Tag: short nails

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Blue Iguana (& some bonus sparkle ✨)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! The first Sunday of November, if you can believe it! Sadly, I’m starting off November with some extra short nails thanks to a bad, bad break at work on Friday.

So I wanted to make my nails feel extra pretty, so I dug through my stash & landed on this sparkly old school China Glaze shade. This is China Glaze Blue Iguana.

2 coats + top coat

Blue Iguana was originally released as part of the 2011 Summer Island Escape collection. It has an electric blue foil finish with a great micro shimmer. The formula was fairly thin, but I had adequate coverage in 2 coats. It also appears lighter on the nail than in the bottle, which was kind of a bummer — but maybe an extra coat or two would have fixed that. I also wish you could see more of the purple duochrome flash on the nail, as much as you can see it in the bottle. But it’s still beautiful regardless.

I was feeling like my short, stubby nails needed a bit more sparkle, so I pulled another oldie (released around the same time) from Icing to add a little pizazz: Icing Radio Super Star.

1 coat over Blue Iguana + top coat

I was actually really impressed with how closely the blue glitters in Radio Super Star matched Blue Iguana. It has a clear base with blue micro glitter, fuschia hex glitters & these fun silver star glitter. What you see above is just one coat over my base — & I had great luck with getting the star glitters onto the nail with minimal fishing.

It gave me exactly the sparkle I was craving to cheer myself up!

How are you feeling up these two fun polishes both together & apart? I feel like it’s just a smidge too early for holiday polishes (although I’m keeping my eyes open!) but I may see what glitter shades I can pull out for this month.

Have a happy Sunday!

Posted on

Floral Shorties

Hello loves & happy Wednesday!

& Happy last day of May!

I swear, you’re in the right place. I just decided to switch things up a bit. I’ve been humming & hawing on Instagram for a while about going to square nails, & I finally decided to take the plunge–just in time for a new month! I know, crazy. But it’s been about 2 years since the last time I rocked some squares, so I thought why not try them out again for a while.

They’re pretty short right now, but that’s okay. I’m excited to grow them out to a nice square shape. & in the meantime, we’ll rock some fun shortie nail art. Naturally, the first manicure I did on my new short squares is floral! I mean, were you expecting anything else.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Franken white shade (I mixed a few whites I own with a little black to grey it)
  • OPI Is That A Spear in Your Pocket
  • OPI Living On The Bula-vard 
  • OPI Two Timing The Zones 
  • OPI Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? 
  • OPI Getting Nadi on My Honeymoon 
  • OPI Koala Berry
  • OPI Who You Callin‘ Bossy?
  • OPI Gelato On My Mind
  • OPI Check Out The Old Geysirs
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

Obviously, I had to use my garden for a backdrop as it’s been thriving with these Summer-y temperatures. This floral is pretty simple — although it used a ton of different polishes — but I think it turned out beautiful & I’m really in love with the final look. I went with a white base, even though I’ve been iffy on wearing white lately thanks to the VPR drama & Scandoval, but I think this white base looks so pretty with the floral over top.

What do you think about this floral look & my return to square nails? This was the nail shape I had when I first started my blog, so I always return to it, even though I do love round nails as well. Sometimes, you just need a change, you know?

Let me know what you think & what nail art you’d like to see next! I have one manicure coming on Friday that I did earlier in the month for a nail art collab, but I’m excited to start Summer off with these new square shorties.


Happy Wednesday ♥︎

Posted on

OPI Minis Skittle Mani

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone’s week is off to a good start. Today I’m sharing a simple skittle look for this mid-week slump.

I was recently going through my drawer of mini polishes, & found a few great OPI colours I haven’t worn in a while. Instantly I thought: these would look awesome in a skittle design. Easy manicure accomplished!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Thumb — OPI Is That A Spear in Your Pocket (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Pointer — OPI Living On The Bula-vard (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Middle — OPI Two Timing The Zones (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Ring — OPI Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? (2014 Nordic Collection)
  • Pinky — OPI Getting Nadi on My Honeymoon (2017 Fiji Collection)

I really, really like this combination of colours together. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m always jealous when I did these perfectly coordinated skittle manicures on Instagram because I never feel like mine look as good. This is the first time I’ve done one like this where I’ve been like “yes… perfect!” & I’m so happy about it.

As you can see from my product listing, I used 4 shades from the 2017 Fiji collection, & then one from the 2014 Nordic collection. I really felt like I needed one more darker shade to compliment Is That A Spear in your Pocket? & Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? was perfect for that! I have so many of these little OPI mini bottles from sets I’ve collected over the years, & I really should reach for them more often.

What do you think of my skittle design? I was this close to adding little white “s” on each nail after my co-worker said they reminded her of berry skittles (we work in a candy store, so it would be very fitting!) but I ended up feeling sick that night & not having the energy to do it. Even still, I absolutely love this colour combination. It just looks so good together.

Have a fantastic Wednesday loves! ♥︎

Posted on

Soft Matte Half Moons

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s had a good start to the year so far. It’s been relaxing on my end, that’s for sure. But now it’s time to drive right back into all things nail polish, nail art & manicures in general. I was kind of trying to figure out what kind of vibe I wanted to start off 2023 with, & I decided to let my nostalgia win with not only a half moon manicure… but a matte half moon manicure.

Two of my favourite things combined into one.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Zoya Devin
  • Essence Into the Unknown
  • Paper Hole Reinforcements

I was on instagram early into Fall, & I saw someone post that half moon manicures were going to become popular again, & all I could think was “I never stopped doing them”.

These have always been a favourite nail art look of mine, & I just find it such an easy technique to do. But I really, really love this look with the matte top coat applied as the finishing touch. Matte nails are my absolute favourite in the Winter months, so expect lots of matte nails in the coming months.

What do you think of this nail art look? Are you a fan of the half moon design? Let me know what you think, & what nail art trends for 2023 you’re excited to try!

Posted on

Autumn Fan Brush Splatter Nail Art

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! We’re officially a full week into September, & the Autumn vibes have been strong — with the perfect early September weather to match. I’ve been fully immersing myself in all things pumpkin spice, while wearing my absolute favourite knee high boots.

So obviously, I need some nail art to match.

I’ve been rocking some serious shorties lately, thanks in part to a wicked break on my middle finger (hence why it’s so wonky). So I’ve been feeling a bit… uninspired nail art wise. One nail art look I have been loving though is splatter nails! They’re easy, fun, & I’ve never done one that I didn’t love.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Know The Espa-Drille
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Cinna-snap
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Zip Wine
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Midnight Drive
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Golden Glow
  • Fan Brush Nail Art Brush (mine was purchased at either Claire’s or Icing)

How funky are these? I just love how fun this colour combination is together, & it’s combining all the colours I love for Autumn — but on a light base. I usually go with the Saran Wrap technique for my nail art, but I thought I would try out with a fan brush, & I’m really happy with the end result. They’re just so much fun!

What do you think about these splatter nails? Do you like this fun splatter design? Let me know what Autumn nail art you’re rocking right now — or if your holding onto Summer nails as long as possible.