Category: Bronze

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Autumnal Knit Sweater Nails 🍂🌻

Happy Tuesday Lovelies!

I’m very happy to be writing from the world of power, which is a very lovely place to be. We survived our off grid experience, & I feel very lucky to have power, & warm food, because a lot of my fellow Atlantic Canadians are still going without.

Today I’m showing off some fun Autumnal nails I did pre-Hurricane. This look was actually inspired by a nail art look I did last year, & the year before — which was originally inspired by one of my favourite nail bloggers on Instagram: @xglitzandpolishx.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Giorgio Armani #214 Woodstone
  • Essie Mosiac On Down
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

This is such an easy, fun look to wear. I decided that the gold with the shimmery bronze-y brown would be the perfect Fall combination, & I was right! It just screams AUTUMN VIBES to me, & that makes me so happy. I mean, this is my favourite time of year, & I’m feeling inspired to paint my nails, which is always a good thing. Sure, it means there are probably a whole lot of herringbone & sweater nail art looks headed your way, but that’s not a bad thing! Plus we’re days away from October, & I’ll be participating in Glam Nails Challenge October since it’s a Halloween theme.

So more fun nail art is coming!

What do you think about this version of the knit sweater nails? Would you wear this nail art look? What nail art/colour are you rocking this week? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below — including what colour combination I should try next!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Giorgio Armani Nail Polish in Woodstone

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far.

Today I decided to dig deep into my stash, & pulled out a polish that was gifted to me back in 2015, & has been sitting in there, peaking my interest, for a long time. This is Giorgio Armani #214 Woodstone, which was originally released as part of the Fall 2014 Fade to Grey Collection. At least — I’m 99% sure this is #214 Woodstone. Mine didn’t have the official name on the bottle, but after some Googling, & seeing other swatches, it’s pretty clear that’s which shade this is.

2 coats, no top coat.

First up, this shade is such an unusual colour selection for me, but I was really really feeling this bronze-y brown shade, that I had to put it on. It’s such a deep, dark brown, but the gold shimmer really gives it another depth to it. For my swatches, I applied two coats of polish, but honestly it was pretty much opaque on the first coat, the second one was just to smooth things out fully.

Also, I really like the way the golden shimmer looks with this shade. With the matte finish, it really does almost give you the effect of being wood grain, which is really cool.

Just for fun, I wanted a comparison of the polish both matte & glossy. Top coat definitely takes it to a whole other level — I just love it!

I’m really loving this shade, & kind of sad it’s taken me 7 years to actually venture out of my comfort zone & try it out. It really is a stunning shade for Autumn & Fall. All is missing is a little bit of golden accent, maybe some leaves. A fantastic base for an Autumn inspired nail art look!

Sadly it looks like Giorgio Armani Beauty no longer produces nail polishes, which is a shame. If I had known how nice of a formula their polishes had, I definitely would have sought some out sooner. However, I’m glad to have this beauty in my stash, & I definitely won’t be waiting another 7 years to wear it again!

What do you think about this pretty bronzed brown? Do you ever wear brown nail polish? Do you prefer it with a matte or glossy finish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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GlamnailschallengeOct—Eyeballs

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Hello lovelies! It’s time for another prompt for #glamnailschallengeOct: Eyeballs! This look was actually inspired by an old design by Chalkboard Nails, that I found via Pinterest. I thought her look was equal parts cool & creepy, so it would be the perfect look for today’s prompt. 👁

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea Bamboo Strengthener
  • Base Coat: Duri Rejuvocate
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Sinful Colors Leather Loose
  • Sally Hansen MG Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue
  • Essie First Timer
  • OPI How Great Is Your Dane?
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. Jelly Belly Bubble Gum
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool trio
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

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This look was a little time consuming but still a super easy look to achieve. I went through a few different ideas on what I wanted my eyeball design to look like, & this one seemed the most fun (& creepy!) I also was super pumped to pull out Sinful Colors Leather Loose again, because it is such a fantastic Fall shade that I had kind of forgotten about a little bit. That brown with the shimmer–oh boy is it beautiful! & my eyeballs really popped against it.

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Totally creepy, am I right? I probably could have done a few more eyeballs on my design, but I was painting against the clock & wanted to make sure I got this look done!

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What do you think of this look for today’s prompt? Would you wear this creepy eyeball look? Can you believe we only have TWO more prompts left before the end of #glamnailschallengeOct?

 Keep following along with #glamnailschallengeOct on Instagram & don’t forget to check out all the other awesome (& creepy!) eyeball looks!

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GlamnailschallengeOct — Stars ⭐️

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Good morning lovelies & happy Monday!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful start to their Monday! Today I have the second challenge for #glamnailschallengeOct: stars. I was trying to come up with the most witchy star manicure I could–because it’s October, & that means every manicure needs to be Halloween related, naturally.

I decided that yesterday’s Swatch Sunday pick China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You was so magical, it would be the perfect base for this star design, that kind of came out reminding me Wizard robes.

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Bonder
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You
  • China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars
  • L’Oréal Feeling Kilty
  • Born Pretty Store Classic Patterns Stamping Plate BP-L006 (item #17924)
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge (for the gradient)

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I’m really digging the gradient of China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You & Sleeping Under The Stars, I feel like they really compliment each other well. But I also feel like there is this grungy quality (in a good way!) when Choo Choo Choose You is sponged that makes me so happy. Add in the stars, & I really am getting a wizardly vibe… & I dig it.

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Oh look, a cat hair… are you even really a nail blogger if you don’t occasionally get cat hair in your manicure.

Also this gradient combination is just soooo good. I wasn’t sure how well these two colours would blend, but I think it turned out really really awesome. & I ♥️ it. So much so I wore this manicure for a full 4 days before having to change it due to a whole lot of top wear happening.

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Are you excited for the manicures to come this month thanks to #glamnailschallengeOct? We’re two prompts down, & 7 more to go! Don’t forget to keep track of all the manicures by following the above hashtag, & stay tuned for some fun designs that will be coming! & let me know down below if you like these challenges & want to see me take on more!

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SWATCH SUNDAY—China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You

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Happy Sunday everyone! Can you believe it–the first week of October is finished–how crazy is that? It also means we’ve got our first Swatch for October & today I went with an older Fall polish that I just absolutely love: China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You.

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you might remember I posted this polish over 5 years ago, so if you’re in the mood for some hilarious throwback, definitely check out that old post.

& now for an update swatch post for this gorgeous shade.

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For my swatches, I did my usual base coat, applied two coats of colour, & finished off with my go to top coat (Essie Speed Setter). Looking at my pictures though, I probably should have done three, because I can see a bit of nail line peeking through. The base is this Smokey grey, with a gorgeous bronze-y shimmer that transforms depending on which was you move your hand, with even the occasional flash of green.

It’s very pretty.

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For a 5 year old polish, the formula on this one is still as good as the day I bought it. The first coat goes on a bit streaky, as most polishes like this do, but you have almost complete opacity on the second coat. & shorter nails could definitely get away with just two, I just think it’s longer nails that might need 3 for full coverage.

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& naturally because I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between China Glaze Cowboy Bye (from the Gone West collection) & Choo Choo Choose You, I needed to pair the two side by side. Obviously Cowboy Bye has that beautiful holo scattered glitter, but I feel like the two bases of the shades are very very similar, which could explain why I love Cowbye Bye so much.

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What do you think about this shade? Do you own Choo Choo Choose You? What is your favourite older Fall shade that you return to year after year?

Let me know down below in the comments!