Hand-painted Jack O Lanterns 🎃✨

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday.

I know my posting schedule is all over the place, but between life, family, sickness & work, I’m just trying to make sure this blog gets my attention — even if it’s not on the same schedule I have been posting! Especially this month, my favourite month. I have been busy busy busy on Pinterest saving a lot of Halloween nail art ideas, & then enviably spending a lot of time narrowing down which one I want to do first.

Naturally, I decided to start with pumpkins. I’m a basic bitch who loves her pumpkin spice, so it just felt very fitting.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • OPI I Sing In Color
  • Essie Sparkle On Top
  • Essie Handmade With Love
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • OPI Barefoot in Barcelona
  • Essie Cliffhanger
  • NailStuff Essentials Raven
  • NailStuff 7mm Liner Brush

I created my base with Sparkle on Top over I Sing In Color, & then sat back & tried to think what would look best over top. But pumpkins/jack-o-lanterns just felt like the obvious choice. I painted my pumpkins first, & then decided a few of them needed faces, so added them after the fact.

What do you think of these Halloween jack-o-lanterns? Do you like this handprinted design? I’d love to know what you think about this look & if you would wear this design on your nails!

To me, it’s the perfect look for spooky season!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI I Sing In Color

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Officially celebrating the first Sunday of October — & spooky season! I love spooky season.

I was perusing my nail polish stash, trying to find a shade I haven’t yet shared for Swatch Sunday. I have a lot of shades from the beginning of my nail polish obsession I never shared swatches of, so I enjoy going back & pulling them out.

Take today’s pick: originally released as part of the Holiday 2014 collection, I feel like it’s the perfect dark burgundy for October. This is OPI I Sing In Color.

2 coats + top coat

One word: obsessed.

This dark burgundy, so dark it could look black from far away, has a beautiful cream formula that builds effortlessly. To me, this is the definition of an Autumn manicure — dark, cosy & a little bit moody.

Look at that beautiful smooth formula! For a shade that is almost in its teenage years, she’s holding up stunningly.

Actually, I’m surprised that I don’t pull this out more! I think it’s just been hiding in my OPI stash, so I kept missing it — but I rearranged all my polishes after we moved, so she was more front & centre. & thank goodness for that because I’m so excited to share how beautiful it is!

Do you remember OPI I Sing In Color? Sadly, we’re another discontinued shade so finding her for purchase might prove difficult. But OPI just released a collection for Fall 2026 featuring some highly requested shades, so maybe we’ll get a re-release in the not too distant future!

A girl can dream.

Happy Sunday loves.

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze First Class Ticket (Fall 2010 Vintage Vixen Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! The weather is absolutely perfect Autumn vibes right now — I wore tights yesterday with my favourite denim skirt. I felt so Fall.

Obviously, I’ve been perusing my stash for past Fall shades I haven’t shared yet with everyone, & stumbled across this beauty in my China Glaze drawer. Yes, I have a whole drawer full of China Glaze nail polishes… a drawer & a half if we’re being technical. But I was excited to stumble across this beauty, & I realized that I haven’t shared it yet!

This is China Glaze First Class Ticket.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful deep metallic purple is filled with a stunning blue micro glitter which gives it the most stunning blurple effect. We all know I love a deep purple, & a jewel tone, & these are so perfect for this time of year. Formula was smooth & easy to apply — Obviously I still needed two coats for full opacity, but I had no problem with streakiness, or brushstrokes.

Close up really shows how that blue micro glitter gives a glow to the polish. I used flash for my photographs, but even without you can see that blurple effect.

I feel like this shade is very 2010s China Glaze — when to me, their polishes were at the peak. Obviously I still love the brand, but nothing compares to my shades from the early to mid 2010s. That was when China Glaze was the IT GIRL nail polish brand, & I truly adore all of my shades that I collected during those years. It was a beautiful time.

What do you think about China Glaze First Class Ticket? Do you love this shade as much as I do?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! & have the best Sunday lovelies.

♥︎

Recreating my Wedding Nails (on my shorties) 11 years later! ✨👰🏻‍♀️💅💍

Hello lovelies & Happy Saturday! I know I don’t often post on Saturday, but today was a special exception with a special nail design!

I really wanted to recreate my wedding nails in honour of my wedding anniversary, especially as I’m rocking some serious shorties right now. So in honour of the occasion, here’s a brand new version of a very special design.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Strengthner
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie You Do Blue!
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • China Glaze Champagne Bubbles
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Good As Gold
  • Essie Brides No Grooms
  • Essie She’s Pampered
  • Essie Into the A-Bliss
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Essie Sew Psyched
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff dotting tool
  • NailStuff 7mm Liner Brush

For those curious, here are my original nails I painted for my wedding day, & my recreation I did in 2018.

I was absolutely obsessed with my original nails that I painted back in 2015 for my wedding day — it was really important to me to create a beautiful design I would love for years, & years to come. & again, when I recreated them I equally loved the design!

But you know what? I think I love them the most on short nails! Long nails look beautiful no matter what, but trying to recreate the exact same look on nails 1/2 the size really makes them pop! The only thing from my recreation I’m not 100% sold on is the much more yellow gold, but it definitely gives it a more colourful vibe. (& the right amount of sparkle! ✨)

What do you think about this anniversary look? Do you love a floral look as much as I do? I’d love to know if this design holds up all these years later. I certainly adore them as much as I did all those years ago & wouldn’t change a thing about the nails I had on my wedding day.

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

🖤

Golden Drag Marble

Hello lovelies & happy Monday. Well, as happy as a Monday can be in November. They’re calling for snow today on my side of the country, but not sure if it’s going to amount of anything. But… can it be Summer again? I miss Summer.

Today I have a really pretty nail art look to share with you, leaning into these late Autumn vibes. 🍁🍂 The colour scheme is pure Fall, & I really enjoy how it turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Cure
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen InstaDri Top Coat (red bottle) 
  • ORLY Buried Alive
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Terra Coppa
  • Essie Frock ‘n Roll
  • Essie Nail Art Studio Cosmic Chrome
  • Wide Nail Art Brush

So I tried a bit of a different technique for this marbling, with a wider nail art brush (like the side of a clean up brush) versus the skinny dotting tool I usually use, & I like the effect it gave me. Kind of reminds me more of a real stone. Sometimes I find with a dotting tool I end up muddling my marble a bit, but this way didn’t do that which I really like!

& the colours compliment each other so well. I love the bronze-y golden look of it all together. It’s definitely giving Autumn vibes.

What do you think of this golden drag marble design? Do you like the kind of wider marble effect versus my usual drag marble designs?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Monday 🖤