SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Home Sweet House Music (Summer 2015)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful, warm (humid) sunny Sunday. It’s also the first Swatch Sunday of August, which is kind of crazy because the Summer is just speeding by very quickly.

Today’s pick is a China Glaze shade originally released for Summer 2015. This is Home Sweet House Music.

3 coats + top coat

First thing I noticed about the formula on this polish was that it’s thin, & streaky. The second noticeable thing (after looking at other swatches online) is that this shade has definitely faded over the years, because it’s much more yellow than other pictures I see online. Which, considering it’s been tucked away in a dark drawer & shaken well, is disappointing. However, I do still quite enjoy the colour is is which is like a marigold yellow, & I think it’s great for this time of year. & it perfectly matches the brown eyed Susans in our garden.

It is a pretty sheer formula, which again I don’t know if that has anything to do with the aging of the polish, but I did need 3 coats for full coverage.

It’s a very pretty shade — it’s just not the shade it was, which makes me sad. However, polishes age & it’s interesting to see the effect time has on our polishes. 99% of my polishes have not had this issue, that I can see, so I wonder why this one changed so much on me. It’s kind of strange.

Again, being a 9 year old shade this guy is no longer available in current rotation. China Glaze does have a Gelaze version of this polish on their website (in the original intended colour!) for those who are gel polish fans.

What do you think of this polish? Do you have any nail polishes in your stash that has changed colour due to time? Let me know if you’ve experienced this too!

Happy Sunday ♥︎

Funky Orange Abstract Stripes

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday. Sorry for being such a stranger — I swear I’m trying to get the blog posts written, but it’s been a struggle. But I have a stash of fun designs saved up to share with you, so I’m really trying to get my butt into gear. Summer vacation has been… a struggle, to say the least.

Today’s post is one of my go to favourite designs, but I’m especially happy with how this one turned out! A retro inspired abstract stripe design is always a good decision, & the colours for this particular one just brought everything together so perfectly.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie Sunshine State of Mind
  • Essie Peach Side Babe
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Sand Tropez
  • Quo by Orly Black Nail Art Striper

How much fun! Seriously, the colours just compliment each other so well. I very much adore how it turned out. Plus, it’s one of those designs which is so easy, because there is no right or wrong way to do it. You just create a kind of swirl on your nails with the different colours of polish, & it creates this fun abstract/wavy stripe effect. A perfect look for Summer!

What do you think of this abstract stripe design? Have you given this look a try, & what did you think? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Tuesday!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Pacifica Plant Magic Tangerine Pop 🍊✨

Good morning & happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. & happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate & are celebrated. I know I’ve continued to be quiet on here, but it’s been a rough week. But I’m here, & I have a beautiful Spring-y shade to show off for this week’s Swatch Sunday: Pacifica Plant Magic Tangerine Pop.

3 coats + top coat

This beautiful shade was picked up on clearance at Shoppers Drug Mart when they were clearing out their Pacifica shades.

The formula on this beauty is a a kind of shimmery frosted pale orange with a gold & faint green flash of shimmer. It is thin though, so I really had to build my layers in order to cover my nail line fully. You want to be careful about this though, because the formula has that frostiness to it that shows mistakes easily.

The colour is such an unusual choice for me—I’m not really an orange polish girlie—but I thought the shimmer was so pretty on this one I had to get it! It definitely takes some work & patience for a pretty application, but I also think with its thin formula you could get away with using it as a topper as well.

As I mentioned, I purchased my bottle at Shoppers Drug Mart before my location discontinued it. However, it is still available c/o: the Pacifica website for $10.00 USD so if you need this shade in your life, definitely check it out. I would imagine it is also available at other locations where Pacifica is sold.

What do you think of this pretty & unique orange polish? Have you tried any of the other Pacifica shades before? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday! 🖤

An Easy Halloween Glitter Gradient 🎃✨

Hello lovelies — it’s Friday! & I’m definitely happy for the weekend as it’s my birthday weekend. Today is also Friday the 13th, which for most is a scary day but Friday is my lucky day, & 13 is my lucky number. So I’m always excited for a Friday the 13th!

Today I’m taking a break from the Glam Nails Challenge designs for a quick & simple Halloween inspired glitter gradient.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri x Sour Patch Kids Pump-kid
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri x Sour Patch Kids Hallo-Queen

So you might remember, a few years ago, I did a similar idea using a darker base, so I thought it would be fun with this pumpkin orange as the base! Orange isn’t really a colour I’m drawn to frequently any other time of the year, but I do enjoy it around Halloween! & this is such a fun easy look that still gives off Halloween vibes without being obvious about it.

What do you think about this quick & easy glitter gradient? Are you a fan of orange polish? Let me know down in the comments below!

🖤

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE OCTOBER—Trick or Treat ☠️🍬

Hello loves & happy Thankgiving Monday! I hope everyone. had the most fabulous weekend, & is enjoying their Monday so far — especially if you happen to be off today. I’m excited to share off the next manicure for Glam Nails Challenge October, especially because I found this one a bit tricky… no pun intended. Haha. Here are my Trick or Treat nails.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fiery Island
  • Sally Hansen CSM Blush Around the World
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out
  • Essie Amuse, Myself
  • Essie No Shrinking Violet
  • Essence “Stamp It!” Stamping plate
  • Color Club Skull Stamping Plate
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper & Scraper Set
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush

I had this idea of combining something sweet (like Candy) with something scary & spooky to convey the idea of Trick or Treat, & I think I was successful. Originally, I had just the black stamping my nails but it seemed a bit plain, so I went in with the two Essie water colour shades to fill them in & add a little bit of extra pop & I think it was exactly what it needed!

I cannot say enough how much I love these. A fun little manicure, perfect for Halloween.

What do you think about this trick or treat design? Did you get it as soon as you saw it? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & let me know what your favourite Halloween candy of all time is! If I had to choose, I would probably say sour patch kids!

♥︎