Tag: nails

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Blue My Mind

Hello lovelies! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to a new week. It’s a beautiful weekend here on the East Coast, & I could get used to this. It’s starting to feel like Summer, & I love it.

Today I’m showing off a shade from the stash that I’ve never worn! (& honestly… I don’t even remember when I bought it!) This is OPI Blue My Mind.

2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful vivid sapphire blue with a turquoise shimmer. According to my internet research, it was originally released as part of the 2005 Brights collection but then became part of the core collection. However, upon looking it may now be discontinued as it’s listed as out of stock on the OPI website, & No Longer Available on Nail Polish Canada. I’m sure if you really look for it, though, you could find it via smaller beauty supply websites.

The formula on this shade was smooth & easy to apply. First coat has a bit of patchiness, so a second coat was perfect for full opacity. That’s what I like in a polish. Obviously a one coat polish is always the most desirable, but it’s not always realistic, so I don’t mind having to apply two coats. I did also finish things off with a coat of top coat, to give it a little extra gloss.

How pretty is the glow on this shade? I’m super impressed with the colour, the shimmer — all of it. Not your typical “summer” colour, but I’m digging it — & I think it would be the perfect base for some aqua stamping or some chevrons.

I actually do have some nail art featuring this as a base, so stay tuned to see what I did with this colour!

What do you think about OPI Blue My Mind? Are you a fan of this pretty blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Negative Space Purple Moons

Hello lovelies & happy freaking Friday! The weekend is upon us, & the end of the month is quickly approaching. I feel like May just started, & now it’s almost June? Crazy!

Today I’m showing off another fun Spring/Summer look that’s actually super easy to do. I’ve kind of been leaning back into my easier nail art, mostly because sometimes (or, a lot of the time) I’m quite tired at the end of the night when I go to do my nails. So I’ve been leaning back on go to easy nail art looks. It’s a combination of easy to do, but also super cute! The best kind of nail art.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri VaVa Violet**
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Glos-Sea**
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • Paper Hole Reinforcements

**Both purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart & currently in stock

How cute are these two colours together? My original plan had been to use Glos-Sea as the moon, topped with Va Va Violet but it was already pretty late at night, & I was feeling sleepy, so I decided a negative space moon would look great… & I was right! I think I like it even more than if I had used the blue for my moon.

What do you think about these negative space moons? Do you like this colour combination? What is your favourite colour combination together for a look like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Have a happy Friday ♥︎

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OPI Minis Skittle Mani

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone’s week is off to a good start. Today I’m sharing a simple skittle look for this mid-week slump.

I was recently going through my drawer of mini polishes, & found a few great OPI colours I haven’t worn in a while. Instantly I thought: these would look awesome in a skittle design. Easy manicure accomplished!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Thumb — OPI Is That A Spear in Your Pocket (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Pointer — OPI Living On The Bula-vard (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Middle — OPI Two Timing The Zones (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Ring — OPI Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? (2014 Nordic Collection)
  • Pinky — OPI Getting Nadi on My Honeymoon (2017 Fiji Collection)

I really, really like this combination of colours together. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m always jealous when I did these perfectly coordinated skittle manicures on Instagram because I never feel like mine look as good. This is the first time I’ve done one like this where I’ve been like “yes… perfect!” & I’m so happy about it.

As you can see from my product listing, I used 4 shades from the 2017 Fiji collection, & then one from the 2014 Nordic collection. I really felt like I needed one more darker shade to compliment Is That A Spear in your Pocket? & Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? was perfect for that! I have so many of these little OPI mini bottles from sets I’ve collected over the years, & I really should reach for them more often.

What do you think of my skittle design? I was this close to adding little white “s” on each nail after my co-worker said they reminded her of berry skittles (we work in a candy store, so it would be very fitting!) but I ended up feeling sick that night & not having the energy to do it. Even still, I absolutely love this colour combination. It just looks so good together.

Have a fantastic Wednesday loves! ♥︎

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Dainty Negative Space Floral 🌿🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

Today I’m starting off this week with another floral look. At this point, you can pretty much expect that I’ll be posting a floral design at least once a week for the foreseeable future. I’m kind of obsessed. Today’s look was another one of those random designs I kind of came up with in my head, & was beyond happy to bring to life on the nail. I really just wanted something dainty, & I think was successful in creating that.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

I’m kind of obsessed with how this turned out. I decided to go minimal on my floral — I usually use multiple polishes for each flower & my leaves — & I love how it looks. It’s clean & simple, which is exactly the look I was craving. A nice palate cleanser for the nail. I also really like that Princess Charming is quite neutral, so it doesn’t stand out too much on the nail & keeps that naked look I was going for.

What do you think about this dainty negative space floral design? Do you like simpler cleaner looks like this, or more bright & colourful nail art designs? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

You know you can count on me to do a nice mix of both.

Have a super amazing Monday. ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical

Hello loves & happy Sunday! & happy long weekend to all who get to celebrate! The May long weekend always feels like the official beginning of Summer, which I’ll gladly take — even if they’re calling for thunderstorms today. Bring on the beach & BBQ!

Today, though, I’m throwing things back to a shade originally released for Winter 2020. What can I say — I like to keep you on your toes. This is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hip-nautical.

3 coats + top coat

I’m not even sure how to begin to describe this shifty polish. The base is a darker blue that flashes purple or lighter blue depending on the lighting or how you move your fingers. It did take 3 coats for a full solid coverage — & the best shift — but the polish formula is very thin so it dries quickly.

Definitely needs a good coat of top coat to finish it off. Keeps that beautiful shine, & helps smooth out any brush strokes.

The shift between colours is actually very good. Maybe not as shifty as in the bottle, but I rarely find that drugstore polishes are. The flash of blue is very strong on this shade, which is just absolutely gorgeous! & I love, as you can see in this macro shot, you get all the levels on this polish in one shot.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical is now part of the permanent core collection, so you can find it where ever Sally Hansen shades are sold including:

What do you think about Sally Hansen Hyp-nautical? Is this a shade that you would wear? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.