Glitter Gradient Sparkle Nails ✨

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! I hope your week has been not too stressful — it was back to school week here, so it’s been busy-busy. But it’s feeling like Autumn, & I’m excited to break out my favourite Fall fashion items.

Today’s nail art look feels very Autumn to me. Give me all the shimmers & all the glitters. I love a good glitter gradient, so I really enjoy this one. Plus it gave me a chance to use the 2nd of the LA Colors Colour Shifting toppers I recently bought!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Good To Go Top Coat
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Zip Wine
  • LA Colors Color Shifting Topper Nova
  • ‘Ard As Nails Fairy Flakes

I’m obsessed with this combination. First off, Nova is a gorgeous topper which transforms a cream polish. The glitter then gives it an extra pow! & sparkle. It creates a beautiful purple-y colour. Very Autumn-y.

& of course, I got lots of compliments on this look while working, which always makes my whole day! There is nothing that makes my day more than random compliments on my nails.

What do you think about this glitter gradient? Do you love it as much as I do?! You have to let me know what you think!

Happy Friday

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen InstaDri Holo-Glow Euphoric

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. It’s a very rainy Sunday here which seems to be the trend for this April so far. But at least it’s not snow!

Today I’m sharing a new nail polish I recently picked up from my local Shoppers Drug Mart — Sally Hansen InstaDri Euphoric from their Holo-Glow line.

2 coats + top coat

You might remember I shared another one of these Holo-Glow shades back in September. The InstaDri line is one of my favourite to shop because they always have a fun selection of different shades & finishes to choose from. They also boast a 60 second dry time, although I find it a bit longer than that.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with perusing the Holo-Glow line, because holo makes everything better. I ended up purchasing two new shades: Euphoric & a purple from the Galactic Line called Planet Purple.

Check out that scattered glitter. The interesting base colour was what initially caught my eye: is it silver, is it lilac, is it a pale mint? It’s so shifty & pretty, & different from other holographic polishes in my collection. & when you own as many nail polishes as I do, that’s what you want: something different.

Formula was also very nice. On top of being a quicker dry, it was opaque in two coats. The glitter is scattered, but also very dense which I like. Will it suck for removal? Maybe. But the glitter pay off is worth it!

What do you think of Sally Hansen InstaDri Euphoric? Have you tried any of the Sally Hansen InstaDri Holo-Glow shades yet? What do you think? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Reese’s x Sally Hansen InstaDri Feeling Hungry

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. Well, Sunday. Santa had a late present for our house — the stomach flu. My husband & I have avoided it so far, but it’s struck everyone else down. Ugh.

Today I’m sharing a new(ish) shade, which was released this past Halloween. I haven’t been buying much polish lately, but when I saw clearance at my local Shoppers, I couldn’t say no! I actually picked up two shades, & will share number two next week!

Today’s pick: Reese’s x Sally Hansen InstaDri Feeling Hungry.

2 coats + Top Coat

I’m such a sucker for a purple, & as soon as I saw this crushed metallic purple, I knew I needed it. I’ll be honest, I didn’t pay too much attention when this collection was first released, but I should have because I was missing out on this polish!

Formula is smooth, easy to apply, & coverage is about what you would expect — one coat is too little, but two coats is perfect. Make sure your getting your second coat down near your cuticles though, or else it creates a weird effect.

I also love the InstaDri brushes, because I find they make application easy. (Unless you’re painting them at 11pm with not enough light & create a wonky cuticle line.)

Sadly, this shade was a limited release for Halloween, but check the clearance sections wherever you buy nail polish, because you might get lucky! I purchased this bottle for only $3CAD at my local Shoppers Drug Mart.

What do you think about Sally Hansen InstaDri Feeling Hungry? Do you remember these Reese’s themed shades? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Slay Bells Ring (Holiday 2017 The Glam Finale Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! The last Sunday before Christmas! I can’t believe we just blinked & December (& 2024) is basically over. It’s kind of crazy the way this year has just sped by. This year has been… a lot. But I have a good feeling about what 2025 is going to hold.

Today I pulled a Christmas shade from way back in 2017. I got this beauty as part of a two-setter at Winners (or Marshall’s) for like $5, I think. So I’m excited to share, because it’s not usually a shade I would grab for the Holidays. This is China Glaze Slay Bells Ring.

3 coats (probably only needed 2….) + top coat

Slay Bells Ring is a beautiful dark gunmetal grey, which applied smoothly & with minimal streakiness. The formula was easy to apply, & dried quickly. I probably would have been fine with only 2 coats but I thought maybe a third would make it darker. It didn’t.

This colour is beautiful, but I think the reflective quality of it makes it so unique. I posed in front of my Christmas tree, & it very easy reflected the lights which made it so beautiful!

I could definitely see this being perfect for New Years Eve with some holographic glitter or flakies applied overtop. It would give Mirror Ball easily! (& now I’m getting ideas for my New Years Eve celebrations.)

What do you think about this shade Slay Bells Ring from China Glaze? I can’t believe I haven’t bought any Christmas/Holiday polishes this year (or asked for any from Santa). I don’t know if I’m just not feeling the Christmas spirit, or just underwhelmed by the polishes I’ve seen. Either way, I’m glad I still have lots of shades to wear from years past.

Happy Sunday!

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER (2024) — Holly

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday. & happy one week until Christmas Day. I don’t know how it happened, but it’s almost here. & that’s just crazy.

Today, we’ve got another prompt for Glam Nails Challenge December: Holly. Holly has such endless options, but I went with a simple freehand look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: NailStuff Essentials Base Coat *
  • Top Coat: Nail Stuff Essentials Quick Dry Top Coat *
  • Essie Gel Couture Polished & Poised *
  • Claire’s Mini Polish shimmer (no name)
  • Essie Off Tropic *
  • Color Club What’s The Matte-r
  • Essie Bordeaux *
  • Sally Hansen Good Cheer-y
  • NailStuff Essentials White Dove *
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio 

*pr/gifted

It’s been so long, it feels like, since I did any freehand floral, so these felt nice to do. My inspiration was the holly bush in our front yard, although as you can see in my photos, the birds are all the berries off our bush.

So hard to believe we’re so close to Santa being here! I’m definitely looking forward to the few days off spent with my family. Who knows what Santa is going to sneak into my stocking — hopefully some nail polishes!

What do you think of my Holly design? Don’t forget to pop on over to Instagram & follow all the amazing designs using #glamnailschallengedec24.

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