Category: Summer

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Home Sweet House Music (Summer 2015)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful, warm (humid) sunny Sunday. It’s also the first Swatch Sunday of August, which is kind of crazy because the Summer is just speeding by very quickly.

Today’s pick is a China Glaze shade originally released for Summer 2015. This is Home Sweet House Music.

3 coats + top coat

First thing I noticed about the formula on this polish was that it’s thin, & streaky. The second noticeable thing (after looking at other swatches online) is that this shade has definitely faded over the years, because it’s much more yellow than other pictures I see online. Which, considering it’s been tucked away in a dark drawer & shaken well, is disappointing. However, I do still quite enjoy the colour is is which is like a marigold yellow, & I think it’s great for this time of year. & it perfectly matches the brown eyed Susans in our garden.

It is a pretty sheer formula, which again I don’t know if that has anything to do with the aging of the polish, but I did need 3 coats for full coverage.

It’s a very pretty shade — it’s just not the shade it was, which makes me sad. However, polishes age & it’s interesting to see the effect time has on our polishes. 99% of my polishes have not had this issue, that I can see, so I wonder why this one changed so much on me. It’s kind of strange.

Again, being a 9 year old shade this guy is no longer available in current rotation. China Glaze does have a Gelaze version of this polish on their website (in the original intended colour!) for those who are gel polish fans.

What do you think of this polish? Do you have any nail polishes in your stash that has changed colour due to time? Let me know if you’ve experienced this too!

Happy Sunday ♥︎

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Funky Orange Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. Sorry for being such a stranger — I swear I’m trying to get the blog posts written, but it’s been a struggle. But I have a stash of fun designs saved up to share with you, so I’m really trying to get my butt into gear. Summer vacation has been… a struggle, to say the least.

Today’s post is one of my go to favourite designs, but I’m especially happy with how this one turned out! A retro inspired abstract stripe design is always a good decision, & the colours for this particular one just brought everything together so perfectly.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Sunshine State of Mind
  • Essie Peach Side Babe
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Sand Tropez
  • Quo by Orly Black Nail Art Striper

How much fun! Seriously, the colours just compliment each other so well. I very much adore how it turned out. Plus, it’s one of those designs which is so easy, because there is no right or wrong way to do it. You just create a kind of swirl on your nails with the different colours of polish, & it creates this fun abstract/wavy stripe effect. A perfect look for Summer!

What do you think of this abstract stripe design? Have you given this look a try, & what did you think? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Tuesday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. This Summer has been so busy I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog responsibilities & dropping the ball on posting — really hoping August will be better for me! In the meantime, I dig into my stash to find a fun, Summer appropriate colour to share!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up.

3 coats + top coat

Pucker Up is a vibrant cherry red with a creamy crelly formula. By that, I mean it has both qualities but leans a bit more in the creme direction when it comes to finish. It did, however, take 3 coats for almost full opacity, but with the thin formula it didn’t take long to dry.

Using a quick dry top coat did help with drying, however it caused some serious shrinkage at my tips & around the cuticles that I’m not happy about.

We all know I love a good red nail polish year round — it’s usually my go to colour when I don’t know how to paint my nails. & this vibrant red is just perfect for Summer. I also think it compliments my skin tone very well.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up is part of the Xtreme Wear core line, so it’s available where ever you purchase your Sally Hansen nail polishes. I picked up my bottle at my local Walmart — I think it was something like 2 for $6 CAD which is a pretty good deal

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up? Do you like this vibrant red? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know what your favourite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shade!

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Emoji Inspired Nails 💋💗🌈🌸 (Easy Nail Art)

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! It’s hot, sunny & beautiful lately & feels just like the kind of Summer days I like.

Today I’m sharing a new manicure & a bit of a nail art hack. I’ve posted before about my absolute love of nail art stickers.

Recently I was in my local Dollarama & found these massive sheets of small foil emoji inspired stickers for $1.25 & thought they would be perfect for stick on earrings for my daughter. But then I realized they were the perfect size to potentially work for nail art stickers & so naturally I bought 2.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • China Glaze Thistle Do Nicely
  • China Glaze Everglaze Optimal Opal
  • Dollarama Small Foil Emoji Stickers

Okay I’m really really impressed with how easily these stuck to my nails, & adhered to my already dry base. They were fairly flexible & easy to stick on the nail, or adjust slightly if needed. I used tweezers to pull them from my sheet, & attach them to my nails, & most of the stickers I picked were easy to apply.

For removal, it was just as easy to take off. I did have a few stickers which were lifting by the end of the day, but that could be avoided with a thicker top coat.

Over all, I think these stickers were perfect for easy nail art at a great low price. Obviously, I want to support small businesses that sell nail art stickers, but times are tough right now, & I think everyone deserves to have beautiful nails so if you can find cute stickers to use on your nails at an affordable price — you should totally take advantage of it!

Would you want me to do a post featuring other Dollar Store items I’ve found for doing your nails? Let me know down in the comments below!

Happy Thursday!

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Purple-y Leopard Print

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! It’s hot hot hot out there — feeling close to 40 degrees C today with humidity — so going to need to keep well hydrated!

Today I’m sharing an old classic when it comes to nail art: leopard print. It’s been a while since I wore any leopard on my nails (last September) so I thought I was due!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Olive & June House of O&J *Gifted
  • Olive & June How Do You Spell Bougainvillea? *Gifted
  • Olive & June Starshower *Gifted
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out *Gifted
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (tiniest size) *gifted
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush *gifted

How cute is this leopard design? I love the colours together, the added sparkle from Starshower in the middle of my leopard spots — just everything. Plus leopard nails are so easy to do, I really should do them more often. I’ve always loved a good spotted pattern; the amount of leopard print clothing I have owned over the years is impressive.

What do you think about this leopard design? Are you a fan of patterned designs like this? As always, leave a comment down below! I love hearing what you think!

🖤