Fall Inspired Floral (birthday twin nails with @nailstuffca)

Hello lovelies & happy Saturday!

I usually never post on Saturday’s, but yesterday was such a busy day, I didn’t get to get this post together! These nails are twin nails I got together to do with my girl Victoria (@nailstuff.ca) — we are both October birthdays, 2 days apart, so these are some Fall floral birthday twin nails!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • OPI Barefoot in Barcelona
  • China Glaze Autumn’s Up!
  • China Glaze Spice To Meet You
  • China Glazes Loves Em & Leaves Em
  • Essie Satin Sister
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure So Much Fawn
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Zip Wine
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

This design is originally inspired by @rachelsbeauty_.

My base is a bit more pink that the nude she used, but I love how my version turned out! It’s been a while since I did a floral look, & even longer since I did a Fall floral, so I was excited to team up with Victoria for these twin nails. It’s been way too long since I got to do twin nails with anyone!

& this was an extra fun way to mark our birthdays.

What do you think of this floral design? Are they giving you the Fall vibes? Let me know what you think down in the comments below! & don’t forget to check our Victoria’s twin design over at @nailstuff.ca as well!

Golden Leaves

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! Switching things up with some Friday nails.

I was really feeling some leaf nails, especially as the Fall weather continues to be beautiful. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, which is always feels fitting for some leaf pattern nails. I have a few of my leaf pattern nail stencils left from The Base Coat, so I thought they would be perfect to use over a base of China Glaze Loves ‘Em & Leaves ‘Em.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • China Glaze Loves ‘Em & Leaves ‘Em
  • OPI Designer Series DS Classic
  • The Base Coat Fall Leaves Nail Vinyls (no longer available)

Check out that sparkle.

It’s been a while since I pulled out my bottle of OPI DS Classic from my stash — it’s such a beautiful gold & you get that bit of holo with it as well. It definitely pops against the darkened base of Loves ‘Em & Leaves ‘Em. It just works so well in this very Autumnal design.

What do you think about this Fall leaves design? Is it perfect for some Thanksgiving celebrating? Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Wet N Wild Buffy the Violet Slayer

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! The first Sunday of October… aka the beginning of Spooky season, aka my favourite Month! Who else is excited?

Today I’m starting off with a fun polish that I’ve had for years, that I can’t believe I haven’t shared for a Swatch Sunday yet: Wet n Wild Buffy the Violet Slayer. I’ve been rewatching Buffy (yes, again) so it felt like an appropriate shade to share, especially at the beginning of Halloween month.

2 coats + Seche Vive top coat

For a bottle of polish that is 8 years old, the formula on this shade is pretty darn good. The polish itself has that shimmer that can sometimes be hard to apply without streaks, but applying top coat flattened everything beautifully.

As for the colour, it’s a lovely — the purple is vibrant, & the shimmer adds a little something extra that gives it a beautiful underlying glow. Without top coat, it dries down to a matte finish, but I think I prefer it with a glossy finish.

Check out that macro shot — you can really see the varied shimmers. Pink. Blue. Purple. They’re such a beautiful combination, & gives the shade that glow that I’m kind of obsessed with.

Sadly these shades are no longer in production, which makes me sad I didn’t at least pick up a back up bottle. I love purple, & I love Buffy, so this is the perfect combination for me! It also works great for a pre-Halloween polish pick.

What do you think about this Wet N Wild shade? Did you pick up any of these Fast Dry shades during their original release? Let me know down in the comments below!

Brown & Gold Shattered Glass Glitter Placement

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday!

Can you believe we’re in the final days of September? It’s kind of crazy. Where has this month gone already? It’s certainly been a busy month at our house with school starting. I can’t believe that we’re already a month in… & Summer is already feeling like a distant memory. Although, I cannot lie — I’m super pumped for my favourite month: October!

Now that we’re officially deep into Autumn, & the late September weather is in full force, I’m really feeling the Fall nail art. I realized the other day I haven’t done a shattered glass nail art design in way, way too long. I was wearing this beautiful brown shade, & realized it would be the perfect base for some gold shatter glitters, so I decided that was just the nail art look I needed in my life.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sinful Colors Essen-chills Smoky Palo Santo
  • Sinful Colors Twilight Twinkles
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

First of all, how absolutely beautiful is this brown shade? This is another one of the Sinful Colors Essen-chills scented shades that I picked up at Walmart earlier in the month. I really love the dense silver shimmer with the dark, dark brown base. & I know I keep saying this, but I’m just absolutely obsessed with brown nail polish, which is such a weird thing for me because I was not expecting to be a brown nail polish girl. But I totally am!

Second, this gold shard glitter goes so well over top. I used to be absolutely obsessed with these style of manicures a few years ago, & I think I need to bring them back again. It’s such an easy look to achieve, because it requires minimal tools. Sure, it does take a bit of time to do… but not nearly as much as you would expect! I think I’ll have to keep my eyes out for more of these style of glitter polishes

What do you think about this nail art look? Are you feeling these shattered glass nails? Have you ever tried a glitter placement look like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below — & get excited because Halloween designs are coming very soon!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Into The Unknown

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday!

Hope you’re excited for another new Swatch Sunday pick! Now that we’re reaching end of September, I’ve really been feeling these darker jewel tone shades lately. After browsing the Essence display, I was immediately drawn to this blackened navy blue shade: Into the Unknown.

2 coats, no top coat

I feel like you can never have too many navy blues, so I was excited to pick up this shade. I’ve loved Essence for years, especially because the price point is great — these Essence Shine, Last & Go shades retail for $2.99 CAD each.

For my swatches, I applied two coats of polish over a generous extra coat of base coat, heeding the warning on the back of the bottle. The formula itself was really easy to work with, & smooth to apply. & the polish bottle has a wonderfully wide brush that makes it easy to get the whole nail in one swipe — especially nice when I’m in a rush to paint my nails at night.

What do you think about Essence Into the Unknown? I’m really adoring this darkened navy, & I’m just dreaming of putting a good coat of shimmer or flakies over top of it. Maybe a coat of liner holo? I think it would be so beautiful over this navy shade.

What are you wearing right now? Let me know what shades you’re loving for the season, & any shades you’re dying to pick up from current collections.