Category: Summer

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Tropical Florals 🌺

 

Good morning lovelies! & happy Thursday. I hope wherever you are reading this from, that your coffee (or tea, or energy drink, or wine) is strong, & the sun is shining. Today I’ve got a really pretty tropical floral that I did a few weeks back, which I really loved. & I feel like it’s the perfect manicure for this increasingly beautiful weather we’ve been having!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fiery Island
  • Sally Hansen I ♥ Nail Art Pen in Magenta
  • OPI Suzy Shops & Island Hops
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Fuchsia Fever
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie First Timer
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Terra-Coppa
  • Sally Hansen I ♥ Nail Art Pen in Green
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush (COFFEE10 to save 10%)

As you guys have seen, I love a good floral but I tend to have a certain trend — it’s mostly roses or a similar style. But lately I’ve been really trying to improve my skill with different florals, which is why I wanted to try out a tropical inspired look. It’s definitely out of more comfort zone, & takes a bit more talent to create, but the end result looks jsut beautiful! & it’s fun to try something I don’t feel like I’m that awesome at. Plus, you know, wearing the same style floral over & over can get a bit monotonous, so it’s nice to switch things up a bit!

Also this look definitely makes me want to pull out my favourite tropical print dress to wear! & since it’s supposed to be feeling very Summery today, that’s exactly what I might do! 

What do you think about this tropical floral? Is the weather feeling like Summer where you are? Let me know down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Bikini So Teeny

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday. I feel like it’s been forever since my last post! So far this month has been fairly busy, but it feels good to be posting. Today I decided to share one of my most favourite nail polishes, which just happens to be perfect for Spring: Essie Bikini So Teeny.

This shade was actually one I coveted for a very, very long time before I finally bought it, & 5(ish) years later, it’s still one of my all time favourite blues. & good news: it’s part of the core Essie collection, so you can own it too!

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat.

How pretty is this cornflower blue? The formula is pretty good–you need two coats for perfect opacity, & a coat of top coat will smooth everything okay perfectly. There is a subtle silvery shimmer, but it was hard to capture in the light of my lightbox. I find that you can see it much better in natural light.

I just love love love this blue! It’s so pretty. I think I first bought this blue because I wanted to wear it for my Wedding, but it’s come to be a repeated favourite. This is my second bottle I’ve gone through, & I can’t think of very many other polishes I’ve done that with.

Like I mentioned, Bikini So Teeny is part of the core Essie collection, so you can find this beauty where ever Essie is sold!

What shade was the first you ever really coveted? Let me know down in the comments below! & let me know which shade you’re currently wearing on your nails.

💙

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SWATCH SUNDAY — ORLY Oh Cabana Boy

Hello lovelies & happy Swatch Sunday! I hope you have your sunglasses ready, because you’re going to need them for this one! After way too much Winter, I need some sunshine in my life. So I thought for this weeks Swatch Sunday I’d channel Summer & Valentine’s Day all at once with the perfect neon pink: ORLY Oh Cabana Boy! 🕶

2 coats, no top coat.

The polish itself is the most amazing neon fuchsia hot pink, with this underlying blurple shimmer that you see when you move your fingers. It is very bright, almost blinding! Which, let’s be honest, you want when it comes to a neon. It also dries down to a satin finish, that isn’t quite shiny & isn’t quite matte. Even though I didn’t apply top coat for my swatches, I do feel like it’s coming across shiner than it was in person.

According to my Google research, this shade was originally released as part of the Hot Stuff collection (at least that’s what NailPolishCanada tells me), & the earliest posts I could find online were dating back to around 2011. I picked up this polish for myself at Winners or Marshall’s circa 2015 (I think) as I do with most of my ORLY shades.

You know, pink isn’t really a shade I wear on it’s own very often — usually, if I’m going to wear it, it’s part of nail art. BUT this pink is one I could definitely make an exception for! It’s nice to change things up sometimes & break out of your comfort zone.

What do you think about ORLY Oh Cabana Boy? Do you have this beautiful neon in your collection? What do you plan on wearing for Valentine’s Day (if you celebrate)?

Let me know in the comments below! 💗

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SWATCH SUNDAY — (part of) the Essie Rocky Rose collection

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Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday! & Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians–I hope you’re enjoying a lovely feast with friends & family. Today I’m very thankful for everyone who takes the time to sit & read the blog, & comment & like. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for you guys. & I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have if it wasn’t for you guys.

Like being sent PR packages from Essie!

Today I have a couple of polishes that we’re so kindly gifted to me from Essie themselves! They sent me 4 shades from the Rocky Rose collection from this past Summer. The collection itself features 9 neutral toned shades & is described in the PR materials as “a collection that harnesses the sun-saturated grandeur of the iconic desert landscape.”

Can’t get more awesome than that!

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For my swatches, I received the shades The A-bliss, Cliff Hanger, Set in Sandstone & No Shade Here. I will add, only two of the bottles came with the actual polish names on the bottom so I’m guessing based on the other swatches I’ve seen.

Now let’s get to the swatches.

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — (part of) the Essie Rocky Rose collection”

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Rainbow Glitter Gradient (Party on my Nails!)

Hello lovelies! Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far. I’m super excited today because I finally did something other than just a single colour on my nails! 🎉 I managed to add a fun glitter gradient to my Swatch Sunday shade for this week & I’m loving how much fun this simple nail art turned out!

Seeing as it is Pride Week here in Halifax, I thought a colourful rainbow glitter gradient would be perfect for the occasion.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Strengthening Base Coat
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • ORLY Fireball
  • China Glaze Point Me To The Party
  • ACO by Ardene DAFUQ

I know I’ve written before my love for glitter gradients–they’re just so easy to do! & for those of us who might not have a lot of time, they can give you fun & fancy nails with minimal effort.

For this look, I started with my base colour & then took my first glitter (China Glaze Point Me To The Party) & after brushing off some of the polish, started at my cuticle line & brushes the glitter upwards. I went over the same spot a few times to build up the glitter amount. Finally I decided that we needed some blue, so I grabbed a blue glitter topper (ACO by Ardene DAFUQ) & dabbed on some blue glitters as well. Lastly, I sealed everything in with a thick coat of Essie Gel Setter to give this look some lasting power.

& now my nails are ready to party! 💅🏻

I’m really digging the combination of Fireball with this glitter. Makes me think of a fiesta, & feels very Summer-y to me. & even though I won’t be able to partake in any of the amazing Pride events happening this week, my nails are totally ready (just in case).

What do you think of this design? Where would you wear this design? Let me know down in the comments below! & share any nail art you’d love to see me do now that I’m (slowly) getting back my posting mojo.

🌈