Tag: purple

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Freehand Metallic X-pattern Nails

Hello loves, & happy Wednesday. It’s mid-week, & back to school is tomorrow! How exciting is that? I’m kind of sad Summer is over, but also there are so many fun Halloween & Autumn decorations popping up in store, I’m not too sad.

Today I’m sharing a fun freehand design I am very proud of. I was trying to come up with something fun & unique to share, & ended up creating these x-pattern nails. I do have nail vinyls with this pattern I could have used, but I really wanted to see if I can do it completely freehand.

& I did!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Quo by ORLY Color Amp’d Top Coat
  • Milani Nail Polish Deep Thoughts
  • Sally Hansen Lustre Shine Scarab
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Liner Brush

I found this old clearance Milani in my stash, & realized I’d never worn it, so I decided to give it a try. Right now I’m just loving deep, dark purples. Also, I’m kind of sad this was my first time ever trying this shade out as I’ve owned it quite a while. Now that I should have a smidge more free time, I think I need to officially go through my nail polish stash & check out all those untried nail polishes I’ve collected over the years.

Also, I’m so so so happy with how this x-pattern design turned out. My thumb ended up slightly off centre, but I more or less had all the nails pretty even. I’m really proud of how these turned out, & I think the beautiful teal shimmer over the deep purple looks incredible. It really pops! & it was such a fun design to wear.

What do you think of these freehand x-pattern nails? What colours are you loving right now? Right now, I’m all about dark nails, which I’m loving. Especially shades with just a little bit of shimmer to keep things interesting.

Have a lovely Wednesday! ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen x Sesame Street InstaDri Collection

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Hello loves & happy Sunday! I know we may be sick of the Sally Hansen x InstaDri content this week, but I’m just so excited to share the shades from this collection with you!

The Sally Hansen x Sesame Street InstaDri collection consists on 10 polishes — 4 creams, 2 glitter toppers, 2 metallic/shimmery shades, & 2 jelly glitters. It’s a great assortment of different shades brought together under one great collection. There is also a fun set of press on nails as part of their Salon Effect Perfect Manicure line (although I won’t be featuring those as part of my swatches.

Each shade is based around a corresponding Sesame Street character (or, characters) which is a fun idea. & I think all the polishes fit perfectly!

So now onto the swatches!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen x Sesame Street InstaDri Collection”
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Purple Glitter Sparkle Gradient

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! A brand new week to enjoy. Today, I’m sharing a little bit of sparkle with you to start off this week. I recently was feeling stuck for inspiration, so I decided to grab one of my favourite purple OPIs Dutch You Just Love OPI?, & a pretty glitter OPI, & create a quick, easy glitter gradient!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat
  • OPI Dutch You Just Love OPI?
  • OPI Charmmy & Sugar
  • Latex free make up sponge (mine are from Dollarama)

Check out that sparkle! I love it. I don’t know if I’ve ever worn this pretty sparkle before (it’s from the 2016 OPI x Hello Kitty collaboration) but I think it looks incredible over this purple. I love a good glitter gradient, & sometimes you find two polishes that just go together so perfectly. I love that moment.

What do you think of this quick & simple nail art look to start off your Monday? I know it’s not the most exciting of manicures, but sometimes you just want a little bit of sparkle.

Let me know what you think down in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical

Hello loves & happy Sunday! & happy long weekend to all who get to celebrate! The May long weekend always feels like the official beginning of Summer, which I’ll gladly take — even if they’re calling for thunderstorms today. Bring on the beach & BBQ!

Today, though, I’m throwing things back to a shade originally released for Winter 2020. What can I say — I like to keep you on your toes. This is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hip-nautical.

3 coats + top coat

I’m not even sure how to begin to describe this shifty polish. The base is a darker blue that flashes purple or lighter blue depending on the lighting or how you move your fingers. It did take 3 coats for a full solid coverage — & the best shift — but the polish formula is very thin so it dries quickly.

Definitely needs a good coat of top coat to finish it off. Keeps that beautiful shine, & helps smooth out any brush strokes.

The shift between colours is actually very good. Maybe not as shifty as in the bottle, but I rarely find that drugstore polishes are. The flash of blue is very strong on this shade, which is just absolutely gorgeous! & I love, as you can see in this macro shot, you get all the levels on this polish in one shot.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical is now part of the permanent core collection, so you can find it where ever Sally Hansen shades are sold including:

What do you think about Sally Hansen Hyp-nautical? Is this a shade that you would wear? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Violet Voltage

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope the weekend is treating you well. We’ve had a beautiful one here on the East Coast & I’m so happy for sunshine!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a shade I picked up last Summer when Essence revamped their line. I’m always excited when they switch things up — I own a lot of Essence shades, so I love when I can add new ones to my collection!

Today’s pick: Essence Violet Voltage.

3 coats + top coat

This semi sheer pearlescent purple has a beautiful glowing blue shine that hits at just the right angle. The formula is quite thin, which is why I did 3 coats of polish. It is a bit streaky, due to the pearlescent finish, & can show flaws on your nails if you’re not careful. I have a patch on my middle finger from a bad crack in the nail, & it shows that little bit of raise in my nail in that spot.

BUT that doesn’t stop me from enjoying this shade. That glow alone makes me fall in love every time I look at my nails.

& a macro shot of course.

This shade is definitely Y2K vibes. It also works well for glazed donut nails if you use one coat. I originally used it for my Glazed Donut Half Moons last Summer & loved how it looked!

I purchased this shade at my local Shoppers Drug Mart in their Essence display. Essence is also available on their website — although this shade is currently sold out.

In Canada, you can also buy Essence at Superstore/Loblaws. You can also buy Essence nail polish through their website as well!

What do you think about Essence Violet Voltage? Are you a fan of the Essence brand of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!