Tag: Spring

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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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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!

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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 ♥︎

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Negative Space Purple Moons

Hello lovelies & happy freaking Friday! The weekend is upon us, & the end of the month is quickly approaching. I feel like May just started, & now it’s almost June? Crazy!

Today I’m showing off another fun Spring/Summer look that’s actually super easy to do. I’ve kind of been leaning back into my easier nail art, mostly because sometimes (or, a lot of the time) I’m quite tired at the end of the night when I go to do my nails. So I’ve been leaning back on go to easy nail art looks. It’s a combination of easy to do, but also super cute! The best kind of nail art.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri VaVa Violet**
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Glos-Sea**
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio
  • Paper Hole Reinforcements

**Both purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart & currently in stock

How cute are these two colours together? My original plan had been to use Glos-Sea as the moon, topped with Va Va Violet but it was already pretty late at night, & I was feeling sleepy, so I decided a negative space moon would look great… & I was right! I think I like it even more than if I had used the blue for my moon.

What do you think about these negative space moons? Do you like this colour combination? What is your favourite colour combination together for a look like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Have a happy Friday ♥︎

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Dainty Negative Space Floral 🌿🌸

Hello lovelies & happy Monday!

Today I’m starting off this week with another floral look. At this point, you can pretty much expect that I’ll be posting a floral design at least once a week for the foreseeable future. I’m kind of obsessed. Today’s look was another one of those random designs I kind of came up with in my head, & was beyond happy to bring to life on the nail. I really just wanted something dainty, & I think was successful in creating that.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

I’m kind of obsessed with how this turned out. I decided to go minimal on my floral — I usually use multiple polishes for each flower & my leaves — & I love how it looks. It’s clean & simple, which is exactly the look I was craving. A nice palate cleanser for the nail. I also really like that Princess Charming is quite neutral, so it doesn’t stand out too much on the nail & keeps that naked look I was going for.

What do you think about this dainty negative space floral design? Do you like simpler cleaner looks like this, or more bright & colourful nail art designs? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

You know you can count on me to do a nice mix of both.

Have a super amazing Monday. ♥︎