Tag: Manicure

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Icing Stores Chips n Dip

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! After some rainy & chilly days we’re finally back to beautiful sunshine, & I couldn’t be happier.

For today’s Swatch Sunday post, I decided to do some serious digging through my stash & found a very throwback shade circa 2013 (I’m guessing). I wanted something bright & vibrant & Summery, & I think that I was very successful.

This is Icing Stores Chips n Dip.

3 coats + Top Coat

This beautiful fiery coral applied in 3 thin coats, which usually would be a no for me, but because the formula is quite thin, it dried down very quickly so I didn’t have to worry about wait time — especially after applying a quick dry top coat. It’s a cruelly formula, definitely leaning more on the jelly side of that occasion which I like.

The colour is bright & I love that. I’m always drawn towards anything in the red or red leaning family, & this is a fantastic Summer option. Like could you imagine this as a pedicure colour? So perfect for the beach.

Look how bright this is! Definitely looking more on the red side in these photos, but the coral really comes through in person.

My only complaint — & it’s probably an issue due to how long I’ve owned this shade — is handle of the brushes on the bottles have kind of melted over the years so they’ve gotten really sticky & I absolutely hate it. Not sure what to do to fix the stickiness, so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! Because I would love to use this shade (& others from this brand in the same style of bottle) but the sticky issue keeps me from reaching for them.

What do you think about Icing Stores Chips N Dip? Does this shade scream Summer to you as much as it does to me? Have you ever tried an Icing brand polish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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Holo & Graphic Geometric Lines

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! It’s a beautiful, warm sunny day & I’m enjoying every second of it. & the sunshine is making me crave a lot of sparkle. ✨

It’s been a while since I rocked some graphic geometric lines, so I pulled out a Quo by Orly striper I recently found at the thrift store (it had never been used — I was pumped!) & I created this geometric look. & I think the black over the lighter blue is so striking — I just love it!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Essie In The Cab-Ana
  • Color Club Bougie Baby
  • Quo By Orly Striper Black

These almost look like stained glass, but with only one colour. I think they turned out really pretty. I also can’t stop adding glitter — in particular holographic glitter — to all my base colours.

When I do geometric line designs like this, I’m really not particular in what I’m doing — I kind of just go with what I’m feeling. I originally had just line straight lines, but it felt like something was missing so I added the outline around my nail, & it felt like it brought everything together! & surprisingly, it really wasn’t that hard to do at all.

What do you think about this geometric lines design? Are you feeling the sparkly holo & the crisp black lines? Would you wear a design like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & what colour you would wear as your base on a design like this!

Enjoy your Thursday! ♥︎

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Glittery Pastel Galaxies 🌌✨

Hello loves & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s week is starting off well. &, if not, that it improves from here on out.

Today I’m sharing some new nail art with you on my baby nails, & it’s a nail art design I don’t think I’ve done for a while: galaxies. 🌌 I was wearing a beautiful glittery nail polish base, & wanted to do something fun overtop. After some time browsing on Pinterest & Instagram for ideas, I decided that a pastel galaxy look was the perfect choice!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Cadillacquer Lavender Sunset (NailStuff.ca exclusive) *gifted
  • Starrily Space Debris
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Lavish Lavender
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Crying Out Cloud *gifted
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel
  • Icing Stores Nail Art Stickers from 2015 (these are similar)
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush *gifted

Okay I’m kind of obsessed with these. The base of Lavender Sunset topped with Space Debris is already very eye catching, & then you add this pastel galaxy over top & it’s perfection!

I’ve had these stickers from Icing forever (like 2015-ish) but I haven’t really used them. But they made creating stars for my galaxy so easy, then I just added a few dots of Buffalo Nickel so complete it! Bam — the easiest galaxy nails you can create.

What do you think of these glittery pastel galaxies? Is this a look that you would rock? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below & share what design you’d like to see next!

Happy Tuesday 🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (OG Formula!) 🌊💙

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a beautiful weekend. It’s been a bit of everything this weekend — rain, sunshine, wind. That’s Nova Scotia weather for you!

Today though I have a special cult classic polish to share with you that I think most will definitely recognize! This the original Sally Hansen Pacific Blue.

1 coat + Top Coat

You may remember I did a comparison post featuring this shade circa 2019, but I never realized that I hadn’t shared full swatches of it! Considering we’re coming up on ten years since the untimely formula switch of Pacific Blue, I really wanted to throw this beauty on.

For those who don’t know the backstory, in 2014 Sally Hansen reformulated the original Pacific Blue, going from the beautiful creamy cobalt blue to.. something else. & nail polish aficionados were mad. We also scrambled to find as many back up bottles of the original shade to hoard.

The formula on this shade is about as close to perfect as you can find. One coat of creamy beautiful blue goodness. Even after 10 years, it still applies flawlessly. & unlike some similar shades—*cough* Butler Please *cough*—I never have any issues with premature chipping. & it kind of makes me remember why I fell in love with nail polish & nail blogging in the first place.

Do you remember the original Pacific Blue? Do you have a bottle of this beauty in your nail polish stash? Sadly, after 10 years since of being discontinued, I think the only place you might find a bottle of the OG is on EBay, or places like Poshmark where I found a bottle of the Original formula for $20.

Have a beautiful Sunday!

🖤

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Pretty Floral Shorties 🌿🌸

Hello darlings, happy Friday!

I know what you’re thinking — two blog posts in a row? You girl was feeling productive after feeling not so productive in the beginning of the week, so we’re going to roll with it. Today I have another short nail design to share with you, & yes — it’s more floral. Let’s be honest, I’m (most likely) going to be sharing something floral related at least once a week going forward as it’s a nail art comfort zone for me. So I hope you won’t get tired of them too quickly!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Luxe Finish Lavish Lilac
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Cotton Candy
  • OPI Nature Strong Emflowered
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Peony Origins
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Eco-Rose
  • Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Blue Moonstone
  • Essie In the Cab-Ana
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel How You Bluein’
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Nailtural Keep Palm, Swim On
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
    Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

Okay, seriously, how pretty did this floral turn out?

I know, I know — I say that every single time I create a floral design, but that’s because I’m still amazed after all this time when my nails turn out so pretty! I mean, sometimes when I’m going into them I’m not entirely sure they’re going to work out — & there have definitely been times when they didn’t!–so I get so happy when I end up with a beautiful design that I’m happy with.

What do you think of this floral design? Do you like pretty floral looks like this? As I mentioned, I foresee this being a design I repeat at least weekly going forward for the next little while. Even when I’m not inspired to necessarily do my nails, I’m always inspired to create a pretty floral!