SWATCH SUNDAY — Dimension Nails Hooded Seal & Snowy Owl (from The Arctic Collection)

•pr sample/gifted•

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s another chilly, snowy Sunday here. I feel like I just keep repeating that over & over… but Spring has to come eventually, right?

Today I’m sharing some beautiful Dimension Nail swatches from their Arctic Collection. They’re kind of snowy, wintery shades, which I feel is perfect for this snowy Sunday. These beauties were recently gifted to me courtesy of NailStuff.ca, so I’m excited to show them off! I don’t think I’ve ever had a Dimension Nails polish that hasn’t been absolutely beautiful, & these shades are no exception.

For those who aren’t familiar with the brand, Dimension Nails is an indie nail polish brand that is 10+ chemical free, as well as being vegan & cruelty free.

Dimension Nails — Hooded Seal (The Arctic Collection)

2 coats, no Top Coat

First up, we have Hooded Seal, which is a beautiful & shimmery baby blue liner holo. The formula was smooth, & easy to apply. The first coat was a bit sparse, but the second coat built to great opacity.

The holo was really pretty on this. I have deeper, darker blues, but I don’t think I have any which are this pretty pale blue. I also like that it has this beautiful darker blue shimmer that you can capture in the right lighting.

Dimension Nails — Snowy Owl (The Arctic Collection)

2 coats, no Top Coat

Next up from the Dimension Nails Arctic Collection is another beautiful blue: Snowy Owl. This beautiful shimmery blue has a lovely shimmer of micro glitter which gives it a frosty finish. The formula on this one was a bit more sheer than Hooded Seal — I also applied 2 coats for coverage, but I feel like this one needed one more for complete opacity.

It’s definitely gorgeous on it’s own, but I could see it being equally lovely with one layer over another polish — white, grey, dark blue. I feel like you could definitely have some beautiful combinations.

What do you think about these two beauties from the Dimension Nails Arctic Collection? Do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Both these shades were gifted to me c/o: NailStuff.ca! You can find the entire Arctic Collection available on her site (shipping available to both Canada & the USA) as well as other many of the other Dimension Nail collections!

Blue Abstract Swirly Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! & happy February. One month of Winter down, only a few more to go. & we’re officially into another favourite month of mine for nail art — bring on ALL the Valentine’s Day nail art.

However, before I jump full tilt into all pink all the time, I thought I would share this fun blue swirly look I recently did on my nails. I’ve talked endlessly about my love for these swirly abstract stripes, so when I’m stuck on inspiration I always turn to this look. & yep — went with blue again! I was feeling some fun Essie blues, & I feel like they pulled everything together so well.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Suite Retreat
  • Essie Bell Bottom Blues
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

The best part of this style is how easy it is to muck it up. You just add more layers, & (usually) it’ll bring everything together. The sheer base of Essie Ballet Flats, which I haven’t worn in a really long time, just helps the colours pop out a bit. You see the lines a bit better, I find, with a more sheer, or naked base.

I also did a cute version on my daughter who loved mine so much she wanted to match. I shared a Reel on instagram of them, if you’re curious. Also, this is a surprisingly easy look to do on a two year old, if you can get them to sit still long enough haha.

What do you think about these blue swirly stripes? Are you still a fan of this style of nail art — I know they’ve been really, really popular on Instagram lately, but I don’t think I’ll ever be sick of them. They just are too easy, & too cute! They make me very happy.

Have a lovely Tuesday, & stay warm!

January Blues Skittlette ❄️💙

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday!

After a week & a half almost of struggling to get back into painting my nails after being sick, I’m slowly feeling like myself again. But I feel like January is such a weird time for nail art because you’re done with holiday looks, but I feel like it’s just a smidge too early for Valentine’s Day. So what does that leave you with?

