Tag: teal

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Freehand Metallic X-pattern Nails

Hello loves, & happy Wednesday. It’s mid-week, & back to school is tomorrow! How exciting is that? I’m kind of sad Summer is over, but also there are so many fun Halloween & Autumn decorations popping up in store, I’m not too sad.

Today I’m sharing a fun freehand design I am very proud of. I was trying to come up with something fun & unique to share, & ended up creating these x-pattern nails. I do have nail vinyls with this pattern I could have used, but I really wanted to see if I can do it completely freehand.

& I did!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Quo by ORLY Color Amp’d Top Coat
  • Milani Nail Polish Deep Thoughts
  • Sally Hansen Lustre Shine Scarab
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Liner Brush

I found this old clearance Milani in my stash, & realized I’d never worn it, so I decided to give it a try. Right now I’m just loving deep, dark purples. Also, I’m kind of sad this was my first time ever trying this shade out as I’ve owned it quite a while. Now that I should have a smidge more free time, I think I need to officially go through my nail polish stash & check out all those untried nail polishes I’ve collected over the years.

Also, I’m so so so happy with how this x-pattern design turned out. My thumb ended up slightly off centre, but I more or less had all the nails pretty even. I’m really proud of how these turned out, & I think the beautiful teal shimmer over the deep purple looks incredible. It really pops! & it was such a fun design to wear.

What do you think of these freehand x-pattern nails? What colours are you loving right now? Right now, I’m all about dark nails, which I’m loving. Especially shades with just a little bit of shimmer to keep things interesting.

Have a lovely Wednesday! ♥︎

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Teal & Blue Colour Block French Manicure

Good morning loves & happy Thursday. It’s almost the weekend!

I hope everyone’s week is not too crazy. I’ve just been wistfully sitting here, wishing for Spring. Every time I look at the dresses in my closet, I can’t help but wonder… how much longer? So I decided another bright & colourful manicure was in order. But… I’ll be honest. I’ve been very wrapped up in all the Vanderpump Rules drama going on, so I also needed something not too involved.

So naturally I decided a bright & colourful colour block French design would be perfect. Quick, easy, & gorgeous!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel X FRIENDS The One With The Teal (PR/gifted)
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik

Okay, so I did this look completely 100% freehand, & even I can’t believe how clean & straight I managed these lines. Also, I really like the kind of asymmetrical look of this design, as opposed to my usual (similar) colour block looks. But the colours — the colours are definitely my favourite part. This pop of colour is exactly what I needed, & I didn’t even realize it. I’m obsessed.

It’s just a really fun, easy look with an endless possibility of colour combinations. I’m so happy with how they turned out.

What do you think about this colour block French manicure look? Do you think this is a great design & pop of colour for Spring? I’d love to know what colour combination you would choose for this look, so let me know down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Thursday! ♥︎

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Shimmery Subtle Ruffian Nails

PR — Features Gifted Product

Hello beauties & happy Thursday. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. I had a very exciting week because I received the most amazing PR package from Sally Hansen Canada featuring 4 shades from their Miracle Gel Holiday 2022 collection. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but Sally probably makes my favourite Holiday collections, & I always feel so lucky when I receive any PR from them this time of year.

I have a fun unboxing Reel on my Instagram if anyone wants a sneak peak. Swatches are coming this Sunday!

In the meantime, I had to try out one of the shades I received, & decided to use as the base for this shimmery, & subtle, ruffian nails.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-chip Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shine Bright Like a Menorah (Merry & Bright Holiday 2022 collection) •pr sample•
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Garnish Attention
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Unicorn Top Coat

Another super simple look that has a very striking effect — that would be perfect holiday party nails. Listen, I don’t have a holiday party to go to, but that doesn’t mean my nails can’t look like I do! & I know lots of people do, & will be looking for nail polish/art ideas.

The most difficult part of these is getting that second rounded swipe. I find the Miracle Gel brushes can be a bit trickier for that, but only because my nails are pretty thin & small, & they are very wide so they almost cover too much of the nail! Just takes a bit of practice, but if you get it right… well, it looks pretty beautiful. & the subtle ruffian effect is a perfect touch of nail art. You could also do the opposite, & put the glitter as the base, which would also have a similar peek-a-boo subtle look.

What do you think about this subtle shimmery ruffian look? I really like how the combination turned out, & it’s a fun look to wear! If there is one thing about the cold, dark months of late-Autumn/Winter I enjoy, it’s that there is no better time to pull out all the pretty dark sparkly shades that have been hiding in my stash untouched for months! So expect a lot more shimmer & sparkle on this blog!

It’s long overdue.

Have a fantastic Thursday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY—Essie Dive Bar

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. I’ve been enjoying a lovely, although a tad rainy, weekend off from work. Today, though, I’m all about Swatch Sunday, & this classic Essie shade from my stash: Dive Bar.

This shade has been in my stash a long time — I’m pretty sure I found it on a good deal at Winners, as I do a lot of my shades. Dive Bar was originally released as part of the 2012 Spring collection, also named Dive Bar.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter

This colour is so gorgeous! It’s a deep navy blue base, with a striking teal shimmer. It just screams Fall to me — so I was surprised when I learned it was released as part of a Spring collection. It also reminds me of Space, so I feel like it would be an incredible base for galaxy nails because it has a great depth to it!

The formula is also still really awesome, which is good after all these years. I’ve own this bottle since at least 2015, so it’s going on 7 years old. It does have the original skinny Essie brush, which means you do have to be careful with application. I managed to get opacity in 2 thicker coats, but you could definitely do one coat over a black as well — it probably wouldn’t be as shimmery, but it would save on coats.

What do you think about this Essie oldie? Do you have Dive Bar in your stash? Do you love these deep shimmery blues as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Satin Sister

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Another week has quickly sped by, & that means it’s time for another fun Swatch Sunday post. I recently put in an order through NailPolishCanada.com, & excitingly enough, my shades arrived earlier this week! I grabbed some gorgeous shades on clearance, so I am very excited to share what arrived.

First up, I have this Essie Winter 2016 shade: Satin Sister. Funnily enough, I just scored Getting Groovy (from the same collection) at Shoppers Drug Mart on clearance for $2 a couple of weeks ago.

2 coats, no top coat.

Essie Satin Sister is a beautiful creamy darkened teal blue. Depending on the light, it either leans to the blue side of things, or to the greener ends of things. The colour itself is great for Autumn. It’s deep & jewel toned, which I very much enjoy. It was kind of a spur of the moment polish pick, but I’m really happy with my decision.

Usually I’m more of a navy blue kind of girl, so this is a really nice change up for me. Its something a little bit different for me.

The formula is nice. This shade still has the skinny Essie brush of yester-years, but if didn’t affect my application to much. Like I said, I needed two coats for opacity — even without top coat. That’s not too bad. Obviously, I would love for a one coat wonder, but two coats isn’t too bad.

The only thing I’m a bit nervous about is removal, which I haven’t attempted yet. Definitely feel like this could potentially have some staining power, but hopefully not!

What do you think about this shade? Are you loving darker shades right now? Let me know all your thoughts down I the comments below! & shade what shade you’re currently wearing right now.