Glam Nails Challenge August — Peach 🍑

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

Sorry for being MIA this weekend; this last week has been CRAZY & then I spent my Saturday in bed all day with a migraine, which put any blog work I was going to do on the back burner. But I’m back this morning with prompt #3 of #glamnailschallengeaug: Peach. & I decided to go with a bit of an abstract interpretation of the prompt with these peaches & cream inspired stripes.

I actually was struggling a bit with what I should do for this one. But once this idea popped into my head, I knew I wanted to do it!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Giant Peach
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sunkissed
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Day Cream
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

Oh man, these feel kind of retro, which is really fun!

I went out & bought 3 new Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shades at Shoppers since they were on sale for $2.99 each, it’s been a long week, & I haven’t bought new a nail polish in a while. I thought these three shades really gave me the peaches & cream feels (plus they’re very pretty colours over all). & I’ve been obsessed with these retro inspired stripes that are all over Instagram right now.

What do you think about these peaches & cream inspired stripes? Do you like my take on the prompt, or is it a little too outside the lines haha. Let me know if you’d rock this peach inspired look in your nails, down in the comments, & don’t forget to pop over to Instagram & check out the other looks using the hashtag #glamnailschallengeaug.

FASHION FRIDAY — My Latest Thrift Finds

Hello lovelies & happy Friday.

It’s been ages since my last Fashion Friday post, so I thought it would be fun to share some recent finds I got while thrifting. If you know me, you know I love a good deal. & I really love when the deal comes from my local thrift store. So I was super excited when I found two amazing deals during my last visit — & I just had to share!

Guess crossbody purse — approx. value $85 CAD

So recently I’ve been on the search for a new black bag to replace my current one that is on its last legs. I’m kind of picky when it comes to purses, so I’ve been struggling to find one that I loved. So I was really, really excited when I scored this beauty at my local thrift for $8. I couldn’t believe it, & I had to get it! The bag is super cute, with a chain that can be shortened to two straps, or worn long as a crossbody bag.

Airwalk Legacee Lace Up Sneakers (never worn) — approx. value $40 CAD

My second score of the trip were these Airwalk sneakers. I love love love this style of sneaker, & I’ve been on the hunt for a new pair after I finally destroyed my Ardene knock offs. So when I saw these hanging out in the shoe section, I got excited. They’re a men’s size 6, so about a woman’s size 8, so they’re the perfect size for me. Definitely a shoe I’m going to be wearing constantly through the rest of summer, & into Autumn. I love how they go with jeans, shorts, or dresses.

& just for fun, I decided to take a quick shot of my new goodies together, before heading to work. Love how versatile these items are! They’ll be so cute with jeans & a sweater come Autumn too!

Do you enjoy shopping at the thrift stores? What was the last item you picked up while thrifting? Share you favourite finds down in the comments below!

Glam Nails Challenge August — Blueberries

Good Morning lovelies & happy Wednesday. We’re already halfway to the weekend! & we’re already on our second prompt for Glam Nails Challenge August!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to take on a challenge for this month to inspire me to get out of my rut. The challenge this month is fruit themed, & I don’t think I’ve attempted that many fruit themed designs over the years, so I’m very excited for the challenge.

Today’s prompt is blueberries, & my design was inspired by @brydiedoesnails! I was obsessed with her blueberry & daisy design, so I decided to do my own spin on it.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI After Alter
  • Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue
  • Sally Miracle Gel Beatnik
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod!
  • OPI Just Can’t Cope-acabana
  • Cosmetics Arts Lime Green (no name)
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

How freaking adorable did these blueberries turn out? I never thought of doing floral & fruit, but it turned out so perfect.

This look was surprisingly easy to do—easier than I thought it would be—& the end result turned out beautiful. I don’t think that blueberries will replace my usual floral favourites, but it’s so much fun to switch things up once in a while! Because this is a look I definitely wouldn’t have thought up on my own, without a little encouragement!

How are we feeling about this challenge so far? Do you love these blueberry nails as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts, & keep track of everyone’s nail art looks by checking out #glamnailschallengeaug on Instagram!

Glam Nails Challenge August — Pineapples

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! & happy long weekend to those who are celebrating.

This month I decided to do something I haven’t done in what feels like forever: GlamNailsChallenge! This month’s theme is fruit, which is a fun summery theme, so I’m excited to participate. I feel like it’ll be a fun way to get back into my nail art groove.

& the first prompt: pineapples. 🍍

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue
  • OPI Just Can’t Cope-acabana
  • OPI How Great is Your Dane?
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art Pen in green
  • Cosmetics Arts Lime Green (name has long since worn off)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

I thought a pineapple pattern look with be super cute, & I love the brightness of the yellow over the blue base. They just pop so well! It’s been a long, long time since I did a fruit themed manicure, but I think the first of this challenge is adorable. Haha I’m not sure how the rest of this challenge is going to go, but I’m excited to get planning for all the different (fruit themed) looks. It’s definitely going to be a challenge for sure!

What do you think about my first look for GlamNailsChallengeAugust? Don’t forget, you can follow along with everyone’s looks by using the hashtag #glamnailschallengeaug on Instagram. I’m definitely excited to see all the cute looks that everyone comes up with this month!

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Grape Juice

Hello beauties & happy Sunday! & happy first day of August!

How is everyone’s weekend — is it a long weekend where you are? It is here in Nova Scotia, & (I think) most of Canada? It also always feels like the beginning of the end of Summer. I know that we still have 4 weeks left, but man, there is something about August which always gets me in an Autumn mindset.

Today’s polish pick for Swatch Sunday still feels Summery enough though! & it was originally released as part of the China Glaze Summer Days (2009) collection: China Glaze Grape Juice.

2 coats

This polish went on easily in 2 coats, although the formula went on a little thicker for coat #2. The colour is a really vibrant, although slightly darker, purple with a beautiful silvery shimmer — I also saw some flecks of blue in there too.

You can really, really see all the shimmer in the macro shot. It’s very densely packed, which I really like! I also can’t believe I haven’t featured this yet for Swatch Sunday! It’s been in my stash for years, but with the exception of nail art, I haven’t worn it a to. Which is actually a travesty, because it is such a fantastic colour! It’s also just dark enough to keep me from full out craving Autumn, while also keeping bright-ish for Summer.

Sadly, it looks like this shade has been discontinued, but I did find a few listings online for it like Sparkle Canada but I don’t think it’s an easy find. However, if you do happen to come across it, you should totally pick it up because it’s such a lovely shade.

What do you think about China Glaze Grape Juice? Do you have this purple beauty in your stash? Which shades are you loving as we inch towards Autumn? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to know what you’re wearing right now.