Recreating my Wedding Nails (on my shorties) 11 years later! ✨👰🏻‍♀️💅💍

Hello lovelies & Happy Saturday! I know I don’t often post on Saturday, but today was a special exception with a special nail design!

I really wanted to recreate my wedding nails in honour of my wedding anniversary, especially as I’m rocking some serious shorties right now. So in honour of the occasion, here’s a brand new version of a very special design.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Strengthner
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie You Do Blue!
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • China Glaze Champagne Bubbles
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Good As Gold
  • Essie Brides No Grooms
  • Essie She’s Pampered
  • Essie Into the A-Bliss
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Essie Sew Psyched
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff dotting tool
  • NailStuff 7mm Liner Brush

For those curious, here are my original nails I painted for my wedding day, & my recreation I did in 2018.

I was absolutely obsessed with my original nails that I painted back in 2015 for my wedding day — it was really important to me to create a beautiful design I would love for years, & years to come. & again, when I recreated them I equally loved the design!

But you know what? I think I love them the most on short nails! Long nails look beautiful no matter what, but trying to recreate the exact same look on nails 1/2 the size really makes them pop! The only thing from my recreation I’m not 100% sold on is the much more yellow gold, but it definitely gives it a more colourful vibe. (& the right amount of sparkle! ✨)

What do you think about this anniversary look? Do you love a floral look as much as I do? I’d love to know if this design holds up all these years later. I certainly adore them as much as I did all those years ago & wouldn’t change a thing about the nails I had on my wedding day.

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

🖤

Vivid Stained Glass Accent Nails 💎

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! I hope everyone has had a peaceful week so far. I know we’ve had some super sad celebrity deaths this week (RIP Dolly & Tim Curry). This year has just been brutal when it comes to icons of my childhood.

But I’m not here for sad vibes, & I’m always hoping to perk up someone’s day with some pretty nails so let’s get into it! I’ve really been trying to do some new things lately… or old things I haven’t done in a hot minute. Stained glass nails are definitely in the latter category, & I’m excited to share my latest version because I feel like these are the closest to real, true stained glass.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Strengthner
  • Top Coat: Sinful Colors Power Paint Top Coat + Essie Speed Setter
  • OPI Black Cherry Chutney
  • OPI Cyber Cherry On Top
  • OPI Y2Slay
  • OPI My Gecko Does Tricks
  • Essie Ballet Slippers
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • NailStuff.ca 11mm Mermaid Tail Liner Brush

I really love these metallic shimmer nail polishes give the effect of glass, like in a stained glass window. After I started, I realized I should have tried to do some kind of design like a heart, or a flower, but I guess I’ll have to say that for next time.

But these colours look so, so beautiful together. They’re bright & colourful, which plays off well with the darkness of OPI Black Cherry Chutney. A fun look to wear at this end of Summer season. Also staring at these made me excited for more nail art looks to come — especially as we enter my favourite time of the year — the ‘Ber months! It’s the best time of year for fun nail art looks, so I’m already saving a million ideas to give a try.

What do you think about my stained glass nails? Would you look at these & know exactly what the inspiration was? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below, & what nail art trend or design you’re excited to try for Fall (I’m definitely pumped to do anything pumpkin themed. They’re one of my favourite things to paint!)

Easy & Simple Spring Floral 🌼

Hello lovelies — & happy Wednesday!

& Happy April 1st. I hope everyone’s week is going okay. I don’t know about where you are, but here on the East Coast of Canada the weather is miserable–which is just more reason for Spring-y designs. The flowers may not be showing themselves in our garden, but at least I can wear them on my nails.

Today’s look is me wistfully wishing for some warmer, Spring-like days. Which, obviously, means floral!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Maximum Growth
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Gel Like Top Coat
  • OPI Infinite Shine Mariachi Makes My Day
  • OPI Infinite Shine Shaking My Sugarplums
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • OPI Where Did Suzi’s Man-go?
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red My Lips
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Peony Origins
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Montley Hue
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm Mermaid Tail Brush

This design started off as simply just a rose design, but after I had painted my roses I realized that something was missing, so I added a bit more greenery, & then a few of the white flowers (sort of daisies, but not really). & once I added my white flowers, I felt like it pulled everything together perfectly.

