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FASHION FRIDAY — Jeans & T-shirt OOTD

Hello lovelies & happy Friday. Today I’ve got another OOTD post for you!

While I’d love to say that every time I leave the house I feel put together & channel my inner fashion blogger, most of the time if I’m going out for a reason — groceries, coffee run, etc– I tend to go for simplicity over high fashion. But that’s not to say I don’t want to look & feel cute! So one of my favourite looks to pull together for those errand kind of days is a jeans & t-shirt & cardigan combo.

Vintage Suzuki t-shirt. Black DYI ripped skinny jeans {Ardene — similar pair here}. Grey oversized knit Cardigan {Garage}. Not pictured: Black studded knee high boots {Ardene}

So true story: this tee has been in my possession since my University days (circa 2005}, when I used to channel Mary Kate Olsen during the mid to late 2000s. Originally it was my Father’s, & I’m not exactly sure how it came to be in my possession, but I’m going to assume it had something to do with shrinking in the dryer. Haha.

Suffice to say, it’s well lived in & well loved.

What do you think about this outfit of the day? What’s your favourite clothing item to grab for a quick & cute everyday outfit? Let me know down in the comments below!

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REVIEW — Buck Naked Soap Company Vanilla Chai Salt Soak

Hello lovelies! Hope everyone’s week is going well. Today I’ve got a review of a new to me product (& brand) I’m obsessed with me right now: Buck Naked Soap Company Vanilla Chai Salt Soak.

We’ve recently discovered this brand thanks to our almost daily trips to our favourite coffee & gift shop Selby’s Bunker. I can’t grab my favourite soy latte without stopping to sniff the amazing bath products that they carry. The scents are INCREDIBLE! So for Christmas, my husband gifted me two items — the cranberry & mint soap, & this luxurious salt soak in Vanilla Chai.

The first thing I noticed about this soak is the smell — it smells just like a chai latte, & I adore a chai latte. It just smells delicious. Second thing I noticed is the fact that the soak itself is full of all these spices. There is even a full sized cinnamon stick!

The directions say to add 1/4 cup of the soak into your bath water. It does kind of make your bath water look a little bit like a cup of steeping tea, but not in a weird way. I noticed the smell was mild & not overpowering which is nice.

Does this remind anyone else of those salt spice mixes that come in grinders for cooking? As someone who has very sensitive skin, I really like how all natural these products are. I’ve been using the soap since before the new year, & tried out the soak as well, & neither has caused me to break out in hives (like pretty much every other bath product I’ve used in the last 7 or so months) so I’m really really impressed.

We purchased our Buck Naked products via Selby’s Bunker, but all the items & more can be found via their website. (& there is free shoppig in Canada & the USA on purchases over $75 so got to love that!)

 

What do you think about this salt soak — have you ever tried any of the Buck Naked Soap Company products before? Do you have a self care item you’re absolutely loving right now? Let me know down in the comments below!

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Dainty Polka Dots (take 2)

Hello lovelies & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone’s week is off to a fantastic start — we had some beautiful, dare I say Spring-like, weather yesterday which has me feeling excited. I am not a Winter person at all. It’s just too cold & wet, & the days are too short & dark. With the exception of snow for Christmas, I really can’t deal with it at all. I miss my flats.

But you know what cheers me up? Pretty nails! & it’s be eons since my last true dotticure so I thought some simple & chic polka dots were in order. Plus I got this neat Essie Christmas set at Walmart for 50 % off, & I really wanted to pair these two polishes together.

I seriously love a good deal, & when I saw this set of two mini polishes plus my beloved Gel Setter top coat for $7.50, I knew I needed it. I also did not yet own Ballet Slippers (crazy I know), so it was a deal I couldn’t pass up.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Treat Love & Colour in Gloss Fit
  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Essie Chocolate Cakes
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (COFFEE10 to save 10%)

I don’t think I can begin to describe how much I love a good dotticure, & this one is particularly lovely. The darker dots just pop against the delicate base of Ballet Slippers & gives it such a girly feel overall. It’s such an easy look to wear for everyday, or maybe for a date with a special someone for Valentine’s Day (which is quickly coming up!) Also I always feel like a dotticure is such a perfect option for someone who isn’t into nail art or doesn’t have time for complicated nail art — they’re easy to do, but not super flashy! You could even go with a paler dot colour — white or blush — if you needed something even more office appropriate & no one would really be able to tell you had nail art on!

What do you think about this dotticure? Are you a fan or is it too simple for you? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below! & share what Valentine’s Day nails you’re thinking about wearing (or anti-Valentine’s Day nails if you’re not into the whole thing 🖤)

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Garden Variety

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Hope everyone is excited for the LAST week of January! It’s also our last Swatch Sunday of January, which means we’re that much closer to Spring. & oh boy am I ready to get into Spring. So that means it’s time to dive into my nail polish stash & start pulling out my favourite blues!

I did an Instagram poll yesterday on my Instagram stories — @coffeeandnailpolish — & asked which of two Spring-y blue polishes people wanted to see for today’s post, & with a 58% of the vote Essie Garden Variety was the resounding winner!

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Essie Garden Variety was originally released as part of the Spring 2015 collection, but has stayed on as part of the permanent collection. It has the most incredibly smooth formula, so it applied in just two easy swipes. This is pre-top coat, but still super glossy & shiny & perfect.

