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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Blanc

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s been a while. I feel like this past week I have not been feeling like myself, so I didn’t feel much like posting. But I’m back, I’m feeling slightly refreshed, & I’m actually really really excited for this week’s Swatch Sunday. If you’ve been around a while, you’ve probably heard me mention my love for white nail polish. It’s what started my love affair with nail polish in the first place. So I’m really excited to share what I think might be the most perfect white nail polish I’ve worn in a while: Essie Blanc.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

I kind of feel silly, because Essie Blanc has been around forever, & somehow I have not added it to my stash. But as you know, I recently participated in an Essie virtual event, & one of the perks was that those attending were gifted a few Essie shades, including Blanc. & I was quite excited, because I’ve been thinking about buying this shade for a while, but hadn’t (for whatever reason—truthfully I’m not even sure why!)

Formula on this shade is great—it’s smooth, creamy, & not chalky at all. Coverage is pretty good in one coat, but obviously it needs that second coat for ideal levelling. The colour is a nice, bright white without verging on white-out. The brush for my bottle was also the new, wide Essie brush which I really like, but is especially good for application on this shade. Covers the whole nail in almost one swipe. Very, very nice.

Is there anything more satisfying than a bright, clean white manicure?

It’s actually been a while since I rocked basic white nails, & I’ve missed them. First off, they’re great against even the hint of a tan, which is perfect for this early Summer season. Second, they’re very Buffy season one. All I need are a few butterfly clips, & a patterned skirt & tank top combo, & I’m instantly transformed back to Sunnydale High circa 1997. & I’m very, very okay with that.

I’ve actually been rewatching Buffy from the beginning again (it’s my guilty pleasure TV show, what can I say?) & it’s making me want to do a deep dive into the many manicures of Buffy Summers. It would be a big endeavour, but maybe I could break it up into a few posts. We will see if I can make it happen!

What do you think about Essie Blanc? Do you have this clean white polish in your collection? Is there a classic nail polish that you keep meaning to buy, but haven’t got around to getting yet? I have a few, but this was definitely a big one! I’d love to know if anyone else is the same way.

Let me know in the comments below!

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#GlamNailsChallengeDec — Christmas Tree 🎄

Good morning & happy Christmas Eve Eve. 2 more days until Christmas—can you believe it? Are you ready? Our tree is decorated, our presents still need wrapping, & hopefully we have all the fixings for Christmas dinner haha. But my nails… my nails are definitely ready!

Today’s prompt for #GlamNailsChallengeDec is Christmas Tree, & I took some inspiration from a few designs I saw on Instagram for this dainty tree accent nail. This design has a little bit of everything — stamping, glitter, some teeny tiny freehanding. I’m super proud of how they turned out!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat
  • Rimmel London 60 Second Camouflage
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essence Give It Nude, Baby!
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Born Pretty Store Stamping Plate (sadly no longer available)
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper (COFFEE10 saves you 10%)
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

Check out the close up of this accent nail!

I started off by stamping the Christmas tree pattern onto the nail with Essie Off Tropic, which isn’t perfect for stamping but worked. Then I went in with Camouflage & filled in some spots on the trees. Next I took my teeny micro detail brush from NailStuff.ca, & drew in the brand details over top. & finally, I used some glitters from my bottle of ORLY Glitterbomb to add a little bit of sparkle on top (which I think really completes the whole look!)

& of course, I needed a shot of my nails & my Christmas tree (& Batman ornament!)

What do you think of this Christmas tree look? Is this a cute Christmas Day look? Are you ready for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Friends Forever, Right?

Hello lovelies & happy Swatch Sunday.

Today I am feeling something refreshing, & that can only mean one thing: white nails. Anyone who has been around a while knows my obsession with white nail polish, so I own quite a few of them. Today I’m all about this beautiful creamy off white from China Glaze — Friends Forever, Right? was originally released Fall 2014.

2 coats + top coat.

Whenever I’m feeling uninspired for nail art, my favourite polish to wear for a refresh is white. Anything white. What is lovely about Friends Forever, Right? is that it’s not quite white — it’s got a pinky undertone that keeps it from mimicking white out on your nails.

I was quite pleased with how easy this polish was to apply, even after all these years. I usually use it as the base for nail art, but I really do enjoy it all on it’s own. & obviously, it reminds me of my teenage love affair with Buffy & her fabulous nails, & who doesn’t love a little bit of nostalgia.

& in case you’re wondering, Sparkle Canada has a bottle of Friends Forever, Right? so if you don’t have this shade in your collection, & you’re realizing you need it, I would definitely pick it up! It makes such a good nail art base, or all on it’s own.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday (I know this post is going up later than normal.) I also hope everyone is feeling happy & healthy & staying safe in all this craziness. I plan on enjoying another coffee, maybe a social distanced maple latter now that our favourite small cafe is open for take out!

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Rainbow Easter Egg Inspired Accent Nail

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday!

I hope everyone is having a lovely week, however you’re spending it. I did a fun yoga class last night (via zoom) so I’m feeling refreshed this morning. If there is one thing this home isolation has been doing for me, it’s been inspiring me to work out almost daily, which is awesome!

Today I gave an Easter inspired design to share with you. I wanted a look that would be perfect for Easter celebrations, but could also be worn just to celebrate Spring!

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Claire’s matte Sorbet Blue
  • Claire’s matte Sorbet Mint
  • Claire’s matte Sorbet Purple
  • Claire’s matte Sorbet Pink
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • TheBaseCoat Chevron/ZigZag (regular) Stencils

I really, really wanted to do something Easter-y on my nails, without going your typical bunny ears/Easter egg design. I started off on my ring finger by applying 2 coats of Ballet Slippers & my Essie Gel Setter to dry. Then I took my nail vinyls, & applied them to my ringer finger. Using a dotting tool, I started from the bottom of my nail, I worked quickly applied the alternating colours. All my shades were matte, which dry quickly, so I actually pulled off the vinyl one I had filled a section. Next up, I decided outlining would bring the look together, so I went through with my tiniest brush, & outlined all my chevrons with my white polish, as well as the outside of my nail.

& I feel like the end result looks so cool, & dainty, & just Easter-y enough. Like a “grown up” Easter egg design.

Seriously, I’m obsessed. It’s been a while since I pulled out the zig zag chevron nail vinyls, & oh man have I missed them! I guess one thing I can thank this whole situation for, is that I’m really putting more effort into my nail art, & love rediscovering all these old tools of mine. It’s a fun way to distract myself from all the craziness happening outside of the house — or from the fact that I really miss my extended family. Hopefully the world returns to some form of normalcy again, so we can all get together & celebrate all the events we’re missing out on.

Do you have a special manicure planned for your Easter? What is your favourite Easter candy? Let me know down in the comments below! (Mine are Peeps by the way, I know… I’m strange but I LOVE them!)

 

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Dipping into my Untrieds

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I was trying really hard to figure out what I should share for this weeks Swatch Sunday post, & realized I have a WHOLE lot of untried nail polish I have bought over the year (or was given to me) that I’ve never actually worn. Even once. So I thought it would be fun to grab a few of those neglected shades for this weeks Swatch post! So I posted a poll on my Instagram asking did people want to see Spring shades or untrieds, & while it was pretty close, 55% vs 45%, Untrieds won!

So let’s get to the polishes!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Dipping into my Untrieds”