Tag: nails

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Dark & Gloomy Hand Painted Floral

Hello loves & happy Monday! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. After some gross winter weather on Saturday evening, we actually had a beautiful (almost Spring-like) Sunday.

Today I’m sharing some dark & gloomy floral which I feel like are perfect for the darkest & gloomiest month. It’s been so long, too long, since I hand painted any roses on my nails & these turned out better than I could have hoped. With the dark base, I feel like they have a bit of a gothic feel to them as well.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Snake It Up + Starrily Magnet
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Can’t Beet Royalty
  • Sally Hansen MG Good Cheer-y
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Society Ruler
  • Sally Hansen CSM Berry Fancy
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Eco-Rose
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

I used a lot of red polishes to achieve these roses, but I think they turned out so beautiful. These are probably my favourites florals to paint; I love how beautiful they look on the nail.

Also I’ve never actually used this Essie magnetic shade before, but I tried it with my Starrily magnet & it worked really well. My bottle was purchased at Dollarama & did not have the snake skin magnet with it—probably the reason I’ve never used it— so I was happy to have something to use with it! & I love it, even if it didn’t show up well in these photos.

What do you think about these fun floral nails? Are you getting dark & gloomy from them? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Sable Collar

Hello & happy Sunday!

We finally have some nice Winter sun today which is nice after a week of not the greatest weather. Today, I’m pulling out an oldie Essie shade I’ve own for a long time: Sable Collar. I actually picked up this shade at my local Dollarama circa 2015 & I remember being so excited to find this shade.

2 coats + top coat

Sable Collar was originally released as part of the 2013 Essie Winter Shearling Darling collection. It is this beautiful smokey reddish brown, with an irresistible shimmer. It’s been so. long since I put this shade on, I totally forgot how gorgeous it is. The epitome of a winter shade (in my opinion). These are exactly the kind of shades that make me think of January.

The formula was pretty easy to apply on this one — two coats needed for full opacity. The first coat was definitely streaky, but upon the second we got the beautiful finish you see in my swatches. I did apply Essie Speed Setter top coat over my swatches, mostly because this ended up being my manicure for the last few days.

A nice close up of the finish.

Below you can really see the reddish brown shimmer in the bottle. I’m kind of obsessed — which is funny, because I’ve owned this bottle of polish almost a decade, but this is. the first real time I’ve worn it all on its own. & it’s giving me the cosiest vibes.

What do you think about Essie Sable Collar? Do you remember this shade from its original release? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & if this shade is giving you the same Winter vibes I’m feeling.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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Purple Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! We’ve made it to the end of the week. Today I’m sharing a quick easy look I did the other day that I thought was a nice pop of colour. You know how much I love some abstract stripes, & purple, so I combined the two into a bright fun look!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI Sickeningly Sweet
  • OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI
  • OPI Turn Off The Northern Lights
  • OPI One Heckla of a Color
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPi
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm striper brush

Loving this combination of colours. I’ll admit, January is probably my most uninspired month after all the fun holiday manicures. But this one definitely makes me happy. I’m also planning on some floral soon, which always makes the day better too. I really want to do a black roses design soon!

What do you think about these purple abstract stripes? Do you like random designs like this? Share your thoughts down in the comments below!

🖤

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Glitter Gradient Nails (With Revlon Nail Art Expressionist Duo)

Good Morning & happy Wednesday! It’s a snowy, messy, gross Wednesday here with a little bit of everything a winter storm can offer. But I’m excited because I have a fun (& easy) nail art look to share with you today using an old school polish that I found at my local Dollarama! Every so often, older polish collections & nail art items pop up in the beauty aisle. So I was pumped when I saw a few of these Revlon Nail Art Duos from 2015 show up at my local Dollarama.

My local Dollarama had two different styles in stock — one neon one, & the one Santa slipped into my stocking called 350 Ulterior Motif. It has a dark metallic gunmetal base shade, with a rose gold glitter for accenting.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Revlon Nail Art Duo 350 Ulterior Motif 

Don’t mind the tip wear — I stupidly photographed these after wearing them for a full work shift. But I love how easy this duo made it to create a funky nail art look, with no tools needed. I definitely didn’t take advantage of these sets when they were originally released — which is a shame, because they make nail art super easy!

Do you remember the Revlon Nail Art Duos from the mid-2010s? Did you have/do you have any in your nail polish stash? After using this one, I kind of want to go back & get the neon style because it will be fun to use in the Summer!

Have a lovely day ♥︎

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Pink Glittery Stripes

Hello loves & happy Monday! As happy as a cold January Monday can be. I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. Today I’m starting off a new week with some new nail art — because that’s what we do around here.

Today’s look was an add on to yesterday’s Swatch Sunday pick. I was digging the pink nail polish, so I decided to add onto it (& keep the pink theme going!)

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Quo Beauty Show Stopper
  • Rimmel London Pulsating
  • Ardene pink glitter (missing name)
  • Ardene Kiss By A Rose
  • Revlon Nail Art Duo 350 Ulterior Motif (just the rose gold glitter striper)
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • 16mm NailStuff.ca striper brush

Okay I know these are very pink, & maybe it’s a smidge too early for anything Valentine’s Day, but these January days are long & depressing, so bring in the bright pink manicures! It’s been so long since I’ve done a simple stripe look too, so this just makes me happy.

& we can all use a little extra happiness now a days.

What do you think about this pink glittery stripe design? Do you love it as much as I do? What colours are you digging right now? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Monday 💗