Tag: Spring Nails

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE MARCH — Pastel

Good morning lovelies & happy Monday. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. This weekend was the beginning of March Break, which meant that work was pretty busy. It also means my kids are home all week during the day, which should make trying to get any nail art done a moot point haha.

But today we’re diving into the 3rd prompt for Glam Nails Challenge March, & this one was an easy one — pastel. Obviously, I had to do a pastel skittle look using a few Spring-y shades.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top 
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Crying Out Cloud
  • Londontown USA Bell Flower
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie Chillato
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sun Shower
  • Essie Expressie FX Iced Out

Oh I love a good skittle, & I’ve really been loving the pastels lately as well. This look is an easy way to do some “nail art” that isn’t really nail art but totally passed for it. Quick, easy, super cute; all the things I look for in a manicure, to be honest. & the addition of Essie Expressie FX Iced Out gives all the nails a nice cohesive look that pulls everything together. I know the glazed nail look is kind of on its way out, but I’m kind of obsessed with it.

I’ve never been one for following trends anyway.

What do you think of my pastel skittle look for Glam Nails Challenge March? Is it beginning to feel a bit like Spring where you are? We’ve had nothing but rain upon rain the last couple days… so yeah, definitely feeling like Spring haha.

Have a great Monday.

♥︎

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Blue Geometric Colour Block

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! Sorry for my absence on Monday — this has been a rough month, creatively speaking. I’ve really had to push myself to want to do nail art, which isn’t like me at all. But today I have a fun nail art look I did on the weekend. This was actually the last nail art look I did before an epic nail break, so expect super short nails in upcoming posts!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: China Glaze Fast Forward Top 
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Essie In My Cab-ana
  • Essie License to Thrill
  • Essie No Ex-pectations
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

This is such a fun look, & it was so easy to do. Like I said, I’ve been dealing with a lack of creativity when it comes to my nails, but a colour block look never disappoints. Usually I only stick to 3 colours, but I decided to do four for this one & I think it looks awesome!

What do you think about this colour block look? Are you a fan of this design? What is your favourite go to nail art look when you’re packing in inspiration— let me know in the comments below!

Enjoy your Wednesday loves!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Mint Candy Apple

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a beautiful sunny Sunday here which is a nice change from the never ending snowstorms we’ve been having. & it has me thinking of Spring (or, wistfully wishing for it) so that means it’s time to break out some Spring nail polish! Today’s pick is a favourite of mine, & just screams Spring to me!

This is Essie Mint Candy Apple.

2 coats + top coat

I love a good pale pastel shade, & Essie Mint Candy Apple is just that. This is actually the updated version of Mint Candy Apple — the original shade leans more blue than the minty shade you see above. Chantal’s Corner has a fabulous post about the two versions & a comparison, if you’re curious!

The formula on this shade was easy to apply & smooth. It has the new wider brush that Essie releases with all its new shades, which makes application a cinch. The formula has a nice thickness to it, without being gloopy, but I did need 2 coats for a smooth finish.

Obviously a nice shiny top coat (I used China Glaze Fast Forward top coat here) helps with that glossy finish.

The colour is just so nice, & so Spring-like which is just what my mental health needs after a month of what feels like never ending snowstorms. Even if it’s freezing outside & 4 feet of snow, at least I can look at my nails & feel like Spring will be here soon….ish.

Essie Mint Candy Apple is one of their core shades, & available anywhere you buy Essie polishes.

What do you think of Mint Candy Apple? Are you a fan of pastel polishes like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & let me know what your favourite Spring shade is! 🌸

Have a beautiful Sunday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze High Hopes

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I feel like it’s been a while since I did a Swatch Sunday post, even though it’s only been 2 weeks. Today I dug deep deep into the stash for a bit of an oldie shade: China Glaze High Hopes.

2 coats + top coat

According to Google, this shade was originally released as part of the Spring 2010 Up & Away Collection. I believe I purchased this bottle myself circa 2013/2014, although I’m not 100% sure. It’s been in my stash a while though.

Formula on this beauty is smooth & easy to apply. The colour is a beautiful vibrant coral that was a smidge hard to photograph accurately. But I feel like these photos capture it most accurately.

The bright colour feels perfect for Summer, but would be easy to transition into Fall by pairing it with a deep burgundy. Yes, my mind is going there. I’m trying my best not to start thinking about Autumn, but our local Dollarama has Halloween already popping up, & Halloween is my favourite season!

But back to High Hopes! This shade is lovely & the colour is a great alternative to my usual go-to red manicure that I love so much.

I did find a few listings online for this shade — Sparkle Canada has it listed for sale, as well you can find the Gelaze version on the China Glaze website. I also found an Amazon listing, but I’m not sure if it’s a secondhand seller or not. However, there are definitely a few listings floating around for this fun vibrant shade!

What do you think about this beautiful vibrant coral shade? Do you have China Glaze High Hopes in your nail polish stash?

Let me know all your thoughts, & what shade you’re currently loving this week!

🖤

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Throwback Floral (Using Just a Dotting Tool)

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! I hope it’s a beautiful day wherever you are. It’s supposed to be sunny, & slightly warm today, so I’ll take it.

Today I’m sharing a design which is a recreation of a design I did many moons ago—like… 2013 at the beginning of my nail art journey & before this blog. I just always love revisiting old designs, & when this one popped up on my Facebook memories, I knew I needed to do an updated version!

2013 version
2023 version

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Essie Peach Side Babe
  • Essie Worth the Tassel
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Turquoise & Caicos
  • Small & Large Dotting Tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

I didn’t have a list of the original polishes I used for my design, so I tried to go with what looked the closest to the colours — which was hard because my original photo is pretty poor quality. I think, though, I did a pretty good job on recreating the original look!

I know that was my first jump into “real” nail art after getting my first dotting tool. It was an Essence brand one that I found at Shoppers Drug Mart, & I got very excited to find something to do legit nail art.

What do you think of this floral nail art recreation? Do you remember what nail designs first got you into nail art? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a fantastic Friday!