SWATCH SUNDAY — Butter London Pistol Pink

Good Morning & Happy Sunday. Or should I say storm day, as winter weather is currently starting in my neck of the woods. ❄️ Hope everyone that doesn’t have to go out in it, is cuddled up under a blanket with a big mug of coffee!

If you are lucky enough to be snoodled up on your couch, I have a pretty polish to share with you today! Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is Butter London Pistol Pink. This gorgeous deep fuchsia pink was originally released circa 2013 as part of the Rock Your Colour collection, but came to be in my stash a few years ago thanks to Winners. (Canadian version of TJ Maxx for my non-Canadian friends.)

For my swatches, I did a base, two coats of polish & finished with top coat to seal it in as I was planning on wearing it for the day. The base is that deep fuchsia pink, & it’s scattered throughout with lighter pink shimmer that gives it a glowing effect. This is definitely the kind of pink that I adore I could wear for ages–I’ve always been more drawn to deeper & darker berry pinks more so than your brights or neons.

To me, this would be the perfect manicure shade for Valentine’s Day. Which is coming up very, very quickly so time to start brainstorming on looks now!

As I mentioned, I found this shade at my local Winners so I’m not too sure how available this shade is for purchase. I checked the Butter London website, but it doesn’t look to be available there or Amazon, so if you are looking for this shade you’re probably best off checking your own local Winners, Marshall’s or TJ Maxx or seeing if anyone on EBay has one for sale.

I decided since I was going to be rocking this manicure for the day, I needed someone to add on top–so I added a quick swipe of Sinful Colors Twilight Twinklies over top for a little golden glam!

So what do you think of today’s Swatch Sunday polish pick? Is Butter London Pistol Pink hiding away in your stash? Let me know your thoughts on this shade in the comments down below!

Dark & Simple Dotticure

Good morning lovelies & happy Wednesday! Today’s look is one of my favourite easy nail ideas–a simple dotticure. Seriously, is there any easier way to add a little fun to other wise boring nails then with a few carefully placed dots? (Especially when you stay up too late binge watching Netflix & forget all about doing your nails…)

For this manicure, I pulled out one of my beloved Sally Hansen nail art pens. I’m not sure if you can still purchase these (I haven’t looked in a while) but a few years ago I picked them up & they’re one of my favourite & easiest ways to create polka dots! There is something so easy about using a pen instead of a dotting tool for creating teeny, tiny polka dots.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI Cosmo With A Twist
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in Silver

What I love about this look is how easy it is. Paint nails. Let dry a few minutes. Dot with nail Art pen & seal with top coat. Bam, done! No tools even needed. & you don’t even need to worry about cleaning off your dotting tool & then re-dipping it into the polish, so finishing your nails is a whole lot faster. & the dots seem to end up being more similar than when I try to do the same look with a dotting tool.

so what do you think of this look? Are you a fan of dotticures? Share your thoughts down in the comments below! ♥️

Hearts & Zig Zags

You know when you get a nail art look in your head & you want to try & make it work on your nails… there is nothing more satisfying than bringing it to life & it turning out better than you expected!

This look was one I wanted to try but I wasn’t sure what colours to go with. Thanks to some Pinterest stalking, I figured out exactly the colour combination I wanted! I wanted something that would fit my January mood, especially since I didn’t want my nails to look too Valentine-y.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Ardene Day Dreamer
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Quo by ORLY Diva
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Fairy Godmother
  • The Base Coat Regular Chevron/Zig Zag Vinyls
  • The Base Coat Heart Vinyls
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool set

I seriously think these turned out so, so cute! It feels like absolute ages since I pulled out my Vinyls & I have to admit… I missed them. I also love this combination of dark teal, grey & mint. I never know what colours to wear on my nails this time of year, but darker shades are definitely calling my name more often!

What do you think of this look?

You could definitely adapt it & turn it into a Valentine’s Day look with some pink & red polishes. & it was surprisingly easy (if a little bit time consuming) to do. ♥️

Subtle Winter Ruffian ❄️

Good morning lovelies, & welcome to the second week of 2019! How crazy is that. Has everyone kept up with their New Year’s resolutions so far? I’m trying to keep up with mine & I have brand new nails to share with you.

Today I’m showing off this subtle ruffian design I wore last week. I was still feeling the darker moody shades & I really like the combination of these two polishes. Originally I thought about a dotticure because they’re so easy, but after stalking Pinterest (my favourite late night activity) & ended up being inspired to go with a ruffian.

For this design, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Couture Top Coat
  • Essie Cashmere Bathrobe
  • Essie Suite Retreat

I love how this looks! The blue with the grey has that moody January vibe I think everyone is feeling after the holidays. I don’t know about anyone else, but I find it so difficult trying to come up with nail art looks this time of year… Christmas is over, it’s too soon for Valentine’s Day.

Also please excuse my weird lighting… I’ve been taking pictures at work haha. But I have my light box all set up again so I should be able to get some better pictures soon. I just have to remember to take them before I leave for work.

What do you think of this nail art look? What is your favourite January nail art look? Share your ideas down below on what you go-to this time of year!

Matte Floral over Coral 🌸

First nail art of this brand new year… & obviously I had to go with floral! Who says you can only wear flowers on your nails in Spring & Summer… floral is an all year nail art trend for me. Also, I have to admit, it feels really nice to be feeling up to doing my nails again. & even though I’m a wee bit rusty, it’s like riding a bike how easy it is to get back into the routine again.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Malibu Peach
  • Essie 5th Avenue
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sweet Tea
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red It Online
  • Essie Suite Retreat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sugar Fix
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie First Timer
  • Essie Fashion Playground

    I love how this turned out & how the red & blurple flowers pop over the coral polish. This was definitely one of those manicures I went into with no real “plan” but kind of kind winged it… & it turned out so pretty to me! Also it was so exciting to finally get to test out my new nail art tools from NailStuff.ca.

    what do you think of this look? What nail art looks are you excited to try out this year? Maybe I’ll give watermarbling another try!