Category: Affordable

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. This Summer has been so busy I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog responsibilities & dropping the ball on posting — really hoping August will be better for me! In the meantime, I dig into my stash to find a fun, Summer appropriate colour to share!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up.

3 coats + top coat

Pucker Up is a vibrant cherry red with a creamy crelly formula. By that, I mean it has both qualities but leans a bit more in the creme direction when it comes to finish. It did, however, take 3 coats for almost full opacity, but with the thin formula it didn’t take long to dry.

Using a quick dry top coat did help with drying, however it caused some serious shrinkage at my tips & around the cuticles that I’m not happy about.

We all know I love a good red nail polish year round — it’s usually my go to colour when I don’t know how to paint my nails. & this vibrant red is just perfect for Summer. I also think it compliments my skin tone very well.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up is part of the Xtreme Wear core line, so it’s available where ever you purchase your Sally Hansen nail polishes. I picked up my bottle at my local Walmart — I think it was something like 2 for $6 CAD which is a pretty good deal

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up? Do you like this vibrant red? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know what your favourite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shade!

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SWATCH SUNDAY Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Oh man it’s been a busy & crazy week. Between appointments, injuries & other, I haven’t had a minute to breathe, or think about blogging. but I do have a pretty throwback colour to share for this week’s Swatch Sunday. This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue.

2 coats + top coat.

This shade is definitely a throwback shade as I originally picked it up circa 2015 (I think while I was searching for the perfect blue to wear for my wedding nails although I didn’t end up picking it.) This is a beautiful smooth cornflower blue, that didn’t need to be fussed with to get perfect application. Obviously, I finished off with a quick dry top coat to speed up my dry time & add a little extra glossiness.

For a 9 year old polish, I must say she’s holding up pretty fantastically. The bottle is a little worn, but other than that it looks great. & we all know, what’s inside the bottle is what we care about most.

Do you own Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue in your nail polish stash? This shade has sadly been discontinued from the Xtreme Wear range — I hate when they do that — so I’m glad I have this shade in my stash.

What do you think about Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue? Do you have this colour in your own stash? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

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Emoji Inspired Nails 💋💗🌈🌸 (Easy Nail Art)

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday! It’s hot, sunny & beautiful lately & feels just like the kind of Summer days I like.

Today I’m sharing a new manicure & a bit of a nail art hack. I’ve posted before about my absolute love of nail art stickers.

Recently I was in my local Dollarama & found these massive sheets of small foil emoji inspired stickers for $1.25 & thought they would be perfect for stick on earrings for my daughter. But then I realized they were the perfect size to potentially work for nail art stickers & so naturally I bought 2.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • China Glaze Thistle Do Nicely
  • China Glaze Everglaze Optimal Opal
  • Dollarama Small Foil Emoji Stickers

Okay I’m really really impressed with how easily these stuck to my nails, & adhered to my already dry base. They were fairly flexible & easy to stick on the nail, or adjust slightly if needed. I used tweezers to pull them from my sheet, & attach them to my nails, & most of the stickers I picked were easy to apply.

For removal, it was just as easy to take off. I did have a few stickers which were lifting by the end of the day, but that could be avoided with a thicker top coat.

Over all, I think these stickers were perfect for easy nail art at a great low price. Obviously, I want to support small businesses that sell nail art stickers, but times are tough right now, & I think everyone deserves to have beautiful nails so if you can find cute stickers to use on your nails at an affordable price — you should totally take advantage of it!

Would you want me to do a post featuring other Dollar Store items I’ve found for doing your nails? Let me know down in the comments below!

Happy Thursday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Icing Stores Chips n Dip

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! After some rainy & chilly days we’re finally back to beautiful sunshine, & I couldn’t be happier.

For today’s Swatch Sunday post, I decided to do some serious digging through my stash & found a very throwback shade circa 2013 (I’m guessing). I wanted something bright & vibrant & Summery, & I think that I was very successful.

This is Icing Stores Chips n Dip.

3 coats + Top Coat

This beautiful fiery coral applied in 3 thin coats, which usually would be a no for me, but because the formula is quite thin, it dried down very quickly so I didn’t have to worry about wait time — especially after applying a quick dry top coat. It’s a cruelly formula, definitely leaning more on the jelly side of that occasion which I like.

The colour is bright & I love that. I’m always drawn towards anything in the red or red leaning family, & this is a fantastic Summer option. Like could you imagine this as a pedicure colour? So perfect for the beach.

Look how bright this is! Definitely looking more on the red side in these photos, but the coral really comes through in person.

My only complaint — & it’s probably an issue due to how long I’ve owned this shade — is handle of the brushes on the bottles have kind of melted over the years so they’ve gotten really sticky & I absolutely hate it. Not sure what to do to fix the stickiness, so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! Because I would love to use this shade (& others from this brand in the same style of bottle) but the sticky issue keeps me from reaching for them.

What do you think about Icing Stores Chips N Dip? Does this shade scream Summer to you as much as it does to me? Have you ever tried an Icing brand polish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Nailtural Keep Palm, Swim On

Happy Sunday lovelies!

It feels like ages since my last Swatch Sunday post. I was feeling something lush for these early Spring days, & I found this beautiful green sitting untouched in my stash which I thought would be perfect!

This is Nailtural Keep Palm, Swim On.

2 coats + top coat

The formula on this shade was quite nice, smooth, & easy to apply. I was happy to see I had perfect coverage in 2 coats. The colour is a beautiful green with a slight blue undertone. I don’t often reach for green, but I quite liked the shade of this one.

I also like that the brand touts itself as a more natural option, vegan & free of some nasty ingredients.

Seriously, just how lush is this colour!

I purchased my bottle of Nailtural Keep Palm, Swim On at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. Sadly, last time I was there I didn’t see this particular colour, but I do know they have a bunch of their other shades on sale currently for $6.99. I actually have 3 shades from the brand, & I like them all, so definitely check them out if you’re looking to try a new brand.

What do you think of Nailtural Keep Palm, & Swim On? Do you like this fun shade for Spring? What colours are you loving right now? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! & enjoy your Sunday!

💙