Category: Swatch Sunday

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Can’t Beet Royalty (& a new Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat)

PR Sample/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Who else is in shock that Christmas is less than two weeks away?! While I’m super excited that this year is almost over, I can’t believe it either!

But before we skip ahead, I have a fun gift that Santa dropped off on my doorstep last week. Sally Hansen recently reformulated their Miracle Gel top coats (both glossy & matte) & they were so kind as to send me a bottle of their top coat & an accompanying shade: Can’t Beet Royalty.

2 coats + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat

First off, let’s talk about this beautiful Christmas-y red.

The formula is slightly cruelly, but still lovely, & I got almost full coverage in 2 coats (there was a bit of faint nail line, but it really wasn’t anything worth applying another coat of polish). As I’ve mentioned before, the larger brush means better application, because you’re able to do a single swipe over the nail. The colour is perfect for the holidays, & you know I will never shy away from a good red any time of the year. I also felt like this shade is very complimentary to my skin tone.

Now, as for this brand new formula for the Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat, I’m pretty impressed!

It boasts 8 days of chip free wear, which is always a plus. It again applies quite easily, & I noticed that it definitely has a speedier dry time than past versions. My one & only complaint was that I tried to apply it over some nail art, & it smeared everything. So I don’t know if it would be the best nail art top coat—I might try waiting a bit longer before applying—but it was great over a single colour. & I did notice it held up really well through work, which it helpful when you’re dealing with copious amount of stock boxes.

Such a pretty red!

How gorgeous would this look with some gold glitter in a gradient? Very festive! I swear my nails has been the most festive part of me this year. Christmas 2020 definitely feels very different.

What do you think about Can’t Beet Royalty & the brand new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel top coat? Have you tried either out yet? Let me know in the comments below what you think!

These items were sent to me for review. However, all opinions are my own

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Santa’s Side Chick

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. December is in full swing, & the Christmas vibes are… starting. Haha. Truthfully, I’m still not 100% feeling Christmas yet this year, especially because the weather outside is warm & not December-y at all. But all the more reason to pull out my Christmas polishes from years past.

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a oldie from China Glaze The Glam Finale Holiday 2017 collection: Santa’s Side Chick.

I originally picked this shade up at Winners, in a two pack with Slay Bells Ring, post holidays. I think it was something crazy silly like $5 for the whole thing, which was an awesome deal! But I’ve never actually worn this shade before, so I was excited to pull it out this year!

2 coats.

First thing I noticed about this shade was that it dries down to a beautiful satin matte. Seriously, I love a good matte nail polish. The polish itself is a beautiful bright berry, with this stunning underlying shimmer.

The formula was pretty easy, only needing two coats for full coverage. Like I find most reds, it’s a bit more jelly, but still had great coverage on the nail. It also dried really quick, which is always nice! & it dries really evenly, which I always appreciate in a matte polish.

Check out that close up (minus the cat hair, haha 🙈) — such a pretty shade, & finish. I

’ve actually been wearing this shade for the last three days — both matte, & with glossy top coat. You know how much I love a good red nail polish, so I’m glad I finally put this one out! Plus the name just makes me laugh so much. Best nail polish name ever!

What do you think about this beautiful Christmas red? 🎄 When do you pull out your holiday collection shades — just around their intended holidays, or anytime of the year?

Let me know in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Starrily Diamond Rain

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

We’ve almost reached the end of November, which is kind of insane, & Christmas is less than a month away. So you know what that means… gimme all the glitter! I figured for today’s Swatch Sunday I would pull out a gorgeous glitter gifted to me a few months back (by my nail fairy godmother Victoria at NailStuff.ca!): Starrily Diamond Rain.

2 coats + Essie Gel Setter Top Coat

Starrily Diamond Rain is a beautiful dark sapphire blue shade packed full of holographic flakes. It was released as a collab shade between Starrily & Kelli Marissa & apparently inspired by the Diamond Rain of Neptune.

The formula of this polish is very, very nice. I applied two coats for my swatches above, & I found it was the perfect opacity for me. The glitter is very thick & dense, which means it sparkles from every angle.

I don’t know about you, but the holiday season just makes me crave glitter in every colour, but blue is definitely one of my favs. As you can see in the above macro, the polish is very dense with glitter. That’s exactly what December needs… all the glitter. Our area has recently gone into stricter restrictions, & Christmas is… up in the air. So I definitely need some fun, beautiful glitter to cheer myself up! & this is the perfect polish for that.

For my Canadian friends, NailStuff.ca is currently having a Black Friday Sale, with deals on all the polishes (including this one!) so I definitely recommend checking it out! & you can even use my affiliate code COFFEE10 to save a little extra!

What do you think about this shade? Do you love glitter this time of year? What is your favourite glittery shade? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Zoya Ray

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Hope the world isn’t too crazy where you are — here on the East Coast, things are starting to get a tad crazy, so I need a good non-real world distraction. & what is better than nail polish? Lately, I’ve been really feel dark green shimmery nail polishes. They’re definitely out of my comfort zone, but they give me holiday vibes, & I think that is exactly what I need in my life right now.

So I decided to pull a fun Zoya shade from deep in my stash. Today’s pick: Zoya Ray.

2 coats + Top Coat (Essie Gel Setter)

Zoya Ray was originally released in 2012 as part of the Diva Collection. This shade came to be part of my stash in 2015 thanks to Winners, as it was tucked into their polish selection. I remember the colour catching my eye & the name is actually my middle name, so I knew I needed to have it. It’s a great Fall shade, but an even better pick for the holidays. & considering how quickly it’s looking like a lockdown for Christmas, I need all the beautiful polishes I can find to cheer myself up!

The formula on this shade is easy. I took 2 coats for application, although the first coat had almost complete opacity.

The shimmer is what really makes me love this polish — like I said, I’ve been really drawn towards green shades lately, & this one is just such a beauty. It’s also such a perfect Christmas tree green. I definitely will be pulling this beauty out again for some beautiful Christmas-y tree designs in the next couple weeks!

I did some internet snooping, but sadly it looks like this shade has been long discontinued. You might get lucky, & find it in a clearance bin, & if you do I definitely recommend picking it up!

What do you think about this Zoya shade? Do you own it? What is your favourite holiday Green? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hue There?

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re excited for some fun & festive nail polish!

I don’t know about you, but once the middle of November hits, I tend to start thinking holiday nail polish — & holiday nail polish for me usually means glitter! Earlier in the week, I was out at Shoppers with the hubby, & happened across a display for new Sally Hansen shades. One side had Complete Salon Manicure shades, & the other had some fun new Miracle Gel shades, including some glitter toppers & new shades (plus new matte & glossy top coats!)

While I definitely would have loved one of everything, I decided to stick to one shade & couldn’t pass up this beautiful holographic glitterbomb called Hue There?

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hue There?”