Tag: Fall

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SWATCH SUNDAY— Essie Bell-Bottom Blues

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far. Can you believe it’s the last weekend of August? That’s crazy! This Summer has definitely been a blip. But I had my first PSL yesterday from Second Cup, so I’m all in on Autumn.

Today though, I’m throwing it back to Fall 2015 with Essie Bell-Bottom Blues from the Essie Fall 2015 Leggy Legend collection. I remember when this collection was first released I was obsessed with all the colours in the collection, but especially Bell-Bottom Blues, & it was the one I almost immediately bought upon finding it in stores.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

For a polish that is 7 (!) years old, this shade is just as perfect as it was back when I first purchased it. The formula is still smooth & easy to apply. The formula is pigmented enough it could be a one coat wonder, but I did used two coats for full opacity. The polish itself is a beautiful dark blue, with vibrant blue shimmer, & this hint of purple which you can, sadly, see best in the bottle.

On its own, it dries to a soft satin finish. I much prefer it with top coat though as I feel like it shows off the shimmer much better.

It’s been a while since I pulled this shimmery blue from my stash, & I’m super glad that I did. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really been paying that much attention to the upcoming Fall collections, aside from swatches posted on Instagram. But I’ve been spending a lot of time shopping my own collection for fun Autumn shades to wear, including some oldies but goodies.

What do you think about Essie Bell-Bottom Blues? Do you have any of the shades from the collection in your stash? Let me know down in the comments, & let me know when of the 2022 Autumn nail polish collections you’re most excited about!

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Purple & Gold Freehand Swirls

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday!

Hope everyone is having a very lovely week so far! We’ve actually been having a beautiful weather here in Halifax — very un-November like weather! It’s been absolutely beautiful… which has kind of made being inspired for nail art a little difficult. So I decided for my latest mani to go with a look I used to do all the time — this freehand dainty swirl look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • OPI Ink
  • Essie Getting Groovy
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

Back in circa 2014-2015, I used to love freehanding these swirly looks, so I decided since I wasn’t feeling all that inspired, it was a great look to go with.

I really love the look of the gold over the shifty purple base of OPI Ink. I feel like this look is very regal — it also gives me slight wrapping paper vibes, but I’m not mad about it. I think it looks very beautiful. It was definitely a good nail art choice in this in between time when it doesn’t quite feel like Fall, but is too early (in my eyes, anyways) for Christmas.

What do you think about this nail art look? What designs are you wearing right now? Have you started thinking about Christmas nail art? Let me know in the comments below!

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Matte Knit Sweater Nails

Hello lovelies & happy November… officially. We’re three days into the month, & I’m already feeling those post Halloween, pre-holiday vibes. Maybe it’s the fact every store has already decked their Halls fully, but you can definitely feel a shift in the air.

& you know what that means… sweater nails!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Matte Top Coat
  • China Glaze Intelligence, Integrity & Courage
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Zip Wine
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

This look was a design that was inspired originally by @xglitzandpolishx & I did a version of it last year. I loved that one so much, I really needed to recreate it again… this time with a difference colour scheme. November brings greyer skies, so I thought I would paint my nails to match… with just a smidge of colour. &, of course, I had to add some matte top coat. It’s my favourite top coat in the cooler months, not sure why.

Also, sad to say… this was my last design I did with my longer nails. The cooler weather brings on easier breaks, so I’m now rocking some shorties. But that’s okay! Bring on the fun Fall designs for short nails! I’m actually really excited for some pre-holiday designs, cosy knit nails, & lots of jewel tone nail polishes!

What do you think about this knit sweater look? What are your favourite nail art designs for November? Are you already jumping on the Christmas polishes/looks, or do you like to wait until December? Let me know what you’re looking forward to seeing down in the comments below!

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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!

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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!