So I decided I was feeling the January nail blues. & since it’s been a while since I rocked a skittlette look, I pulled together a few blue/periwinkle polishes for a fun tonal look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie All the Wave
  • China Glaze Ever Glaze Don’t Grape About It
  • China Glaze Secret Peri-Winkle
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue
  • Essie Bikini So Teeny
  • Starrily Eclipse

First off, I think this look is reestablishing my love affair with blue nail polish. It’s been calling to me a lot lately, so it was fun to pull out a few favourites out of my stash drawers. It’s been a while since I rocked a skittlette look, & I find sometimes when I try to wear them, I struggle with pairing the shades together nicely. Some people, like @heysolomiya, come up with the most visually stunning skittle nails with colour combinations I could never even envision. But I think these five polishes paired very nicely, & adding the holo topper Starrily Eclipse (which I think is one of my favourite special effects toppers!) gave these shades the perfect balance.

What do you think about this January Blues skittlette? Are you feeling the January blues this time of year — what kind of nail art do you usually go for during this in-between times? Let me know what looks you’re loving right now, & stay tuned because I’ve been going through some older manicures from January’s past, & I’ve got some serious recreation plans!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Cadillacquer Leilani (Thermal)

•pr sample/gifted•

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week — 2022 hasn’t quite been my friend. I came down with the flu right before the new year, & even almost 2 weeks later I’m still just starting to feel like myself again. Which means, I need to get started with some fun January nails.

This week for Swatch Sunday, I have another gifted polish care of NailStuff.ca to share: Cadillacquer Leilani.

2 coats + top coat

Cadillaquer Leilani is a beautiful jelly blue thermal, which is packed full of multisized glitters, & shifty flakies. In it’s cool state, it is the funky blue colour you see in the bottle, but when your hands are warm (or when you dunk them in some nice hot water) the polish shifts to a semi sheer golden white colour.

The formula itself is quite easy to work with — not too gloopy or runny, which is good when you’re working with a shade which needs more coats. I went with two coats of polish, but I definitely could have applied another to hide the bit of sheerness it had while hot.

Below, you can see it in its “warm” state, after I dunked it in some hot water, as well as when my fingers started shifting back.

I’m always a sucker for thermal shades, & the dramatic colour difference between the hot & cold state of this one is really fun. As I’ve written before, I’ve been a sucker for thermal nail polish since my Claire’s “Mood” nail polish days, so it makes me so happy to still be able to play around with these shifty shades, even after all these years.

If you’re looking to add this shade to your collection, you can find it (& other Cadillacquer shades) for purchase via NailStuff.ca.

What do you think about Cadillacquer Leilani? Are you a fan of thermal nail polish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Dimension Nails Kronosaurus

•pr sample/gifted•

Hello lovelies & happy 2022!

It’s the first Swatch Sunday of 2022, in fact, & I’m excited because I have a beautiful polish to share with you that was gifted to me c/o: the oh so sweet @NailStuff.ca: Dimension Nails Kronosaurus. This shade was released as part of the Prehistoric Collection — a whole collection of polishes named after Dinosaurs!

Two coats, no top coat.

How freaking stunning is the beautiful blackened blue? It’s absolutely perfect for this time of year!

The formula is smooth & easy to apply. I applied 2 coats for full coverage, but you may be able to get away with one thick coat if you have shorter nails. The brush on the Dimension Nails bottle is also great because it’s wider, meaning you need less swipes for full coverage.

The shimmer is so beautiful, & I love how you don’t have to fret about too many brush strokes because the wider brush. You might remember I used this shade for one of my New Years Eve looks, & I feel like it has a lot of nail art possibilities! I also really want to see how it looks with matte top coat over top — I bet it is stunning!

Dimension Nails are Vegan, Cruelty-free, & Certified by PETA, Leaping Bunny, and Logical Harmony. They are also “10 free” which means they don’t contain any ingredients like formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, etc.

In Canada, you can buy Dimensions Nails via NailStuff.ca. In the USA, Dimension Nails can be bought directly via her website.

What do you think about Dimension Nails Kronosaurus? Do you love a deep blue shade like this? Do you own any Dimension Nails in your stash? Let me know in the comments below!