Now this is definitely a very difficult polish to capture on film — it can lean really blue at time which is hard to avoid. It’s definitely a little bit darker than you’re seeing in my pictures, but I tried not get the photos to show as close to reality as possible because it really is one of the prettiest teal-y blues that I own. & I don’t have anything else quite like it.

Just look at that beauty — it’s perfect! Oh man, doesn’t it just make you think of Summer dresses & sunglasses & the beginning of flowers budding in the garden. I know we’re only at the end of January, but I need to dream of Spring days to get me through these dreary snow filled grey days. It gives me something to look forward to! (Like the days when I don’t have to worry about layering as many pairs of tights under my jeans as I can fit… & wearing something other than layers of sweaters.)

Like I mentioned, Garden Variety is part of the permanent Essie collection, so you can find the beauty whenever Essie is sold. For those who don’t feel like venturing out to the store, but need this bright beautiful shade in your life there are a few online places you can purchase Essie:

What do you think about Essie Garden Variety? Do you have this shade in your collection? What is your favourite Spring-y blue? Let me know down in the comments below!

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FASHION FRIDAY — Coffee Shop OOTD

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! Also happy second edition of my new feature, Fashion Friday.

I was so happy to see people embracing my new content direction as this is something I’ve really been debating doing for a few years now, but was honestly scared to start. I have so many fun ideas I can’t wait to share with you guys coming up! & please don’t hesitate to share anything you’d like to see me cover. I’m really hoping for this Friday feature to be a really approachable look at Fashion, & a lot of what I share is you going to be me delving into my own closet & the items I own & love. I have this sentimental attachment to clothing (& the memories associated) that I hope you guys will enjoy reading about as much as I love writing about.

First up though, how about a good old fashioned outfit of the day!

Moneau Pineapple Summer Dress. Danier black turtleneck sweater. Not Pictured: Black tights. Nine West Deep green knee high boots.

Okay, so I love dresses. Like REALLY love dresses. From May to October, you can rarely catch me wearing pants. But being that it’s the middle of January in Canada, it’s not so easy for me to just throw on a dress. However, lately when I’m not in the mood for another day of jeans & sweaters, I’ve really been into laying long sleeves & thinner sweaters under my favourite dresses (along with a pair of tights, or two.) It quite honestly is the easiest way to take a Summer dress you love, & winterize it.

This Danier turtleneck has been in my collection a very, very long time (like 2009-ish) & I had completely forgotten how cute it looks under spaghetti strap dresses (& even tanks) like this. This outfit was my Family Coffee Date OOTD, & it made me feel so cute & so put together when I went out. My only complaint? I wish I had a cute little belt to empahsize my waist (this dress is a little bit big on me) but I just found a couple of my favourite cincher belts (including a black one that would be perfect with this look) that I’ll be able to pull out next time.

What do you think about this look? Do you find ways to Winterize your favourite fashion items so that you can wear them all year long? Let me know your secrets down in the comments below!

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Scattered Holo Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! Hope everyone is having the loveliest of weeks! Today I’ve got some brand new nail art to share with you, featuring an easy technique I love to do: abstract stripes. I’ve been doing some version of this look for a couple of years now, & I think they’re such a great way to jazz up your nails — they’re also relatively easy & hard to mess up, & who doesn’t love that!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Treat Love & Color Gloss Fit (clear)
  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Kiss Me, I’m Kind
  • Wrenn Polish Intoxicated
  • Revlon Iconic
  • Kiss Products Nail Art Striper in Black
  • Kiss Products Nail Art Striper in White

First off, check out that scattered holo because it’s absolutely amazing. If you missed my earlier Swatch Sunday post on it, Intoxicated is one of the two new holographic nail polishes that Wrenn Polish released recently. It’s STUNNING. Second I’m kind of obsessed with this grey by Revlon — Iconic. I recently picked it up at my local Lawton’s for only 99 cents. It really compliments this dark purple polish & just goes so well together.

& I don’t know why, but greys are just a favourite for me this time of year (with the exception of early February for Valentine’s Day).

I feel myself digging into my past posts for inspiration lately. The (nail art) nostalgia is real. But maybe Paris Fashion week & the Oscars will give me some new nail art inspiration & inspire some fun new looks.

What do you think about these abstract stripes? What nail art trends are you excited about? Let me know!

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Dry Brush & Gold Flakies

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Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. Today I’ve got another fun design to share. It feels like absolute ages since I did a dry brush design, & so it felt long overdue! I love a good dry brush, because they’re so quick & easy to do. It had also been a while since I’d pulled out any of my Flakies from nail stuff, so I thought some gold was in order!

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Treat Love & Color Gloss Fit (clear)
  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Quo by ORLY Aloe, Goodbye
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Pat on the Black
  • Essence Black is Back
  • Nailstuff.ca Gold Metallic Flakies (COFFEE10 to save 10%!)

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I totally, accidentally, knocked half my gold Flakies all over my couch when creating this look, which was probably the most difficult part of doing this design. Haha. I had tucked these gold pieces away in my nail art draw, & had completely forgotten about them… & how much I love using flakies! They’re just so pretty!

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I’m loving these. The colours, the whole overall look, how freaking easy they were. Everything about these are so fun.

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What do you think about this manicure? Do you love dry brush designs? Let me know all your thoughts on this look.