Category: throwback

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Two Timing the Zones

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Another stormy, snowy Sunday is on its way here… because Winter just isn’t getting the message that it needs to go. So I thought I’d brighten things up a bit with a Spring/Summer polish pick from a few years ago: OPI Two Timing the Zones.

2 coats, no top coat

Two Timing the Zones was originally released in 2017 as part of the Spring/Summer Fiji collection. I picked up this beauty, along with a few others, in a pack of 4 mini polishes that I actually won thanks to an Instagram contest.

This is such a fun, summery shade. The formula on this guy is pretty easy to work with, & has full coverage in 2 coats. My swatches were without base or top coat, to see the colour all on its own. I definitely thinking adding a layer of top coat, especially a thicker glossier one, would definitely give it some extra punch.

The shade is really pretty. It kind of reminds me of flamingos, which reminds me of all things Summer, so I’m here for it! & I just want warmer weather, & sunny days, & sandal weather already. This would be such a cute pedicure colour.

So like I said, this shade was originally released as part of the 2017 Fiji collection. But, apparently Beyond Polish still has the collection available in regular, Infinite Shine & Gel, so if you need this shade, you can definitely still add it to your collection!

What shades are you wearing to try & conjure Spring (if you live in a barren Winter-land like myself)? Let me know down in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s another snowy Sunday here, which is not what I was hoping for. But it matches well with the nail polish I picked for this week’s Swatch Sunday pick: Maybelline Color Show Blue Marks The Spot. This shade is actually a super oldie, going back to (I think) 2013! I picked my bottle up on Clearance a few years ago, after Maybelline had stopped making the Color Show brand.

3 coats, no Top Coat.

The first thing about Blue Marks The Spot is that it is very, very thin. This is 3 coats of polish, & you can still see the nail below. I’m not sure how many coats you would actually need for full opacity, but I’m going to guess it’s more than I would want to do haha. You could definitely do a white or blue base, though, if you wanted to the sheerness.

The formula is sheer, like I said, but other than that it’s not too hard to work with. The coats dry quickly, & the glitters are very well dispersed so you don’t have to worry about digging around trying to find them.

Obligatory macro shot.

I used to be so, so scared of glitter nail polishes & never want to wear them because removal would be impossible. Obviously, taking off glitter polish isn’t my favourite thing, but I’m not quite so scared of wearing my glitters like I used to be. Which, is good, because I love, love, love these spotted polishes & have quite a few in my stash from different brands.

What do you think about this fun spotty nail polish? Do you remember the Maybelline Color Show line, & these spotted polishes in particular. I also have the green one, Drops of Jade, I’m kind of sad I didn’t get the whole range of these shades were they were out, but maybe some day I’ll discover more in the bottom of a clearance bin to complete my collection haha.

Have a lovely Sunday!

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Purple & Gold Freehand Swirls

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday!

Hope everyone is having a very lovely week so far! We’ve actually been having a beautiful weather here in Halifax — very un-November like weather! It’s been absolutely beautiful… which has kind of made being inspired for nail art a little difficult. So I decided for my latest mani to go with a look I used to do all the time — this freehand dainty swirl look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • OPI Ink
  • Essie Getting Groovy
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

Back in circa 2014-2015, I used to love freehanding these swirly looks, so I decided since I wasn’t feeling all that inspired, it was a great look to go with.

I really love the look of the gold over the shifty purple base of OPI Ink. I feel like this look is very regal — it also gives me slight wrapping paper vibes, but I’m not mad about it. I think it looks very beautiful. It was definitely a good nail art choice in this in between time when it doesn’t quite feel like Fall, but is too early (in my eyes, anyways) for Christmas.

What do you think about this nail art look? What designs are you wearing right now? Have you started thinking about Christmas nail art? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Bat My Eyes (Halloween 2013)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

This is my first Swatch Sunday in a while — this month has been a bit crazy, & I let my swatches get away from me in favour of other nails. But I’m back, & I’m ready to share a fun Halloween polish from a few years ago — China Glaze Bat My Eyes from the 2013 Monster’s Ball collection.

This shade has been in my stash a very, very long time (I do believe my Mum gifted me if for my birthday in 2013) & I don’t think I’ve actually wore this polish more than once. So I was happy to break it out for today’s post!

1 coat over China Glaze Glamcore + top coat

I made the decision to too Bat My Eyes over a dark base to avoid a lot of coats of polish. The base is darkened, but I feel like I remember needing a few coats of polish last time I wore it, & I wasn’t really feeling this.

For one coat, though, the glitter is very densely distributed. You have multi-sized bronze-y hex glitters, with the occasional bar glitter.

You can really, really see all the different sizes of glitters in my macro shot, including the bar glitters.

I also really love the combination of the gold with the dark — it is a very nice Halloween-y type shades. But China Glaze has always done amazing Halloween shades, & I love this one held up all these years (my bottle of Howl You Doing? from the same collection sadly did not fair as well.)

What do you think about this Halloween shade? Would you wear Bat My Eyes for your next October manicure? What is your favourite Halloween polish? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Satin Sister

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Another week has quickly sped by, & that means it’s time for another fun Swatch Sunday post. I recently put in an order through NailPolishCanada.com, & excitingly enough, my shades arrived earlier this week! I grabbed some gorgeous shades on clearance, so I am very excited to share what arrived.

First up, I have this Essie Winter 2016 shade: Satin Sister. Funnily enough, I just scored Getting Groovy (from the same collection) at Shoppers Drug Mart on clearance for $2 a couple of weeks ago.

2 coats, no top coat.

Essie Satin Sister is a beautiful creamy darkened teal blue. Depending on the light, it either leans to the blue side of things, or to the greener ends of things. The colour itself is great for Autumn. It’s deep & jewel toned, which I very much enjoy. It was kind of a spur of the moment polish pick, but I’m really happy with my decision.

Usually I’m more of a navy blue kind of girl, so this is a really nice change up for me. Its something a little bit different for me.

The formula is nice. This shade still has the skinny Essie brush of yester-years, but if didn’t affect my application to much. Like I said, I needed two coats for opacity — even without top coat. That’s not too bad. Obviously, I would love for a one coat wonder, but two coats isn’t too bad.

The only thing I’m a bit nervous about is removal, which I haven’t attempted yet. Definitely feel like this could potentially have some staining power, but hopefully not!

What do you think about this shade? Are you loving darker shades right now? Let me know all your thoughts down I the comments below! & shade what shade you’re currently wearing right now.