Neon with Freehand Lines

Hello Summer, how you doing?

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We celebrated my little girls 2nd birthday this weekend with lots of cake, a fun play date, more cake, & some actual sunshine. It was very exciting!

Now we’re set for a rainy, muggy, thunder-y week. At least I get a little bit of brightness through my nails! This neon look is a throwback to some nails I did (more than) a few years back. Something about short nails just makes me want to rock neons & graphic lines. & my nails have been pretty short lately.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy
  • China Glaze Shocking Pink
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie Worth The Tassel
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Blacky-O
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

So bright!

So this base was an attempt to cover up a chipped manicure, & then a saw how pretty it was & thought it would be perfect for some graphic black line work. I find these kind of designs much easier to freehand over the straight horizontal lines. Which sucks, because I have a few looks in my head I’m itching to try, but scared of mucking up with uneven lines.

What do you think of this design? What nail art looks are you planning for this week? Let me know in the comments!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Pucker Up (Summer 2021 collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Another week has gone by, & somehow we’re almost in July? Half way through 2021… how did that happen? That means we’re in full Summer mode, which means I’m in full give-me-all-the-bright-nail-polish-now mode. So I thought I would actually share a fun, Summery shade that is actually from this year: Essie Pucker Up from the Summer 2021 collection. As you might remember I was gifted this beautiful shade as part of the National Nail Polish Day PR package I received, but haven’t had a chance (okay, I kept forgetting…) to share the shade until now!

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter top coat

How to describe this polish… so this beautiful bright coral leaning pink which is a pop of colour. My favourite part of, though, is this fuchsia shimmer. The colour is blindingly bright, which makes me happy in ways I can’t even describe. Like, you need sunglasses while staring at your nails. However, this is also one of those shades that looks very different depending on what light you look at it in–under my daytime light, you definitely get more of that fiery coral shade, but if you are taking pictures outside, in indirect light, then you’re going to see more of that fuchsia undertones.

Over all, the formula was pretty easy to work with. 2 easy coats, with a little bit of Speed Setter (because it was 11:30 at night 1am, & I was going to bed right after). The shade itself is very bright, & reminds me a bit of Ardene 80s Prom Dress which I swatched here, only more poppy. Obviously, being from Essie & not like 6 years old, means you can totally snag this beauty for yourself!

What do you think about Pucker Up from the Summer 2021 collection? Are you feeling these Summer vibes? What shade are you living for right now? Let me know in the comments below.

Peach Herringbone Nails

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday!

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I worked all weekend, but the weather is beautiful. It’s officially Summer as of yesterday, which is also very exciting. Of course, here on the East Coast we’re awaiting the remains of a Hurricane which means it’s soggy & gross.

But at least my nails look cute! I did these herringbone nails last week, when I wanted nail art but I was short on time (& inspiration). I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of line work like this lately because I can do it without having to wait for my base to be fully dry.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Lounge Lover
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Essence Outta Space Stories We Will Spock You
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

Ah, like riding a bike. I’ll be honest, at night when I first did these I wasn’t 100% sure if I liked how they turned out; they seemed messy & awful at 10pm. But I was tired, so I left them on, because awful nails are better than no nails at all (& I was way too tired to repaint them). But as soon as the sun came up, & I took another look I actually really liked how they looked, & they didn’t seem as messy as I originally had thought.

& I really kind of love them.

What do you think about this herringbone look? What nail art designs have you been living for lately? Let me know in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Mine has been very busy, to say the least, but I always find (a little) time for nail polish!

Today’s Swatch Sunday post is a throwback shade that I picked up a few years ago: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Beatnik. It was originally released in 2015 as part of the Boho collection, but I think it became a part of the permanent collection after that.

2 coats, no top coat.

The formula on Beatnik was really smooth & easy to apply. All I needed was two coats for full opacity, which is always something I love in a nail polish — especially when I’m short on time, like I have been lately. I’m also really digging this darker shade for some reason. I know I should be all about the neon, but these darker jewel tones are just calling to me. It’s a nice change from the lighter shades I’ve been wearing a lot lately.

As I mentioned, this is 2 coats without top coat. I did end up adding a coat of the Miracle Gel Top Coat for my actually wear (along with some simply nail art) which always helps with the wear. My nails get beat up bad right now while working (especially because I’m working 10+ hour days) so I need all the extra nail power I can use.

What do you think about this blue shade? Are you a fan of Sally Hansen Beatnik? What shades are you wearing on your nails right now? Let me know in the comments below!

FASHION FRIDAY — Revisiting My Prom Dresses

Hello lovelies! Today I have another edition of Fashion Friday, featuring a bit of a throwback. I had so much fun with my previous try-on post, so I thought it would be really fun to do a similar post, but this time trying on my old prom dresses!

I actually went to prom three times — my own, with one of my best friends, & then to my high school boyfriends. & each time, I wore a completely different dress in a completely different style! I was never a huge fan of the traditional princess-y prom dress, so I’ve never worn one. It’s just not my style.

So let’s take a look!

Continue reading “FASHION FRIDAY — Revisiting My Prom Dresses”