Tag: NOTD

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE AUGUST (2024) — Moroccan Tile

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a beautiful week. Today is the 2nd prompt of Glam Nails Challenge August & I’m very, very excited for this prompt & manicure! The next prompt is Moroccan Tile & I think this stamped design perfectly incapsulates that!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: LA Colors Mega Grow Treatment
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Joe Fresh Quartz
  • Essie No More Film
  • Starrily Space Debris
  • Born Pretty Store stamping plate B-12
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool from Dotting Tool Trio

Oooooh I’m so so so in love with this manicure! It turned out so much better than I even imagined it could be. Sadly, the new base coat I used did not agree with my body chemistry so these started popping off (the full nail!) half way through work! To say I was devastated would be an understatement — I had fully intended to wear these for a few days.

Thankfully, I still got some great pictures of this design. 🖤

What do you think of this Moroccan Tile design? Do you love them as much as I do? I hope you’ll keep following along with the challenge this month & all the fun designs I’ll be sharing. You can also follow along with the hashtag #glamnailschallengeaug24 on Instagram.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Home Sweet House Music (Summer 2015)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful, warm (humid) sunny Sunday. It’s also the first Swatch Sunday of August, which is kind of crazy because the Summer is just speeding by very quickly.

Today’s pick is a China Glaze shade originally released for Summer 2015. This is Home Sweet House Music.

3 coats + top coat

First thing I noticed about the formula on this polish was that it’s thin, & streaky. The second noticeable thing (after looking at other swatches online) is that this shade has definitely faded over the years, because it’s much more yellow than other pictures I see online. Which, considering it’s been tucked away in a dark drawer & shaken well, is disappointing. However, I do still quite enjoy the colour is is which is like a marigold yellow, & I think it’s great for this time of year. & it perfectly matches the brown eyed Susans in our garden.

It is a pretty sheer formula, which again I don’t know if that has anything to do with the aging of the polish, but I did need 3 coats for full coverage.

It’s a very pretty shade — it’s just not the shade it was, which makes me sad. However, polishes age & it’s interesting to see the effect time has on our polishes. 99% of my polishes have not had this issue, that I can see, so I wonder why this one changed so much on me. It’s kind of strange.

Again, being a 9 year old shade this guy is no longer available in current rotation. China Glaze does have a Gelaze version of this polish on their website (in the original intended colour!) for those who are gel polish fans.

What do you think of this polish? Do you have any nail polishes in your stash that has changed colour due to time? Let me know if you’ve experienced this too!

Happy Sunday ♥︎

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Navy & Purple Half Moons

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! A cloudy, humid Thursday at that. Today though, I have another manicure to share that I recently wore & in a big fan of this one!

Half moons are always a favourite of mine, & lately I’ve been finding myself drawn to some darker shades. Yes, I know that it’s still mid-Summer, but I would be lying if I didn’t hear the distance call of Autumn. I feel like this look is a good balance between Summer with the perfect hint of Autumn vibes.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Pizzaz
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Midnight Drive
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Fuchsia Fever
  • Circle paper hole reinforcements
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool from Dotting Tool Trio

This is definitely easy in terms of technique, which I always appreciate, but it looks really fancy (in my opinion.) I definitely have been feeling the call of my darker polishes, but I’m trying my best to hold off — at least until pumpkin spice gets launched. But this look definitely scratched my Autumn polish itch.

What do you think about this half moon look? Do you like this design? Are already feeling the call of Autumn vibes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

🖤

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Funky Orange Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. Sorry for being such a stranger — I swear I’m trying to get the blog posts written, but it’s been a struggle. But I have a stash of fun designs saved up to share with you, so I’m really trying to get my butt into gear. Summer vacation has been… a struggle, to say the least.

Today’s post is one of my go to favourite designs, but I’m especially happy with how this one turned out! A retro inspired abstract stripe design is always a good decision, & the colours for this particular one just brought everything together so perfectly.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Sunshine State of Mind
  • Essie Peach Side Babe
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Sand Tropez
  • Quo by Orly Black Nail Art Striper

How much fun! Seriously, the colours just compliment each other so well. I very much adore how it turned out. Plus, it’s one of those designs which is so easy, because there is no right or wrong way to do it. You just create a kind of swirl on your nails with the different colours of polish, & it creates this fun abstract/wavy stripe effect. A perfect look for Summer!

What do you think of this abstract stripe design? Have you given this look a try, & what did you think? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Tuesday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. This Summer has been so busy I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog responsibilities & dropping the ball on posting — really hoping August will be better for me! In the meantime, I dig into my stash to find a fun, Summer appropriate colour to share!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up.

3 coats + top coat

Pucker Up is a vibrant cherry red with a creamy crelly formula. By that, I mean it has both qualities but leans a bit more in the creme direction when it comes to finish. It did, however, take 3 coats for almost full opacity, but with the thin formula it didn’t take long to dry.

Using a quick dry top coat did help with drying, however it caused some serious shrinkage at my tips & around the cuticles that I’m not happy about.

We all know I love a good red nail polish year round — it’s usually my go to colour when I don’t know how to paint my nails. & this vibrant red is just perfect for Summer. I also think it compliments my skin tone very well.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up is part of the Xtreme Wear core line, so it’s available where ever you purchase your Sally Hansen nail polishes. I picked up my bottle at my local Walmart — I think it was something like 2 for $6 CAD which is a pretty good deal

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up? Do you like this vibrant red? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know what your favourite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shade!