SWATCH SUNDAY — Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon 💫

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful Sunday at that — although, still desperately waiting on some rain in this part of the country (we really need it!) So today I thought I’d wear something a little moodier, a little cooler in hopes of encouraging some rainy weather.

I also thought it would be fun to pull out a polish from my stash from a now discontinued brand: Nicole by OPI. In my earlier nail polishing days I was absolutely obsessed with the Nicole by OPI days, so I’m sure you can imagine how many shades of I have in my collection. This is Shoot for the Maroon.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful flakie purple has a deep dark base, with a metallic micro flakie effect that gives it beautiful dimension. Depending on how you move your hand, it shifts pink, purple, golden & even a little green. Super beautiful!

You can really see those micro flakies. I love the shiftiness of this shade & the dark jewel like tone. It’s a beautiful polish that just says Autumn & I’m here for it.

Sadly, the NOPI line was discontinued in the latter 2010s, so they’re no longer available in stores. I have seen some bodies available online, but not sure how easily you can find them. It’s a real shame, because I feel like this line was a great mainstream line for more specialty formulas — like this shade!

What do you think about Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon. Do you still own any of the NOPI shades? What were your thoughts on the brand — let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Throw in the Towel 🕶️ (2020 Sunny Business collection)

Contains PR

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a sunny, hot & humid Sunday here — & we are still without some much needed rain unfortunately.

Today though, I’m sharing a bright & summery nail polish shade with you, that I kindly received gifted from Essie. This is Essie Throw in the Towel.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful bright coral pink is gorgeous Summery shade! The formula was a bit on the thin side, but built easily to opacity. My nails are on the shorter side right now, so if they were longer I would probably do three coats to avoid visible nail line.

The colour is very vibrant & eye catching, which I love. I used to be all about the corals on my nails in the early days of my nail addiction, but started leaning towards more blues & purples — & I’m realizing now how much I love a bright coral on me!

You can definitely see in my close up that this shade is a big on the sheer side, but it doesn’t make me love it any less. It’s light enough I don’t find that too distracting.

Essie Throw in the Towel is part of the Essie core collection, so you can purchase it anywhere you buy your Essie nail polishes. In Canada, it usually ranges anywhere between $9.99 CAD to $14.99 CAD.

What do you think about Essie Throw in the Towel? Do you love this bright coral pink as much as I do? Doesn’t it just scream Summer? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Ruby Do

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a beautiful start to your day. It’s been a busy couple of days, so I’m really relishing my cup of coffee this morning.

It’s Sunday! & the first swatch Sunday of August. I was perusing my nail polish stash, & realized I have quite a few shades I’ve never shared on here! So I decided pick one of those shades to share with you, & the one that caught my eye first was Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Ruby Do.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful dark berry shade is a current member of the Sally Hansen CSM core line up, so it is available anywhere you purchase Sally Hansen nail polish. I do love the cream formula, & it applied quite smoothly. I believe my bottle was gifted by my Mother in law around 2017, so it’s going strong after almost 8 years. Love that!

The colour is very Autumn-esque, but I think it’s a great August transitional shade, before I really dive into the Autumn colours. It’s not too dark or jewel toned. (& you could pair it with some brighter purple & turquoise for some fantastic nail art!)

Give me any red & I am a happy girl.

What do you think about Sally Hansen CSM Ruby Do? Are you a fan of this beautiful berry shade? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! I’d love to know what you think.

Happy Sunday

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Glow With The Flow (2015 Electric Nights Collection) ⚡️

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

I hope everyone has had a gorgeous week. Does anyone else feel like this Summer is absolutely barreling towards the end. It’s almost the end of July. & the other day, I saw Back To School items in Walmart!

Today I’m going full Summer vibes, though, with a shade originally released as part of China Glaze 2015 Electric Nights Summer collection. This is Glow With The Flow.

2 coats + top coat.

The first thing you notice about Glow With The Flow is it has a surprisingly easy to work with formula, especially for a neon-y cream pink. Sometimes I find with neons, they can be streaky or hard to apply. But this one truly applied like a dream. I also did thicker coats, instead of thinner ones, but I still didn’t have any issues with dragging. & it settles to such a beautiful smooth finish, especially with the addition of a coat of top coat.

How vibrant & beautiful of a pink! & So Summery! I actually let my little girl pick what colour I should do for this week’s Swatch Sunday pick, & naturally she picked pink. This shade was sitting in my stash just waiting for its moment to shine.

Sadly, this shade was released as a limited edition shade, so I can’t find it for mainstream purchase. That’s the only downside to buying from these amazing collections — you fall in love, & then when you want to replace it (or encourage someone else to buy it), it becomes an impossible quest.

What do you think of China Glaze Glow With The Flow? Do you love this beautiful warm neon pink as much as I do? Would you wear it? I always love to hear from others in the comments –makes my whole day! — so share with you think!

Happy Sunday

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY —Essie Gel Couture Electric Geometric (Pattern Play Collection 2022)

Contains PR

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday.

I hope everyone had a lovely week. We had quite the balmy week here; Summer is in full swing. So you know I’ve been loving pops of colour on my nails! Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is so perfect for these hot July days we’ve been having: Essie Gel Setter Electric Geometric.

2 coats + Top Coat

I was kindly gifted this beauty of a shade by Essie a few months ago, when they also sent me New Highs from the Dopamine Rush collection. Electric Geometric is a beautiful fiery red cream, that applies very smoothly on the nail. 2 coats gives you fantastic opacity, which I like in a red nail polish. It was originally released as part of the Pattern Play collection in 2022, but then became part of the core collection.

I love how poppy this colour is. Red is always my go to shade, so this one is very fun to wear. It also has like a hint of pink undertones, which gives it a slight edge to my other reds (& it pairs very well also with orange/corals for nail art.)

Look at that red!

I stand by the statement that everyone needs a few good red in their collection for good measure. & if you’re looking to add to your red collection, this is a great option. I feel like this red would look fantastic on all sorts of skin tones.

Essie Gel Couture nail polishes generally retail between $11-$16 CAD, depending on where you’re buying it from. I do really like the formula on the Gel Couture line, & while I’m not sure if it lasts longer than other nail polishes — I’m very hard on my hands at work — it’s a great formula. & the top coat is awesome & dries very quickly!

What do you think about Essie Gel Couture Electric Geometric? Do you love this poppy vibrant red as much as I do? I’d love to know all your thoughts in the comments below, & what Summer-y shade you’re currently wearing on your nails!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

♥︎