Category: Valentine’s Day

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Colour Block Outlined Half Moons

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday!

Today I have another fun look to share with you. I was feeling some nails a bit out of my comfort zone, & these turned out exactly how I pictured in my head. I wanted some neon half moons, but I decided to take them to the next level with some black outlining, & the end result is AWESOME!

& the timing was perfect, because these nails ended up getting the spotlight they deserved during a special photoshoot at work this past weekend.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Orly Oh Cabana Boy
  • Orly Fireball
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush
  • Paper Hole Reinforcement stickers

Oh man, I just love these.

I feel between the neon brightness & the graphic black lines, these are very unlike my usual manicure style, but that’s probably why I like them so much! They definitely took a few extra minutes (& more patience than I realized I had) but the end result is so worth it.

Plus they’re so pretty! & bright. I feel like with all the bitterly cold days we’ve been having, I’ve been craving neons & bright colours more than I usually do. But… also, this colour combination could also totally work for Valentine’s Day too.

What do you think about this look? Are you a fan of the outlined nail look? Do you like these two bright neons together?

Let me know down in the comments below!

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#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Hearts 💕

Hello lovelies & happy day after Valentine’s Day (aka 50% off Chocolate Day!).

Today I’m sharing my design for yesterday’s prompt for GlamNailsChaengeFeb: Hearts! Which is a very fitting prompt for February 14th. 💗 This look was one of those ones that kind of just came to me as I was doing it, which are definitely the best kind. & I just adore the end result.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • L’Oréal Jardin Des Roses
  • OPI Koala Bear-y
  • L’Oréal Royalty Reinvented
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Cherry Delightful
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)

As you can see from my close up, this isn’t the most perfectly clean freehanding, but I kind of like it. It works with this kind of design. It sort of reminds me of another Valentine’s Day nail art look I did a few years back which was inspired by napkins I saw out & about.

What do you think about this hearts look? I’m definitely ready to be done with pink for a while — I think I’ve pink-ed myself out. Haha. But I’ve got a whole bunch more prompts to come, so stay tuned for some beautiful (not pink) nail art looks to come!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Deborah Lippmann 99 Luftballons

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday! & happy Valentine’s Day! 💗💕 Hope your day is filled with every kind of love — from Friends, from Family, from Pets. & if you’re just not into the holiday what so ever, don’t forget: tomorrow is 50% off chocolate day.

Today I’ve got one more pink polish to share— Deborah Lippmann 99 Luftballons!

3 coats, no top coat.

Base is a beautiful, but sheer, fuchsia pink jelly with an assortment of multi coloured glitters. Like with most polishes like this, I would usually layer it over a corresponding shade to cut down on coats required — & keep clean up from being as complicated & frustrating. But for my swatches, I wanted to show the polish in its true glory.

I will say, I have a few glittery shades like this from Deborah Lippmann, & this shade versus Stronger was definitely a little less packed with glitters. If I wanted to wear this shade on its own, & cut down on coats, I would probably sponge the glitter on instead.

I would just make sure to wear a peel of base coat first!

I originally got this mini bottle as part of a bigger set via Winners a few years ago. From the looks of things, this shade was originally released in 2013, so the only listings I could find for it were via Ebay & Poshmark. It could also pop up at places like Winners, Marshall’s or TJMax as those stores seem to get old school shades like this all the time.

It’s definitely a pretty glitter to wear for whatever occasion you may need a little extra sparkle.

What do you think about Deborah Lippmann 99 Luftballons? Would you wear this pretty pink glitter? What is your favourite glitter polish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Roses

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday lovelies!

As you can see from the background of my nail art pictures today, it’s Winterland here in Halifax! But on my nails, it’s totally Spring. Today is prompt #3 for GlamNailsChallengeFeb, & it is Roses! & as you know, if you’ve been around the blog a while, roses are one of my favourite things to paint on my nails!

This time I decided to go with a vintage inspired rose look. Usually I tend to go for a more realistic looking floral, but I wanted to try something different!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • Matte Top Coat : Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Essence shine last & go! Take Me To Heaven
  • L’Oréal Jardin Des Roses
  • Sally Hansen CSM So Much Fawn
  • OPI Koala Bear-y
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Essence Gel Nail Polish The Green & the Grunge
  • Sally Hansen MG Wet My Whistle
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

How pretty did these roses turn out with the black accents. It gives them almost a sketched effect, which I really like. It reminds me a bit of a manicure I did a few years back, obviously with a different colour scheme (& a bit more nail art practice!)

This is my first time wearing this Essence shade in a manicure, I think. I really like the blue background against the brightness of the pink roses. I really think this is a super cute design, both for Valentine’s Day, & Spring in general.

Yep, already dreaming of Spring. Winter can be over now!

What do you think of this rose design for #GlamNailsChallengeFeb? Are these giving you Valentine’s Day feels? Would you wear this look for a Valentine’s Day date?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene Love Potion No.82

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! We’re officially a full week into February now, & a week away from Valentine’s Day. Here in Halifax were also anxiously awaiting not one, but two big Winter storms this week. Which kind of sucks, after a couple days of beautiful almost Spring like weather! I was really looking forward to maybe pulling out a few of my dresses.

But let’s not dwell on that, & instead concentrate on the important things—like today’s Swatch Sunday pick: Ardene Love Potion No.82! I’m still feeling all the pink love, so naturally I had to dig deep into my stash to find something perfect for Valentine’s Day, but with a twist. & I think this oldie shade was the perfect pick!

Two coats + Essie Good To Go

For those who don’t know, Ardene is a Canadian clothing store that used to be more of an accessory story, & sold a ton of fun nail polish. Having used to work for the company, that meant I got first peeks at all the polish, which is why I own so many. This particular shade entered in my stash pre-2014. For a lesser expensive brand, I actually think a lot of the shades they used to introduce were really funky & different, with lots of glittery shades—like this! & considering they used to sell for $3.99 a bottle, or 3/$10, that’s a pretty good deal.

As with most glittery shades like this, the formula is cruelly, which allows you to see the layers of glitters. However, two coats does coat the nail well, showing off the multi coloured, multi sized & multi shaped glitters which I’m very happy about! No visible nail line peaking out.

This is definitely a fun shade for Valentine’s Day, especially with a name like Love Potion No.82. But it could also be a fun shade for Summer, or just when you’re feeling funky. I did add some top coat (Essie Good to Go) to smooth things out a bit because the layers of glitters can be a bit bumpy. I also think that a little matte top coat would also look incredible over this polish.

This is definitely one I think I need to wear more often!

What do you think about this old school Ardene shade? Do you think Love Potion No.82 is a fun Valentine’s Day shade? What is your favourite pink glitter bomb polish? Let me know in the comments below!