Category: Affordable

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SWATCH SUNDAY — LA Colors Metal Finish Nail Polish Dynasty

Hello lovelies — Happy Snowy Sunday!

You’ll excuse me if I’m late getting this post up. It was a very busy week, with so much to do (& I’m nowhere close to being ready for Christmas!) But, I do have a brand new polish for you to enjoy as part of this week’s Swatch Sunday — this is LA Colors Metal Finish Nail Polish in Dynasty.

2 coats + top coat.

I won’t lie… when I initially picked up this polish I thought it was supposed to be a more chrome like finish like the cap of the nail polish bottle. But the colour to me is screaming old fashioned jewel toned Christmas, so even though it wasn’t exactly as I expected it it’s such a pretty shade for this time of year.

The formula on this shade was interesting as again it wasn’t quite was I was expecting. It was more of a cruelly base with beautiful shimmers packed in. The pretty flakes of glitter does give a jewel like effect.

First coat was very thin, streaky & patchy, but upon my second coat you could see how lovely it looked. I did have a couple places where it was tricky to get a smooth line though — the formula dries quickly, so I feel like you need to be quick with application. This isn’t to knock on the polish, just is good to know when you’re using it! Still doesn’t take away from how I feel about this shade.

Upclose, you can see that cruelly formula & metallic flake polish. Definitely not what I’m expecting when I think of a metal finish polish — but very pretty. Looking at swatches of other LA Colors Metals polishes though, I would have loved to see a foil finish in this colour. It would have been gorgeous!

I picked up my bottle of LA Colors Metal Nail Polish at my local Walmart for $3.97 CAD. For a shade under $4, I think this is a great deal! & regardless of it not meeting my metal expectations, this shade is very different than a lot of the red nail polishes that I own. So I love that.

What do you think of LA Colors Metal Finish Nail Polish in Dynasty? Do you think this is a great holiday polish option? What do you think of the finish — does it say “Metal Finish” to you? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Revlon Super Luxurious Nail Polish Black Cherry

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Can you believe we’re more than 1/2 way through October. Halloween is in TWELVE DAYS! I haven’t even 100% figured out my Halloween costume yet… but I’m sure it will come together!

Today though it’s all about nails, & I recently picked up some new Revlon nail polishes from Shoppers Drug Mart while they were on sale. I’ve always had a special place for Revlon polishes, but it had been a long time since I bought any new ones. & I was feeling some deep & dark shades to add to my collection. First up? Revlon Black Cherry.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful dark, dark purple applied opaquely in two easy coats. The colour is a very, very dark purple — so dark that from far away it would be easy to mistake it for black. As you can see from the edge of my cuticles, it does have a bit of a reddish tone which I guess fits the name Black Cherry.

I do love a dark, dark shade like this. Would you call it a plum? I’m not 100% sure. It’s a great choice to the latter part of October though! A little glitter added (an accent nail of Essie Shine of the Times perhaps) & you could have instant Witch nails.

I picked up my bottle of Revlon Black Cherry at my local Shoppers Drug Mart for $5.99 CAD, although I believe they normally retail for around $10 CAD when not on sale. It’s part of the core ljne, so you can find this shade wherever you buy Revlon nail polish.

What do you think of Revlon Black Cherry? Do you like this gorgeous dark shade? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Colour & Go 122 Chic Reloaded (2012)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It is a chilly, very Autumn-y feeling Sunday. The Fall chill is definitely in the air — & I’m drinking all the pumpkin spice things. It also means I’m craving all the Fall-ish nail polish colours, so I’ve been digging through my stash looking for shades from years past to put on.

& naturally that meant perusing through my Essence stash. I’ve been a hardcore Essence lover since they had those tiny little round bottles, & it continues to this day. When looking for a fun Autumn shade, this one immediately jumped out. This is Essence Chic Reloaded.

