Category: Duocrome

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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.

🖤

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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!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon 💫

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful Sunday at that — although, still desperately waiting on some rain in this part of the country (we really need it!) So today I thought I’d wear something a little moodier, a little cooler in hopes of encouraging some rainy weather.

I also thought it would be fun to pull out a polish from my stash from a now discontinued brand: Nicole by OPI. In my earlier nail polishing days I was absolutely obsessed with the Nicole by OPI days, so I’m sure you can imagine how many shades of I have in my collection. This is Shoot for the Maroon.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful flakie purple has a deep dark base, with a metallic micro flakie effect that gives it beautiful dimension. Depending on how you move your hand, it shifts pink, purple, golden & even a little green. Super beautiful!

You can really see those micro flakies. I love the shiftiness of this shade & the dark jewel like tone. It’s a beautiful polish that just says Autumn & I’m here for it.

Sadly, the NOPI line was discontinued in the latter 2010s, so they’re no longer available in stores. I have seen some bodies available online, but not sure how easily you can find them. It’s a real shame, because I feel like this line was a great mainstream line for more specialty formulas — like this shade!

What do you think about Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon. Do you still own any of the NOPI shades? What were your thoughts on the brand — let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!