Category: Shimmer

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SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene Bonne Nuit

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. We’re halfway through January & that’s kind of crazy.

But everyone in my social media feeds keep taking nostalgic trips back to 2016, so I thought I would do the same — only with nail polish! & back on 2016 I was all about the Ardene brand of nail polishes, so I thought I would share a beauty from that time: Aco by Ardene Bonne Nuit.

1 coat over Rimmel Blue Eyed Girl + top coat.

So yes, I did use some under-polish for swatching this beauty because it. is. thin. But I think it applies beautifully & you really get that shift of colour from blue to a purple hue. There is a nice micro glitter shimmer as well, which I remember loving a lot in the mid-2000s!

Now this shade is definitely a relict of another time, because Ardene no longer sells this brand of nail polish. I still have a drawer of this brand in my stash, that I stare at frequently, & every so often pull out for nostalgia sake. I also love that they were so trendy when it came to finishes, at a very affordable price point!

What do you think of this very mid-2010s nail polish? Do you remember what shades you were obsessed with circa 2016? Let me know what shades you were obsessed with back then, & if they are still top of your list 10 years later!

Happy Sunday loves!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Butter London Pure Colour 21X Winter 2025 Shades (gifted)

Contains PR

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. It’s a bit of a snowy Sunday here, with a bit of snow on the ground which actually feels very festive. & they’re calling for more snow tomorrow! So maybe we’ll have a white Christmas — who knows. But it is giving me a flickering of holiday spirit, I won’t lie.

Today I’m excited because I got a bit of an early Christmas present c/o: Butter London. They sent me an amazing PR package containing two limited edition Pure Colour 21X shades for Winter: Branwen’s Pearls, & Frozen Loch. Two gorgeous Winter-y shades that are absolutely perfect for the winter season.

So let’s take a look!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Butter London Pure Colour 21X Winter 2025 Shades (gifted)”
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SWATCH SUNDAY — Orly Buried Alive (2012 Dark Shadows Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A sunny, but chilly, Sunday. The roofs are all frosted over this morning, & it’s definitely feeling like Winter lately. However, I’m just not quite feeling that holiday nail spirit yet. Usually by this time, I’m already planning Christmas manicures — but I haven’t been feeling any Christmas vibes yet this year unfortunately.

It’s Swatch Sunday, though, & I was going through my stash & found a beauty from 2012 that I don’t think I’ve ever worn! This is Orly Buried Alive from the 2012 Dark Shadows Collection.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful shimmery chocolate brown polish is packed full of golden flakie shimmer. I am actually so sad it’s taken me this long to wear this polish, because it’s absolutely stunning! It’s the most perfect Autumn brown. It’s shimmery on its own, but then you add in that golden shimmer & it just adds the whole other dimension to it.

The formula on this one was actually really easy to use considering it’s a 10+ year old nail polish. Maybe it’s because I haven’t cracked the bottle since I bought it.

Wow! Look at that close up!

I’m actually really sad I have dropped the ball on this shade. I guess I thought “brown polish, not going to like it” but oh boy was I wrong! I love it! The application was flawless, the colour is stunning, & it’s just such a lovely Autumn shade I wouldn’t think to reach for.

What do you think about Orly Buried Alive? Do you remember this shade, or this collection? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below — I’d love to know what you think.

& if you have any tips for getting me in the holiday spirit, I will take all the ones I can get!

Happy Sunday

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY—China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald (Fall 2010 Vintage Vixen Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. The first Sunday of November! I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween. I definitely ate my weight in mini bags of Sour Patch Kids & Starbursts.

But now we’re moving on from Halloween, at least for another 363 days, & it’s time to focus on the latter part of this year! I thought for today’s Swatch Sunday post I would pull a favourite from my stash to share, that is the perfect colour story for a November day. This is Emerald Fitzgerald from the 2010 vintage vixen collection.

2 coats + top coat

The formula on this beautiful dark green was a bit on the thin side, but easy to apply. It needed two coats for full cover, but as you can see from my swatches, it covered beautifully. For a nail polish that is potentially 15 years ago — I purchased mine on clearance circa 2013 or so — she doesn’t seem affected by age at all. The dark green colour has a beautiful shimmer that’s very easy to see both in the bottle & on the nail.

Close up shot really shows of that shimmer that’s so prevalent in the formula & it’s truly stunning. It gives this colour a little bit more depth which is just stunning. & I’m not usually a green kind of girl, but I think because this one has kind of a blue-ish undertone to it, it has always drawn my eyes more than your typical green.

It really is the perfect green for this inbetween time after Halloween, but before Christmas/Holiday designs start. It’s just such. stunning jewel tone.

What do you think about this old school China Glaze shade? Like I mentioned, I purchased this guy going on 13 years ago — & it was released 15 years ago — so she’s not easily found in circulation nowadays, but I did find a few listings for it online when I was trying to find out information about it’s original released.

Happy Sunday!

♥︎

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Glitter Gradient Sparkle Nails ✨

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! I hope your week has been not too stressful — it was back to school week here, so it’s been busy-busy. But it’s feeling like Autumn, & I’m excited to break out my favourite Fall fashion items.

Today’s nail art look feels very Autumn to me. Give me all the shimmers & all the glitters. I love a good glitter gradient, so I really enjoy this one. Plus it gave me a chance to use the 2nd of the LA Colors Colour Shifting toppers I recently bought!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Good To Go Top Coat
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Zip Wine
  • LA Colors Color Shifting Topper Nova
  • ‘Ard As Nails Fairy Flakes

I’m obsessed with this combination. First off, Nova is a gorgeous topper which transforms a cream polish. The glitter then gives it an extra pow! & sparkle. It creates a beautiful purple-y colour. Very Autumn-y.

& of course, I got lots of compliments on this look while working, which always makes my whole day! There is nothing that makes my day more than random compliments on my nails.

What do you think about this glitter gradient? Do you love it as much as I do?! You have to let me know what you think!

Happy Friday

🖤