, & I’ll share the other four darker shades in tomorrow’s post!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen REDesign Collection (part one)”

Recreating my Wedding Nails (Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!)

Happy Wednesday lovelies! Not only is today the middle of the week & halfway to the weekend, but today marks 3 years since I married my best friend. If you’ve been around originally, you may remember my original post featuring the nails on our special day.

Naturally, I wore a floral design–which is a surprise to no one. & in honour of this day, I decided I really wanted to recreate my original design. & spoiler: I love it just as much today as I did on this date 3 years ago.

For my recreation of this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Suite Retreat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel After Altar
  • L’Oréal Getting Kilty
  • Julep Vivien
  • Sally Hansen CSM Killer Heels
  • Sally Hansen CSM Red It Online
  • Sally Hansen CSM Rose To the Occasion
  • Sally Hansen CSM Blush Against The World
  • Quo by ORLY the Antidote
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Quo by ORLY Diva
  • Essie Sew Psyched
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail Nail Art Brush
  • Dotting Tools

I’ve written before how much I love going back to recreating my manicures, & I’m so glad I got to do the same for this one. I know some people go for more classic wedding & bridal manicures, but it just felt more “me” to do a full floral look (with something blue & a gold accent nail.) & no matter how much time passes, I don’t see myself ever getting “over” floral nail art. It’s just too perfect.

How did you wear your nails for your wedding day? Did you go more classic or a little more fun? (& for those planning to get married soon, do you know how you’re wearing your nail yet?)

& for fun, a few pictures from our wedding day ♥️