NOTW Thursdays - Candy Canes.... Kinda

Hello everybody, long-time no-see! If you haven't noticed yet, I put A LOT of effort into my nails this week! I was trying so hard to focus and apply as carefully as possible so be proud lol.

Also, Happy American Thanksgiving! Canadians have it in October but I think I'm gonna start celebrating the American one too just so I can have double the turkey dinner, it is my favourite holiday after all. Although, it kinda is hard to compete with Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, that's the theme I went for this week! I was gonna just do them all red, but then I thought 'Hey, there's snow on the ground and Christmas everywhere, might as well!' I painted over my entire nails using Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Cherry Red. Believe it or not but this is my first 'true' red nail polish! I was in-store one day and saw it and realized that I don't have one of those! I love the Xtreme Wear collection, not only are they super reasonably priced but they have a great colour range and lastability.

I also wanted to do something candy cane-ish and I knew I was going to use OPI's Kyoto Pearl but I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do. I thought about straightening a paper clip and dragging it through the wet white to make the stripes, but a) too much effort and b) too risky, especially since the red was dry but still fragile. Then I thought I was going to paint the white stripes with the brush but I wasn't sure how they'd turn out and if I screwed up it'd be a whole mess. I took the easy route and just went over the entire nail in white. But, I did try to put on the thinnest layer possible and then I went over the nail a few times so the bristles would cause these little lines in the polish. It's barely visible but you can see it if you try hard.

So that's it! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and stuff yourselves full for me! ;D

Ada xx

HAUL | Rexall

A few weeks ago when we had the inspection at home, my mom, Azor and I went out to this all-day breakfast place (which was delicious), and then we stopped by Rexall 'cause we had nothing better to do while we waited. Mom waited in the car with Azor while I went in for a few minutes and browsed the aisles as I've never been to Rexall before.

I was hoping they'd be carrying Wet N' Wild as I've been dying to try their lipsticks for quite some time, but I was out of luck. But, I did spot a small rack hidden away with the Wet N' Wild 2013 Halloween Collection. Out of everything I decided to just grab the Fantasy Makers Glitter Eyeliner in the colour Fantastical. I don't remember the exact price but it was around $2.13. It's funny that I chose this product because a) I already have a black eyeliner, b) I hate liquid liners and c) I hate brush (vs. pen) liquid liners, but I chose it to wear over top my black gel liner. I've worn it a few times already and I just love it, it adds such a nice sparkle to the eye.

I somehow have this radar inside me that knows exactly where the sale section is, so obviously I went to investigate. I was surprised at how organised and good the sale section is compared to Shopper's; it was a lot neater and well-stocked with makeup. This brand is called Prestige (I actually thought it was Too Faced at first 'cause the packaging and font is so similar). The lipstick was on sale for around $2 and it's a beautiful metallic rosy pink called Berry Fantasy, a colour lacking in my collection.

Lastly I picked out this Sally Hansen nail polish in the colour Pumice. I've never seen such a colour before and I think it's so lovely! I think it'd be great for any season. I've actually already worn this colour and it is a bit more green than pale but it looks so lovely and unique! It was also $2.

Also, quick update: I got the job at The Body Shop! Major discounts: here I come!

Ada xx

NOTW Thursdays | Silver Panties

These nails have probably been my second sloppiest I've ever done. Usually when it's only 2 or 3 layers, they turn out pretty good and even but this time it've been like 7 layers and they're just not working out for me.

So anyways, these are more along the line of the original image that inspired me for this nail art. The one thing I don't like about these nails is that the pink isn't pink enough, it's a bit too pale and translucent so they look very grey on the nails. The Rimmel French Manicure Pro colour in French Lingerie is one of my favourite nail polishes! It's similar to the Nailtini one I have, but this one leaves a "faker" nail. I don't wear it as a french manicure, though, I do it all over for a nude look.

The Sally Hansen Nail Lacquer does not have a colour name on it, but it has a 22 on the bottom, so maybe that's it?? If you're looking for it, it's literally a silver, and I doubt they have very many true silvers going around. This is also one of my most favourite nail polishes.

This week I don't feel like I've done my best nails by far.

Ada xx

NOTW Thursdays | Transitionals

It's that time of year again when no one really knows or expects what the weather's going to be like, but it's getting colder and all I can say is: AWW YISSSS. I'm not a fan of the summer, actually, I hate the summer - I despise it. Living in Canada made me hope for cold days and snow, instead I get 2 months of torture. It shouldn't be that bad, right? But for someone like me, it's horrible.

But anyways, with my nail polish experimentation going on lately, I’ve been really missing the simple, 1-polish nail. I was (as usual) in Dollarama browsing through their scarce beauty section praying for something, anything other than a crackle nail polish (I am so not a fan). God took mercy upon me and revealed the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish in the colour Greige Gardens (am I gonna get sued for not adding the TM? Take mercy).

Now, I know I'm making it sound as if this is some sort of miracle nail polish that will heal all your woes, but to be completely honest with you, I've never used this one before. I think my mind was in such crackle-fog that anything would've made me happy! But I can't complain, I do love this colour and think it's a great for the inbetween-season weirdness. The purple of it gives it that summertime vibe but the flat greyness says Bring on the fall!

