Category: Duocrome

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SWATCH SUNDAY — BlackHeart Metallic Purple Blue Galaxy (Hot Topic Brand)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far — can you believe this is the last Sunday of September? Where has this month gone? It’s passed by very quickly.

Today I’m excited because I’m sharing a shade I’ve had in my stash all Summer, but have been waiting to share because it felt more Autumn-esque. At the beginning of Summer I was browsing my local Hot Topic, & as always, I have to look at the nail polish! They had some fun colours in those skull shaped bottles, & I ended up buying two since they were buy one get one 1/2 price!

This is Blackheart Metallic Purple Blue Galaxy.

2 coats over NailStuff Essentials Raven + Top Coat

So first thing I noticed when I checked the formula was that it is very, very thin, & therefore very sheer. As a result, I made the choice to apply over a base of black just to avoid needing 4+ coats. Personally, I like the plain black base as it made the purple & blue shimmer the easiest to see.

The colour itself (to me) is the textbook definition of a blurple, which we all know is one of my favourite kind of polishes. The duo-chrome effect flashes either purple or blue depending on how you shift the nail. The colour feels very Halloween-adjacent, which — as a girl who loves Halloween — I’m absolutely here for. & obviously the skull shape of the bottle also adds to the Halloween-y vibes.

Check out that shifty glitter. It’s beautiful. The base of this shade is more of a jelly, so for me I really liked to have the black base so I don’t have to do quite so many coats.

Absolutely gorgeous, & I total win!

Hot Topic’s Blackheart Nail Polish retails for $6.50 CAD but often has a deal like BOGO 50% off which brings the price down. The formula’s & colours are my favourite though because they’re fun finishes, which I’m all about. & obviously, the Skull shaped bottle makes me happy.

Have you ever tried Hot Topic’s nail polish? What do you think of the brand? I’ll definitely be checking back into my local store, as I saw a pink & black glitter online, & I need it. So stay tuned!

& happy Sunday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie High Voltage Vinyl (Essie Fall 2021 Collection)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. I hope everyone is having a beautiful weekend! The weather here is perfect Autumn weather — cool enough to wear a light jacket, but not too cold I can’t still wear my favourite skirts. Definitely my favourite time of year.

So naturally, let’s show off some Fall nail polish. & I feel like I’ve found the perfect shade for the occasion: Essie High Voltage Vinyl.

2 coats + top coat

Described on the Essie site as a “warm rockin’ onyx green nail polish amped up with refined gold pearl” I feel like this colour screams early Autumn. The green is a beautiful dark green which is complimented perfectly by the bronze-y gold. The dark shimmer is really pretty, & applied surprisingly smooth with subtle brush strokes (it kind of just looks more like the finish, & less like me mucking up.)

Green isn’t usually a colour I reach for to wear on its own, but I like that this one is a little bit different & that underlying gold shimmer is doing something to me! It just screams Autumn, & sweater weather. Could you imagine this guy with a coat of Essie Shine of the Times over top? I bet it would be absolutely stunning (& I wish I had thought of it when I put this shade on… rather than when I was writing this blog post! Next time!)

Sadly, looking online it doesn’t look like this shade is available for purchase, which makes me sad because it’s such a fun shade for this time of year. I’m sure there is a beautiful dupe out there though!

What do you think of Essie High Voltage Vinyl? Do you think it’s a beautiful Autumnal shade? Would you wear this unique green nail polish?

I’d love to know your thoughts & what you’re currently wearing on your nails right now.

Happy Sunday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Miss Piggy’s Big Number (2014 Muppets Most Wanted Collection)

Hello beauties — long time no see!

Life has been a bit tricky lately, & my ability to blog has kind of taken a backseat. But I’m missing sharing my nails, so I’m trying to get back into my regular routine. I even have some PR/nail mail to share that I recently received.

But first, let’s start off our week like we usually do with some fun polish for Swatch Sunday. & I decided why not to throw it way, way, way back with OPI Miss Piggy’s Big Number from the 2014 Muppets World Tour collection.

2 coats + top coat.

Okay, so this shade has been in my collection a long time — possibly back to 2014 when this collection was released. But I don’t think I’ve worn it too often in the years since I’ve owned it. Formula on this shade is a metallic blue finish with a bit of a purple flash. I needed two coats for full coverage which is pretty good.

In the close up you can see a bit more of that purple flash, plus how it dries with minimal brush strokes. I feel like with this kind of polish, you kind of can’t escape brush strokes — no matter how hard or careful you are to try to avoid them.

This colour though — I love this colour. It’s such a vibrant blue which I’m a huge fan of, & it’s perfect for this time of year where the weather so quickly switches between bright, sunny, & warm to cold & grey. This shade is perfect to rock while switching between temperatures.

Sadly this shade was released 12 years ago, so I don’t think it’s going to be an easy one to track down if you’re looking for it. Ebay might be your friend, but I feel like it may be a bit of a quest if you’re on the hunt for it.

What do you think of OPI Miss Piggy’s Big Number? Do you remember this shade, or the collection it was a part of? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below. & also — if you like these throwback Swatch posts, let me know & I will make sure I do more!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Triple Shine Wavy Blue

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy Thanksgiving Sunday to my fellow Canadians. I hope your day is full of yummy turkey, stuffing & pumpkin pie.

Today I’m digging deep, deep into my nail polish stash for another polish from years past. I found a line of Sally Hansen polish I had almost forgotten existed (it was pushed very far into the back of my drawer), but I’m excited to decided to pull it out because it’s very pretty!

This is Sally Hansen Triple Shine Wavy Blue.

3 coats, no top coat

As far as I can see from my Google research, this line was released in 2014 & was marketed as being extra glossy, without the need for top coat.

The formula on Wavy Blue is definitely on the thinner side, which means I needed a solid 3 coats for full opacity— but it’s thin enough, it dries very quickly. Obviously if I was on the run, I would slap a quick dry top coat, but it does have a nice shine without.

The colour is beautiful, although I was kind of expecting more of a purple shift like in the bottle. I wonder if you applied it over something like black, would that duochrome shift show more. Overall though, it’s a beautiful polish, wifh a beautiful finish. I’m not entirely sure why it’s sat in the back of my stash, untouched, for so long — but I’m glad I decided to reach for it!

What do you think about this old school Sally Hansen shade? Do you remember this line of polishes? I feel like it was pretty short lived — which is a shame, because the colour is very lovely!

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.

🖤