What's better than a classic red manicure? A classic red mani using the Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London polish in Hutch, of course.

Olivia Palermo has teamed up with Ciaté to create a collection of polishes (limited edition, I think). There are currently three in the line-up: Nantucket (a fun coral), Sundays (a pale pink), and Hutch (a classic red).

After hearing about this release, I flocked to the nearest Sephora to scope these polishes out. While the other two colours are nice (Sundays may be my next purchase, but I may skip Nantucket, though), Hutch was the one I knew I had to have.

Hutch is described as Olivia Palermo's "go to red" and I'm not ashamed to admit that it has become mine now, too. Priced at a cool  $29 CDN, it's definitely not cheap. Fortunately, it doesn't feel/apply that way. The brush is the perfect width for an easy application, the formulation is smooth, and it is opaque in one coat.

Shown is me quickly slapping on one haphazard coat in a fury of excitement—but it still turned out great! It's also incredibly glossy on it's own, but the added topcoat doesn't hurt. Lasting power is average on me—about 4-5 days without chipping, but the great colour & ease of application is worth it.

Will you be picking up any of the Olivia Palermo x Ciaté polishes? BTW—these can be found exclusively at Sephora (they're in stores now & they're also available to be shipped on Sephora.ca).

I can't get enough of the L'Oreal's nail colours. They're creamy, pigmented and there's a shade for any occasion.

Red Tote has been a love of mine recently. I love a bright red mani (à la Essie Lollipop) all year round, but there's something alluring about a gorgeous deep crimson. It's a shade that goes hand in hand with fall.

I only applied one coat in the photos below. I would have done two for good measure, but I was in a rush. The one coat applied fairly even & opaque, though. It probably helped that I globbed on the polish.

Aside from the accent nail, I topped my nails off with the L'Oreal Matte Velvet top coat for a muted, shine-free finish. The velvety finish gives it a bit of an edgier feel.

What are some of your favourite reds?

Pricing & Availability

$6.99 | 11.5ml | Mass retailers

I have a thing for evil eyes. It’s a fascination I’ve had for years. I just love the look and I’ll take them in any form... necklaces, bracelets, and now nails.

I originally saw this design on Instagram from IntoTheGloss’ Emily Weiss. Naturally, I had to recreate it.

I used a “my nails but better” polish as a base and then a combination of white, blue and black to create the evil eye. The design turned out much nicer on my left hand (you can tell I’m a righty & not at all ambidextrous).

Not really an everyday look, but perhaps something different for the Halloween season?

Sally Hansen White On, Julep Claire, Butter London Tea With the Queen, Essie Licorice,  Essence Dotting Tool, Small Paint Brush

Pricing & Availability

Avon Speed Dry in Twilight Blue and Avon Opal Top Coat in Opalescence 

 

Avon Speed Dry in Twilight Blue

 

Avon Opal Top Coat in Opalescence

Avon Opal Top Coat in Opalescence

I was sorting through some polishes the other day and had the sudden urge to apply a different glitter polish to each nail. Does that happen to anyone else?

So, for a weekend mani, I did just that. Glitter mania with a nude accent nail. Glitter doesn't really need any help to stay on the nails, so I just laid down a base coat. I'd have to say Julep Paris (on the middle finger) is one of my favourite glitters at the moment. It's such a hodgepodge of different shapes and tones. Essie Set in Stones (on the pointed finger) is up there, too. It especially looks great paired with turquoise shades. China Glaze I'm Not Lion (on the pinkie) is a fine gold and multicoloured micro-glitter concoction with a slight sandpaper-like finish. Julep Mila (on the thumb) is a birthday party of glitter. It has so many different colours and it covers the nail in two coats.

What are you wearing on your nails this weekend? x

l-r: China Glaze I'm Not Lion, Butter London Tea with the Queen, Julep Paris, Essie Set in Stones, Julep Mila

Essie Fiji is one of my favourite polishes to pair with glitter. It’s one of the prettiest pale pink shades I own. A little finicky to work with sometimes, but today didn’t seem to be one of them. I did two coats for an even finish.
I added some glitter, Essie Set in Stones, on the tips for that French glitter manicure look. I adore this glitter polish. It looks beautiful on. It’s a mix of chunky and fine silver sparkles that is easy to apply, lasts forever, but is so difficult to get off. Highly recommend the tinfoil method for this one.
This is the second glitter combination I created with Fiji. Check out a colourful alternative here :).

Pricing & Availability:

$10.99, available at Shoppers Drugmart

The last colour I have from Essie's Summer 2013 Collection is Rock the Boat. It is pale baby blue with a hint of silver shimmer. You can see a bit of the glisten in the bottle, and it is noticeable on the nails in certain light.

When applying this polish, I realized that I rarely gravitate towards blue polishes. I own quite a few, but they're usually last on my mani list.

Another polish from Essie's Summer 2013 Collection called The More the Merrier. It is a bright mix of lime green and chartreuse. While I love the colour in the bottle, I'm not sure how I feel about it on my nails. It's a fun colour and somewhat unexpected. I'm always seeing this colour in accessories and costume jewelry, but I've never thought to wear it on my nails.

The other day I picked up a few shades from Essie's Summer 2013 Collection. There are so many fun & bright shades, I'll probably go back for the rest of the colours.

