Tag: Autumn

Posted on

Autumn Vibes & Abstract Stripes 🍂

Happy September 1st! 🍂🍁

We are officially in my favourite months — the “-ber” months! & my favourite months for nail polish & nail art. We’ve got dark colours, all the knee high boots a girl could dream of, & the best season for coffee drinks! So obviously now it’s September, that means I can really dive into my favourite Fall nail art designs without feeling judged for it being “too soon”.

Today’s look is another one of those abstract stripes designs I love so much. This time, I wanted a few more Fall colours because let’s just be honest, I’m obsessed. Haha. I decided on a lighter base colour, with some darker accent stripes. & I think the combination is absolutely perfect!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Quo Beauty Just Peachy
  • Essie Under the Twilight
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Zip Wine
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Ski Bunny
  • Sally Hansen MG Black-O
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush
  • Teeny dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

I love love love this colour combination. I know that peach is usually more of a Spring colour, but I feel like it works perfectly paired with the darkness of Zip Wine & Under the Twilight. Plus it’s a fun, easy design to do, & can pair with an assortment of outfits. For example: this cute peach dress my MIL bought for me at the thrift about a month ago. How cute do these look paired together? Who else loves parking nail art looks together with their everyday outfit choices — or is that just me?

What do you think about this Autumnal abstract stripe look? Are you happy it’s finally September? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & let me know what you’re most excited for in the coming months!

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY— Essie Bell-Bottom Blues

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far. Can you believe it’s the last weekend of August? That’s crazy! This Summer has definitely been a blip. But I had my first PSL yesterday from Second Cup, so I’m all in on Autumn.

Today though, I’m throwing it back to Fall 2015 with Essie Bell-Bottom Blues from the Essie Fall 2015 Leggy Legend collection. I remember when this collection was first released I was obsessed with all the colours in the collection, but especially Bell-Bottom Blues, & it was the one I almost immediately bought upon finding it in stores.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

For a polish that is 7 (!) years old, this shade is just as perfect as it was back when I first purchased it. The formula is still smooth & easy to apply. The formula is pigmented enough it could be a one coat wonder, but I did used two coats for full opacity. The polish itself is a beautiful dark blue, with vibrant blue shimmer, & this hint of purple which you can, sadly, see best in the bottle.

On its own, it dries to a soft satin finish. I much prefer it with top coat though as I feel like it shows off the shimmer much better.

It’s been a while since I pulled this shimmery blue from my stash, & I’m super glad that I did. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really been paying that much attention to the upcoming Fall collections, aside from swatches posted on Instagram. But I’ve been spending a lot of time shopping my own collection for fun Autumn shades to wear, including some oldies but goodies.

What do you think about Essie Bell-Bottom Blues? Do you have any of the shades from the collection in your stash? Let me know down in the comments, & let me know when of the 2022 Autumn nail polish collections you’re most excited about!

Posted on

Geometric Colour Blocking (Autumn inspired)

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a lovely week so far. The excessively humid heat we’ve been having here seems to have broken, & the weather has that hint of Fall weather that always starts around the end of August.

I’m so ready for Sweaters, scarves & my favourite knee high boots.

& Fall nail art, of course.

I’m already making plans for September nail art & joining in for next month’s Glam Nail Art Challenge. But, in the mean time, I’m feeling a little more creative than I’ve felt most of this Summer. & today’s nail art look is a fun nail art look that makes me feel like old school nail art Shannon (circe 2015-2016).

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Quo Beauty Tint of Mint
  • Quo Beauty Whistler
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Zip Wine
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Petal to the Metal
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

Okay, so I’m obsessed. Originally this look started off as just a Autumn themed colour block, but I felt like something was missing — which happens a lot. I added an outline of the rose gold (Petal to the Metal) & then decided to get risky & add a few chevrons over the mint. It looked so good, I did the same thing on the block of grey, & tada! Freehand nail art perfection!

& all done completely freehand.

What do you think of this Autumn toned geometric colour block? Are you feeling the Autumn shades yet, or are your strictly Summer until September? Let me know what you think, & what nail art/nail polish collections you’re looking forward to this upcoming season!

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI First Date at the Golden Gate

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely & enjoyable weekend. I’m excited because I’m really embracing all the Autumn vibes with today’s Swatch Sunday pick. I know, I know… it’s still Summer. But my pumpkin spice loving heart is ready for more, & today’s polish pick is definitely filling the void.

Today I’m rocking OPI First Date at the Golden Gate which was originally released as part of the 2013 Fall/Winter collection (so perfect for Fall almost 9 years later!) This shade came to me during a Chatters sale, although I can’t exactly remember. The bottle is dusty though, so she’s definitely been around a while.

3 coats, no top coat.

The formula on this shade is soft & smooth, & applied to the nail easily. I did have to go with 3 coats of polish, as it was a bit on the thin side, but they dried surprisingly fast. This is always a bonus when you have to apply anything more than 2 coats.

I also like how syrup-y the finish looks, even without top coat.

The colour of this one seems absolutely perfect for Fall & I can’t believe I haven’t really reached for it much this time of year. First, it’s a not-quite-red — & we all know I adore read nail polish! But the shade has this burnt quality, with brown undertones, which reminds me of when the leaves shift around the end of September, beginning of October.

& that’s my favourite time of year!

What do you think about OPI First Date at the Golden Gate? Do you have this beauty in your collection? Do you enjoy me posting these throwback Fall collection shades? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Posted on

Stamped Red Sparkly Nails (Autumn Vibes)

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their week, & it’s not too hard wherever you are. Today is the first day in a while that actually feels not unbearably hot — at least it does early in the morning as I write this! & even though I love love love the heat, I’m excited for a cooler day because its giving me Fall vibes, & I’m already wishing for those cooler days of boots, tights & lots of layers!

But since we still have a few weeks before it will even begin to feel cool enough to wear tights with my dresses, I guess I will need to fill my Autumn vibes with nail polish & nail art.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red Handed
  • Quo Beauty FX Shimmer & Shine
  • Essence Shine, Last & Go Into the Unknown
  • Born Pretty Store stamping plate BP-L006 (no longer available)
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set

Oh man, I am enjoying this look.

Originally I had painted my nails red, adding the sparkle, but I felt like I wanted to jazz them up a bit, & it had been a while since I did any stamping! I thought navy blue would be just enough darkness so a subtle transition manicure between Summer & Fall, & I was right. It gives me just enough of a Autumn feel, without going full on. Although I’m drinking maple pumpkin in my coffee as I write this, so I’m not really scared to go full tilt into all the Fall colours!

I also have a stamping plate I bought last year for Autumn/Thanksgiving that I never got a chance to use, so I’m pumped to be able to pull it out this year!

What do you think about this nail art look? Are you ready for all the Fall polish/nail art content? Let me know what you think, & what colours you’re excited to wear in the upcoming season!