Summer-y Dotticure featuring Essie

Hello lovelies! Hope everyone is having an awesome week so far.

I’m excited because I have another fun (& easy) nail art look to share with you featuring some brand new (to me) shades I recently picked up. I worked like a mad woman over the Canada Day long weekend, so I decided to treat myself to a few new Summery nail polishes. & when I was looking at these brand new shades, I was like “hmmm, what can I do with these polishes?”

& the answer was obvious: dotticure!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat
  • Essie Throw in the Towel
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Essie In the Cab-ana
  • Essie Blanc
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

How gorgeous are these shades together? Originally I planned on buying Essie Bahama Mama but then when I was in the nail polish aisle I noticed Bahama Mama is very close to Sally Hansen InstaDri Zip Wine so I decided to hold off (for now), & go for some more vibrant Summery shades. Essie In the Cab-ana is an old favourite & my old bottle is running out, & the other two shades were fun, bright pinks, & I seem to be very drawn to pink nail polish lately.

I think I might do a polish haul instagram reel soon, since I have been really loving (& buying) pinks, so why not show them off.

What do we think about this dotticure look? I feel like this is kind of reminiscent of my early dotticure days, where they were a bit more abstract. Let me know what you think down in the comments below, & what colours you would pick for a dotticure like this!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Swoon in the Lagoon

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s a sunny Sunday here on this side of the world, & it’s been super beautiful & warm, & very summery the last few days which I can’t get enough of. Which also means I’ve been really feeling the Summer nail art shades, & thanks to some awesome tips from work (from some crazy days), I managed to pick up some brand new Essie shades last week.

First up, this beautiful originally released as part of the Spring 2022 collection: Swoon in the Lagoon.

2 coats, no top coat.

Oh my gosh, I’m obsessed with this colour. The formula on this shade is really easy to apply, & smooth. I needed two coats for full coverage, but I always feel most comfortable applying 2 coats anyways. I love the vibrant fuchsia shade. It’s a perfect pop of colour for summer, even if this shade was originally released as a Spring shade.

Look at that beautiful colour! I like how it almost looks neon, but without the matte finish of a neon shade.

I picked up this shade at my local Shoppers Drug Mart for $9.99 on sale. It looks like it’s become part of the core collection, as it was in the main section, as well as a side cap. I love when that happens because it means I get a chance to get polishes I might have missed on the first release.

What do you think about this shade? Do you have Swoon in the Lagoon in your collection? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Purple & Blue Stamped Geometric Nails

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! I hope it’s as sunny & beautiful where you are, as it is here in Halifax.

Today I have a fun stamped nail are look to share with you! I know… who is she? It’s been a bit since my last foray into stamping, & I was looking for a quick & easy nail art look, so I landed on this stamped pattern. & I have to say, I’m really happy with how the finished look turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essence Extreme GEL Top
  • Essie Mint Candy Apply (blue version)
  • L’Oreal Color Riche Le Vernis Violet Vendome
  • BODICO Stamping Plate B-12
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set

I was super pleased with how these turned out! I love, love, LOVED this stamping plate from BODICO, but if you remember from this (very old) review, I had a bit of trouble getting a clear pattern to show up. So I was super pleased that I got such a clear & crisp image for this design.

I absolutely adore the contrast of purple over the pale blue. It really pops! We all know blue & purple are probably two of my favourite nail polish shades, so pairing them together just makes for the perfect combination.

& this geometric pattern is just so much fun — I love that it almost looks like flowers.

What do you think about this geometric stamped design? Do you love the end result as much as I do? I always forget about my other nail art tools like my stamping plates, or even my nail vinyls, so I’m really trying to make a conscious effort to pull them out more. We will see how successful I am, haha.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Red Sparkle & Daisies (My Nails for National Nail Polish Day)

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! It’s almost the weekend! I hope everyone is having a lovely week so far.

Today I’m excited to show off the manicure I was wearing for National Nail Polish Day — & yes, that more red nail polish haha. I figured I wanted to wear nails that were all encompassing of my personality, & red nails with daisies just did that!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine
  • Top Coat: Essence Extreme GEL Top
  • Essie Too Too Hot
  • Essie Shine of the Times
  • Essie Blank Page
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

First off, check out how long my nails currently are! I know I’m enviably due for a break, just because I work a job that is not the kindest of hands/nails, but for right now I’m just going to bask in how long & beautiful they are right now.

Second, I’m so excited for beautiful sunny outdoor shots. I’m living for the sunshine. Not only does it make my nail pictures look lovely, but it just makes my mood so happy.

Third, I adore this Essie-centric manicure for National Nail Polish Day yesterday. I think this is the first time I’ve done a manicure with Essie Too Too Hot & obviously I had to top it with Shine Of The Times. Then, I added some daisies because if I’m celebrating a day dedicated to nail polish, I need some floral (my favourite).

What do you think about this vibrant red look? Did you do your nails special for National Nail Polish day? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie x Révolutionnaire Expressie Collection

Features Gifted Product in Exchange for Content

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I’m super excited to share some beautiful PR I received recently! As I mentioned in this post, this collection is a collaboration between Essie & Révolutionnaire.co, a brand & platform committed to celebrating diversity and inclusivity, and fighting for social justice.

The two gave teamed up with Essie for a beautiful collection of Expressie shades — Take the Espresso, Cold Brew Crew, Buns Up, Millennium Momentum, Daily Grind, & Always Transparent. This was my first experience with the Expressie line, which is an 8-free, vegan formula, formulated without any nasty ingredients that can sometimes be found in nail polishes.

So let’s look at some Swatches!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie x Révolutionnaire Expressie Collection”