Category: Winter

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Quo Beauty Xtreme FX Midnight Magic

Merry Christmas Eve lovelies! & Merry Christmas to those who Santa has already visited. 🎄

Today I’m excited to share an early Christmas present to myself. After a very long Christmas season, I decided to buy myself a little pick me up & hit up my local Shoppers Drug Mart for something sparkling. This is Quo Beauty Xtreme FX Midnight Magic.

3 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

This dark purple jelly shade has a thin consistency & is packed with multicoloured metallic glitters. Originally I thought they were holographic, but they’re is just a variety of different colours. The formula is a very thin jelly, which allows the glitters to build up & show through the layers.

Because of the thin consistency, I did need 3 coats but they dried down very quickly. & the use of quick dry top coat helped speed things up even more.

The dark purple definitely does mask this shade a bit, but I still adore it. This shade reminds me a bit of Icing Disco Lights, but with much smaller glitters. It’s a fun little touch of sparkle.

For my Canadian friends, you can purchase this & other Quo Beauty shades at your local Shoppers Drug Mart or via their website. This one is currently in stock online & there were lots at my local Shoppers, so you should definitely be able to find it! I know I’ll definitely be going back after Christmas to pick up Stargazing or The Party — which were the other two I was deciding between.

What do you think of Quo Beauty Midnight Magic? Do you like this subtle touch of sparkle? What nail polishes are you hoping Santa leaves under your tree? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

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Merry Christmas Penguin Accent Nail 🐧🎅

Good morning lovelies & merry Christmas Eve Eve. Can you believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow? Who else has copious amounts of wrapping to do?

Today though, I have another cute nail art look to share. I was wearing this incredible sparkly green already, & decided I needed something fun over top so I decided to add a cute penguin accent nail!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Beyond The Nail Caribbean
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • ORLY Garnet Luxe Shimmer
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Pump-kid
  • OPI Unfrost My Heart
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush
  • Small dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

Okay, seriously — how cute is he, all dressed in his little Santa hat? I did do a version of this penguin look in 2018, but I think this year’s version hits the mark so perfectly!

 I decided to add a bit of a scattered dotticure at my cuticle line to give off the effect of snow falling, & I think it made this look even more fun. This is my manicure for my last day of work before the holidays, & I think it’s a fun design for what will probably be the busiest shopping day of the whole year. 

What do you think of my little penguin accent nail? Do you think this is a fun Christmas look? It was actually surprisingly easy to do, which was awesome because the only thing keeping me conscious right now is caffeine! Hopefully Santa will slip a few Energy Drinks in my stocking to keep me awake over the next few days.

Have a fantastic Saturday, & if you’re venturing out to finish up shopping be safe. It’s going to be a zoo out there!

♥︎

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Christmas Ribbon Candy Swirls

Hello beauties & happy Friday! It’s almost the weekend, & not just any weekend, but Christmas weekend! That’s insane but exciting. I had to keep my holiday inspired nail art going with some more abstract nail art.

The first thing this design made me think of after I did it was the Ribbon Hard Candy you get around Christmas. I’m sure you know the stuff, but if not it’s this stuff.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • OPI Unfrost My Heart
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 5 Golden Blings
  • Red & Green Acrylic Paint
  • 16mm Striper Brush from Nailstuff.ca

I decided to use a combination of acrylic paint & nail polish for this design to make it a bit easier for me. Sometimes, I find when I’m doing bigger stripes, my polish starts drying a bit too quickly, but you don’t have the same issue with acrylic paint.

I really, really like how these stripes turned out. I know, I know — I say this every time. But I don’t think there is anything wrong with being proud about your nail art! For a long time, I was extra critical of my work, so I’m glad to enjoy what I do. & it is a little bit different from typical Christmas nail art.

What do you think about these ribbon candy inspired abstract swirls? Do you like the holiday vibes they are giving off? Would you wear these for any Christmas celebrations you’re partaking in this weekend? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Friday 🎄

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Easy Christmas Party Nails (with NailStuff.ca)

Contains PR/gifted product from NailStuff.ca

Good morning & happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their day. It’s windy, cold, & icy here — so I’m probably going to skate to work!

I know I don’t usually post on Thursdays, but I decided I wanted to try & squeeze in a few more manicures before Christmas! Today’s look is a super simple one, using another set of nail art stickers I received from NailStuff.ca.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Dimension Nails Pygmy Sloth (c/o: NailStuff.ca) — such a good shade for Christmas
  • NailStuff.ca Merry Christmas (Gold & White) Nail Art Sticker

First off… yes my nails are super short again. I have a break on my thumb down super low, so I had to trim it down to avoid disaster, so I trimmed them all down for a fresh start. I swear, the same thing happened this exact same time last year too.

But HOW CUTE are these stickers?! I thought this gold & white set would be perfect over my red base, & I was right! These are perfect for last minute party nails, or any occasion for a little extra pizazz (without a lot of extra time!)

What do you think about these quick & easy Christmas party nails? Do you like easy nail art designs with stickers? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Stay warm today! 🖤

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER — Christmas Presents 🎁

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! A damp, rainy, cold Wednesday here in Halifax… & I’m so not into it. Today was supposed to be my day to go & get all my Christmas shopping done as it’s my last day off before Christmas Eve… but I am not into the idea of getting caught in that weather. Ugh

Still trying to keep hold of some semblance of the Christmas spirit, so happy to share the next manicure for Glam Nails Challenge December. Today’s prompt is Christmas Present, & I really enjoy the design that I created for today.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI Infinite Shine Bring Out The Big Gems
  • OPI Rolling in Cashmere
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Good as Gold
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush

Don’t these just look so classy? If only my wrapped presents looked as beautiful as this. At this point, if my presents even end up getting wrapped before Christmas morning, I will be happy. But I’m so happy with how these turned out, & I was excited to pull out this OPI shade I purchased last December again.

What do you think about these Christmas Present nails? Are you all ready for your holiday morning (if you celebrate)?

Don’t forget, you can see all the #glamnailschallengedec designs on Instagram. So many beautiful designs to see that have been done this month! Maybe you’ll even find some inspiration for your own Christmas morning design!

Happy Wednesday ♥︎