Showing posts with label blue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blue. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Negative Space Chevrons

I feel like life has just been insane after getting back home from vacation last week. Hence the blog radio silence and some slacking on IG as well! To top it off, I got a new cell phone yesterday and I jumped ship from iPhone to get a Samsung galaxy s6.... so I'm learning a completely new device and feel like an idiot. More time playing with the features than instagramming sadly! I needed something simple and quick, but still interesting. So I finally did my own negative space chevron mani! 


Products Used
Color Club Angel Kiss
Sally Hansen Coral Reef
Chevron Vinyls (get some in my shop!) 
essie Good to Go


I'm not 100% I love the colour combo I chose, but it's growing on me. What do you think?


Are you an iPhone, android or neither?
xo Shawna

Friday, May 29, 2015

Ocean Nimbus for TGIF

I was struggling to think of an idea for the final week of May's TGIF challenge, so when in doubt, Nimbus! I've done a few variations on this mani before in various colours. I whipped this one out super fast, so it's not exactly my best nimbus! I love the colour palette however.


Products Used
Daily Hues Nail Lacquer Amelie (base)
Sally Hansen Babe Blue
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
Funky Fingers Bezerk Turq
essie Good to Go Topcoat


Only a few days left of vacation! I'm writing this post ahead of time, but its extremely likely I'm nursing a post-wedding bash hangover when this goes live. 


What's your go-to nail art?
xo Shawna

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Gold & Blue Creative Stamper Mani

I received my Creative Stamper yesterday after trying to track one down for a reasonable cost to Canada. Finally, my investigating led me to Eat Sleep Polish, the newest stockist and Canadian to boot! Caterina is also a doll. So, I got to work tonight and had fun with this super squishy stamper! 


I wanted to start making a dent in my "untrieds" which I've sorted into a box. I'm hoping to work them all into manis over the next month or so, in some way or another!


Products Used
China Glaze Intelligence Integrity Courage
OPI Golden Waves
China Glaze Fast Forward
MoYou London Bridal 06
Creative Stamper


Here's a macro of the goodness :) The gold is definitely soft and delicate as the stamping polish but the stamper picked it up no problem! 


I love the stamper. It is so soft, I had no issues using it as I read some comments on IG to roll instead of press, and to prime by washing with soap and water (or magic eraser). Worked like a charm! The polish I used is a little thin but I can't wait to try it out with something a little bit more bold. 


Do you have a big untried stash?

xo Shawna



Monday, March 9, 2015

#thedress bestie twin nails

Now I'm on a  roll with bestie twin nails! Kaitlyn and I decided to collaborate this week. She was more than game to go along with an idea I had (although is it already irrelevant this week?) to do a mani inspired by "the dress"! 


Products Used
China Glaze Snow
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
OPI Golden Wing
Wet n' Wild Black Creme
China Glaze Fast Forward
Brush eBay (trimmed)


And here's the collab. I love how different nail art can turn out running with the same idea! I knew Kaitlyn had a bottle of Pacific Blue so of course we had to use that as the base. Originally I was going to stamp before this became a twin mani, so I decided to hand paint instead! It was kind of fun actually! 


For the record, both Kaitlyn & I see white and gold, screw the evidence!!


Are you team white and gold or black and blue?

xo Shawna

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Born Pretty Store Reviews

(press samples)

I was kindly sent a few products from Born Pretty Store to review! I had actually selected a few different items originally, but sadly the first package went missing in the post. Alice was nice enough to let me select new items, and luckily the second package made it to Canada without a hitch! There were so many great items to choose from, and I had a tough time narrowing it down - but here is what I settled on! (Don't forget if you use my coupon code SDXP31, you will save 10% on regularly priced items!)

Firstly I was excited to try out the "Nail Art Polish Pen" in white.  


I started with a base of Daily Hues Nail Lacquer in New Beginnings 2015, and doodled on a lace half-moon design using the pen. You need to shake well and then pump the tip a few times to get the polish flowing. I found the pen works best for creating thicker lines, as you have to go over the lines a second time to get it looking nice and solid. So, for basic lines this pen will do the trick, however for intricate designs you will be better off using one of their finer nail art brushes! 


Second for review today are the "Ultrathin Square Matt Glitter" in silver. 


I used the Daily Hues prototype I received with my order (no name, but in my mind I've dubbed it Elsa!) as my base. At first glance, I thought these squares (they're 3mm) would be too wide and flat for my curvy nail beds. However I was happy to see that after a few coats of top coat, the edges don't seem to snag and catch as much. 


I do recommend using a couple generous coats of a quick drying top coat to ensure they won't go anywhere! I also think almond shaped nails are not the best to work with these squares, but squared or even more rounded nails would look best with this shape. I liked the look a lot more than I thought after seeing them in the little storage pot. They catch the light for a super blinged out look. I think these would be best for one-night wear for a fun night out! 


