SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Black Cherry Chutney

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Hello lovelies! Today I’m keeping the Fall mood going with what could quite possibly be the most perfect dark maroon for Autumn: OPI Black Cherry Chutney.

I know everyone has their opinions on what colours & polishes call to them this time of year, but I don’t think anyone can deny that maroon is definitely an autumn shade. There are quite a few beautiful picks for this time of year (OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest is one that I see pop up a lot this time of year) & Black Cherry Chutney is one of my favourites.

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For my swatches I did a base coat, 2 coats of colour & finished with glossy top coat (Essie Gel Setter).

First coat was streaky & not full coverage at all, but with the second coat everything hit perfect opacity. The base is fairly dark, but it’s the shimmer that steals the show. Literally, this is just Fall in the bottle–you can’t deny that it is perfect for a cool October day, snuggled up in cosy socks, with a pumpkin spice latte or apple cider in hand.

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Down below, I have a macro shot of Black Cherry Chutney which shows off the raspberry shimmer.

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& for fun, a shot of this manicure in full sunshine, which is where I think it really transforms. You go from these deep vampy nails to BAM!

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What do you think about OPI Black Cherry Chutney? 🍂🍁 Do you have this polish in your stash? What shade is your “it’s Fall” polish pick? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Fall Leaves 🍂 Nail Art Recreation

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Hello lovelies & Happy Friday!

Today I have a fun nail art look to share with you that is a recreation of an old favourite: this Fall leaf design. This design was one of the first designs I ever posted on Instagram that I was the most proud of. So while browsing through my old designs, I decided it was definitely long overdue for me to recreate this design!

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Gel overlay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat {PR sample}
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Heaven Sent {PR sample}
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Good Cheer-y {PR sample}
  • Wet N Wild Blazed
  • Rimmel 60 Seconds 830 Camouflage
  • Mariposa Nail Polish gold shimmer (no name)
  • Black Acrylic Paint
  • Nailstuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio

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So obviously with it being five years since I first painted this design, I wanted to change things up a little bit & play around with the look. Instead of black polish, I used acrylic paint because I knew it would make it easier to start over if there was any mistakes. I also used my 11mm mermaid tail brush from NailStuff.ca, but looking back I should probably should have went with a small size for thinner lines.

Also this time I decided to add some matte top coat over my design, & it really made the design & colours pop! I’ve been absolutely loving the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel matte top coat.

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Just for fun, a couple shots of this design before I added my matte top coat.

Obviously I think both versions of this design are fabulous, but I’m just slightly more in love with the matte version. Something about this time of year just has me craving matte-ified nails more often, & honestly I feel like metallic nails (which I also craved more often during Autumn) pop so much more when they are matte.

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So what do you think about my updated version of this design? Which do you prefer: matte or glossy? Share your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know which version is your favourite!

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Fall 2019 Gone West Collection

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Good morning lovelies! Today I am so excited because I am officially diving into some BRAND NEW Fall polishes for 2019!

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I was recently gifted the China Glaze Gone West Fall 2019 collection courtesy of China Glaze themselves! I’d been admiring this collection & all its shades since it was first announced, so to say I was excited to receive all 8 polishes would be an understatement! & I couldn’t wait to get a chance to try each shade on & share them all with you!

& now some swatches!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Fall 2019 Gone West Collection”

Stained Glass Nails for #glamnailschallengeaug

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Good morning lovelies! Another day, another fun manicure created for Glam Nails Challenge August! I’ve really been having a lot of fun creating new designs for the challenge this month, getting out of my usual comfort zone.

Today’s manicure prompt is Stained Glass. I used to so shattered glass manicure a lot back in the day, but it’s been a while since I attempted one. Glitter placement can be a bit time consuming, so that’s probably why it’s been so long. So I was super excited to give it another try! & because the prompt is stained glass & not shattered glass, I decided to add some freehanded framing around my glitter to complete the look!

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For this manicure, the polishes that I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Strengthening Base Coat
  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Bonder
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • OPI One Heckla Of A Color {PR sample}
  • OPI Gaining Mole-mentum
  • Black Acrylic Paint
  • Nailstuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush {PR sample}
  • Nailstuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio {PR sample}

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First time I’ve used acrylic paint for nail art in a while. I decided to use acrylic paint because I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the black framing & I wanted to be able to wash it off my base if I hated it, without destroying my base nail art. Thankfully I didn’t have to worry about hating it, because the black looked really good with the glitters!

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This look just makes me so happy, & makes me realize I miss doing shattered glass manicures. Could you imagine this look with holo flakes/glitters? I’m getting Fall manicure inspiration with maybe like an emerald green & maybe some negative space with the glitters.

Ooooh I can see it now! I can’t wait!

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What do you think of this manicure? Have you been following along with the challenge on Instagram? Don’t forget to check out #glamnailschallengeaug to see everyone’s amazing manicures!

Paisley Nails for #glamnailschallengeaug

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Good morning lovelies! Today I have another fun manicure I created for the Glam Nails Challenge for August! Today’s nail art prompt was one I was a little bit scared about: Paisley.

I’ve never actually attempted a paisley pattern before, mostly because it’s always looked really intimidating, & not in my nail art wheel house. But because this challenge is all about inspiring me to try new looks, I decided to make an attempt at free handing it.

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Strengthening Base Coat
  • Base Coat: Quo by ORLY Bonder
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essence Plump Power
  • Quo by ORLY Wrong So Right
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Nail Brush Trio

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So I’ll be honest, the first attempt at starting this pattern was with a different colour & I didn’t even get one nail done before I was removing it. I’m a perfectionist, so trying something I’ve never done before (& not doing it well) can be overwhelming for me. My second attempt with this darker bronze colour was a much better attempt!

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Is this a perfect paisley recreation? No. Is this paisley-esque enough for me? Absolutely! I tried really hard to get that whirly look of Paisley & I’m incredibly impressed with the design, & especially with the fact I repeated it on my Cinderella hand so I could wear these nails for a few days. & yeah, I know these aren’t perfect. But they’re beautiful enough for me, & that’s all that matters.

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What do you think of this paisley design? Would you wear this manicure? Share your thoughts down in the comments below!

& don’t forget to check out the hashtag #glamnailschallengeaug on Instagram to see the other pretty nails posted for the challenge! I’m definitely excited to check out what everyone has done!