Tag: Dotticure

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#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Mandala

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! Hope everyone’s week is off to a good start. We had another stormy day here in Halifax yesterday—lots of freezing rain. Seriously ready for it to be Spring already!

Today I have another new design for #GlamNailsChallengeFeb! Today’s prompt is Mandala. & I’ll be honest—this was not an easy prompt for me. Originally I tried stamping because I have a plate that has a few mandala patterns, but that did not work out, so then I tried free handing a pattern, which was also a fail. But when I typed “mandala nails” into Pinterest, I saw a few beautiful looks using dots, so I decided that would probably be my easiest (& least frustrating) option!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle
  • Top Coat: Essie Good to Go
  • L’Oréal Vintage Vinyl
  • Sally Hansen CSM So Much Fawn
  • Sally Hansen Good.Kind.Pure. Almond Tan
  • Essie Mosaic on Down
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)

As you can see from my close up, this isn’t the most perfect mandala pattern, but I’m still happy with how it turned out. I was originally inspired by this Pinterest post, but obviously I need more practice (& maybe not to start at 11pm) to get mine to look as beautiful as that! But you know, doing this challenge is all about testing myself, & that means even those manicures I’m not 100% comfortable with!

What do you think about this “Mandala” look? Is this dotticure version something that you would try yourself? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

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#GlamNailsChallengeFeb — Polka Dots

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! Today marks Day one of GlamNailsChallengeFebruary, which I’ve been planning for since the prompts were released last month! I’m really excited, because there is a good mix of prompts that can be for Valentine’s Day (which I love doing nail art for!) & some non-holiday prompts as well.

First up, we have Polka Dots — & naturally I was feeling a pink inspired Valentine’s Day dotticure. You can always use more pink in your life. Plus I had this Quo by ORLY set that had been sitting around for absolutely ever that I bought & never used, so I figured why not pull it out & use it a pretty gradient dotticure!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Strong Start
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen CSM Nail Primer
  • Quo by ORLY Holiday 2014 collection — “the Pinks” (none of these mini bottles have names associated, so I can’t give you specifics sadly.)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (COFFEE10 saves you 10%!)

Oh man, I love a good gradient dotticure, especially one that is as vibrant & pretty as this! I’ve done a few versions of this look over the years, especially for Valentine’s Day, which makes it a classic in my books! Especially great if you’re short on time, but want some pretty & standout nails! & you don’t even need tools to do it — a hair pin works just as easily as a dotting tool.

What do you think of my gradient dotticure for the first prompt of #glamnailschallengeFeb? I’m so exciting to be participating again this month, & can’t wait to play around with all the prompts to come!

It’s going to be a really good month for nail art so stay tuned!

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Neon Dotticure (again 🕶)

Hello lovelies & Happy Thursday! I don’t know about where you are, but the August swelter is real here in Halifax. So I thought it would be a good idea to pull out some neons, embrace the heat, & enjoy what is left of Summer before I dive fully into wanting all things Fall (& it’s coming…. oh it’s coming!)

Today I thought I would share this fun neon dotticure I did with a few of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel’s neon shades they released last year! It’s fun, it’s bright, & it takes little real talent to look gorgeous, which is why they’re my favourite to do when I’m short on time, or too tired to function.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Peach Please
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Electri-Lime
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Miami Nice
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Fuchsia Fever
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Violet Voltage
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool from Dotting Tool Trio

Hey, so I know what you’re thinking: Hey Shannon, haven’t you already done a dotticure with these shades? Yes, yes I have. But that was a much more dainty dotticure, & this one is much more BAM! in your face. Or, at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Haha.

Or maybe I just totally forgot. I mean, 2020 has all kind of done our brains in a little bit. Who even remembers last year anymore?

What do you think about this dotticure redux? Are you still embracing the neon? Let me know what you think down below!

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Crazy Dotticure Pattern Nails

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, & didn’t eat too many chocolate eggs or jellybeans.

We had a pretty lovely weekend here in Halifax, which meant perfect weather for our annual Easter Egg hunt outside. Usually, all the cousins would gather out our house for it, but with social isolation & distancing it was just us. Never the less, our little guy had a blast finding all the eggs, & his baby sister had fun trying her first real taste of chocolate! I could definitely get used to warm sunny days, & they’re calling for sunshine & 16 degrees today, so I’ll take it!

So let’s show off some fun nails, shall we?

For this look, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Quo by ORLY pale peach (no label — it was a mini bottle circa 2013/2104)
  • Essie Splash of Grenedine
  • Essie First Timer
  • Essie Playdate
  • Essie Bikini so Teeny
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (COFFEE10 to save 10% on your purchase!)

So I’ve been thinking about doing one of these dotticure pattern nails for a while, but for some reason was nervous to do it (& kept falling back into old trusted designs — like floral). But I’ve really been wanting to try something different, out of my comfort zone, & I’m really glad I did! At first I wasn’t sure about how these turned out, but I actually really adore them! So much so, I wore this look for a full 3 days until they started chipping.

These sort of remind me of like printed tiles, or something. I really like the bright pop of colour over the pale base shade. I’ve had this Quo shade in my minis drawer for a very long time, but I don’t think I’ve pulled it out to wear before. It makes a great almost neutral base for nail art.

What do you think about this dotticure? What was the last manicures out of your comfort zone you tried–did you grab a colour you never wear, or try out a design that made you nervous? Let me know in the comments below!

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Matte St. Patrick’s Day Dotticure 🍀

Hello lovelies! Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 although this feels like a very strange thing to say considering the state of the world right now. I hope wherever you are, you’re safe & healthy & stocked up on all the essentials you need. Like coffee.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t feeling the St. Patrick’s Day nails this year, but decided at the last minute (yesterday) to do something, anything. & what is more fun & festive than a green themed dotticure!

For the manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • My Beauty Spot pistachio green (no name)
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • L’Oréal Feeling Kilty
  • Quo by ORLY Diva
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio  (COFFEE10 to save 10%)

This look makes me happy, not only because it’s relatively quick & so easy to do! A dotting tool was the very first nail art tool I ever purchased, & by far they are the ones I’ve used the most over the last decade of me obsessively painting my nails! The great thing about a dotticure is that you grab a few festive colours & you can create a manicure for any holiday! Orange & black = Halloween. Green, red & White = Christmas. Pastels = Easter.

Easy peasy.

What do you usually do for St. Patrick’s Day? Back in my bit crazier days, I would take the day off from work & go party at a friends house literally all day. Those were crazier times for sure. Now I pretty much stick to kombucha & maybe Irish Cream flavoured coffee!

This year, like I said, with all the fear about Covid-19, we’ve stocked up on goods for the next little while. But I am set when it comes to coffee — we made sure to hit up Selby’s for some at home coffee! ☕️

Stay safe (& healthy!) loves