Tag: nails

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Funky Green Star Swirls

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday!

Hope everyone’s week has been lovely so far. It’s feeling sunny & Summery lately, so I decided to step out of my nail polish safe zone with some green toned neon nails!

I think I’ve mentioned before, I don’t often wear green polish unless it’s Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day, but when I saw these two colours sitting in my stash, I thought it would be fun to pair them together.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essence Extreme GEL Top
  • OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
  • OPI Nature Strong Cactus What You Preach
  • UR Sugar Star Swirl Nail Vinyls

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit of a nail art rut, mostly because I’ve been lacking in time, & what time I do have I feel beyond exhausted. But, I’ve been missing using my nail vinyls a lot so I’ve been going through & trying to make an effort to use those things I haven’t in a long time — like these Star nail vinyls I received forever ago from URSugar. Originally I had thought about doing a half moon look with these colours, but the star swirls were just so much more fun!

I thought the lighters green under this pretty mint was such a pop of colour. I just really love how vibrant these are. They were really fun to wear.

What do you think of this funky green star design? Do you like this green on green colour combo? Are you feeling the neon vibes? Let me know down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Joe Fresh Quartz

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Hope you’re all having a beautiful & fantastic weekend so far. The weather here has been beautiful so far, & I got to enjoy a lovely Saturday off work (that never happens) so I’m feeling refreshed for the week ahead.

So lately I’ve been rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer — I’m on season 2. Which mean, obviously, I’ve been obsessing about her nail polish. In particular, I noticed this metallic grey shade she’s been wearing a lot this season. So I decided to take a look into my stash, & found this beautiful Joe Fresh shade I’ve owned since 2015-ish or so: Quartz.

3 coats + Essence Extreme GEL Top Coat

Yes, so this shade is pretty sheer upon first, & even second, application. I ended up with three thin coats for full opacity. However, they applied with minimal streaking & brushstrokes, so I was pretty happy with that. You can also apply this over a darker shade with lesser coats as well. I do believe that will bring out the duochrome effect a bit more dramatically as well.

A macro shot for good measure. The shift is very good on this shade, depending on which was you move your fingers. I love the purple to green shift on this — it’s beautiful.

But just for a fun, I thought I’d add a little sparkle to this beauty which has been in my stash just as long: CND Vinylux Dazzling Dance. This shade has a similar colouring, but with some added holo sparkle! & the results was perfect.

Adding Dazzling Dance definitely changed the switch from a greenish to a blue/silver, but I love the end result. That sparkle definitely makes up the duller duochrome shift. But I totally think this polish is giving me late 90s, early 2000s vibes & I’m totally here for it.

What do you think about this week’s Swatch Sunday pick: Joe Fresh Quartz. Do you prefer it on it’s own, or with the the added sparkle of CND Vinylux Dazzling Dance?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Negative Space & Purple Abstract

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! Hope everyone’s week is lovely so far. It’s almost the weekend, which is always exciting.

Todays look is a random one I came up with while in the middle of painting my nails. I was feeling a little stuck on what to paint on my nails, but was feeling purple, & somehow ended up with this slightly abstract purple look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine
  • Top Coat: Essence Extreme GEL Top
  • OPI Infinite Shine Sound of Vibrance
  • OPI Infinite Shine Mariachi Makes My Day
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

How fun is this look?! Negative space has recaptured my heart, & I love the purple on purple look of these two shades together. They’re close enough they match very well, but enough of a difference they create this colour block look. Plus I love the abstract waves.

& I got a ton of compliments when I wore this design to work, which always makes me know I have a successful design! If people notice when I’m serving them, I know my nails are perfect!

What do you think about this look? Would you wear them on your nails?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below & how you feel about these abstract purple tips.

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Purple & Blue Stamped Geometric Nails

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! I hope it’s as sunny & beautiful where you are, as it is here in Halifax.

Today I have a fun stamped nail are look to share with you! I know… who is she? It’s been a bit since my last foray into stamping, & I was looking for a quick & easy nail art look, so I landed on this stamped pattern. & I have to say, I’m really happy with how the finished look turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essence Extreme GEL Top
  • Essie Mint Candy Apply (blue version)
  • L’Oreal Color Riche Le Vernis Violet Vendome
  • BODICO Stamping Plate B-12
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set

I was super pleased with how these turned out! I love, love, LOVED this stamping plate from BODICO, but if you remember from this (very old) review, I had a bit of trouble getting a clear pattern to show up. So I was super pleased that I got such a clear & crisp image for this design.

I absolutely adore the contrast of purple over the pale blue. It really pops! We all know blue & purple are probably two of my favourite nail polish shades, so pairing them together just makes for the perfect combination.

& this geometric pattern is just so much fun — I love that it almost looks like flowers.

What do you think about this geometric stamped design? Do you love the end result as much as I do? I always forget about my other nail art tools like my stamping plates, or even my nail vinyls, so I’m really trying to make a conscious effort to pull them out more. We will see how successful I am, haha.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Shocking Pink

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s the first week of June, which means it’s only a couple weeks of Summer here in this part of the world. & that means I want all the neon I can get my hands on!

Todays Swatch Sunday pick is a classic from my stash: Shocking Pink. Yep… we’re all about the pink again!

3 coats, matte top coat

First things first, the formula on this shade was a bit complicated to work with. I ended up needing 3 coats for full coverage, but it was a bit thick, & had a little bit of trouble smoothing (you can see it a bit in some of the pictures.) Like many neons, it does dry to a soft matte on its own. I added matte top coat to smooth things out while keeping the matte finish the polish has.

The colour is definitely tricky to photograph. If you look online, I feel like everyone’s swatches of this are just a little bit different. It looks lighter, or darker, depending on the lighting. The colour though, is definitely Summer in a bottle. It’s bright & blinding, & the kind of pink you throw on your toes while laying on the beach, sunglasses on, soaking in the Summer (while wearing a high SPF, don’t get too crazy!)

This was the first time, that I can remember, I’ve put this shade on as a full manicure — I’ve usually only grabbed it for nail art accents. With the bit of trouble I had applying it, I’m not 100% sure it would be my first pick for my nails, as I change them so often. But I definitely think it is a great pedicure choice, & I’m definitely saving it for my next one.

I found a few places where you can purchase Shocking Pink:

Do you have China Glaze Shocking Pink in your stash?

Let me know what you think about this shade down in the comments below, & share your favourite neon shade for Summer!