SWATCH SUNDAY — Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s another snowy Sunday here, which is not what I was hoping for. But it matches well with the nail polish I picked for this week’s Swatch Sunday pick: Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot. This shade is actually a super oldie, going back to (I think) 2013! I picked my bottle up on Clearance a few years ago, after Maybelline had stopped making the Color Show brand.

3 coats, no Top Coat.

The first thing about Blue Marks The Spot is that it is very, very thin. This is 3 coats of polish, & you can still see the nail below. I’m not sure how many coats you would actually need for full opacity, but I’m going to guess it’s more than I would want to do haha. You could definitely do a white or blue base, though, if you wanted to the sheerness.

The formula is sheer, like I said, but other than that it’s not too hard to work with. The coats dry quickly, & the glitters are very well dispersed so you don’t have to worry about digging around trying to find them.

Obligatory macro shot.

I used to be so, so scared of glitter nail polishes & never want to wear them because removal would be impossible. Obviously, taking off glitter polish isn’t my favourite thing, but I’m not quite so scared of wearing my glitters like I used to be. Which, is good, because I love, love, love these spotted polishes & have quite a few in my stash from different brands.

What do you think about this fun spotty nail polish? Do you remember the Maybelline Color Show line, & these spotted polishes in particular. I also have the green one, Drops of Jade, I’m kind of sad I didn’t get the whole range of these shades were they were out, but maybe some day I’ll discover more in the bottom of a clearance bin to complete my collection haha.

Have a lovely Sunday!

Glam Nails Challenge December—Let’s Party 🎉

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! The last Wednesday of 2021. Can you believe it?

With Christmas over, it’s time to start thinking New Years Eve nails. & the last prompt of Glam Nails Challenge December is Let’s Party! & when I think News Years Eve, & partying on New Years Eve, I think silver & sparkle. So that was the theme I went with for my party nails.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Dimension Nails Kronosaurus  (gifted c/o: NailStuff.ca)
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel
  • Essie Ignite the Night
  • Starrily Eclipse
  • OPI I Snow You Love Me
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

I had this idea in my head about how I wanted this design to look, with silver/sparkly dots, & then a few scattered glitters from OPI I Snow You Love Me — but wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out until the very end. But I think it turned out exactly like I pictured in my head! Just the right amount of sparkle.

If I wasn’t working New Years Eve & New Years Day… & if the world wasn’t a very scary place, these would totally be the nails I would wear to dance & celebrate New Years Eve! Of course, my New Years plans involve kombucha & probably falling asleep on the couch before midnight (& the biggest veggie platter I can find!) but it doesn’t mean I won’t do it all with sparkly nails.

Because we all know, sparkles make everything better!

What do you think about this sparkly party design? Do you have a fun design planned for New Years Eve? Let me know what nail trends/colours you’re excited for in 2022.

Festive Glitter Gradient ✨🎄

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday! & happy Christmas Eve Eve. I hope everyone is ready for their holidays, & for those still working long hours & not sure how they’re going to be ready — I feel you! Hopefully everyone is also staying safe with everything quickly changing in the world.

I said I was dedicated to 5 nail art looks this week in preparation for Christmas, & I wasn’t lying! Today is day four, & I went with a classic look that I do some incarceration of every year: a Christmas glitter gradient. Last year’s was very similar to this years, but that’s okay! When you find a classic that works for you, you go with it! (Plus my nails are so much longer this year!)

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Icing Emerald City
  • Icing Tis The Season

Hello Christmas sparkle! I was actually going to use my other Christmas-y glitter from Icing, Santa Baby, but unfortunately it’s on the goopier side, so I decided to go with my other very Christmas-y glitter for this look. I’ve mentioned before how I love the speed & ease of a glitter gradient, plus the versatility, so I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them.

What do you think about my glitter gradient? Do you like this years version, or last year’s shorty version? Let me know what nail art design/style you repeat year after year & never get tired of!

Halloween Glitter Gradient with Sally Hansen x Sour Patch Kids InstaDri

PR Sample/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Friday.

It’s officially 2 days until Halloween, & I’m super pumped. I’m really feeling the spooky Halloween spirit. & I just recently received the most amazing PR package from Sally Hansen this week featuring their amazing Sally Hansen x Sour Patch Kids InstaDri line (& about 2 pounds of Sour Patch Kids… my favourite sour candy!) I will have Swatches on Sunday, but I. The meantime I created this fun & witchy glitter gradient featuring a few of the shades.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Hallo-Queen
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Fab-BOO-lous
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge

I know I already said it, but I absolutely love how witchy these feel. I will have full swatches coming soon, but this glitter topper — Hallo-Queen — is so pretty. I love the combination of the multi coloured black, orange & holo glitters. It makes for such a perfect gradient. I also used a bit of the glow-in-the-dark polish overtop, although I haven’t really had the time to test it out properly. It’ll be fun for Halloween night though!

What do you think about this witchy gradient? Is this a Halloween nail art look that you were the rock for the big night? Let me know down below all your thoughts on this combination!

Brown & Gold Shattered Glass Glitter Placement

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday!

Can you believe we’re in the final days of September? It’s kind of crazy. Where has this month gone already? It’s certainly been a busy month at our house with school starting. I can’t believe that we’re already a month in… & Summer is already feeling like a distant memory. Although, I cannot lie — I’m super pumped for my favourite month: October!

Now that we’re officially deep into Autumn, & the late September weather is in full force, I’m really feeling the Fall nail art. I realized the other day I haven’t done a shattered glass nail art design in way, way too long. I was wearing this beautiful brown shade, & realized it would be the perfect base for some gold shatter glitters, so I decided that was just the nail art look I needed in my life.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sinful Colors Essen-chills Smoky Palo Santo
  • Sinful Colors Twilight Twinkles
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

First of all, how absolutely beautiful is this brown shade? This is another one of the Sinful Colors Essen-chills scented shades that I picked up at Walmart earlier in the month. I really love the dense silver shimmer with the dark, dark brown base. & I know I keep saying this, but I’m just absolutely obsessed with brown nail polish, which is such a weird thing for me because I was not expecting to be a brown nail polish girl. But I totally am!

Second, this gold shard glitter goes so well over top. I used to be absolutely obsessed with these style of manicures a few years ago, & I think I need to bring them back again. It’s such an easy look to achieve, because it requires minimal tools. Sure, it does take a bit of time to do… but not nearly as much as you would expect! I think I’ll have to keep my eyes out for more of these style of glitter polishes

What do you think about this nail art look? Are you feeling these shattered glass nails? Have you ever tried a glitter placement look like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below — & get excited because Halloween designs are coming very soon!