Neon(ish) Stars ⭐️

Happy Wednesday loves… I mean, I think it’s Wednesday. My days have been blurring into each other which has made it hard to keep things straight! I’m trying my best to keep to my posting schedule, but right now things are a wee bit hectic. & by wee bit, I mean life is all around insane. But just because I’m working 50+ hours a week doesn’t mean I don’t have time for pretty nails!

Who needs sleep anyways? That’s why they invented coffee!

Today’s nails were based on the fact I wanted pretty nails, with a pop of colour, that were relatively easy. I realized I hadn’t used my stamping plates in forever, so it felt like a good opportunity. Plus I love the look of a pop of colour over a neutral sheer base–@oliveandjune is always posting amazing inspiration on Instagram that I’m constantly saving, so I decided to try the look out. & I love it.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel In the Sheer
  • Sally Hansen Insta-dri Va-Va Violet
  • Born Pretty Store Image Plate BP-L006 (item #17924)
  • Born Pretty Store small clear jelly stamper
  • Edge Perfection Cuticle Barrier

I was in serious need of something bright & colourful to cheer myself (& my nails) up! Even with obsessive moisturizing, a ton of cuticle oil, & anything else moisturizing I can find, my hands have been hurting the last few weeks. The up & down temperature changes have been the main culprit I think, plus the fact that work is dry as heck. They’re not used to not being babied like they were! Plus paper cuts are seriously the devil. Still working on testing out my own hand pampering mask recipe, so once I find one I want to share I will make sure to post it! Also if you have any favourite hand treatments to share, let me know in the comments below!

What’s your favourite “cheer up” manicure to do when you’re feeling down? share it in the comments below!

Zig Zag Chevron Accent Nails

Happy Monday lovelies! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. ♥️ Mine was… short! But it’s a brand new week & I have a brand new manicure to start it off with. I’m still obsessing over these new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes, so I have yet another design to share with you featuring them. This time, I used some brand new (to me) vinyls from The Base Coat to create some funky chevron zig zag accent nails.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen MG Lilac Insomniac
  • Sally Hansen MG Little Peony
  • Sally Hansen MG Sugar Fix
  • Sally Hansen MG Sweet Tea
  • The Base Coat Nail Vinyls Chevron/Zigzag (wide)
  • NailStuff.ca square stud from mixed decoration wheel (gold).
  • Small dotting tool.

First off, these nail vinyls are so much fun & I love how they look. I’ve been obsessed with shopping from throw pillows lately (as we continue to decorate our new house) & this colour combination & pattern looks a lot like the patterns I continuously find myself drawn to. & obviously I had to throw some studs as an accent in there because it’s been a while since I used my favourite nail stud wheel from NailStuff.ca!

I have to say, I just love how cleanly the lines on these chevrons came out. The vinyls from The Base Coat definitely stick to the nail very well when you use them. No flooding under the vinyl & creating a big mess! Really, really just loving this whole look from the chevron zig zags, to the colours. It feels Summery & fun… which I think all of us need right now.

What do you think of this chevron design? What is your favourite nail nail vinyl pattern? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Vine Nail Art inspired by @ameliasaccount & @polishpeach

Happy Tuesday lovelies. Craving some serious greenery nails because Mother Nature decided to curse us with a whole ton of snow on Sunday… like 20cm of snow. So that’s fun! Just when it was starting to feel like Spring (for real) Mother Nature decided to ruin everything. That’s why I definitely needed something Spring-like on my nails.

I’ve done this design once before, & it’s originally inspired by @ameliasaccount who was inspired by @polishpeach. Instead of a white base, I decided to go with a brand new polish I recently picked up at Shoppers Drug Mart called Thyme is Money. It’s a beautiful pale green that’s part of the newly formulate Insta-Dri line & holy is it ever lovely!

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Thyme is Money
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in green
  • Quo by ORLY Second Hand Jade
  • YSL Beauty Vert D’Orient
  • Sally Hansen I ❤️ Nail Art pen in black
  • Small detail brush from Bundle Monster

Seriously, I can’t even begin to describe how much I love the outcome of these. Definitely achieved a much more delicate design versus my first attempt at this manicure. & the green of the leaves pop so well against the pale base polish.

