NAILS | Pantone Purplicious #ManiMonday

I have been on a staycation for just over a week now and though I have managed to put up a blog post every day since then, I feel like I haven't gotten as much done as I had planned. I vacuumed once, booked a service appointment for my car and baked cookies. I have been trying my hardest to catch up on some long lost blog work and honestly, there are only so many hours in the day that I can sit at a computer and type at home. I get distracted easily and though I have been challenging myself to get up early and get blogging in the morning, I find the opposite has been happening. I am going to bed anywhere from 1-2am with my mind still buzzing for things that need to be done for the next day. It's like I can never seem to get organized which is kind of disheartening. One thing I do still manage to set aside time for is ManiMonday so though there is nothing complicated with today's manicure, I still think this is a delicious mani to start off the week!

NAILS | Flower, Flowers, Flowers #ManiMonday

I know I have done a fair number of flower manicures this summer, but it's sort of my cheat way of using multiple colours when I can't decide on just one or two shades which happens more often than you would think! Oftentimes, I just have handfuls of polish and I sit there and wish I had more fingers to wear them on!

Today's Mani Monday is with some new Avon Gel Finish polishes for Fall, but since I'm not ready to call it quits yet on summer, dotticure flowers with Fall colours seemed a fair compromise.  

NAILS | Avon Gel Finish 7 in 1 Nail Enamel in Dazzle Pink

I don't think single nail swatches like this really get a lot of interest, but this kind of post reminds of ye old blogging days when I would just post a nail polish I was loving that week and then you wouldn't see me for another week because I didn't blog about makeup or want anyone to know my name or see my face. Obviously things have changed and instead of the lazy pace I used to move at, it feels like there are so many products and releases to cover. I've never been the fastest or the one with the complete set of swatches because there are a ton of other blogs that can give you that. I generally prefer to do nail art over swatches unless a polish is so stunningly unique that art would detract from its beauty, but this week has been a long one and today will be just a swatch, but a pretty one! 

NAILS | Creating Negative Space with the New Joe Fresh Gel Look Polishes!

So many awesome polishes and so little time! I remember picking up my first Joe Fresh polish from The Real Canadian Superstore 5 years ago because they had one of the coolest flaky polishes around. Now, Joe Fresh has a new gel look formula that has got some crazy intense shine going on! I was inspired by this pin to try out another negative space mani using a few polishes from the new Spring collection and I cannot wait to try more colours now because damn, this formulation is NICE! 

Kiss | Gel Dress Nails with Peel-Off Removal (French Manicure)

I recently tried my hand (I realize how apt that expression sounds in this context) at the Kiss Gel Dress Nails and after having quite a bit of creasing at the tip of my nails using the full nail strips, I vowed to experiment one more time with just the French tips. Just a little bit of info for those of you who may have missed my first review, Gel Dress Nails are currently the only gel nail strips on the market that can be cured with LED/UV light and have peel-off removal. Cool, right?!

Kiss | Gel Dress Nails with Peel-Off Removal

I was raving about the latest from Kiss a few weeks ago on Instagram when I was given the opportunity to try out the Gel Dress Nails with peel-off removal! That’s right. You heard me. PEEL-OFF REMOVAL. I have not had a chance to try gel polish yet as I dread the removal process at home even though I know all I need is a good acetone bath.

Gel Dress Nails are the only gel strips currently on the market with instant peel-off removal. They can last up to 2 weeks when used in conjunction with the Kiss Double Up Top Gel and cured with an LED lamp. 

Avon | Gel Finish 7 in 1 Nail Enamel in Very Berry and Brushed Metals in Lilac Quartz with Nail Art

This is my first foray into Avon products after seeing consistently wonderful reviews of their products especially their nail polishes. I was most curious about Avon’s Gel Finish 7 in 1 Nail Enamel as it is essentially your “everything”. No need for base or top coat. Just apply and your nails will be protected, dry quickly and shiny! Very Berry is such a beautiful colour and I seriously could have gotten away with just ONE coat. The brush was nice and flat and the formula of the polish was opaque and applied easily. Avon Brushed Metals in Lilac Quartz looks almost gold at times, but is a very light purple, shimmery textured polish. This was also a great polish to work with!

Just to spice things up a bit, I decided to try the fan brush technique as well as some taping. The fan brush technique was quite easy to do and gave my manicure a somewhat “distressed” look.