Is it a totally original floral look? Well, no.

Do I still absolutely adore the end result? Absolutely, yes. Especially where my nails are so short at this current moment in time, I feel like a floral design looks so beautiful & put together. Plus, the darker purple base is a little bit end of winter, with the floral adding the touch of Spring I’m desperately craving.

What do you think of this floral look? Do you like the combination of colours? Does it have you craving Spring as much as I am craving spring? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

& if it’s feeling like Spring where you are, I’d love to know! Give me some hope so warmer, sunnier days to come.

♥︎

Bright & Funky Abstract Stripes (2000s Inspired)

*contains PR/gifted items

Hello loves & happy Monday!

I am still over here desperately craving Spring weather — while the actually weather does not cooperate. You would think I would be used to it by now (after all these years), & yet every year I get enraged when Spring doesn’t come quick enough. But… I digress. You’re here for nails, & I absolutely love today’s design!

I’m calling these Pucci-esque–not to be confused with Color Club Pucci-licious–& they’re giving me mid-2000s vibes. Specifically: Emilio Pucci’s Spring 2005 collection. I wanted something absolutely bright & colourful, that just screamed Spring, & this combination delivered.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Maximum Growth
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Gel Like Top Coat
  • Butter London Pure Colour 21X Bloomsbury
  • Essie You Do Blue
  • Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Peony Origins
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • Quo by Orly Nail Art Striper in black
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm Liner Brush

Okay — how gorgeous & fun are these nails? I love the combination of colours & how they pop on the nails. They’re just so sunny, & bright which is exactly what my days need when it’s quite a bit below freezing today. I need a little hit of Spring, even if it’s only on my nails (while I stare wistfully at the Spring dresses hanging in my closet, just waiting for me.)

What do you think of these bright & colourful nails? Do you love the colourful combination as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & if you would rock this look on your own nails!

Happy Monday

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen InstaDri Pink Aurora 💗🌌

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a beautiful sunny–but chilly–day here on the East Coast. They keep telling us that Spring is on its way, but I won’t like… it’s getting harder, & harder to believe it. (Especially when they’re calling for over 20cm of snow at the end of the week)

But never the less, I’ll keep trying to summon Spring with whatever is on my nails, & today I was feeling something pink! Pink is not a colour I often reach for as a single manicure, but it does feel very Spring-y to me, so I thought I would grab for one in my stash. & as soon as I saw this sparkly pink looking back at me, I knew it would be perfect for today’s Swatch Sunday post.

This is Sally Hansen InstaDri Pink Aurora.

3 coats + top coat

I always do love a sparkle, & this sheer pink jelly is full of iridescent & holographic glitters. The jelly base is thin–very thin–so multiple coats as necessary for even a hint of opacity. Personally, I feel like I’m more likely to use this as a glitter topper rather than on its own, but I wanted to swatch it as it comes.

The sparkle on this beauty is lovely. I feel like from far away, it could come across as more subtle, but you can see it much more prominently unclose. I will say though –this shade was not easy to photograph at all. I tried in both my lightbox & outside & it was a struggle.

This shade is part of the Primsmatic Shine line of InstaDri, & I’m pretty sure I picked up my bottle 2+ years ago. I’m not sure if it’s still available in store, but I did find it on the Sally Hansen website–however it didn’t have an option for buying, so I’m thinking it’s probably discontinued unfortunately.

(I also found this Reddit thread looking for dupes which has some great alternative polish options.)

What do you think of Sally Hansen InstaDri Pink Aurora? Do you like this sheer sparkly pink? Would you wear this shade on its own, or as a topper over another pink?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday

♥︎