mani monday

Essence Summer Manicure

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Essence Summer Manicure, Bright Manicure, Easy Nail Art

While the air has gotten a little cooler in the mornings and at night, I am still holding onto summer with both hands. I do enjoy fall but I am not a big fan of winter, especially here in Northern Ontario, so I am just not ready for the seasons to start to change at all. With that said, I have a fun and bright summer manicure using two of my favourite Essence nail polishes on this week! This is a variation of a manicure I saw on YouTube (can’t remember who posted it now) years ago. Continue reading →

Zoya Ryan & Girly Bits Hocus Pocus

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For the first time in awhile I actually took the effort to paint my nails. I don’t know what it has been but lately I just haven’t been able to summon the energy to do it. A couple of years ago the thought of my nails not being painted would have horrified me. I used to paint them twice a week! Anyways, I’ve been wanting to use my holographic top coat, Girly Bits Hocus Pocus over a darker shade so I finally did it.  For this manicure I layered it over top of Zoya’s Ryan. I’ve previously featured Girly Bits Hocus Pocus over OPI Live.Love.Carnival. Continue reading →

Essence Do You Speak Love?

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Essence Do You Speak Love?

When I want a quick manicure that will survive about a week with minimal chipping, Essence’s gel polishes are one of my go-to’s. They are inexpensive and they really do last on the nails. Today I’ve got Essence Do You Speak Love? on my nails, which to be honest, I don’t remember purchasing. I had to double check to make sure I hadn’t previously featured it on the blog. I sometimes pick them up when I’m grocery shopping so that would explain why I don’t remember purchasing it. I’m sure I’ve worn it at least once before though. It’s a beautiful deep red shade which is the type of red I’m more drawn to wearing versus the classic brighter reds. Continue reading →

Grey Ombre Manicure

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grey ombre manicure

It’s been a long time since I’ve featured a manicure on the blog! I think the last one I posted was way back in June!! This one is actually from a few weeks ago as I got sick around the time I had planned on posting it. This grey ombre manicure was inspired by a manicure I saw on Pinterest years ago and have recreated multiple times since. This time I added the chevron accent nail to add a little something extra. I love the way a chevron accent looks on the nails! It’s such a cute way to add a little something-something. Continue reading →

Whats Up Nails Canadian Flag Nail Vinyls

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With how sunny it has been lately Canada Day feels like it is right around the corner. I love doing a festive manicure every year to celebrate this special day. This year however, my usual festive manicure, has been made so simple! The Whats Up Nails Canadian Flag Nail Vinyls make for a quick, but impressive looking manicure! They actually can be used in two ways… You can peel off the maple leaf, place it directly onto your nail and top coat over it… OR you can use them like I did, as a stencil so that I could use the red polish that matched the rest of my manicure. Best of all, TEN of you can have a sheet of these lovely vinyls absolutely free (including shipping) courtesy of Nail Polish Canada! Details will be at the end of this post so keep on reading! Continue reading →

Butter London Henley Regatta

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Butter London Henley Regatta

It may not be Monday but I still wanted to share the manicure that I’m wearing this week with you. I’ve had Butter London Henley Regatta in my polish collection for quite a few years now but I don’t think I’ve shared it on the blog yet. This weeks manicure was inspired by my Little Mermaid Makeup Look that I shared earlier this week. I really wanted to combine a purple base (Essie Gel Couture in Turn N Pose) with this glittery teal beauty. The end result is a bit more reminiscent of a peacock but it’s all good! The end result was a manicure that I just cannot stop staring at so… goal achieved! Let’s take a closer look at Butter London Henley Regatta. Continue reading →

Essence Vibrant Purple

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Essence Vibrant Purple

Nothing says spring/summer like a bright manicure. I recently picked up Essence Vibrant Purple from their Gel Polish lineup and I couldn’t resist getting it onto my nails right away. It’s a beautiful orchid purpley-pink shade that reminds me of a field of flowers. I’ve used a few of the Essence Gel Polish shades over the past couple of years and I’m constantly impressed by their wear time. They are also great for summer pedicures as well! Not to mention they are at an amazing price point. Who can say no to nail polish that is under $5 per bottle AND wears well? Continue reading →

Spring Polkadot Manicure

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Spring Polkadot Manicure

Though spring briefly looked like it was going to make an appearance in Thunder Bay before it went running for the hills. But, even though the cold and snow has returned I’m sporting a spring polkadot manicure anyways. For this manicure I used one of my new favourite formulas, Essie Gel Couture, as a base and then used some colourful shades to add some polkadots to the manicure.

Spring Polkadot Manicure Continue reading →

KL Polish Tuxedo Mask

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KL Polish Tuxedo Mask

I posted all about the KL Polish shades Lumiere and Das Esspensive XXVI last week, so today I thought I’d share with you the other polish I ordered from them, Tuxedo Mask! I wasn’t originally going to purchase a third, however they had a deal going at the time where you could add it to your order for $5, so… why not? I love a shiny black nail polish when my nails are a bit shorter (like they currently are). Also… a name like Tuxedo Mask totally brings me back to my Sailor Moon watching days. I was obsesssssssed!

KL Polish Tuxedo Mask Continue reading →