Are you a born pretty addict like I am? Don't forget to use my code SDXP31 next time you shop :)

xo Shawna

Monday, February 2, 2015

The Polished Bookworms - Big Little Lies Nail Art

I was excited to recently learn that one of the nail bloggers I follow had created a book club for nails art lovers - The Polished Bookworms.  I love reading, I love nail art - the perfect combination! The first month found us reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  I really enjoyed the book, and when I realized it was set in a beachside Australian town, I was so excited - it brought back some memories of the 7 months I spent traveling around the country! So, when the time came for a mani inspired by the book I went full-on, beachy, seaside theme (albeit a day late. Oops!)


Products Used
OPI Barefoot in Barcelona
Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
Wet n Wild Black Creme
China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
Bundle Monster 503, 508


I created a gradient reminiscent of a beach with sand, ocean and sky. I chose a few images from the Sun Kissed bundle monster collection and stamped overtop. I haven't done a gradient in a while (pre- cutie guard! I ran out of my tester so luckily I just purchased a new one!) and clean-up was SO much easier. I'm glad I stamped overtop, though, because I clearly need more practice - still!


I absolutely love the beachy feel, which is completely the opposite of reality at the moment - there is currently a major snowstorm happening as I type!

Have you done nail art related to a book or movie?

xo Shawna

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Nimbus Nails

Tonight I finally ticked "Nimbus Nails" off my to-do list! I followed this tutorial from The Nailasaurus and I can't stop staring! I don't know I took so long to try this one, it really is pretty easy. I decided to go for a colour palette that reminded me of a galaxy manicure, so I chose purples and blues. (I actually tried using a silver as well, but it turns out that cremes work best).


Products Used
Barry M Coconut (base)
China Glaze Up All Night
NYC Cosmetics Nolita's Lavender
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
(Sally Hansen Hi-Ho Silver)
(China Glaze Re-fresh Mint)
(the colours in brackets didn't really show up much)


The effect is so pretty! It does take a handful of cotton swabs but it definitely looks like a water-colour painting. I will do this again for sure, and maybe stamp or do other art on top- but for my first time, I am enjoying it all on it's own! 


Have you tried this technique? 

xo Shawna

Friday, January 23, 2015

earthy ruffian nails

This week's theme for the twinkie nail art challenge was "earth tones". I actually don't really like most earth tones for myself (other people rock them, but not me!) so I decided to go for one of my favourite stormy blues (the sky is an earth tone, right?!) and layer it over a rich chocolate brown in an easy-to-do ruffian manicure. 


Products Used
Nicole by OPI Hard-Kourt Kardashian
Polish My Life Storm Clouds
China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat


The ruffian technique was pretty easy to do, and didn't require any tools. I'll be doing this again in different colour combinations, I think it would look great with a metallic polish!


Are you a fan of earth tones? Either for polish or in your wardrobe?

xo Shawna

Sunday, November 23, 2014

snowstorm nails for #nailartnov

After seeing how good the snowflakes from my new MoYou plate looked on my mani the other day, I instantly envisioned using the pattern over a pale blue (ok, this is actually a periwinkle toned purple) glittery base. How perfect that the day 24 prompt for #nailartnov was Nature - nature has definitely been giving us some snow lately! 


Products used
Essie Lilacism
China Glaze Fairy Dust
BK Matt White
HK Girl Top Coat


This turned out just like I imagine. I only wish I hadn't done the accent nails with the different snowflake, I could have achieved enough variety in the one pattern by just positioning it differently. I'll probably repeat some sort of version of this throughout the winter season! 


Do you like to match your manis to the season?

xo Shawna


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

dry marble for nail art november

I will start right off by saying my thoughts on this mani can be summed up in the word "meh". The prompt for #nailartnov is "dry marble", which basically means adding lines or spots to your still wet base colour, and swirling them together to create different designs. If you saw the swirl mani I posted on instagram last month (there was no blog post - I did it in Cuba!), it's the same thing. I wasn't a huge fan of the swirl either, so I wanted to play around with a different design. I had seen a few cool looking designs on instagram but of course I couldn't find the tutorials, so i settled on this one inspired by Sveta Sanders.


I painted two stripes onto the base and then dragged a nail brush side to side. I must have a heavy hand because I ended up with a lot of bald spots, which I did my best to fill in.


