NAILS | Purple Holo Taping Gradient #CBBxManiMonday

It's the first set of nails for 2022! I was seriously at a loss for what to do even though our theme is "Purple and Blue" as an hommage to this year's Pantone colour of the year "Very Peri" which is kind of a purply-blue. These are two of my most favourite shades to wear so I think I was just lacking in inspiration for what to do, but then I saw this super pretty HOLO gradient from @hannahroxit and I knew I'd found my muse!

Some press samples

NAILS | Picture Polish Imperial Swatch

Now that I have been so focus on CBBxManiMondays, I haven't really gone back to just swatches of cool polishes that I have in my nail polish collection, but since I am on vacation I will spoil myself with doing my nails 3x in one week! I hesitated though because a big reason for my taking vacation is to massively clean and declutter the beauty room which has now bled over into the bedroom and living room. I just really want my life back so I'm slowing down a bit on accepting press samples and really working on blogging about what I think is interesting to me (and you!) and hasn't been talked about to death. You will notice that while I talk about brands, I don't talk about brands like Benefit, Too Faced or even Urban Decay even though I actively use their products. I figure you guys have seen swatches, reviews and enough talk about them that you don't need to hear more. Or do you? Anyway, I digress so let's get back to the matter at "hand" - the polish!

NAILS | Going Purple! #CBBxManiMonday

I feel like I haven't been here in awhile! Today is my half weekend and I promised myself that instead of running around like a crazy person that I would take today to chill and be a bit of a hermit as the last couple of weeks have been rather social even on my days off. Yesterday, Trysh, Renee and I decided to do purple-themed nails for ManiMonday and even though I agreed to join in, I was actually asleep at 10pm after a super long day at work, but realized I didn't to miss out on ManiMonday fun! 

PR Samples

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 | Christian Louboutin Loubichrome III

Mmmm, nothing excites any woman more than the pointed stiletto of a Christian Louboutin heel. Even though it's not attached to a shoe, that stiletto still makes me go completely starry-eyed when attached to a bottle of nail lacquer. The Christian Louboutin Loubichrome Collection was a limited edition release earlier this year consisting of three metallic shades in sunny yellow, coppery red and what I picked up - light purple. Loubichrome III is by far the most expensive polish I have ever purchased at around $40 at Holt Renfrew though my memory of the exact pricing is a bit off because I made the purchase in Montreal and the tax rate is a bit higher than in BC so I only remember paying just over $40 all together. I was too excited to see this collection in person as I never got to see it live at the Holts in Vancouver and happily swatched all three shades before settling on this beautiful purple!

NAILS | Going Girly with LACC Nail Lacquer

I love how I have posted one product in honor of Earth Day on April 1st and now it's halfway through the month and I am only featuring the second brand. I feel like I am letting down Mother Earth. I feel like this shorter week has left me scrambling with trying to get things done as I am working my day job the long weekend, but no one else is so much of what I need to get done is going to have to wait  until next week.

Anyway, I digress so let's get back to prettier things "at hand" with this simple, but fun manicure featuring one of the BEST healthy polishes I have come across - La Couleur Couture aka LACC Nail Lacquer! Based in Vancouver with the polishes made in New York, this brand is vegan and 10-free meaning there is absolutely no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor, formaldehyde resin, xylene, parabens, phthalates, fragrance or animal by-products! Owner and founder, Farima Hakkak, is so passionate about her brand and polishes and also one of the most down to earth and NICEST people I have ever met so I wear her polishes with pride!   

NAILS | Purple Gradient Glitter with Duri Cosmetics #ManiMonday

I promise the cheesy holiday nail art will start soon enough, but here is my seque into it with this simple glittery gradient to start off the second week of December! I have officially not missed a single Mani Monday for one whole year now and I guess that is something to celebrate since it's probably the ONE single thing I feel I have been able to commit to. While this year has had its ups and downs, I am happy with how 2016 is wrapping up as I am feeling fairly content with work (now that some difficult people have moved on), but I miss this blog. I miss this space and I hope I am able to find more time to spend in it next year because I love to blog and talk makeup!

We are starting off the week with a couple of polishes from the Sweet Affair Collection from Duri Cosmetics! 

NAILS | Power to Purple with OPI for #ManiMonday

I am cheating a little because this manicure was actually something I was saving for a later date, but because I didn't have a chance to paint my nails last night I am jumping the gun. I wore this manicure as a tribute to Urban Decay for their new store in Metrotown Mall last month. It's pretty cute though I wish the taping came out more cleanly. Purple is one of my favourite colours as I always feel empowered when I wear it and is actually a great shade to wear if you have a case of the Mondays because you look down at your nails and feel ready to slay whatever comes your way!