Shimmery Mermaid Vibes 🧜‍♀️

Hello loves! It’s Monday again.

It’s also 3 days away from June, which just blows my mind. I mean, I’m happy for Summer weather — although, we could use some rain here so send rain vibes! — but also this year is speeding by & it’s kind of unbelievable. How is it even possible that we’re almost half way through this year?

But I digress; you’re here for nails, so let’s talk nails! Today’s look was what I promised in yesterdays swatch post. I knew that OPI Blue My Mind would be a beautiful base from some nail art, & I knew I was feeling mermaid nails. So naturally, I knew what I had to do.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • OPI Blue My Mind
  • Essie Viva Antigua!
  • Beyond the Nail Mermaid Scale Vinyls

My little girl is absolutely obsessed with all things mermaids right now, so this was the perfect manicure to impress her! This was also super easy to do. I only applied one coat of Viva Antigua! over my base, so it’s kind of spotty in some spots, but I like it because it gives a more watery scale look (if that makes sense). You can kind of see the base showing through, & I like that. Over all, it’s a very pretty look.

In fact, I’ve been wearing this manicure since Thursday, & it’s still holding up very well. I usually wear a manicure maybe 3 days max (& that’s if I’m really busy) but I’ve just loved this look so much, & it’s barely even showing tip wear, it felt like a shame to remove it. Of course, I will probably change my nails today, but it’s been fun to wear. I almost wish I had gone to see the Little Mermaid this weekend, as it would have been the perfect manicure for it. But I’ll have to redo one when I take my little girl in a few weeks.

What do you think of my mermaid nails? Are you feeling all the mermaid vibes? Let me know all your thoughts on this look down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Blue My Mind

Hello lovelies! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to a new week. It’s a beautiful weekend here on the East Coast, & I could get used to this. It’s starting to feel like Summer, & I love it.

Today I’m showing off a shade from the stash that I’ve never worn! (& honestly… I don’t even remember when I bought it!) This is OPI Blue My Mind.

2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful vivid sapphire blue with a turquoise shimmer. According to my internet research, it was originally released as part of the 2005 Brights collection but then became part of the core collection. However, upon looking it may now be discontinued as it’s listed as out of stock on the OPI website, & No Longer Available on Nail Polish Canada. I’m sure if you really look for it, though, you could find it via smaller beauty supply websites.

The formula on this shade was smooth & easy to apply. First coat has a bit of patchiness, so a second coat was perfect for full opacity. That’s what I like in a polish. Obviously a one coat polish is always the most desirable, but it’s not always realistic, so I don’t mind having to apply two coats. I did also finish things off with a coat of top coat, to give it a little extra gloss.

How pretty is the glow on this shade? I’m super impressed with the colour, the shimmer — all of it. Not your typical “summer” colour, but I’m digging it — & I think it would be the perfect base for some aqua stamping or some chevrons.

I actually do have some nail art featuring this as a base, so stay tuned to see what I did with this colour!

What do you think about OPI Blue My Mind? Are you a fan of this pretty blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical

Hello loves & happy Sunday! & happy long weekend to all who get to celebrate! The May long weekend always feels like the official beginning of Summer, which I’ll gladly take — even if they’re calling for thunderstorms today. Bring on the beach & BBQ!

Today, though, I’m throwing things back to a shade originally released for Winter 2020. What can I say — I like to keep you on your toes. This is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hip-nautical.

3 coats + top coat

I’m not even sure how to begin to describe this shifty polish. The base is a darker blue that flashes purple or lighter blue depending on the lighting or how you move your fingers. It did take 3 coats for a full solid coverage — & the best shift — but the polish formula is very thin so it dries quickly.

Definitely needs a good coat of top coat to finish it off. Keeps that beautiful shine, & helps smooth out any brush strokes.

The shift between colours is actually very good. Maybe not as shifty as in the bottle, but I rarely find that drugstore polishes are. The flash of blue is very strong on this shade, which is just absolutely gorgeous! & I love, as you can see in this macro shot, you get all the levels on this polish in one shot.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical is now part of the permanent core collection, so you can find it where ever Sally Hansen shades are sold including:

What do you think about Sally Hansen Hyp-nautical? Is this a shade that you would wear? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sinful Colors Blue Me Away

Hello loves, & happy Sunday! & happy Mother’s Day to those who are celebrating.

Today’s the best day of the week because it’s Swatch Sunday, & those definitely seem to be everyone’s favourite posts. Today, I’m sharing a shade that I’ve had in my stash for a while, but haven’t had a chance to share yet: Sinful Colors Blue Me Away from their matte line. I purchased this shade last year at my local Walmart for (I think) $2.99 CAD.

2 coats, No Top Coat

The formula on this shade was a bit thin & very streaky upon first application. Even though I thought I shook my bottle quite well, I definitely had some bald spots. Second coat gives you the coverage you see above, which was almost perfect. You can kind of see on my pinky finger that I had a bit of trouble near the cuticle, but I feel like that’s more a me issue vs a polish issue.

The colour is a beautiful almost cornflower blue. This is the kind of blue I’m always drawn to which is why I own so many in my stash. However, I think this is my first matte version of this colour in my stash.

Close up of my polish.

Even without top coat, I loved how well this dried down. On their website for application, it suggests finishing off your manicure with a matte top coat, but I was impressed with how it dried on its own. Obviously, if I was going to wear this polish long term, I would definitely apply top coat to keep the polish on longer — especially because I can find matte polish can chip a little easier sometimes.

If you’re looking for Sinful Colors shades, in Canada they are sold at a variety of stores including Walmart, Lawton’s Drugs, & even Dollarama! Generally they retail for between $2.50-$3.99 which is a very affordable price.

What do you think of Sinful Colors Blue Me Away from their matte line? Do you have this shade in your stash, or would you wear it? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & what shade or brand you would like to see next!

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Rainbow 🌈

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! I hope your day is starting off beautifully. Today I’m in a great mood because I’m sharing another beautiful manicure for Glam Nails Challenge April.

& what is the next prompt? Rainbow 🌈

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Holographic Top Coat: Starrily Eclipse
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Cerulean (pinky)
  • Sinful Colours Fitspo
  • OPI Nature Strong Make my Daisy (middle)
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fiery Island (pointer)
  • Essie Too Too Hot (thumb)

How pretty is this rainbow? I thought about hand painting a rainbow, but there is just something about a skittle design. I totally could have freehanded little white ‘s’ in the middle of each nails, & they would have been legit skittles! Simple, but effective.

Also the kiddos loved the look so much, they asked me to give them both rainbow nails! So here is a bonus shot of their fun rainbow nails. Even though I sometimes get a little on edge painting their nails — mostly because they hate sitting still — I do adore anytime they ask for me to paint their nails!

What do you think of these rainbow nails? Are you a fan of a rainbow skittle look? Let me know down in the comments below!

& just for fun: what is your favourite skittle flavour. I’m controversial because I will die on the hill that the green apple skittle was the best, especially in sour, but I know not everyone shares that opinion.

Have a lovely Monday!