What do you think? Have you tried this specific brand before?

Ada xx

PS. TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY!? I know, I know, but I felt like I owed it to you guys after my brief hiatus. Enjoy, 'cause it won't happen again.

NOTW Thursdays | Colourblock

I was on Tumblr last week scrolling as per usual, when I cam upon a gooorgeous image of nails. If I can recall correctly, the tops were gold and the rest were an off-white. Unfortunately I can't find the image again so you'll just have to imagine.

Anyways, I got super inspired and decided to do my own rendition! The nails were fairly easy to do, just a little bit tricky. I painted on two layers of the Wet Cement and let them dry for as long as I dared. Next I took a piece of tape and put it over top my nail where the cuticles are. I actually put too much 'cause there should be less grey showing, especially on the thumbs but oh well. I then made sure to smooth down the edge of the tape and then I went ahead and painted on Bahamian Escape on the ends. It applied really well so I only needed one layer. I messed up the first thumb cause the grey wasn't quite dry yet and so the tape took off a chunk of it so I had to carefully fill it in. Also, I let the blue dry, so when I peeled it off, it lifted what was on the nail a bit (if that makes sense?)

If you're planning on doing these kinds of nails, a) make sure you have time on your hands, b) make sure the base colour coat is dry (try running your nails under the coldest tap setting), and c) make sure to peel off the tape while the top colour coat is still wet.

I'm definitely planning on doing these nails again in different colours!

Ada xx

NOTW Thursday | Pretty in Pink

Yay, an NOTW actually on time! I think this will work out just fine. SO, this week I decided I wanted to jump back to the 90s and go for something pretty and pink and slightly metallic. Yes, I know the movie is from the 80s but shhh. Also, the D has changed to a W because I change my nail polish weekly so it wouldn't make sense to call it a Nail of the Day.

As you can see by the mess on my nails, I went for 3 different polishes and ended up applying a lot of layers. With base and top cop, each nail ended up being 7 layers total. I don't think I've ever had that much polish on my nails.

So I started out with Nailtini's Frappe which ended up being two layers. I love this colour SO MUCH, it's probably one of my top favourites. The colour is a creamy very light pink that adds a healthy look to your nails if you want something nude but not a total naked nail. The consistency is on the thicker side but really great. I love the brand and am definitely planning on splurging on a few other polishes of theirs.

Next came the fourth and fifth layers which were done with Essie's Anniversary Gala. To be completely honest, I don't like this nail polish very much, mostly because it's very transparent and thin in consistency so you'd probably need more than 7 layers to get a sure colour. But, I do really like how it looks overtop Frappe. It reminds me of clothing worn in the 90s, those funky duochrome metallics. You can't see it in the pictures, but there is a greenish sheen to them in the light.

Lastly, I went over my ring fingers with Sally Hansen's Strobe Light. This is one of my most favourite nail polishes but unfortunately I cracked the lid and it'd dried out a bit and become really goopy and thick.

My last layer was the top coat by Seche Vite.

Ada xx

HAUL | Books, Forever21

Hello my lovelies! It's a haul day, what can I say? See what I did there? Me neither. So my cousin and I had a little adventure downtown. We were meant to do some shopping but we mostly ate at Jack Astor's and got lost 300 times because I'm a terrible navigator and should not be trusted with directions. We ended up going to a huge bookstore and browsing around. Surprisingly, my cousin is quite the picky one when it comes to books, whereas I stacked and stacked anything that caught my attention. I picked out three books that seemed the most interesting to me, and they were around $4.99 each.

• The Daughter Game by Kate Long
• A Race to Splendor by Ciji Ware
• The Pattern Scars by Caitlin Sweet

Realistically, do I need these books? Absolutely not, but I need these books. Do you see my dilemma? They are now 256, 257, and 258 in-line on my 'To Read' list. Kidding, but probably not.

We then finally ended up wandering into the mall where we walked too much and browsed too much. Forever 21 was really the only real stop and needed place we ended up in. As she looked through piles of clothes, I browsed the jewelry and spotted these adorable earrings. They're very tribal and I just love the size and the way they almost sound like wind chimes when the feathers hit each other. And the extra bonus? They were only $3.99.

In the line up for the cash, they always have bins of little things people can look through while they wait. As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with their nail polishes and obviously couldn't resist. But, I managed to overpower my obsession a little by only picking out one nail polish. I ended up getting Coral, which is just as the name suggests. I do have pinks and an orange or two, but I don't have any coral nail polishes so it was a pretty obvious choice.

The last item is one that was purchased seperately but does not deserve a post of it's own, and that's the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips in the colour Raise a Glass. Now, I did only use these one time so perhaps I do need to try them a few more times to get the hang of 'em, but so far I'm not happy. I think my biggest problem with them is the fact that they don't stick to your nails very well. I found the ends of my nails (where you file), the glue would rub off and the piece would stick off. Although there's not really any dry time and it's a smooth, flat, even surface, they're more trouble than they're worth. I think I'll stick to painting them (which is therapeutic as well, extra plus).

Ada xx