Autumn Gloom Floral

Hello lovelies & happy Monday.

Autumn is in full swing, & I’m loving every moment. There is nothing better than the ‘Ber months. Flannel days, hot cider, all things pumpkin spice — I couldn’t ask for more.

Naturally I’ve been drawn towards darker colour on my nails, as you’ve probably all noticed. I decided, though, there wasn’t enough floral happening so I decided to hand paint some pretty floral on my nails, but still keep with the deep dark jewel tones which have been calling to me.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • Color Club Jewel of A Girl
  • & then a whole bunch of Color Club shades that don’t have names listed (purchased in multipacks at Winners/Marshalls)
  • NailStuff 7mm Mermaid Tail Liner Brush

I’m pretty proud of how these turned out. The colours really compliment the shimmery jewel tone of Jewel of A Girl, & pop very nicely. I did use a ton of shades for this look, but literally none (except my base) had a name on it. I actually have a lot of Color Club shades I don’t use very often because they’re nameless.

Maybe someday I’ll do some investigation to figure out what they’re names are, but today is not that day.

What do you think of this gloomy Autumn floral? Do you like this vibe?

We’re only a couple days away from October, so I’m already starting to plan what I’m going to do for the month — pumpkins, & ghosts & spooky vibes are definitely on the list!

Happy Monday loves. Enjoy it.

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie High Voltage Vinyl (Essie Fall 2021 Collection)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. I hope everyone is having a beautiful weekend! The weather here is perfect Autumn weather — cool enough to wear a light jacket, but not too cold I can’t still wear my favourite skirts. Definitely my favourite time of year.

So naturally, let’s show off some Fall nail polish. & I feel like I’ve found the perfect shade for the occasion: Essie High Voltage Vinyl.

2 coats + top coat

Described on the Essie site as a “warm rockin’ onyx green nail polish amped up with refined gold pearl” I feel like this colour screams early Autumn. The green is a beautiful dark green which is complimented perfectly by the bronze-y gold. The dark shimmer is really pretty, & applied surprisingly smooth with subtle brush strokes (it kind of just looks more like the finish, & less like me mucking up.)

Green isn’t usually a colour I reach for to wear on its own, but I like that this one is a little bit different & that underlying gold shimmer is doing something to me! It just screams Autumn, & sweater weather. Could you imagine this guy with a coat of Essie Shine of the Times over top? I bet it would be absolutely stunning (& I wish I had thought of it when I put this shade on… rather than when I was writing this blog post! Next time!)

Sadly, looking online it doesn’t look like this shade is available for purchase, which makes me sad because it’s such a fun shade for this time of year. I’m sure there is a beautiful dupe out there though!

What do you think of Essie High Voltage Vinyl? Do you think it’s a beautiful Autumnal shade? Would you wear this unique green nail polish?

I’d love to know your thoughts & what you’re currently wearing on your nails right now.

Happy Sunday!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Revlon Elusive (2013 Evening Opulence Collection)

Hello loves & happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is enjoying their first full weekend of September (& long weekend). I am in full Autumn swing, & enjoying a bit cooler weather. I just want to pull out all my plaid, & go on a thrift hunt for a brand new pair of knee high boots. It also means I want to wear nothing but dark tones on my nails, & today’s Swatch Sunday pick is perfect for that!

This is Revlon Elusive from the 2013 Evening Opulence Collection.

2 coats, No top coat.

This beautiful black jelly glitter was originally released back in 2013, & having Googled the collection — the advertising is very 2013, if you know what I mean. I believe it was released for Fall/Winter, so this colour is fitting in perfectly for the Autumn season, but also wouldn’t look out of place at a holiday party.

This base is a thin-ish black jelly, packed with multi-sized teal glitters. It dries matte, which I was a bit nervous about because I was worried it would be too textured, but it dried fairly smoothly for me which is a win in my books! I applied 2 thin-ish coats for coverage, although it does look a bit translucent in some photos so some people might feel more comfortable with either 3 thin coats, or 2 more thickly applied coats.

My only complaint — it did chip during my shift at work. Now that could be the fact that it’s a 13 year old polish, or it could be that my top coat is getting okay. Definitely won’t stop me from wearing it again!

Also, I had to apply top coat to see what it would look like shiny, & I do feel like it makes the glitters pop a bit better, but honestly I love it both ways. Giving me a glitter like this, & I will always be a happy girl!

What do you think about Revlon Elusive? This shade was obviously released back in 2013 so it’s no longer in circulation. I would love to see Revlon do a throwback collection with some of these glitter shades they used to do. Plus, Y2K & 2010s fashion is making a comeback, so let’s bring it back on our nails!

Have the best Sunday darlings!

♥︎

Messy Skittle Stripe Accent Nail

Hey beauties & happy Friday! It’s crazy, & rainy, & a lot right now. But Autumn is in the air, the kids are back to school, all the coffee shops are releasing their Autumn menu — we’re featuring a spicy iced chai latte right now with pumpkin cold foam at my cafe — & I’m about ready to break out my faux Doc Martens & over the knee socks.

I’m also just loving Autumn shades on my nails. I decided I really wanted to do a skittle design, but with a little twist. & I love this combination of colours! I feel like it turned out really, really fun… even with some seriously rustic stripes.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Strengthner
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Expressie Feel The Hype
  • Essie Cacti On The Prize
  • Morgan Taylor Looking For A Wing Man
  • ORLY Buried Alive
  • Color Club Grey (No Name)
  • NailStuff 7mm Mermaid Tail Liner Brush

So when I did these nails at first, I was a bit uncertain about how they looked. But that happens sometimes, & I’m definitely in love with how they look now. & I think all the different colours look beautiful & complimentary.

What do you think about this messy strip look? It’s definitely a little rustic, but like I said… I ended up really liking the whole look.

I’d love to know what you think about this design. Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Friday ♥︎

Black Diamond Studded Nails 🖤 (Makes my Emo heart happy)

Hello darlings, & happy Monday. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, no matter what you found yourself doing. My weekend was mostly spent working, but I find the weekend rush fun.

Today I’m sharing a really fun manicure, featuring yesterday’s Swatch Sunday pick & a whole lot of black rhinestones! While swatching Dark Dahlia, I was trying to figure out a fun (but different manicure) & I stumbled across a small bag of black diamonds that I’ve never used. One thing led to another, & suddenly I was carefully placing each stud on my nail.

& I am obsessed. Actually, obsessed is an understatement! I literally want to recreate this design using every colour of the rainbow.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Strengthner
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Essie Speed Setter
  • The Creme Shop Calcium & Protein Clear Polish (from the Hollywood Nail Art Kit)
  • CND Vinylux Dark Dahlia
  • Black Diamond Studs
  • Diamond Art grabber pen

It has been a long time since I pulled out my nail studs, & played with them. I’m not even sure why I don’t play with them more often, minus the fact I’m always worried about one popping off. Thankfully, these were nails to rock around home & not at work because I feel like they’re not the most practical…. but damn they look so cool.

Like really cool. You have no idea how bad ass I felt wearing these.

Were they a little more complicated & time consuming to do? Yes. Would I 100% do them again. Also yes.I also think the almost-black of Dark Dahlia paired with the black of the studs made the studs look better. I was kind of worried it was just going to look weird & lumpy, but it didn’t. Instead, it really did look like black diamonds on my nails.

& as an elder Emo who spent her formative years listening to Taking Back Sunday, Brand New & the Ataris while wearing exclusively black nails…. these scratch a little Emo itch that regular black nails could never.

So, what do you think about this rock star worthy manicure? Do you love it as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & what polish & stud combo you would want to try!

Happy Monday My Loves!

❤︎