Products used:
Polish My Life Storm Clouds
China Glaze Up All Night
HK Girl Top Coat
Nail Art Brushes from eBay


Meh. Do you like the design?

xo Shawna



Sunday, November 16, 2014

Bridesmaid Blue & White Mani

I've been a little MIA from posting the past few days, because I have been a very busy bee with bridesmaid duties for my good friend Kelly' wedding (which was yesterday). I still had time to whip out a gorgeous blue and white mani, which fit the colour theme of the wedding. I actually did a test run with 5 different nail art ideas and had my IG followers vote, and this is the design that won by a landslide (bride included)! 


Products used:
Ciate Snow Virgin (white undie)
Sally Hansen Moonbeam
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
Wet n Wild Hallucinate (accent nail)
HK Girl Top Coat
Born Pretty Store Gemstones (SDPX31 saves 10%!)
MoYou Pro Plate 04


I love the way Moonbeam looks over the undie. It was the perfect base for this bridal mani! 


Congrats to Kelly & Marijan :)
xo Shawna

Friday, November 7, 2014

Blue Plaid for Nail Art November

I am I love with today's mani. If I could get a bottle of nail polish for every time I said that...
Today is a combo of two challenges, nail art November (the theme is "plaid") and the twinkie nails art challenge, which the theme is "colour chosen by significant other". I knew without asking (but asked anyways!) that my fiancĂ© would choose blue, and sure enough he did. I had a lot of fun creating this look, and while it was simple enough, it was a tad time consuming! Good thing I had the night off. 


Colours used:
Ciatè Chinchilla (base)
China Glaze Up All Night
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
Sally Hansen Hi-Ho Silver
Finger Paints Striper Hip Hip Hue-Ray
HK Girl Top Coat
Striping Brushes from eBay


I love the monochrome colour palette with the pops of white and silver. 
Please excuse the state of my cuticles, I did my clean-up in low lighting late last night and mistakenly thought I did a decent job. Oops!


Hope you love it!

xo Shawna

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Movember Stamping

Some days stamping goes so quickly, some days it doesn't. Luckily today was a good day! I got a manicure done last night as part of our friend's bachelorette night out- we took her for a mani/pedi. I was really hesitant to have someone else do my nails (and I had also wanted to do something fun for the night!) but after I told her not to use a file, everything else went smoothly. Even after bumping my freshly painted nails (twice!) they got fixed up in no time. Note to self: bring HK girl top coat next time! 


I had to settle on solidly coloured nails for the night out, but that didn't stop me from jazzing up the mani today in honour of Movember.  I used MoYou Tourist 21 to add the fun moustaches. The silver polish is a bit of a hot mess, smearing the stamping and a nightmare for cuticle clean up. Can't wait to receive my Mundo de Unas stamping polish (although apparently it will take a while!)


Colours used:
Color Club Total Mystery
Sally Hansen Hi-Ho Silver


Do you get in on the Movember fun?

xo Shawna


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Simple X's Mani

Happy Hockey Wednesday, readers! The big news in Canada today is definitely the official start of the NHL season. That has nothing to do with my manicure, but I am Canadian after all, and I'm typing this post as we watch the game! 

I've got a pretty simple freehand mani today, but I'm still quite pleased with it! I know this pattern can be achieved much more precisely with striping tape, but I am still waiting for my nail mail for that so I decided to give it a shot. Not too bad!

My Nails Did: Simple X Mani

Polishes used:
Polish My Life Storm Clouds
Finger Paints Ch-Art-Coal Black
Echoes Polish Holo Cow (on index)
HK Girl Top Coat

My Nails Did: Simple X Mani

If you've got a striping brush or polish, this design is super simple to create. You just draw a big "X" in the centre of your nail, and then outline using two stripes on both sides, the top and bottom. I added a coat of holo to my index finger for a bit of sparkle!

My Nails Did: Simple X Mani

Would you try this design?

xo Shawna



Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Pacific Blue Holo + Racing Stripes

I can't believe this is my first time using my pacific blue as the base colour for a manicure! I thought it would be too bold for my taste (I've really been into pastels lately)- but I actually love it and totally get the hype now. I'm rethinking all those bottles I left on the shelf at walmart the other night...

My Nails Did: Pacific Blue Holo + Racing Stripes

This was a late night mani so I wanted something simple and quick. The stripe was inspired by The Nailasaurus. I had heard pacific blue was a one coater so that's why I chose it- although I ended up using two. A quick swipe of holo topcoat and a simple straight line for a pop of interest. Pacific blue was practically made for a holo topper!

My Nails Did: Pacific Blue Holo + Racing Stripes

Polishes used:
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue
China Glaze Fairy Dust
Finger Paints Striper Hip-Hip-Hue-Ray
HK Girl Top Coat

My Nails Did: Pacific Blue Holo + Racing Stripes

Are you on the (original formula) pacific blue bandwagon?

xo Shawna
 
Images by Freepik