Category: Spring

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Pink Gel & Floral Nail Art 💖🌸

Hey lovelies! I totally meant to post this manicure last week, but I got knocked out by the cold from hell which left me ravaged & not in the mood to do any posting! But my sinuses are finally recovering, & now I can finally show this fun look I did last week!

I was super curious about doing nail art over my gel manicure base, so I wanted to give it a try. I plan on also doing some nail art using all gel, but I was curious what would happen if you painted some nail art over just gel. (Including topping it with a regular top coat.)

Products used for this manicure: 

  • Olive & June Peel Off Base Coat *
  • Olive & June Gel Polish Base Coat *
  • 2 coats Olive & June Gel Polish XOXO *
  • 1 coat Olive & June Gel Polish Pink Goldfish *
  • Olive & June Gel Polish Top Coat *
  • Sinful Colors Bold Color
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple *
  • Essie Satin Sister
  • Butter London Coming Up Roses *
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool 
  • China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

**gifted/PR

I think these are so just so pretty! I will say, the quick dry top coat I used (China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat) did dry down in a way that made the nail art flowers almost look like 3D stickers — which I thought I was very cool. I’m curious what would have happened if I had used the Olive & June Gel Top Coat — & I might have to experiment to see what happens!

As I mentioned, I’m still so new to the world of gel, so I’m enjoying playing around with it.

What do you think of this little bit of nail art? Would you like to see me do a series or feature on nail art using only gel nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Wednesday

💖

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Gel Couture New Highs 💙(Dopamine Rush Collection 2025)

PR/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty blah rainy Sunday (again). But I thought I would punch things up with a fun Essie colour I was recently sent for PR! This is Essie New Highs from the newly released 2025 Gel Couture Dopamine Rush collection.

2 coats + Essie Gel Couture Top Coat

Described as a “Ultramarine” Blue on the Essie website, I feel like this blue is much more exciting on the nail than in the bottle. The formula is on the thinner side, so two coats was a must for opacity. The formula dries quickly, but an added coat of top coat gave it a more plush finish.

The colour is really nice. It’s not a navy, but it’s not a cobalt. It feels bright, even though it’s on the darker spectrum of blue shades. & I quite enjoy it! Also, looking at the rest of the shades in the collection, I might have to search out a couple more to add to my stash.

Essie Gel Couture shades are available anywhere you buy Essie, ranging in price from $11.49 CAD to $16.49 CAD (when not on sale).

What do you think of Essie Gel Couture New Highs? Are you a fan of this vibrant blue? What are your thoughts on the Essie Gel Couture line? I was definitely late to trying it, but I’m a huge fan of the formula & love all the colours I own! & I especially adore the top coat! It has a great lasting quality & dries quickly.

Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Enjoy your Sunday!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Olive & June Gel Polish XOXO & Pink Goldfish

PR/Gifted

Hello my lovelies & happy Sunday! May is very quickly speeding along — can you believe it? Summer is almost here.

Today I’m excited to share some more polishes I was recently gifted from Olive & June. They reached out to me about trying their Gel Polish system, & I said yes! While I don’t use gel polishes a lot, I’m always curious. They sent me a beautiful PR package with everything I could need to create a beautiful gel manicure, & I’m excited to share two shades with you (& a little review) today!

Products used for this manicure:

  • Olive & June qPeel Off Base Coat
  • Olive & June Gel Polish Base Coat
  • 2 coats Olive & June Gel Polish XOXO
  • 1 coat Olive & June Gel Polish Pink Goldfish
  • Olive & June Gel Polish Top Coat

I’m not well versed with gel polishes — it’s not my usual medium — but I will say I found this system easy to use. I used the provided peel off base coat for easy removal, & then followed directions.

The gel polish itself is pretty opaque. 2 coats of the pink polish XOXO, curing for the 2 minutes between each coat, & then I topped it with the shimmer Pink Goldfish. & then I finished it off with one coat of the Gel top coat.

You have no idea how many compliments I got on this colour! I’ll probably do a quick tutorial video the next time I go to apply this polish just to show how easy the whole system is to use.

The most important steps are cleaning up your cuticles, remembering to remove any oils from your nails with acetone, & making sure not to floor the sides with gel polish. For a first try, with this system I think I did awesome! & I can’t wait to try out all the colours they sent me a— maybe I’ll do a skittle look next!

I’m also so glad for the peel off base coat, because I HATE removing gel polish, so I love an easy removal option.

What do you think of these polishes from Olive & June’s Gel Polish line? Have you tried out their new system yet? Tell me all your thoughts down in the comments below.

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Butter London Patent Shine 10x Coming Up Roses

PR/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy Mother’s Day to those Moms, Moms-to-be & Mom figures out there. I hope you’re being spoiled & celebrated today.

I recently received an awesome PR package from the lovelies at Butter London, & couldn’t wait to share the pretty polish that sent from their Patent Shine line. This is Butter London Coming Up Roses.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful rosy pink cream has a silky cream finish that applies very nicely on the nail. The colour just screams Spring-time to me — which is very fitting with a name like Coming Up Roses.

I’m not usually a pink nail polish on its own kind of girlie, but every so often I will apply a nice pallet cleanser manicure, & I feel like this shade is a nice choice for that. It also is just screaming for me to apply some floral nail art over it, so don’t be surprised if you see that in the not too distant future.

Butter London shades retail for $12.55 CAD on the Butter London website ($9.00 USD) for the 6ml bottle. For my fellow Canadians, you can also purchase Butter London products through Shoppers Drug Mart’s website, for around $19-$24 CAD.

What do you think of Butter London Coming Up Roses? Do you think this shade is as beautiful as I do? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below, & if you’ve ever used Butter London’s Patent Shine 10x line before.

Enjoy your Sunday ☀️

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Expressie Power Moves (Spring 2024)

PR/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s been another crazy busy week for me this week, so I apologize for lacking in the posting. There has just been so much going on behind the scenes that I’ve honestly forgotten to take pictures of my nails. Today, though, we have a bright & Spring-y shade to show off, & it’s feeling perfect for the warm days we’ve been having!

This is Essie Expressie Power Moves from the Spring 2024 collection. It was kindly gifted to me by Essie.

2 coats + top coat

Described as a “hot orchid” by Essie, this beautiful pink is the perfect non-pastel Spring colour. & while pastels can be fun, there is something about a bright in your face manicure that I just love.

The formula is smooth, & easy to apply but I did find I needed to make sure that I had a good amount of polish on the brush otherwise it would streak slightly. The Expressie brushes have that wide brush, which makes application super easy. You get coverage in minimal swipes. &, thanks to the Expressie quick dry formula, your dry time is super quick.

I did finish off my manicure with my Essie Gel Couture top coat, to give it a nice plumper finish.

The Essie Expressie line is available wherever you purchase your Essie shades, & range in price generally from 10.49 CAD to 14.99 CAD regular price.

What do you think about Essie Expressie Power Moves? Do you think this is a great shade for Spring? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below! & share what shade youre currently wearing this Sunday.

💗