Category: Shimmer

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Blue My Mind

Hello lovelies! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to a new week. It’s a beautiful weekend here on the East Coast, & I could get used to this. It’s starting to feel like Summer, & I love it.

Today I’m showing off a shade from the stash that I’ve never worn! (& honestly… I don’t even remember when I bought it!) This is OPI Blue My Mind.

2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful vivid sapphire blue with a turquoise shimmer. According to my internet research, it was originally released as part of the 2005 Brights collection but then became part of the core collection. However, upon looking it may now be discontinued as it’s listed as out of stock on the OPI website, & No Longer Available on Nail Polish Canada. I’m sure if you really look for it, though, you could find it via smaller beauty supply websites.

The formula on this shade was smooth & easy to apply. First coat has a bit of patchiness, so a second coat was perfect for full opacity. That’s what I like in a polish. Obviously a one coat polish is always the most desirable, but it’s not always realistic, so I don’t mind having to apply two coats. I did also finish things off with a coat of top coat, to give it a little extra gloss.

How pretty is the glow on this shade? I’m super impressed with the colour, the shimmer — all of it. Not your typical “summer” colour, but I’m digging it — & I think it would be the perfect base for some aqua stamping or some chevrons.

I actually do have some nail art featuring this as a base, so stay tuned to see what I did with this colour!

What do you think about OPI Blue My Mind? Are you a fan of this pretty blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Violet Voltage

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope the weekend is treating you well. We’ve had a beautiful one here on the East Coast & I’m so happy for sunshine!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a shade I picked up last Summer when Essence revamped their line. I’m always excited when they switch things up — I own a lot of Essence shades, so I love when I can add new ones to my collection!

Today’s pick: Essence Violet Voltage.

3 coats + top coat

This semi sheer pearlescent purple has a beautiful glowing blue shine that hits at just the right angle. The formula is quite thin, which is why I did 3 coats of polish. It is a bit streaky, due to the pearlescent finish, & can show flaws on your nails if you’re not careful. I have a patch on my middle finger from a bad crack in the nail, & it shows that little bit of raise in my nail in that spot.

BUT that doesn’t stop me from enjoying this shade. That glow alone makes me fall in love every time I look at my nails.

& a macro shot of course.

This shade is definitely Y2K vibes. It also works well for glazed donut nails if you use one coat. I originally used it for my Glazed Donut Half Moons last Summer & loved how it looked!

I purchased this shade at my local Shoppers Drug Mart in their Essence display. Essence is also available on their website — although this shade is currently sold out.

In Canada, you can also buy Essence at Superstore/Loblaws. You can also buy Essence nail polish through their website as well!

What do you think about Essence Violet Voltage? Are you a fan of the Essence brand of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

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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. 🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Deborah Lippmann Through The Fire 🔥

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely start to the week ( or end to last week). It’s been rainy & stormy here, although we just missed quite the snowy mess that the rest of the East Coast of Canada seems to be getting.

Either way, it’s wet & blah.

So let’s liven up this day with some nail polish. It’s Swatch Sunday, & I pulled out a beauty from the stash that was calling me. This is Deborah Lippmann Through The Fire.

2 coats, no Top Coat

Originally released for Holiday 2012, this beautiful glowing deep red applies flawlessly in almost one coat. Honestly, I probably could have easily achieved a beautiful manicure in one coat, but I applied a second for full coverage. I picked up my bottle as part of a Deborah Lippmann collection at Marshalls (Or Winners, I can’t remember after all these years.) This definitely gives red wine holiday vibes, & even though it’s January now, I’m not mad about it.

You can really see the beautiful shimmer in this close up ( & the dust on my bottle… whoops!) The colour is really beautiful. As mentioned, this is without top coat, so you can see how beautifully glossy the polish dries just on its own. This would definitely be a great polish option for a Valentine’s Day Date, if you wanted your nails to feel extra fancy. A little heart accent nail, & bam! Done.

Sadly this shade seems to be long gone for circulation, but I did see a few listing for it on eBay, so if you’re really in need, you could definitely find someone destashing a bottle.

What do you think about this beautiful polish from Deborah Lippmann? I always forget about her polishes in my stash until I wear one again, & then I remember how stunning they are. Especially the reds I own. Let me know all your thoughts on this shade down in the comments below, & let me know you absolute favourite red to wear — I’m always open to new suggestions to add to my rotation!

Have a lovely Sunday ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Infinite Shine Bring Out The Big Gems

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Can you believe this is the last Sunday before Christmas?

I can’t believe how quickly this holiday season has sped by. I haven’t even had a chance to do any Christmas baking yet! But I am excited, because it’s been a long time since I had a chance to get a new release OPI holiday shade, so when I saw a few of the new collection, I had to pick on. & as soon as I saw this beautiful & dark shimmer shade, I knew I needed it for my collection!

2 coats + OPI Infinite Shiner Top Coat

How freaking beautiful is this shade? It’s a deep reddish brown shade with this stunning bronze-y shimmer — which you can really see in the bottle. The formula was pretty dark perfect, smooth & easy to apply. Two coats gave perfect application, which left a smooth & perfectly applied manicure. Obviously, red is one of my favourite manicure colours so I will always be drawn to it, but I do feel like there is something a little extra special about this polish.

I picked up my bottle of OPI Infinite Shine Bring Out The Big Gems at my local Chatters Salon, but you can find this shade wherever OPI shades are sold. It is available in regular formula, the Infinite Shine formula, & in the Gel formula as well.

What do you think about OPI Infinite Shine Bring Out The Big Gems? Have you picked up any shades from the OPI 2022 Holiday collection? Which one was your favourite? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & what colour you’re planning on wearing on your nails for Christmas Eve!