2 coats + top coat

Chic Reloaded is a beautiful dark grey metallic duochrome, that flashes purple or blue depending on the light. Similar to Essie For the Twill of It, or OPI Peace Love OPI, it has that beautiful oil slick effect to it. However, unlike the previous two mentioned shades, I feel like Chic Reloaded has a much stronger duochrome effect! Which, for a drugstore shade that cost me maybe $2.99 CAD at the time — circa 2012 — that is pretty darn amazing!

You can really see the two different shade in the close up shot! Such a fun effect on the nails. I also like that Chic Reloaded has a darker grey base, because it feels more moody.

The formula on this guy is also super easy to apply. My only complaint has nothing to do with the polish itself, but with my topcoat which I think is getting old & caused some shrinkage. Other than that, this shade is perfection & I would love to see Essence bring back more formulas like this into their current core collection!

What do you think of Essence Chic Reloaded? Are you a fan of the Essence line of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen InstaDri Just In Wine 🍷

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! What a beautiful last day of August. Can you believe that tomorrow is September 1st, & the (unofficial) start of all things Autumn! Give me all things pumpkin spice, cinnamon, apple crisp, knee high boots & crunchy leaves.

Today I’m keeping with that theme with a very on season nail polish colour. It’s also from my favourite colour family: red. This is Sally Hansen InstaDri Just in Wine.

2 coats + top coat

If you’re looking for a stunning red adjacent shade to wear this Fall, look no further than this gorgeous cream that falls somewhere between a burgundy & a cranberry. The formula goes on smooth, & dries to a nice finish. & a swipe of top coat gives it a beautiful extra glossy finish.

I looked this beauty up online, & it looks like it’s no longer in circulation which is a shame. It’s such a stunning colour, & I love the Autumn vibes it gives off. Sally Hansen InstaDri certainly has a few dupe-worthy shades that fit this Autumn aesthetic, so definitely check out the others in the line!

What do you think of InstaDri Just in Wine? Are you a fan of this Autumnal shade? Would you wear it? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & let me know what shade you’re excited to wear!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — LA Colors Gel Color Craze Color Shifting Top Coat Retrograde

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful sunny Sunday once again. I know I shouldn’t complain about the beautiful weather — especially since we’ve been having cooler morning & evenings which are giving me all the Autumn vibes — but we’re still desperate for rain on the East Coast with all the fires we’ve been having.

Today though, it’s all about nail polish & I’m excited because I found a new & fun shade while perusing my local Walmart! They’ve recently– in like the last year or two — started selling LA Colors & I always love checking out what new shades they have in the display. I noticed these Color Shifting Toppers the last time I was there, so I decided to pick up two of them. The first one I’m excited to share is this green to blue shifty duochrome called Retrograde.

2 coats applied over Essie Frock n Roll + Top Coat

For this application, I applied two coats of Retrograde over a dark base — in this case, I picked Essie Frock n Roll. The base of Retrograde is fairly thin, as you would want a topper to be, but it has a fun metallic duochrome effect that builds very nicely. I feel like you could almost wear a couple coats of it on it’s own, since the base layer definitely disappears beneath the topper.

The shift is also gorgeous — there are flashes on blue & green, as the main ones, but you also get purples as well. Very mermaid-y, which I love, but the jewel tone is perfect for this time of year. I’m not usually someone who reaches for green very often, as well all know (& I’ve said plenty of times) but a shade like this with the multichrome shift is definitely one I will wear. In fact, I wore this manicure for almost 5 days!

LA Colors shades retail at Walmart for $3.97 CAD — which is a pretty awesome deal! The Color Shifting Topper line has 10 shades to choose from, all with celestial names. I picked up Retrograde & Nova, but I’m definitely going to be going back for more shades! They are all such fun colours, & I love anything that can switch up shades already in my collection with a fun twist. Also, I bet these would look beautiful swirled into a drag marble design. That might have to be my next thing to try!

What do you think of LA Colors Gel Color Shifting Topper? Are you a fan of the LA Colors brand? Like I said, I love how affordable these shades are — &, like the crackle shades they’ve released, I find they’re really stepping up their game! So many fun options you can play around with.

Happy Sunday!

♥︎