Tag: Essie

Posted on

Spring-y Pastel Floral

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. Today I’m showing off a pretty springy pastel floral, which is perfect because it’s currently 0 degrees & snowing. Ah, Spring in Canada. 🌸

Usually went I do floral I try to do a more realistic looking design, but I decided to go more simple this time & I’m really happy with how these turned out.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Lounge Lover
  • Essie Play Date
  • Essie Bikini So Teeny
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie The A-Bliss
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (I used the 7mm liner brush) — use COFFEE10 to save 10% off your order

These feel very Easter-y to me, even though I hadn’t really started thinking about Easter manicures quite yet. I thought the pretty pastel shades worked really well for this look though — & I’m really how with how these flowers turned out. It took my patience, but I think they look beautiful!

Is anyone else’s hands struggling with extra dryness right now? Between extra extra hand washing & hand sanitizer when we have to venture out for groceries (or handmade Lysol wipes) I feel like I can’t keep on top of my cuticle oil or hand cream. Thank goodness I have an abundance of hand cream at home, because I’m going through it like crazy!

What do you think about this floral? Are you feeling pretty pastels? Let me know what design you would do with pastels for Spring!

Posted on

Freehand Daisies

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. At least, I think it’s Wednesday. I feel like time has no real meaning during crazy times like this!

But I DO know that (tomorrow) Friday is the 20th, officially Spring, which is definitely something to get excited about! This winter has been long, & brutal, & not just because it seems like bad news is happening every 3 days. So in honour of it almost being Spring, let’s get hard into the floral. 🌼 Because floral makes everything better.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Deborah Lippmann It’s Raining Men
  • White Acrylic Paint
  • Black Acrylic Paint
  • Yellow Acrylic Paint
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (I used the 7mm liner brush) — use COFFEE10 to save 10% off your order

I attempted this manicure a while ago, using polish, but it did not turn out at all. I don’t tend to post my nail fails, but not every manicure I attempt turns out. Sometimes they are epic fails. So I decided to try this look again, just using acrylic paint again — & it worked.

I know I’ve mentioned it’s before but if you’re trying to get into nail art & struggling with hand painting, give acrylic paint a try. The best part about it is if you mess up what you’re drawing, you can just wash it off & start over again! Certainly makes things a bit easier.

I absolutely love daisies, they’re my absolute favourite flowers. But I haven’t worn them often on my nails just because I was scared of messing them up. I find roses so much easier to paint, because you can (usually) just keep adding layers to give it that petal appearance. Other flowers are a bit more difficult.

What do you think about this floral design? what is your favourite flower? What kind of flower do you think I should attempt next? I was thinking maybe tulips? I’ve never done tulips before.

Leave all your thoughts down in the comments below! I hope everyone is staying safe & healthy. ♥️

Posted on

Rosy Floral 🌹

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday.

I hope everyone is having a lovely start to the week — my whole house has been struck down with the cold from hell which had NOT been fun. Thankfully, I have a pretty floral manicure to distract me the fact I feel like I’ve been struck by a truck.

For this look, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Candy Coat 907
  • Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Pink Cardamom
  • Sally Hansen GPK Eco-Rose
  • Sally Hansen GKP Beet It
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Bubblegum
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie First Timer
  • Essence The Green & The Grunge
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush (COFFEE10 to save 10%)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio 

I hope you’re not getting sick of the floral, because I’m certainly not sick of creating them. I need something to distract me from what feelings like the most never ending Winter (even if we haven’t really had an overwhelming amount of snow this year — definitely not complaining!)

Also I have to shout out this Candy Coat polish because I wore these floral nails for a good 5 days before they started to chip, which gives me a lot of hope for when I go back to work. Got to love a Polish you can wear for an extended amount of time without worrying about the dreaded chips. I’m interested to see how these will survive an 8 hour shift in retail!

So what do you think about these rosy floral nails? Would you like to see some more floral soon? Let me know what you think & what your favourite flower is down in the comments below!

Posted on

Groovy Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! Hope everyone has had a lovely start to their week. We had another beautiful almost Spring like day yesterday, which gives me hope that maybe — maybe — one day soon, Spring will be here to stay. I just keep longingly staring at the clothes in my closet, dreaming of the day when it’s warm enough to wear them!

In the meantime, how about some Spring on the nails! I’ve definitely been feeling myself drawn to my more Spring looking nail polishes. I just need a little brightness in my life!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple (the blue version)
  • Essie Splash of Grenedine
  • Essie Blank Page
  • Essie Bobbing for Baubles
  • Nailstuff.ca 11mm Liner Brush (COFFEE10 to save 10%) {gifted}

I love abstract stripe designs so so so much, especially when they turn out as perfect as these did! These totally remind me of one of those gorgeous abstract Pucci designs. The swirly lines & bright colours — perfect for Spring! Also I love the brighter pop of pink over the paler blue base. What is it about this colour combo? It makes me so happy!

If this doesn’t make you feel ready for Spring, I don’t know what will. I also just feel so proud of how these turned out too — it might just be the best version of the abstract stripe design I’ve done yet! & yeah, it kind of makes me want to do another!

What do you think about this look? Are you feeling these Spring-y colours? Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Posted on

Dainty Polka Dots (take 2)

Hello lovelies & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone’s week is off to a fantastic start — we had some beautiful, dare I say Spring-like, weather yesterday which has me feeling excited. I am not a Winter person at all. It’s just too cold & wet, & the days are too short & dark. With the exception of snow for Christmas, I really can’t deal with it at all. I miss my flats.

But you know what cheers me up? Pretty nails! & it’s be eons since my last true dotticure so I thought some simple & chic polka dots were in order. Plus I got this neat Essie Christmas set at Walmart for 50 % off, & I really wanted to pair these two polishes together.

I seriously love a good deal, & when I saw this set of two mini polishes plus my beloved Gel Setter top coat for $7.50, I knew I needed it. I also did not yet own Ballet Slippers (crazy I know), so it was a deal I couldn’t pass up.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Treat Love & Colour in Gloss Fit
  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Essie Chocolate Cakes
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (COFFEE10 to save 10%)

I don’t think I can begin to describe how much I love a good dotticure, & this one is particularly lovely. The darker dots just pop against the delicate base of Ballet Slippers & gives it such a girly feel overall. It’s such an easy look to wear for everyday, or maybe for a date with a special someone for Valentine’s Day (which is quickly coming up!) Also I always feel like a dotticure is such a perfect option for someone who isn’t into nail art or doesn’t have time for complicated nail art — they’re easy to do, but not super flashy! You could even go with a paler dot colour — white or blush — if you needed something even more office appropriate & no one would really be able to tell you had nail art on!

What do you think about this dotticure? Are you a fan or is it too simple for you? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below! & share what Valentine’s Day nails you’re thinking about wearing (or anti-Valentine’s Day nails if you’re not into the whole thing 🖤)