I picked up The More the Merrier, Sunday Funday, and Rock the Boat. Today, I'm wearing the coral shade in the collection, Sunday Funday. It's described as a "tangerine crush coral with soft shimmer." It's definitely an orangey coral, but it also pulls a little pink. The silver shimmer is fairly noticeable on the nail (even though it doesn't show up that well in this photo).

Application was easy -- the formulation isn't too thick or thin. It took two coats for an even finish. I can't speak on longevity yet, but I will say that I've already chipped a nail. Don't you just hate when that happens?

Have you picked up any polishes from this summer collection? x

What's on your nails today? x

Happy Canada day, loves! I hope you're all having a wonderful long weekend! Here's what I was sporting this weekend. What are you wearing on your nails? x

Ps, you can check out my Canada Day mani, as well as, eight other fabulous designs on FashionMagazine.com!

I was surprised to see the June Julep box in my mailbox the other day. I kind of forgot about it because it arrived a little late this month, however, the blasé demeanor turned into excitement when I remembered the new DD Crème would be inside.

I went with the Bombshell box this month because I love the kelly green shade (yes, that's an actual name for a shade of green) and I don't own a lot of green polishes. I was also debating the Boho Glam box because it had a gorgeous dandelion yellow. Side note: how great would the kelly green and dandelion yellow look together in a box?

Anyway, both polishes I received are beautiful creme colours. Payton is the gorgeous green (kind of like a light emerald). The formulation is very creamy and a little thick, but still applied nicely. Raegan is an electric deep pink. The formulation is a little thinner than Payton, but it's still creamy and easy to apply. Two coats was all I needed and no streaks.

The little treat that came in this box were three salt water taffies in different flavours (lime, strawberry, and chocolate).


Here's how the polishes look on... I applied two coats of each polish on top of a clear base coat & no top coat. Check out that shine!


The exciting part of this box (not that the polishes are aren't) is the DD Crème. DD stands for "dynamic do-all makeup." I'm excited to try it, mainly because of the novelty. I'm sure it's not all that different from other alphabet creams.

I'll be doing a separate review on it shortly, but as a first impression... I think the shade I got may be a little dark / orangey for me. That was just based on a swatch though, it may look differently on my face. I got the shade medium, which is the second lightest shade. Another note, when I opened mine, there was a little mess inside the lid & around the nozzle -- did that happen to anyone else?




Did you get a Julep box this month? Which style are you? x

Ps, if you haven't subscribed to them before, Julep is still offering their free box promo! First time mavens will get their initial box for free! All you have to do is enter the promo code freebox. You can use my referral link (http://goo.gl/My9Xk) or just visit Julep.com to get started! :)

I rarely forgo an opaque nail varnish for a sheerer counterpart, but I'm currently loving this classic Essie combination. I've been wearing bright colours and sparkly glitters for a while, I wanted to wear something a little different.

Like I said, I'm not typically a sheer polish person (the reason I avoid traditional french manicures), yet I still have an arsenal of them in my collection.

For this mani, I combined two Essie shades: Mademoiselle (a light pink) and Ballet Slippers (a pale ivory with a hint of pink). I only used one coat of each. Alone, they're a little troublesome to work with (as with most sheer polishes). Layered, they offer a smooth finish. Plus it's day four and still no chips.

I thought I'd get bored of it quickly, but it hasn't happened yet. It's understated and elegant. It could even be classified as "my nails but better." Couldn't it?


What polish are you loving right now? x

Ps, today's going to be a scorcher. Stay cool, loves!

(hehe, that rhymed)


A couple weeks ago, I picked up this Essence Nude Glam polish from Shoppers Drugmart. I first saw these polishes on Blush Bug and I knew I had to pick some up. For $1.49, how could I say no? [edit: inflation -- it's now $1.99. Still a good deal though.]

Café Olé is a pretty nude-ish taupe shade and it has a very subtle shimmer. The formulation is great. It was a breeze to apply -- smooth & streak-free. The brush is flat and fairly wide, so it covers the nail in a couple strokes, and it took only two coats for an even finish.

I think Essence changed the formula of their polishes because I remember buying a bottle last year & wasn't that impressed with it.

Just to jazz up the neutral colour (though I can't remember where I originally saw this), I added a little dot to the top of the nail using Orly Rage.

Speaking of... Essence has also ventured into the world of nail art. I found some nail stamps, rhinestones, and a dotting tool amongst their products.

I ended up picking up the dotting tool because I've been meaning to get one for some time now. It works great -- just like how you'd expect a dotting tool to work. It's a bit easier to use than my makeshift alternatives. So long bobby pins / tooth picks, I'm stepping up in the world!




Overall, this is a great everyday colour, I've been wearing it a lot lately, and I would recommend checking these polishes out if you haven't already :).

Ps, what the heck is up with the weather in Toronto today? Sheesh.

After applying a base coat, I put two coats of Essie A List on my nails with one coat of Zoya Loretta on my accent nails.



Stick the hearts to your accent nails, but make sure the coat is completely dry. If not, the tape will ripple / peel the polish.


Last step is to paint over the accent nails with the red polish, then you're going to peel off the hearts using tweezers.

Finish with a top coat and you're done!

I love the cutout look and it's really easy to do. You can also do this in reverse... red on your nails and top with the lighter pink. I just find that because the shade I picked is so sheer, it would take a lot of coats to cover the vibrancy of the red.

What's on your nails? x