GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER (2024) — Candy Cane

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday.

Another late in the day post, but in my defence I went to bed with a massive headache… & woke up with a migraine. So I wasn’t keen on screens or trying to finish up this post. It’s prompt number 4 of Glam Nails Challenge & this one is Candy Cane. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t copying my candy cane nails from earlier this season, & I think this look turned out super cute!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: NailStuff Essentials Base Coat *
  • Top Coat: Nail Stuff Essentials Quick Dry Top Coat *
  • Essie Off Tropic *
  • NailStuff Essentials White Dove *
  • Nailstuff Essentials Cardinal *
  • Essie Cosmic Chrome *
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush
  • Largest size from NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio 

*PR/Gifted

I knew I wanted to do a green base, & I knew I wanted to add some candy cane accents, but I thought it would be cute to add a whole candy cane on my thumbs as an accent.

Also, adding a coat of Essie Cosmic Chrome over the stripes gave it such a cool finish, it really did remind me of a real candy cane! If I’d had any on hand, I would have posed with one, but I hope the little sprinkling of snow we got yesterday is an equally seasonal backdrop.

What do you think about my candy cane nails? What is your favourite flavour of candy cane? While I do appreciate the OG peppermint, I tried the maple syrup flavour in the Brach’s Elf candy cane collection & they were so freaking good! I wish I had a way to go a whole (Costco sized) box of just maple!

As always, you can hop on over to Instagram & follow all the amazing designs using #glamnailschallengedec24.

🖤

Holographic Swirls (with the Ella + Mila Enchanted collection)

*contains PR

Good morning lovelies & happy Tuesday. Sorry for the unannounced hiatus — after my busy week last week, I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I got hit by a bus thanks to the cold from Hell. Thankfully, I’m finally feeling better today (thank you DayQuil) but I am behind on posting!

Today I’m sharing a fun sparkly design that I think is perfect as we approach Holiday Party Season. & I accomplished this look using the entire Ella + Mila Enchanted (B) collection. I feel like November (& into December) is why my craving for glitter really skyrockets, so expect lots of glitter in the next few weeks as we get into Christmas/Holiday mode!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Ella + Mila All About The Base (Base Coat) *
  • Top Coat: Ella + Mila In A Rush (Top Coat) *
  • Ella + Mila Everglow *
  • Ella + Mila Oasis *
  • Ella + Mila Dragonfly *
  • Ella + Mila Violet Skies
  • Ella + Mila Zephyr *
  • Ella + Mila Aurora Lights *
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

*gifted

Love the negative space base (with some added shimmer thanks to Everglow) & then the stripes of holographic. The sparkle is unbelievable & definitely perfect for any shindig you have coming up to celebrate. Ella + Mila have also just launched some great nail art stripers, so if you’re looking to try out a nail art look like this, I definitely recommend checking them out!

You can use THIS LINK to check out their site — it is an affiliate link so thank you if you use it!

What do you think of these sparkly abstract stripes? Do you think this is a nail art look you could see yourself trying & wearing, especially as we get into party season?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & what holiday looks you want to see me try this year!

🖤

Merry Christmas Penguin Accent Nail 🐧🎅

Good morning lovelies & merry Christmas Eve Eve. Can you believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow? Who else has copious amounts of wrapping to do?

Today though, I have another cute nail art look to share. I was wearing this incredible sparkly green already, & decided I needed something fun over top so I decided to add a cute penguin accent nail!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Beyond The Nail Caribbean
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • ORLY Garnet Luxe Shimmer
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Pump-kid
  • OPI Unfrost My Heart
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush
  • Small dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

Okay, seriously — how cute is he, all dressed in his little Santa hat? I did do a version of this penguin look in 2018, but I think this year’s version hits the mark so perfectly!

 I decided to add a bit of a scattered dotticure at my cuticle line to give off the effect of snow falling, & I think it made this look even more fun. This is my manicure for my last day of work before the holidays, & I think it’s a fun design for what will probably be the busiest shopping day of the whole year. 

What do you think of my little penguin accent nail? Do you think this is a fun Christmas look? It was actually surprisingly easy to do, which was awesome because the only thing keeping me conscious right now is caffeine! Hopefully Santa will slip a few Energy Drinks in my stocking to keep me awake over the next few days.

Have a fantastic Saturday, & if you’re venturing out to finish up shopping be safe. It’s going to be a zoo out there!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Ugly Sweater Party

Hello my loves & Happy Sunday! This is the second Sunday of December, so I’m keeping with the Christmas-ish polish tradition, & trying to share shades that are related in some way to the holiday!

This past week I did a poll on my Instagram asking if people would rather see China Glaze Ugly Sweater Party (Holiday 2015) or OPI Bring Out The Big Gems (Holiday 2022) this week, & with an overwhelming majority, Ugly Sweater Party was the winner!

2 coats, No Top Coat

China Glaze Ugly Sweater Party is a pink jelly formula, packed tightly with an assortment of glitters, including holographic. The formula is a tad on the thick side, but with a little bit of patience, I easily covered my whole nail in two coats. You could probably sponge on the glitter for a denser packed glitter effect, but I much prefer it applied this way as I like the overall finish.

Truthfully, I don’t know if I can remember ever wearing this shade as a full manicure like this before. I originally bought the polish because I loved the name, & glitter is my weakness, but I think I’ve truthfully only used it in glitter gradients, or maybe as a single accent nail, which makes me sad.

I was also surprised I had never swatched this shade previous Decembers, so I was happy. to do both for todays post! This is definitely a fun glitter shade, & just screams Christmas party to me! My Christmas party days are long behind me, but to be honest if I were every invited to one — & didn’t have time for a full nail art look — this would be my #1 polish pick for such an occasion.

Do you remember China Glaze Ugly Sweater Party from its original 2015 release? Did you have this sparkly shade in your stash, or do you still have this glitter on rotation? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Shimmery Subtle Ruffian Nails

PR — Features Gifted Product

Hello beauties & happy Thursday. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. I had a very exciting week because I received the most amazing PR package from Sally Hansen Canada featuring 4 shades from their Miracle Gel Holiday 2022 collection. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but Sally probably makes my favourite Holiday collections, & I always feel so lucky when I receive any PR from them this time of year.

I have a fun unboxing Reel on my Instagram if anyone wants a sneak peak. Swatches are coming this Sunday!

In the meantime, I had to try out one of the shades I received, & decided to use as the base for this shimmery, & subtle, ruffian nails.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-chip Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shine Bright Like a Menorah (Merry & Bright Holiday 2022 collection) •pr sample•
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Garnish Attention
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Unicorn Top Coat

Another super simple look that has a very striking effect — that would be perfect holiday party nails. Listen, I don’t have a holiday party to go to, but that doesn’t mean my nails can’t look like I do! & I know lots of people do, & will be looking for nail polish/art ideas.

The most difficult part of these is getting that second rounded swipe. I find the Miracle Gel brushes can be a bit trickier for that, but only because my nails are pretty thin & small, & they are very wide so they almost cover too much of the nail! Just takes a bit of practice, but if you get it right… well, it looks pretty beautiful. & the subtle ruffian effect is a perfect touch of nail art. You could also do the opposite, & put the glitter as the base, which would also have a similar peek-a-boo subtle look.

What do you think about this subtle shimmery ruffian look? I really like how the combination turned out, & it’s a fun look to wear! If there is one thing about the cold, dark months of late-Autumn/Winter I enjoy, it’s that there is no better time to pull out all the pretty dark sparkly shades that have been hiding in my stash untouched for months! So expect a lot more shimmer & sparkle on this blog!

It’s long overdue.

Have a fantastic Thursday!