Tag: Essence

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Black Friday Half Moons 🖤🌛

Happy Black Friday lovelies!

I suppose “happy” is a subjective term. But it is Black Friday, & that means that the holiday season is about to kick into high gear. I work in retail, though, which means I’m just trying to survive the weekend! So in honour of this crazy day, I thought I would create a black manicure to represent the day.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Mary Kay Salon Direct Moonlight
  • Essence Here’s My Number
  • Paper Hole Reinforcements

I wanted black nails, but with a twist, & I think this nail art look was just what I needed. I used a lot of top coat to smooth out Essence Here’s My Number as it’s a sparkle sand effect polish. I think the subtle pearlescent shimmer of Moonlight pairs really well with the more obvious sparkle of Here’s My Number. It’s a very chic look, which half moon designs always are to me, but then you have the black & white pairing, which just makes it feel even more chic.

Also it’s a very easy look, that anyone can do. The perfect nail art look for going into battle for retail war.

What do you think of these Black Friday half moons? Do you think this is as chic a look as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Shopping darlings! 🖤

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE OCTOBER — Black Cats 🐈‍⬛

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! It’s already mid-week, & I’m super excited for this weekend because not only am I going to a wedding on Saturday, & then it’s my birthday on Sunday. So it will be a good weekend.

Today, though, we have another fun prompt for Glam Nails Challenge October — Black Cats. Now, I’ve got a soft spot for black cats so I was very excited to create a black cat themed manicure. This time I decided to go with a bit more glam look, instead of scary & spooky.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • Essence Beam Me Up
  • Starrily Eclipse
  • Acrylic Paint
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (11mm liner brush)

It’s been a while since I last painted nail art with acrylic paint, & I kind of forgot that it makes nail art so much easier (sometimes) compared to nail polishes, especially for something like this. It also makes for fixing mistakes a lot easier too.

& I just love my little peeking black cats. Reminds me of my own black kitties — who have both sadly passed away. But I definitely want another one, eventually. Black cats are just the most special.

What do you think of my black cat design? Already 4 prompts in — that’s super exciting. This month is going to be very, very fun for nail art, I can feel it already.

Have the best Wednesday loves! 🖤

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE OCTOBER—Trick or Treat ☠️🍬

Hello loves & happy Thankgiving Monday! I hope everyone. had the most fabulous weekend, & is enjoying their Monday so far — especially if you happen to be off today. I’m excited to share off the next manicure for Glam Nails Challenge October, especially because I found this one a bit tricky… no pun intended. Haha. Here are my Trick or Treat nails.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fiery Island
  • Sally Hansen CSM Blush Around the World
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • Essie Amuse, Myself
  • Essie No Shrinking Violet
  • Essence “Stamp It!” Stamping plate
  • Color Club Skull Stamping Plate
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper & Scraper Set
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

I had this idea of combining something sweet (like Candy) with something scary & spooky to convey the idea of Trick or Treat, & I think I was successful. Originally, I had just the black stamping my nails but it seemed a bit plain, so I went in with the two Essie water colour shades to fill them in & add a little bit of extra pop & I think it was exactly what it needed!

I cannot say enough how much I love these. A fun little manicure, perfect for Halloween.

What do you think about this trick or treat design? Did you get it as soon as you saw it? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & let me know what your favourite Halloween candy of all time is! If I had to choose, I would probably say sour patch kids!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY— Essence Sea You Soon 🌊

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a bit of a chilly one here on the East Coast. It’s been feeling more & more like Fall. Although, I got to break out one of my favourite blazers this morning so I’m not complaining too much.

Today I’m excited to share a shade from my stash that I feel could go either way in terms of season — great for Summer or the cusp of Autumn. This is Essence Sea You Soon.

2 coats + top coat

I’ve been an Essence girlie for a long time. It was one of the brands that got me into the nail polish community because I would usually pick one every time I went to Shoppers Drug Mart (which is where they are sold in Canada). They did another bottle revamp last Summer, so naturally that meant I needed to add some to my collection.

Sea You Soon is a beautiful sapphire blue with lighter blue shimmer. The formula is easy to apply, thin but not runny, & reaches a nice opacity in two coats. It also dries relatively quickly, especially once top coat is applied.

The thing I like about Essence nail polish is that it’s a great core collection of colours at an affordable price point. They go for $3.99 CAD which is a good price point. It’s especially a good price point if want to pay a reasonable price for shades like white, black or neutral without overspending.

Being a nail polish addict can definitely get pricey, so it’s nice to find quality products at a price that doesn’t mean you have to skip lunch that day.

As mentioned, you can purchase Essence Nail Polish at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada — as well I do believe some Loblaws locations that have cosmetics also sometimes sell Essence. It can also be purchased direct from the website, though I’m not sure pricing on shipping.

What do you think of Essence Sea You Soon? Are you a fan of this beautiful blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below! & get excited because next Sunday I have the whole Sally Hansen x Sesame Street InstaDri collection to share!

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Instagram Floral Collab 🌸🌿

Hello lovelies & happy Friday!

I’m so super excited to share today’s manicure, because I was lucky enough to get to join in on a nail art collection via Instagram. You know me — I adore a good floral design, so I was excited to join in on this challenge.

These nails scream Spring, so I’m very excited to share this design!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • China Glaze Wanderlust
  • OPI One Heckla of A Color
  • OPI Gelato on my Mind
  • Essie All the Wave
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Peony Origins
  • Sally Hansen GKP Eco-Rose
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Racing Rose
  • Aco by Ardene Sour Apple
  • Aco by Ardene Jungle Green
  • OPI My Geckos Does Tricks
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

This design took so many polishes to create, but it was absolutely worth it. & I think I remembered all the shades I used for this design. There was quite a few of them.

I was so excited to be a part of this collaboration & join so many talented nail artists. I really love challenging myself like this, because sometimes it’s hard to come up with designs all on my own.

Please don’t forget to check out #floralnailartmanicollab2023 on Instagram to see all the other stunning floral designs!

Happy Friday loves!