SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze The Heat is On (Desert Heat 🏜️ Collection 2015)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. It’s been a while since I posted a Swatch Sunday post! So I’m excited to jump back in, & for this one I’m throwing it way, way back to 2015 with a gorgeous China Glaze shade I bought as part of a mini set: The Heat Is On.

2 coats + top coat

I was thinking about this shade, & kind of nervous about its state (I feel like these mini bottles dry up way faster than normal sized bottles) but she was in great shape, & I was so excited to wear it.

The shade is a beautiful vibrant red with an undertone of orange. The formula was creamy, & easy to apply; it had a glossy finish even before I applied top coat. I like that it has just a hint of a jelly formula, because it really does make it look juicy on the nails.

I was so obsessed with this shade when I first bought my mini set of this collection, & all these years later — 11 to be exact — I still love it. It really makes me wish I had a full sized bottle, but sadly it was a limited release. I have found a few bottles online for sale… & I won’t lie, it’s tempting.

What do you think of this shade? Do you think it’s as fun & lush as I do? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.

& stay tuned — because I have my eyes open for any Fall collections popping up in store, & I’m ready for full on Autumn vibes.

Happy Sunday!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Nicole by OPI Scarlett || Happy 12th Birthday Coffee & Nail Polish 🎂

Hello lovelies & happy Easter Sunday! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend, celebrating however they celebrate. But it’s not just Easter Sunday — 12 years ago today I made my very first post on Coffee & Nail Polish! So I thought it would be fun, & for this week’s Swatch Sunday I would share the first very nail polish I ever used for a manicure: Nicole by OPI (RIP) Scarlett from the Selena Gomez collection.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful metallic pink was originally released as part of the Nicole by OPI Spring Collection which was Selena Gomez themed. I picked up this beauty at my local Lawton’s Drugs (which was one of my favourite places for clearance nail polish) for the stellar price of $2.50.

The formula on this one was slightly thin, but not too thin it made it hard to apply. 2 coats built to this perfect opacity. The finish though — the finish is my favourite. It’s this gorgeous glass fleck finish. Also I love that it sort of looks pink, but also sort of looks red.

Stunning.

Close up of this beautiful finish. I love the shimmer, the pinkish glow; all of it. It really does glow on the nail which just adds to the beauty.

& obviously, since today is the anniversary of my very first blog post, I had to do a recreation of my very first design — a red on red leopard print. Base is Scarlett & my spots were done using Nicole by OPI Basking in Gloria (from the Modern Family collection).

Unfortunately I did forget to matte-ify my design & didn’t realize until after the fact, but I still love my recreation.

What do you think about this throwback shade! I feel like the NOPI shades were definitely ahead of their time for drugstore brands. I really miss them, & cherish the shades I still have.

Happy Sunday!

Happy Easter!

🖤

Red & Gold Shattered Glitter Placement ✨❤️

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! It’s another chilly wet Winter day, & the January vibes are just not it. Have I mentioned I’m not a fan of Winter?

But I have just the thing to cheer myself up… new (sparkly) nails! There is nothing that I love more than some sparkle when I’m feeling down, & I recently pulled out a glitter topper I had almost forgotten I owed. The end result was another perfect glitter placement design.

I’m never going to get tired of these!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Cure
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Gel Like Top Coat
  • Orly Color Blast Garnet Luxe Shimmer
  • Sinful Colors Twilight Twinkles
  • Small dotting tool

I know this isn’t a super complicated look — still trying to ease myself back into nail art inspiration — but I love how these look. They’re just fun, & pretty, & I never get tired of red nail polish. I also feel like these would be so pretty for February & Valentine’s Day nails!

What do you think about these red shattered glitter nails? Do you love? Also — as always, if you can think of any glitters similar to these in different colours, let me know. I used to have a holographic silver one by Color Club that dried up that I’m desperate to replace!

Happy Wednesday

🖤

Kiss Products Voguish Fantasy Press On Nails — Christmas Party Ready Nails

•contains pr/gifted items

Good morning lovelies & happy Tuesday!

Kiss once again spoiled me, & recently sent me a box of Christmas cheer in the shape of their Press On Nails & False lashes! The perfect thing to help me get Holiday ready quickly.

Sunday night I had a get-together with my former Candy Store coworkers, so I thought a set of nails would be perfect for the occasion — & who can say no to candy cane inspired nails!

These nails were fairly easy to apply. The trick is to make sure you pick out the size/style you need for each nail prior to starting your application, & laying them out in order. Then, start from your pinky nails & work your way to your thumb. I find this especially important to do when you’re doing nails with any significant length — like these ones!

Now for these nails I was only planing on wearing them for the night, so instead of using the included glue, I chose to use sticky tabs to apply them which I find a better option for shorter term wear. Each pack does come with the Kiss Nail Glue, which from my previous experience does last really well & holds up against every day use.

What do you think about these Kiss Voguish Fantasy nails? Would you rock press on nails like this for a super quick & easy party look? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — LA Colors Metal Finish Nail Polish Dynasty

Hello lovelies — Happy Snowy Sunday!

You’ll excuse me if I’m late getting this post up. It was a very busy week, with so much to do (& I’m nowhere close to being ready for Christmas!) But, I do have a brand new polish for you to enjoy as part of this week’s Swatch Sunday — this is LA Colors Metal Finish Nail Polish in Dynasty.

2 coats + top coat.

I won’t lie… when I initially picked up this polish I thought it was supposed to be a more chrome like finish like the cap of the nail polish bottle. But the colour to me is screaming old fashioned jewel toned Christmas, so even though it wasn’t exactly as I expected it it’s such a pretty shade for this time of year.

The formula on this shade was interesting as again it wasn’t quite was I was expecting. It was more of a cruelly base with beautiful shimmers packed in. The pretty flakes of glitter does give a jewel like effect.

First coat was very thin, streaky & patchy, but upon my second coat you could see how lovely it looked. I did have a couple places where it was tricky to get a smooth line though — the formula dries quickly, so I feel like you need to be quick with application. This isn’t to knock on the polish, just is good to know when you’re using it! Still doesn’t take away from how I feel about this shade.

Upclose, you can see that cruelly formula & metallic flake polish. Definitely not what I’m expecting when I think of a metal finish polish — but very pretty. Looking at swatches of other LA Colors Metals polishes though, I would have loved to see a foil finish in this colour. It would have been gorgeous!

I picked up my bottle of LA Colors Metal Nail Polish at my local Walmart for $3.97 CAD. For a shade under $4, I think this is a great deal! & regardless of it not meeting my metal expectations, this shade is very different than a lot of the red nail polishes that I own. So I love that.

What do you think of LA Colors Metal Finish Nail Polish in Dynasty? Do you think this is a great holiday polish option? What do you think of the finish — does it say “Metal Finish” to you? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!