GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE SEPTEMBER (2024) — Plaid

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! & Happy Labour Day! We’re jumping right into the Autumn nail art designs with this month’s Glam Nails Challenge September.

I was debating whether or not I was going to do another month, but then my first design I did happened to be a plaid design — which is the first prompt of this month, so I was like… let’s just do this! I had so much fun last month while feeling challenged creatively, I think I want to give it another go. & this month definitely has some great prompts as well!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base 
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Just In Wine
  • Essie East Hamptons Cottage
  • Essie Mani Thanks!
  • Quo by Orly Nail Art Striper Black
  • Quo by Orly Nail Art Striper Red
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

Does anyone else just immediately want to pull all the plaid out of their closet as soon as the mornings start feeling slightly cooler? I definitely do. I also want to paint plaid on my nails, because it just feels fitting. Pair these with a pair of over the knee socks, & the Autumn vibes are strong. I also feel like this is an easier, simpler design to do — albeit you do need a bit of a steadier hand for straight lines. But with a long striper brush, it does simplify the design a bit.

Definitely a design I recommend any beginner nail artist to try, & just trust the process. If you look at a plaid material, the pattern isn’t perfect so don’t worry about trying to make yours perfect. Sometimes the messier the better it turns out!

What do you think of this design? Are you excited for this month’s Glam Nails Challenge? Like I said, I was feeling inspired so I wanted to keep the good nail art going! & I feel like this is going to inspire some really beautiful nail art designs this month!

If you’re curious about the prompts to come, here is a little sneak peak of the prompts for this month.

& don’t forget to follow along with the above hashtag to see everyone’s gorgeous designs they post! Also, @glamnailschallenge reposts a lot of the beautiful designs on her page, so you can get a little snippet there as well!

Happy Monday!

♥︎

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!

SWATCH SUNDAY— OPI Big Apple Red 🍎

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy early Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians. We’re looking at a very, very rainy Canada Day which is kind of lame, but that’s Nova Scotia for you.

I am very excited because I was at the thrift store on Friday & they sometimes have barely used nail polish there, so I always check it out. That’s when I stumbled across this beauty: this is OPI Big Apple Red.

2 coats + top coat

In a surprising turn of events, OPI Big Apple Red is one of those red nail polishes that I didn’t yet own. It’s a gorgeous cherry red nail polish, which a smooth application & cream finish.

According to Google, Big Apple Red was voted as the most iconic red nail polish of all time — so the fact I didn’t yet own this shade is actually a crime.

We all know red is definitely my favourite nail colour, & this is an absolutely stunning red. It had perfect coverage in two coats, which I’m all for when it comes to a red. It also garnered a ton of compliments & “nice nails” while I was at work, so that is always an indication of a beautiful polish.

What do you think of this iconic OPI red? Do you have Big Apple Red in your collection? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & what nail polish shade you consider “iconic”!

🖤

Y2K Inspired Half Moons & Floral 🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! I hope your week has been going beautifully. The weather has been pretty stunning the last couple days (minus the rain currently falling) & it’s feeling like Spring. So let’s break out the Spring nail art designs!

Today’s look is a combination of a design I quite love (half moons) with a little twist. I was checking out 2024 nail art trends, & saw that Y2K was trending — so, as a millennial who grew up during the height of Y2K — I wanted to relive my pre-teen/teenage years.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: LA Girl Rapid Dry Top Coat 
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red It Online
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Pretty Peony
  • Essie Muchi, Muchi
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

I think these turned out so, so cute!

When I paired the red & pink together I was a little scared it would look a bit Valentine-y, but with the added flowers it came out super cute. & I think it channels Y2K without being too over the top. It is also giving Spring vibes, which I’m here for. I’ve been wearing a lot of my floral dresses lately, so it pairs perfectly!

What do you think about these half moons? Do you like the combination of nail art? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & share what nail art trends you’re loving right now!

Enjoy your Friday. 🖤

Happy 10th Birthday Coffee & Nail Polish! ✨🌈

Hello my loves & happy Friday. Not just any Friday — we are celebrating the birthday of this little nail blog of mine. 10 years of fun nail art, pretty polish & my love of combining the two. & it’s been quite the journey since my very first blog post! We’ve seen new jobs, weddings, babies, a pandemic, & a whole lot of nail shape changes!

& if you’ve been here since the beginning — thank you!

I thought to mark this occasion I needed some pretty floral (my go to favourite since the beginning) featuring my all time favourite nail shade: red.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top 
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Cherry Delightful
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Heather Hustle
  • OPI Sickeningly Sweet
  • OPI Nature Strong Emflowered
  • OPI Nature Strong Make My Daisy
  • Essie Muchi Muchi
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • BKIND Sauble Beach
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

Obviously I had to do some floral to celebrate this next decade of Coffee & Nail Polish. My favourite back then, my favourite now! & I’m particularly in love with how these turned out over this beautiful red from Sally Hansen.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart everyone who has joined this nail journey with me. It means so much to see the likes, the comments, the love. It means so much & I hope you stick around to see what the next ten years brings.

🌸💗