SWATCH SUNDAY — Claire’s Khaki Green

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! Another beautiful sunny Sunday. I know we still have a little under a month of Summer left (according to the calendar) but man oh man, do I feel the Autumn polish vibes calling. So I decided to pull out one of those more Fall-esque shades for today’s Swatch Sunday post. 🍂🍁

This is Claire’s Khaki Green.

2 coats + top coat

I’ve written before about my absolute love of Claire’s polishes, even after all these years. Working for the company really introduced my absolute nail polish obsession, especially they were always very good for duping current trends in their polish brand — like crackle, feather, etc.

Khaki Green is a beautiful olive geeen with a stunning shimmer of golden bronze that really pops on the nail, especially in the sunshine. It is definitely giving late Summer/early Autumn, & would be the perfect addition to any Fall nail polish collection. & I love how the shimmer actually shows up better on the nail than in the bottle, which I feel like is virtually unheard of (it’s usually the other way around.)

Seriously — look at that shimmer. It’s just so stunningly beautiful!

The formula on this guy was good & easy to apply. It actually had a good shiny finish, although I did add top coat to really gloss it up. Over all, a good shade from a mainstream brand that isn’t necessarily known for their nail polish. I always love when you kind find hidden gems where you wouldn’t normally think to look.

Sadly, this shade is a few years old now so (I’m guessing) no longer in rotation. But I definitely recommend checking out the shades they release, because there are always fun colours & finishes you wouldn’t expect.

What do you think of Claire’s Khaki Green? Do you like this shade of olive green with shimmer? Is this kind of colour one you would reach for come Autumn? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday 🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Color Club Bright Night

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a beautiful sunny Sunday here on the East Coast — & not too humid, which is a nice change of pace. The mornings are already starting to give us those small hints that Autumn isn’t too, too far away.

& I kind of love it.

Today, I’m sharing a fun polish I pulled from my stash which I feel like is perfect for both late Summer/early Fall vibes. This is Color Club Bright Night.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful cobalt blue was originally released as part of the Summer 2013 collection, but then became part of the permanent core collection because she’s still available on the Color Club website.

The formula on this one was easy to work with. With it being slightly neon, it does have a bit of a matte finish, so like all mattes it dries a bit quicker so two coats was definitely required to alleviate any patchiness. & of course, I added top coat for a glossy finish.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good blue nail polish — especially a cobalt blue! This shade reminds me a bit of Sinful Colors Endless Blue so I would be curious to do a comparison between the two to see how close they are.

& if you have both these polishes & have compared them — let me know down in the comments below!

What do you think about Color Club Bright Night? Are you a fan of these bright cobalt blue shades as well? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday 💙

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie All The Wave 🌊

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! After a bunch of rain, it finally looks like the sun is coming out today! Now, if only my allergies would give me a break!

Today I’m grabbing another fun shade from my stash to share with you today. This time, I dig into my Essie stash. This is Essie All the Wave, originally released in 2017 as part of the B’aha Moment collection.

1-2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful dusty blue was almost a one coater on my nails, but I did have a few nails I had to go back & add swipe to cover up some streak-age. I chalk that up to my own error rather than the polish itself. With top coat added, it does smooth down very nicely.

This colour is just amazing. I love how dusty the blue is. It’s great for Summer but also that transition into Autumn. Can you imagine it paired with like a burnt orange? Beautiful.

I looked online to see if this shade is still available, but aside from some Amazon listings, it seems to sadly be no longer be in the core rotation.

What do you think about Essie All The Wave? Do you have this shade in your collection? What is your favourite Essie blue? Let me know in the comments below!

🖤

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 ♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. This Summer has been so busy I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog responsibilities & dropping the ball on posting — really hoping August will be better for me! In the meantime, I dig into my stash to find a fun, Summer appropriate colour to share!

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up.

3 coats + top coat

Pucker Up is a vibrant cherry red with a creamy crelly formula. By that, I mean it has both qualities but leans a bit more in the creme direction when it comes to finish. It did, however, take 3 coats for almost full opacity, but with the thin formula it didn’t take long to dry.

Using a quick dry top coat did help with drying, however it caused some serious shrinkage at my tips & around the cuticles that I’m not happy about.

We all know I love a good red nail polish year round — it’s usually my go to colour when I don’t know how to paint my nails. & this vibrant red is just perfect for Summer. I also think it compliments my skin tone very well.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up is part of the Xtreme Wear core line, so it’s available where ever you purchase your Sally Hansen nail polishes. I picked up my bottle at my local Walmart — I think it was something like 2 for $6 CAD which is a pretty good deal

What do you think of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pucker Up? Do you like this vibrant red? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know what your favourite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shade!