Category: throwback

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Chocolate Cakes

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a blustery snow day here on the East Coast.

I apologize for my unannounced absence this week. The beginning of 2024 was a lot, & I didn’t realize I needed a week just to not do anything. But I’m back, & I have some new (shorter) nails to share with you to start off this new week. I’ve actually been loving darker shades a lot lately — January vibes.

For today’s Swatch Sunday pick, I grabbed an older shade from my stash — Essie Chocolate Cakes.

2 coats + top coat

This shade originally came to me in a set with Essie Ballet Slippers that I bought post-Christmas a few years ago. I remember loving the dark reddish brown shade, but being confused because I’d never heard of an Essie shade called Chocolate Cakes. I’m still not 100% sure which collection it was originally released with.

The formula though, is nice. This is two coats for full coverage. It was a bit thin, so I did find I needed the two to make sure I had no patchiness. It also pooled slightly at the cuticle line, so I had to make sure that I was careful with application. Mine came in what I think is an Expressie bottle, so it had the same wider brush which I always like.

I saw it described as a creamy dark chocolate shaded, but the red undertones really show up for me so I feel like it’s more a deep dark burgundy. We all know my love affair with red nail polish, so this is such a good alternative or option. Like I said, I’ve been wearing this shade for the last 3 days, so I’m really loving it.

I did find a few sites through Google that had this shade listed for sale, but I don’t know how reputable they are, so I’ll avoid posting them. However, I feel like this shade isn’t 100% unique, so you could definitely find a common dupe easily to get the vampy dark vibe this shade is giving off.

What do you think about Essie Chocolate Cakes? Are you a fan of this deep dark reddish brown? Do you remember this shade upon its original released? I always get excited when I find new to me shades, so I’m curious about the collection it was originally released with!

Have a lovely Sunday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Sable Collar

Hello & happy Sunday!

We finally have some nice Winter sun today which is nice after a week of not the greatest weather. Today, I’m pulling out an oldie Essie shade I’ve own for a long time: Sable Collar. I actually picked up this shade at my local Dollarama circa 2015 & I remember being so excited to find this shade.

2 coats + top coat

Sable Collar was originally released as part of the 2013 Essie Winter Shearling Darling collection. It is this beautiful smokey reddish brown, with an irresistible shimmer. It’s been so. long since I put this shade on, I totally forgot how gorgeous it is. The epitome of a winter shade (in my opinion). These are exactly the kind of shades that make me think of January.

The formula was pretty easy to apply on this one — two coats needed for full opacity. The first coat was definitely streaky, but upon the second we got the beautiful finish you see in my swatches. I did apply Essie Speed Setter top coat over my swatches, mostly because this ended up being my manicure for the last few days.

A nice close up of the finish.

Below you can really see the reddish brown shimmer in the bottle. I’m kind of obsessed — which is funny, because I’ve owned this bottle of polish almost a decade, but this is. the first real time I’ve worn it all on its own. & it’s giving me the cosiest vibes.

What do you think about Essie Sable Collar? Do you remember this shade from its original release? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & if this shade is giving you the same Winter vibes I’m feeling.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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Glitter Gradient Nails (With Revlon Nail Art Expressionist Duo)

Good Morning & happy Wednesday! It’s a snowy, messy, gross Wednesday here with a little bit of everything a winter storm can offer. But I’m excited because I have a fun (& easy) nail art look to share with you today using an old school polish that I found at my local Dollarama! Every so often, older polish collections & nail art items pop up in the beauty aisle. So I was pumped when I saw a few of these Revlon Nail Art Duos from 2015 show up at my local Dollarama.

My local Dollarama had two different styles in stock — one neon one, & the one Santa slipped into my stocking called 350 Ulterior Motif. It has a dark metallic gunmetal base shade, with a rose gold glitter for accenting.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Revlon Nail Art Duo 350 Ulterior Motif 

Don’t mind the tip wear — I stupidly photographed these after wearing them for a full work shift. But I love how easy this duo made it to create a funky nail art look, with no tools needed. I definitely didn’t take advantage of these sets when they were originally released — which is a shame, because they make nail art super easy!

Do you remember the Revlon Nail Art Duos from the mid-2010s? Did you have/do you have any in your nail polish stash? After using this one, I kind of want to go back & get the neon style because it will be fun to use in the Summer!

Have a lovely day ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY —OPI Sleigh Parking Only (Holiday 2014)

Hello beauties & happy Sunday! I hope everyone has been enjoying the weekend so far! Mine has been busy with work — Christmas in retail, am I right? — but I did have a chance to go through my stash & find a fun throwback Christmas shade from almost 10 years ago!

This is Sleigh Parking Only from the OPI 2014 Gwen Stefani Holiday Collection.

2 coats + top coat

This shade was originally gifted to me by a coworker, as part of a set featuring two of the glitters in the collection (more on that later). The shade itself is a dark plum purple, very appropriate for this time of year. The formula was easy to apply, with just a smidge of pooling towards the cuticle — you might be able to see where I had to do some clean up around the cuticle on my pinky nail.

The colour itself is very beautiful, even though I don’t know how “Christmas-y” it is just on its own. Definitely a winter shade though, with that dark plum colour.

However, as I mentioned I received this shade in a set that also contained two of the glitter toppers from the collection: Comet in the Sky, & Snow Globetrotter. I decided to apply a coat of Comet in the Sky over Sleigh Parking Only, & oh boy do I love how it looks! Definitely gives more of that holiday vibe — as glitter usually does!

Do you remember the OPI 2014 Gwen Stefani Holiday collection? Do you have shades from this collection? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & what your all time favourite Holiday nail polish collection is!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze I Soiree I Didn’t Do It (Holiday 2015 Cheers Collection)

Good Morning lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s the last Sunday of November which is kind of crazy. Yesterday was one month until Christmas Day, so I think it’s time to kick the Christmas nail polish content officially into gear.

Today I have a polish from the 2015 China Glaze Cheers collection. This glitteryblue/greenish shade is called I Soiree I Didn’t Do It.

2 coats + top coat

China Glaze I Soiree I Didn’t Do It is a jelly green base filled will blue, teal & silver glitters. The base is surprisingly dense with glitter, which was nice as I managed my manicure in only 2 coats. I was fully expecting that I was going to need 3-4 coats.

Obviously, you do still see some natural nail peaking through from behind the glitter, but with something as sparkly as this it kind of distracts so the average person isn’t really noticing. I also used one coat of I Soiree I Didn’t Do It layered over a darker shade on my pedicure, & it works great as a glitter topper as well to add a bit of sparkle.

A close up to show off the different glitters all packed into the base. There is definitely holo glitter in there as well. Like I mentioned, this was only two coats, & I was fully expecting I’d need another coat at least. I am glad that I didn’t have to apply another coat though, because this polish was definitely difficult to remove with all that glitter!

I did use my Olive & June polish remover pot •PR• — which I’m overdue on doing a proper review of — which made the process slightly easier.

Now because this is an older special collection shade, it’s not in regular circulation — however, I did find the Gelaze version listed on the China Glaze website, so that’s definitely an option for those who prefer using gel!

& for the non-gel users, China Glaze I Speak Glitter from last years Holiday 2022 collection is very similar in colour as well, except it appears to have some other glitters added to the mix as well. For anyone who owns that shade ( or both), I’d love to know how the two compare!

What do you think about China Glaze I Soiree I Didn’t Do It from the 2015 Cheers collection? Do you remember when this collection was released ? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

I’m definitely feeling the glittery holiday vibes now, so I’m going to find all the glitter shades I can to share over the next few Sundays!

Have a great day loves! ♥︎