Tag: Glitter

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s another snowy Sunday here, which is not what I was hoping for. But it matches well with the nail polish I picked for this week’s Swatch Sunday pick: Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot. This shade is actually a super oldie, going back to (I think) 2013! I picked my bottle up on Clearance a few years ago, after Maybelline had stopped making the Color Show brand.

3 coats, no Top Coat.

The first thing about Blue Marks The Spot is that it is very, very thin. This is 3 coats of polish, & you can still see the nail below. I’m not sure how many coats you would actually need for full opacity, but I’m going to guess it’s more than I would want to do haha. You could definitely do a white or blue base, though, if you wanted to the sheerness.

The formula is sheer, like I said, but other than that it’s not too hard to work with. The coats dry quickly, & the glitters are very well dispersed so you don’t have to worry about digging around trying to find them.

Obligatory macro shot.

I used to be so, so scared of glitter nail polishes & never want to wear them because removal would be impossible. Obviously, taking off glitter polish isn’t my favourite thing, but I’m not quite so scared of wearing my glitters like I used to be. Which, is good, because I love, love, love these spotted polishes & have quite a few in my stash from different brands.

What do you think about this fun spotty nail polish? Do you remember the Maybelline Color Show line, & these spotted polishes in particular. I also have the green one, Drops of Jade, I’m kind of sad I didn’t get the whole range of these shades were they were out, but maybe some day I’ll discover more in the bottom of a clearance bin to complete my collection haha.

Have a lovely Sunday!

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Red Pink & Purple Sparkly Glitter Gradient ✨

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! It was feeling like Spring here this weekend, but now we’re officially back in Winter mode with about 30cm of snow that fell yesterday. I’m just so over Winter. It’s cold, & slushy, & I miss wearing cute dresses. I can’t wait for us to officially defrost.

But in the meantime, I guess I’ll distract myself with some pretty nails.

It’s been a long while since I did a gradient on my nails that wasn’t just some glitter. Honestly, I find the clean up–even with liquid latex!–a pain, & I don’t have time for it. But I was really, really feeling a sparkly gradient after putting on my Swatch Sunday pick Essence Me & My Lover, so I decided to give it a try.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Millionails
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essence Me & My Lover
  • Aco by Ardene Boudoir
  • Aco by Ardene Wish
  • Latex free make up sponge

Check out those layers of glitter! It’s been a long time since my last gradient like this with lots of glittery shades, but I’m obsessed with how it turned out.

Instead of doing the classic gradient sponging where you apply all three colours onto the sponge & then apply it to the nail, I sponged each layer of glitter on the nail instead… which still gave me the same effect without having to worry about the clean up! I find it’s easier to do that with glittery shades like these, because they blend into each other easier, & you don’t have those unblended lines you might get with a cream polish. & of course, sealing it all in with top coat also helps blend things.

What do you think of these glittery gradient nails? Would you wear a super glittery gradient like this on your nails? Let me know what you think down in the comments below, & what colour combination you would wear!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Me & My Lover (Sparkle Sand Effect)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. ❤️

I thought since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I should pick out something sorta Valentine-y for my nails. After digging through my stash, & through a lot of red nail polishes, I decided on this oldie from Essence: Me & My Lover.

2 coats, no top coat.

This shade was originally released in 2014/2015, which is when I picked it up at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. It is a sparkle sand effect shade, which means that it dries down to a textured finish.

Unlike some other sand effect polishes I’ve used, Me & My Lover has a finer grit, so the textured finish is a bit more subtle. It’s there, but it’s also easy to smooth out with a coat of glossy thick top coat.

The red is a beautiful pink leaning red — there seems to be some gold glitters & magenta glitters mixed in. It makes for a very, very beautiful polish. It also dries fairly quickly, which is an important thing when it comes to textured polishes. No body has time to be waiting around for their polishes to dry for hours.

The formula is also really easy to work with, which I always get excited about when it comes to extra old polishes in my stash. I’m definitely glad I decided to pull it out, because it was just the red I was looking for!

What do you think of this Essence shade? Do you remember the textured polish craze? Do you still have any of your old textured shades—which ones were your favourites?

Let me know in the comments below!

& have a happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow!

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New Year’s Eve Chevron Claws 🥂🍾

Hello lovelies & Happy New Year’s Eve!

Can you believe that it’s the last day of 2021? I’m actually shocked at how quickly this year has gone by. Obviously I couldn’t let this year end without one more nail art look to share — & what’s more fun than some gold holo chevron claws for the end of the year?

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Deborah Lippmann Good Girl Gone Bad
  • Orly Bling
  • Color Club Ain’t it Grand
  • SnailNails Deep Chevron Vinyls

How classy do these nails look? I love this holo gold over this deep wine base? These are so shimmery & glittery & sparkly. I may only be spending New Years Eve hanging out with a big bottle on kombucha on my couch, but I’ll have the sparkliest nails ever.

What do you think about these New Year’s Eve claws? What nail are trends are you excited about in 2022? Let me know down in the comments below!

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Glam Nails Challenge December—Let’s Party 🎉

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! The last Wednesday of 2021. Can you believe it?

With Christmas over, it’s time to start thinking New Years Eve nails. & the last prompt of Glam Nails Challenge December is Let’s Party! & when I think News Years Eve, & partying on New Years Eve, I think silver & sparkle. So that was the theme I went with for my party nails.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Dimension Nails Kronosaurus  (gifted c/o: NailStuff.ca)
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel
  • Essie Ignite the Night
  • Starrily Eclipse
  • OPI I Snow You Love Me
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

I had this idea in my head about how I wanted this design to look, with silver/sparkly dots, & then a few scattered glitters from OPI I Snow You Love Me — but wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out until the very end. But I think it turned out exactly like I pictured in my head! Just the right amount of sparkle.

If I wasn’t working New Years Eve & New Years Day… & if the world wasn’t a very scary place, these would totally be the nails I would wear to dance & celebrate New Years Eve! Of course, my New Years plans involve kombucha & probably falling asleep on the couch before midnight (& the biggest veggie platter I can find!) but it doesn’t mean I won’t do it all with sparkly nails.

Because we all know, sparkles make everything better!

What do you think about this sparkly party design? Do you have a fun design planned for New Years Eve? Let me know what nail trends/colours you’re excited for in 2022.