I spent my Sunday off from work out shopping for new plants to fill our house with & I’m just loving the look of fresh greenery in every room. We’re trying to find the perfect hanging plant/vines for in the living room, but in the mean time at least I can enjoy them on my nails.

Here’s hoping that these nails inspired Mother Nature to get her act together. After all, nobody wants to deal with shoving the driveway when they would much rather be basking in the mildly pleasant Spring sunshine. Here’s hoping the snow will be melted in a few short days, & I can go back to wearing flats & the occasional Spring dress.

What do you think of my version of the vine design? Have you tried this shade from Sally Hansen yet? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Floral Accent Nails featuring Color Club Eternal Beauty

Happy Friday lovelies! Two posts in a row, I’m on a roll! Today I’m sharing more floral accent nails because my obsession isn’t dying down any time soon. It’s just a floral kind of week I guess!

Today’s design features Color Club Eternal Beauty from the Halo Hues collection which I picked up at Winners a few weeks back. It’s a stunning purple holo, so I decided that it would look lovely with some roses. Honestly, I think every polish looks lovely with roses.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Color Club Eternal Beauty
  • Essie Go Ginza
  • Essence Out of Space Stories We Will Spock You
  • Sally Hansen CSM Killer Heels
  • Sally Hansen CSM Red It Online
  • Sally Hansen CSM Rose To the Occasion
  • Sally Hansen CSM Blush Against The World
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in green
  • Quo by ORLY Second Hand Jade
  • Bundle Monster small detail brush
  • Bundle Monster small & large dotting tool

Check out those rainbows… seriously! Eternal Beauty is such an absolutely beautiful shade & the holo is absolutely vivid & incredible. I finally understand the Color Club Halo Hues obsession & the reason people rave about them so much! They really are just incredible polishes. I really need to go back & pick a few more up before the rest of the world snaps they all up! You can never own enough holos! They make those chilly but sunny days just so much better.

what are you wearing on your nails on this Friday? Let me know in the comments below!

Freehand Ikat Chevrons (Happy Birthday Coffee & Nail Polish! 🎈🎉)

Happy Thursday! & happy 4th birthday to this little nail blog of mine! It’s so crazy to me that I’ve been posting here for 4 years already. From the early days when I hadn’t yet discovered cuticle oil (& majority of my nail polish came from the clearance bins) to now it’s been quite an exciting journey. I thought I’d mark the special occasion with one of my favourite styles & some beautiful nail polishes I was recently gifted from Sally Hansen Canada!

Music Festival season is just beginning (Coachella starts next weekend) & this nail design would fit right in… you know, if I wasn’t in chilly Nova Scotia currently dreaming of sunny days & summer dresses!

For the design, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Nailtek 2
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Little Peony
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Lilac Insomniac
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Orchid-ing Around
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sweet Tea
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sugar Fix
  • Bundle Monster detail brush.

I just love how these turned out. I also love that even though I freehanded my chevrons, they actually look fairly even! I guess practice really does make perfect. 💗 also I’m completely in love with these new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel shades from the Travel in Colour collection. I’ve been playing around with them since I received them late last week & they are just so perfect for Spring. Makes me wish I had somewhere fancy to wear them rather than just while I’m putting out stock at work. Definitely one of my favourite Spring 2018 collections I’ve seen this season so far. & don’t worry I’ll have swatches of the whole collection up on the blog soon!

I just want to take a minute to stop & just say THANK YOU to everyone who reads this blog, who leaves comments & likes my posts. When I started this blog years ago, I did it because I loved nail polish & I just wanted a place to be able to share my silly designs with other people. 4 years later, things have certainly changed & grown & improved, but when it comes down to it this blog is still here for the same reason: I love nail polish & I love connecting with others who love nail polish. & those people are the reasons why this place just feels like home for me.

So thanks for joining in on the fun & here’s to years & years more of this blog sharing the nail polish love.

💗💗💗