Neon Glitter Gradient 🕶️

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! Did everyone survive the holiday & all that chocolate! My kids had chocolate for breakfast a few mornings but now we’re back to normalcy.

Today I’m showing off some very bright & very vibrant nails. The sun was shining, so naturally I needed a manicure to match. & you know what that means — neon! 🕶️☀️

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Couture Top Coat 
  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifier
  • ORLY Put The Top Down
  • ACO by Ardene What DaFaq

Don’t these just scream Summer vibes? While the weather hasn’t quite felt like Summer — there has been a lot of rain this month — a couple sunny days just make me hopeful for the months to come. Just give me some sunshine, plus 20 degree days (Celsius) & I will be a very happy girl.

What do you think about this neon glitter gradient? Is it giving you some much needed Summer vibes as well? Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

& tell me what your favourite summer activities are!

Happy Wednesday

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle 🌊

Hello my loves & happy Sunday. I wouldn’t exactly call it a beautiful Sunday here on the East Coast, but I have hope that Spring is just right around the corner (& Summer after that). &, unfortunately I had a bad break at work on my ring finger yesterday so I’m back to rocking some shorties.

But let’s cheer up these short nails with something beautiful & bright. & what is more beautiful & right than this classic China Glaze shade! This is China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle.

3 coats (I know…) + Top Coat

This beautiful vibrant turquoise was originally released as part of the Sensational collection circa 2013, & then became part of the permanent core collection (which means you can still buy it anywhere you buy China Glaze.) I feel like I’ve always heard people refer to Too Yacht To Handle as one of China Glaze’s Cult favourites, along with shades like Ruby Slippers, For Audrey & Flip Flop Fantasy.

The formula on this guy was a little patchy. The age of my bottle is unknown, as it was gifted to me years ago, so it still has that skinny China Glaze brush they used to have in their bottles — which definitely didn’t help with application. But a little top coat fixes everything.

Ah, it’s just so bright & beautiful. Honestly, this has been a particularly dark week in my personal life so a little bright light is just what I need. & my love for China Glaze nail polish will never die. They’ve always had some of my favourite polishes, especially when it comes to the warmer months.

& thankfully, this shade is still a part of the permanent collection which means if you’re looking for a beautiful bright polish you can always had this beauty to your life.

What do you think of China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle? Does this shade made you think of tropical waters & somewhere warm? Let me know what you think down in the comments!

Happy Sunday

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Color Club Bright Night

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a beautiful sunny Sunday here on the East Coast — & not too humid, which is a nice change of pace. The mornings are already starting to give us those small hints that Autumn isn’t too, too far away.

& I kind of love it.

Today, I’m sharing a fun polish I pulled from my stash which I feel like is perfect for both late Summer/early Fall vibes. This is Color Club Bright Night.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful cobalt blue was originally released as part of the Summer 2013 collection, but then became part of the permanent core collection because she’s still available on the Color Club website.

The formula on this one was easy to work with. With it being slightly neon, it does have a bit of a matte finish, so like all mattes it dries a bit quicker so two coats was definitely required to alleviate any patchiness. & of course, I added top coat for a glossy finish.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good blue nail polish — especially a cobalt blue! This shade reminds me a bit of Sinful Colors Endless Blue so I would be curious to do a comparison between the two to see how close they are.

& if you have both these polishes & have compared them — let me know down in the comments below!

What do you think about Color Club Bright Night? Are you a fan of these bright cobalt blue shades as well? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday 💙

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Home Sweet House Music (Summer 2015)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful, warm (humid) sunny Sunday. It’s also the first Swatch Sunday of August, which is kind of crazy because the Summer is just speeding by very quickly.

Today’s pick is a China Glaze shade originally released for Summer 2015. This is Home Sweet House Music.

3 coats + top coat

First thing I noticed about the formula on this polish was that it’s thin, & streaky. The second noticeable thing (after looking at other swatches online) is that this shade has definitely faded over the years, because it’s much more yellow than other pictures I see online. Which, considering it’s been tucked away in a dark drawer & shaken well, is disappointing. However, I do still quite enjoy the colour is is which is like a marigold yellow, & I think it’s great for this time of year. & it perfectly matches the brown eyed Susans in our garden.

It is a pretty sheer formula, which again I don’t know if that has anything to do with the aging of the polish, but I did need 3 coats for full coverage.

It’s a very pretty shade — it’s just not the shade it was, which makes me sad. However, polishes age & it’s interesting to see the effect time has on our polishes. 99% of my polishes have not had this issue, that I can see, so I wonder why this one changed so much on me. It’s kind of strange.

Again, being a 9 year old shade this guy is no longer available in current rotation. China Glaze does have a Gelaze version of this polish on their website (in the original intended colour!) for those who are gel polish fans.

What do you think of this polish? Do you have any nail polishes in your stash that has changed colour due to time? Let me know if you’ve experienced this too!

Happy Sunday ♥︎

Funky Orange Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. Sorry for being such a stranger — I swear I’m trying to get the blog posts written, but it’s been a struggle. But I have a stash of fun designs saved up to share with you, so I’m really trying to get my butt into gear. Summer vacation has been… a struggle, to say the least.

Today’s post is one of my go to favourite designs, but I’m especially happy with how this one turned out! A retro inspired abstract stripe design is always a good decision, & the colours for this particular one just brought everything together so perfectly.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Sunshine State of Mind
  • Essie Peach Side Babe
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Sand Tropez
  • Quo by Orly Black Nail Art Striper

How much fun! Seriously, the colours just compliment each other so well. I very much adore how it turned out. Plus, it’s one of those designs which is so easy, because there is no right or wrong way to do it. You just create a kind of swirl on your nails with the different colours of polish, & it creates this fun abstract/wavy stripe effect. A perfect look for Summer!

What do you think of this abstract stripe design? Have you given this look a try, & what did you think? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Tuesday!

♥︎