SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Nature Strong Emflowered

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Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful sunny Spring Sunday here on the East Coast, which is lovely to see. So I thought that something bright & Springy would be perfect for this week’s Swatch Sunday post.

Today’s pick is actually a polish I’ve had in my stash since last year when I teamed up with TradeSecrets.ca & was sent some beautiful shades by them from the OPI Nature Strong line. Somehow, I completely managed to forget to share some swatches, so I thought today was the perfect day to share. Today’s pick: OPI Nature Strong Emflowered.

2 coats + OPI Nature Strong Top Coat

The formula on this shade was really easy to work with & apply. I’ve used a few of these different “natural” formulas over the years, & I’m always impressed with how you notice very little difference with these cleaner shades. It applied easily, in two coats, with full opacity. & it dried down quickly between coats as well, which is always a plus! The formula was a bit on the thinner side so I was careful not to over fill my brush, but I had no issues with cuticle flooding.

The colour of this one is definitely stunning. I love a good purple-y pink shade, & Emflowered definitely is my kind of pink. It’s vibrant & lush, & I’m kind of obsessed. Also, we’re giving off some Barbie vibes & I really like that. Maybe it’s the influence of the movie coming out soon, but I’m digging bright pinks right now.

Over all, I really like this pink, & the shades I’ve tried from the OPI Nature Strong line so far. The colours & formulas have all been spot on, & they’ve lasted pretty well on my nails, even through a long shift at work.

You can find the OPI Nature Strong line on TradeSecrets.ca, as well as a ton other OPI collections to choose from. I’ve kind of been itching to buy some new polishes, & there are a few shades calling my name (especially since @GrapeFizzNails has been sharing her own fun OPI Nature Strong shades on Instagram) so I think I might need to do a little online shopping… maybe for Mother’s Day? I’ll definitely do a haul of what I get in that case!

What do you think of this beautiful shade (or any OPI Nature Strong shades you might have tried)? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Sunday darlings!

Products featured in this post were provided in exchanged for content. 

All thoughts are honest & my own.

Cotton Candy Saran Wrap Splatter

Good morning lovelies & happy Tuesday! It’s a chilly Tuesday morning here & not very Spring like unfortunately. I’m so over these cold, grey days.

But I do have a cute nail art look to share today. I recently added a few new polishes to my stash—which I acquired on some good deals—so I decided to combine a few in a Saran Wrap splatter look. It’s been a hot minute since I did one of these, so I was excited. & the fact it turned out looking a bit like cotton candy was even cooler!

The polishes I used for this manicure are:

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Essie No Ex-pectations
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sugar Rush
  • L.A. Colors Gossip
  • Essie Expressie FX Iced Out
  • Crinkled up plastic wrap

I’m super in love with how this turned out. Essie No Ex-pectations turned out to be a bit more grey than I had expected, but it made for an excellent base for my splatters of colour to pop! Plus I really do think it gives off the effect of cotton candy. I also like the subtle shimmer from the bit of Expressie FX Iced Out. It gives off just enough sparkle.

What do you think of this Saran wrap splatter design? Do you like easy nail art like this? I really need to do a tutorial to show off just how easy this look is to do! Maybe when things slow down a bit, I can get that reel made!

Have a happy Tuesday. 🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY— ORLY Put The Top Down

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I know it’s been quiet this week on the blog — I’ve been feeling the lingering effects of the cold I had a few weeks back, so my energy has been pretty low. I spent my 2 days off basically sleeping, so my nails have taken a bit of a back seat.

But, I recently stopped into my local Marshall’s & they were better stocked with fun colours, so naturally I needed to buy myself a new one! & of course — we had to go with neon! This is ORLY Put the Top Down, originally released as part of the Summer 2016 Pacific Coast Highway collection.

2 coats + Seche Vite Top Coat

I’m not going to lie — this shade is not the easiest polish to photograph thanks to its neon shade. I feel like it’s looking a bit more pink on my laptop screen than it did when I took pictures on my phone, & definitely more pink than on my nails — but that’s neon nail polish for you! I will say though, the formula is pretty awesome for a neon, if only a bit thick. It doesn’t dry matte, though, which is kind of awesome, but I did find a needed a bit of top coat to smooth my second coat down.


Doesn’t this shade just scream Summer? It’s so bright & vibrant, you need to wear sunglasses when you wear it.

I’m actually really happy I found this shade at Marshall’s. It’s been a while since I have found any good shades, sadly. I also have another shade in my stash from this collection (ORLY Scenic Route) which is one of my favs, so I’m glad to have added another. I might have to check out a few more Marshall’s to see if they’ve gotten any more shades from the collection that I can add to my stash. I love Winners/Marshall’s finds like this!

What do you think of ORLY Put the Top Down? Do you remember this shade from Summer 2016? Are you a fan of a good neon for Summer — or a March day when it’s below freezing, & they’re calling for 10cm of snow?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Orchid Around

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday!

& a bright, sunny, warm Sunday at that. Finally, it’s starting to feel like Spring. So naturally, I needed to pick out some kind of Spring-esque shade for this week’s Swatch Sunday polish pick.

After perusing my polish stash for a while, I decided on this pastel beauty from Sally Hansen: Orchid Around from the Xtreme Wear line.

2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

How pretty is this beautiful pastel is somewhere between pink & pale purple, with a very pretty shimmer which — sadly — is hard to actually see on the nail unless you’re really looking for it.

The formula was a good consistency & easily applied in 2 coats. I did need to apply top coat to smooth things out, as I found it had some streakiness, but since I always add top coat when I’m wearing nail polish anyways, it’s not a big deal — & definitely not a deal breaker.

You can see that pretty shimmer in my macro shot! I just wish it was more visible.

The colour is so perfect for Spring! & I’m always here for a pretty pastel shade to inspire warmed days. This would be the perfect base for some Easter nail art (which, is less than a month away!) I’ve always had good luck with the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line in terms of wearability, which is awesome because it’s a great affordable option.

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Orchid Around? Would you wear this shade for Spring? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Sunday! 🌸

Romantic Floral Accent Nails (featuring Essie)

Hello beauties & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s weekend was lovely, & for those still in the grips of Winter like myself, not too snowy. Today I have another Spring inspired manicure to distract myself from the snow.

For a while, I wasn’t really in a floral kind of mood. You might have noticed, though, things have changed because I’m feeling floral inspired again & loving it. Today is another floral accent nail look, this time featuring one of my all time favourite things to freehand: roses. Seriously, these feel so romantic & lovely, I just can’t get over how pretty they turned out. Like my last floral look, all the shades I used for this design are from my Essie collection.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Essie Cocktail Bling
  • Essie Blanc
  • Essie Mrs Always Right
  • Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming
  • Essie Swoon in the Lagoon
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie Gel Couture Zip Me Up
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm Micro Detail Brush
  • Dotting tool (NailStuff.ca — Dotting Tool Trio)

Come on… I mean, how pretty did those roses turn out? I seriously could have worn these nails for forever. Or, at least, a week. Which is basically like forever when it comes to me & nail art. I’m just so proud of how they turned out, & I’m already planning on more floral nails in the very near future. I mean, Winter doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere, so I guess I’ll just have to pretend on my nails.

What do you think of these romantic floral accent nails? Do you love them as much as I love them? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Have a lovely Tuesday. ♥︎