NAILS | OPI Scorpio Seduction Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

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The theme for this week is supposed to be "Brights", but I have a good reason for going somewhat vampy for today and that is because my nails and fingers are dyed purple from getting my hair dyed purple last Thursday. Basically everytime I run my hands through my hair or blow dry, I am still getting purple on my hands and nails so I figured it was easier just to pick a nail polish colour that matched my hair until the dye stopped leaching!

NAILS | Bright and Blue #CBBxManiMonday

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We are all complaining in Vancouver about how we don't have a summer yet (I wore a merino wool sweater into work yesterday!), I am trying to enjoy our sub 20 degree weather as I love being able to still sleep at night with the covers on! However, I am enjoying being able to go "full Summer" with all of these summer nail polish collections!

NAILS | Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Sesame Street Am I Not Adora-blue? Swatch

Purchased by me

I have always had a soft spot for blue nail polishes and though I feel like I have enough now to cover most of my favourite combinations, the other soft spot I have is for Sesame Street! I mean, who wouldn't?  

NAILS | OPI "The Pearl of Your Dreams" Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

 

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I know, I know this is a bit of cop out doing just a swatch for a manicure, but honestly it has been such a ridiculous past week that this was all I could muster. While we didn't have quite the retail turnout we were hoping for, my week did end with a bang as the cold weather/tons of rain wreaked havoc on our building at work so we are dealing with the aftermath of that! All I can say is that it was crazy and such an appropriate way to close out the retail season, but then I worked yesterday which was very busy! It's not normally very busy for us on Boxing Day as we don't do anything special in the way of sales, so people were just buying at regular price and enjoying being out and about since the weather was so bad leading up to Christmas.

NAILS | Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Neon in Chill Out and Weekly Chat

I feel like I have been kind of busy the last week or so and I think it's because I haven't really had a true weekend or in the retail world, two days off in a row. It's just the retail life and though my boss tries his best to give everyone grouped days off, as the holiday season approaches it gets harder and harder to do. Today, I pretty much spent the day with people so didn't really get a chance to be on my own and even lunch was more of a company lunch where I didn't have time to decompress and zen out with my LEGO. Though I did enjoy doing something a little different for the day, as an introvert, these types of interactions are extremely draining and by the time I got home, I didn't feel like talking anymore. My poor husband was so chatty and all I could do was slur a few syllables together and tell him I wasn't in the mood for conversation anymore. I just can't wait to go to bed and recharge over Sunday as I need to work on Saturday.

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NAILS | Cirque Colors One Night Stand Swatch and Weekly Chat

I feel like not a lot has happened this week as it has felt fairly chill on the work and personal life front. I mentioned that I have been trying to watch more movies and read more which I have been plugging away at. Like the rest of the planet, I started watching Squid Game on Netflix and had to take a bit of a break after Episode 6. Honestly, I am only watching it because it's trending. This is not really my kind of series as I walk away from each episode feeling a little depressed and frankly stressed! I have been watching the episodes at work while I work on Lego and don't know if I want to pick it up again because I always feel like I am on the edge of my seat every episode! I am so close to finishing though and it would just be nice to check it off my to do list as I plan on doing Squid Game nails next week! 

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NAILS | Not Quite Ready to Say Hello to Fall Shades #CBBxManiMonday

I swear this was totally going to be a Fall-themed manicure, but I blame the discovery of this matte glitter! Why did Sephora stop making their own house brand of nail polish?! It was so good! First, there was Sephora by OPI which was so good and then came Formula X which I adored. Great shades, formulas and really funky matte glitter like this! 

One polish gifted and the other purchased by me

NAILS | Blue and Gold #CBBxManiMonday

I have been finding it difficult to sit down and blog the last week or so. I don't really have any posts I am itching to write and though many beauty bloggers go through a burnout, I feel like it's more about wanting to enjoy the summer, read my books and just chill overall before September whirls around. Now, we are officially in August and I see some people already thinking about their Halloween decorations?! I mean, let's slow it down and enjoy ourselves a little bit!

