Tag: Manicure

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Dainty Pink & Blue Dotticure

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! A brand new week which is always exciting. It’s also Valentine’s Day this week, so I expect to be busy at work because who doesn’t want candy for Valentine’s Day?

Today though, I’m sharing my last design I did during my week break from blogging (& before I chopped my nails down short.) In my opinion, a dainty dotticure is always a good idea!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
  • Essie License to Thrill
  • Sally Hansen I 💗 Nail Art Pen in pink

I am so ready to petition Sally Hansen to bring back these I 💗 Nail Art pens because they just make dotticure & polka dots so freaking easy! Like look at these! I could never get polka dots as clean & as perfect as these with a dotting tool, no matter how hard I try. I’m just absolutely obsessed & I really wish they would bring them back already!

What do you think about this dainty dotticure? Do you love a petite polka dot as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI OPI Red

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

I hope this past week wasn’t too tough on anyone. Are you ready for this week, & Valentine’s Day? I work in a Candy Store, so you know we’re going to be busy with last minute Valentine’s Day shopping! Today, though, I thought I would share a beautiful red that would be perfect for any Valentine’s Day plans you may have this week.

This is OPI OPI Red.

2 coats + top coat.

I actually shared this shade on my Instagram a few weeks ago, but I feel like it deserves its own special post because it really is the perfect red shade for Valentine’s Day. & we know I love a good red, no matter the occasion. OPI Red is a pink toned red, with this beautiful but very subtle shimmer.

The formula on OPI Red is actually incredible, especially for a red nail polish. It’s almost a one coater, but I added two just for a more plush look. It also levels out really, really well so you don’t have any streakiness. I did add top coat to my swatches, but that was mostly because I was wearing these before I was able to take photos & I didn’t want to bang them up.

If I had any complaints about this beautiful red, it would be I wished the shimmer was more visible on the nail. Other thank that, this is quite possibly the perfect red nail polish. & well know how much I love red nails.

I purchased my bottle of OPI Red at my local Marshall’s but you can find it listed online on a number of websites including this one & this one. For my gel polish lovers, I also found the Gel Version on the Trade Secrets website. It is out of stock on the actual OPI website, but I’m hoping that doesn’t mean it’s discontinued.

What do you think about OPI OPI Red? Is this a shade you could see yourself wearing? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Matte Black Roses

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! Still trying to get back into the routine of blogging & posting, but this weekend has been a bit crazy.

Today, though, I have another design to share from last week. I had mentioned I really, really wanted to try a black rose design so this was the result of that attempt. This was actually harder than I had anticipated, mostly because creating roses involves layering different shades of the same colour, but black is black, so I had to see what shades of grey I could find for highlights. I think, though, in the end it turned out beautifully!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • OPI My Address is Hollywood
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Grey Area
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Gunmetal
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Jumpin’ Jade
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri SCRAM!
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

When I first started painting these, I wasn’t sure if the black rose idea was going to work out for me, but once I layered a few shades of grey, my vision came to life. & I just love them! We all know my love affair with floral nails, so it’s fun to switch up what I usually do. Plus, I think this look is a great alternative for Valentine’s Day.

Red roses are lovely, but black roses just have a fun vibe. Plus I’ve been feeling my Emo roots lately, & this would fit in with that whole vibe.

What do you think about this black rose look? Do you think I captured the vibe that I was going for? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

♥︎

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Simple Pink & Holo Glitter Nails

Good morning lovelies & happy Monday! We’re still digging out from the snowpocalypse over the weekend but thankfully I have some manicures from last week (when I wasn’t posting) to share with you this week!

Today’s look is a super simple one, but I actually really love it. This would be a great Valentine’s Day look to wear for any fun date (or girls night!) you have planned. It’s also a super simple look to create.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
  • Butter London Pistol Pink
  • OPI I Snow You Love Me
  • Dotting tool

I haven’t worn this pink in ages & I totally forgot how beautiful it was! I don’t often wear just pink nails on their own, so naturally I had to add a little extra sparkle. Originally, I wanted to use heart glitters — but my bottle is all dried up & needs some nail polish thinner — so I decided to go with the next best thing which is this glitter from OPI.

It gives the effect of rhinestones on your nails, without having to worry about hitting them against something & knocking them off! Just such a cute easy nail art look to wear!

What do you think about this simple chic pink nail art look? Would you wear this design on your nails? As always, I love to hear what you think in the comments so please share below!

Enjoy your Monday 🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Chocolate Cakes

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a blustery snow day here on the East Coast.

I apologize for my unannounced absence this week. The beginning of 2024 was a lot, & I didn’t realize I needed a week just to not do anything. But I’m back, & I have some new (shorter) nails to share with you to start off this new week. I’ve actually been loving darker shades a lot lately — January vibes.

For today’s Swatch Sunday pick, I grabbed an older shade from my stash — Essie Chocolate Cakes.

2 coats + top coat

This shade originally came to me in a set with Essie Ballet Slippers that I bought post-Christmas a few years ago. I remember loving the dark reddish brown shade, but being confused because I’d never heard of an Essie shade called Chocolate Cakes. I’m still not 100% sure which collection it was originally released with.

The formula though, is nice. This is two coats for full coverage. It was a bit thin, so I did find I needed the two to make sure I had no patchiness. It also pooled slightly at the cuticle line, so I had to make sure that I was careful with application. Mine came in what I think is an Expressie bottle, so it had the same wider brush which I always like.

I saw it described as a creamy dark chocolate shaded, but the red undertones really show up for me so I feel like it’s more a deep dark burgundy. We all know my love affair with red nail polish, so this is such a good alternative or option. Like I said, I’ve been wearing this shade for the last 3 days, so I’m really loving it.

I did find a few sites through Google that had this shade listed for sale, but I don’t know how reputable they are, so I’ll avoid posting them. However, I feel like this shade isn’t 100% unique, so you could definitely find a common dupe easily to get the vampy dark vibe this shade is giving off.

What do you think about Essie Chocolate Cakes? Are you a fan of this deep dark reddish brown? Do you remember this shade upon its original released? I always get excited when I find new to me shades, so I’m curious about the collection it was originally released with!

Have a lovely Sunday!

♥︎