Category: Swatch Sunday

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SWATCH SUNDAY: ORLY Bailamos

Do you remember you very first polish of certain brands? I posted my very first Essie a while back, so I thought it would be fun to swatch another first polish… my very first ORLY! I picked up this shade (ORLY Bailamos) back in 2010ish at Winners. According to my internet googling abilities, it was originally released as part of the Summer 2010 collection. 

Bailamos is a stunning turquoise shimmer that screams Summer. Most importantly, it’s opaque in two easy coats. & considering this polish is 7 years old, the formula is still as flawless as when I first bought it. Obviously my weakness for a good blue/teal/turquoise polish has lasted a long, long time. 

Do you have this gorgeous ORLY shade in your collection? After searching this shade, I’m bummed I haven’t pulled it out of my stash to wear my often. Truthfully it did spend a good 2 years sitting in my parents addict (more props to that awesome formula for lasting!) but even still I can’t believe I haven’t reached for it more often. It’s just so pretty. Also I can only imagine how gorgeous this shade would look matte! Must try that next! 

What was your very first ORLY shade? Let me know in the comments below! 

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?

Happy Sunday! Today I have some shots of one of my favourite OPI shades–Dutch Ya Just Love OPI? which was originally released as part of the OPI Spring 2012 Holland Collection. This shade was on my “gimme” list a long time, & I finally scored it at Winners last year which was super exciting! I love the fact you can find so many hidden polish gems, especially those shades which are harder to find. 

Dutch Ya Just Love OPI? is a shimmery dark grape-y purple that takes 2 coats for total opacity. There are gorgeous magenta & golden shimmers that catch under the light. It also wears very well on its own–I managed to keep this polish on for 2 days with just minimal tip wear. 

This is one of those shades that I love to wear on it’s own without any need to nail art (which doesn’t happen too often with a non-holo shade!) There is just something about the pinkish golden shimmers against the grape base that makes me swoon. Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter this shade is perfect every season. It’s a particularly favourite shade on rainy days like I recently wore it. 

Do you have a favourite shade you love to wear on its own? Let me know your go-to shade in the comments below! 

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SUNDAY SWATCH POST: Essie In The Cab-ana

First off, Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mums out there! 🌸 

Continuing my Swatch Sunday trend with one of my all time favourite blues! You might remember last Summer I had a bit of a love affair with Essie In The Cab-ana & used it frequently (if not, check out the end of this post for a refresher haha). But it occurred to me I had never swatches the polish on its own so I knew I needed to!

Originally from the 2013 Resort collection, In The Cab-ana is the prettiest vibrant blue cream than leans slightly turquoise. It also has a great formula that only requires 2 squishy coats for full opacity.

But most importantly it’s just so pretty! I mean, I love blue in general when it comes to nail polish, but In The Cab-ana is extra special. You can bet I’ll be wearing this polish a lot again this coming Spring/Summer.

And a few more manicures featuring In The Cab-ana:

What do you think of Essie In The Cab-ana? It is part of your nail polish stash? What polish can you not live without? Let me know in the comments below!

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SUNDAY SWATCH POST: OPI Living On The Bula-vard!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently won some contests via Instagram, & one of them was a set of 4 OPI minis from their Spring/Summer Fiji collection. I wore the other 3 colours in my tropical leaves accent nail design, but hadn’t yet shown off the 4th so I thought I would do a quick swatch for you. 

OPI Living On The Bula-vard! Is a super virbrant red leaning coral that goes on opacque in 2 coats. The first coat went on a little thin, but the second coat filled in the colour well. At first I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about this colour, but as soon as it was on my nails I instantly fell in love. It’s not quite coral & not quite red–it’s honestly this perfect combination of the two in this weird way that makes me so happy.  

Living On The Bula-vard! definitely reminds me a lot of another OPI favourite–My Chihuahua Bites!–which is probably why I love it so much. & now I’m wishing I had checked to see if they were close to dupes before writing up this blog post… Whoops! Never the less, I will definitely be buying the large sized bottle of this colour. This is the kind of colour that brings out my olive undertones & highlights my tan so it’s perfect for Summer days! 

Do you have a favourite from the OPI Fiji collection? I’ve only tried the 4 minis, & I thought that Two Timing The Zones was my favourite, but after wearing it, Living On The Bula-vard! definitely has come out as the clear winner! 

I’m going to try & make swatch Sundays an ongoing thing. I’m always taking pictures of my solid colour manis, but never post them so I thought it would be a good time to start! This could be old favourites, new polishes, or just randoms from the stash. If you have a request, let me know in the comments below! ♥️