Polishes purchased by me

NAILS | Waves of Blue #CBBxManiMonday

I have had the song "Waves of Blue" by Canadian artists Majid Jordan on repeat for the last week and when I was rounding summer coloured polishes to feature, seeing this trio of shades together made me think of the song I played for 30 minutes straight the other day in the car! I have been having the most chill two days off, reading my book and most importantly, enjoying the summer sunshine. My husband and I made turkey enchiladas last night and then went for an evening walk around the neighbourhood which we try to do a few times a week for some exercise. He goes for runs, but I am not the best when it comes to working out. I know what it takes to commit to exercising and I readily admit that I am not willing to put in the commitment even though I know it will improve my life substantially. Thankfully I eat well, but the exercise factor is definitely the one thing I KNOW I need to do, but don't feel motivated enough to do. Judge me all you want, I know I am a flawed individual!

Some polishes are PR samples

NAILS | The Face Shop "Steel Navy" Gradation Nail Art Kit #CBBxManiMonday

Here we are at the last #CBBxManiMonday of the month and it has been a strange ride hasn't it? I feel like we have all lived a lifetime in a dystopian universe and today is one of those days where I have been sliding back and forth along my emotional ruler. I started off this morning feeling bright-eyed and bushy tailed and then the afternoon sort of went to shit and now I'm feeling like I'm in some sort of funk. Well, at least I put some makeup on and styled my hair. I haven't been in quarantine for the last two weeks because I have been working, but I think that might change for the next two weeks as I don't feel safe being outside and potentially interacting with clients as the ones who have come in don't feel like respecting the "STAY AT HOME" advisory. It just makes me very angry to see people coming in to shop for a non-essential in a time like this or when someone comes in and tells me that "they are tired of being at home and just want to look around". I mean, REALLY? Now, is really not a good time to be a looky-loo! Rant aside, I do have some pretty nail today that are still shorter and in the rounded shape as I have found them easier to maintain during this season of handwashing.

 Purchased by me

NAILS | Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Eyes Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

When I first started blogging years ago, DL polishes were all the rage and very sought after especially in Topboxes! I still think her polishes are beautiful and I have to hand it to the brand for coming out with some iconic shades like "Mermaid's Dream" and "Birthday Cake" which had plenty of dupes at a lower price point. Even Revlon duped "Mermaid's Dream" in a scented form! As I mentioned in last week's ManiMonday post, I lost most of my nails and even now they are still fairly short which may a good thing in light of keeping things hygienic. 

 Purchased EONS ago by me

NAILS | Bio Sculpture Gemini Nourishing Nail Polish in Pursuit of Beauty

Oh my my, TWO manicures in one week?! I can't believe I used to paint them 3-4x per week! This is when using a peel-off base coat is super helpful because one of the worst things I despise about the whole nail art thing is taking off polish. There is something about that step this I truly hate, whether it'd be the cotton balls, the rubbing, the waste I am creating so because I used a peel-off base coat for my Bubble Nails, I popped them off right away and applied this beauty of a blue from Bio Sculpture!

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NAILS | Dotted Blue Gradient #CBBxManiMonday

It has rained for five days straight in Vancouver and I have had to wear socks and pants in the house. Fall is coming and though I do enjoy cooler weather, the constant rain has been a dreary reminder of what's to come over the next couple of months. Today is also the last day of my glorious staycation which has been VERY productive in terms of finally gaining some traction in purging my beauty room! I have literally been cleaning out the space every day for the last 7 days averaging about 5-6 hours/day and have filled one of our recycling bins outside to the max with old press releases and packaging and have donated NINE medium sized Aritzia bags of beauty products to friends, family, co-workers and neighbours! I still have yet to tackle my nail polish collection and that is something I will not be able to complete this week, but I am hoping that by the end of the month, I will have created some space! Then, the exciting part of getting a new desk and new storage can happen once I know what I am working with!  

Some PR products used

NAILS | Bright Blue Leopard Skittle #CBBxManiMonday

I could wear bright nail polish all year round so I am pleased that for the month of June, the CBB ManiMonday crew and I will be showcasing our favourite bright polishes and designs! I love blues, purples and fuchsias, so you will be seeing a lot of these colours over the next couple of weeks starting with the bright blue skittle design!

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NAILS | The Last of Summer #CBBxManiMonday

This week out little CBB team thought we should squeeze in just one last summer-themed manicure before we are well into Fall and for me neons are probably the only colour I find hardest to wear the rest of the year. I am looking forward to Halloween though because I love drawing creepy crawly things on my nails!