SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI DS Bold (Designer Series)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s beautiful & sunny, but with that Autumn crisp chill that makes bundling in layers necessary! But it’s worth it for that crisp sound as you walk over fallen leaves.

It’s Sunday, so you know what that means: Swatch Sunday! I missed last week, so I hope some sparkle from (a few) years ago will make up for it. & since October is also my birthday month, I thought some sparkle was in order!

This is OPI DS Bold from the Designer Series collection.

2 coats + top coat

I can’t remember exactly when I picked this shade up — I do know it was either a Winners or Marshall’s find — but it was originally released in 2011 as part of the Designer Series. It is a very tricky packed jelly red… which also gives a little pink depending on the light, with a lot of tiny silver microglitters.

According to the release I read, it’s packed with “diamond dust”.

The formula on this guy is pretty thick after all these years, but not too thick I couldn’t get a good base. The glitters were definitely a bit difficult to remove — as are many glitters — but that could always be remedied with a peel off base coat of you only wanted to wear it for a night.

The glitter is definitely fun & vibrant & was a nice choice to wear. I kind of wish I had the other colour from the same release (Temptation) which is a beautiful indigo purple with the same densely packed glitter finish.

So what do you think of OPI DS Bold? I seriously feel like OPI needs to bring this collection back, because it contains so many fun & unique shades — with a little extra pizzazz.

Happy Sunday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene Bonne Nuit

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. We’re halfway through January & that’s kind of crazy.

But everyone in my social media feeds keep taking nostalgic trips back to 2016, so I thought I would do the same — only with nail polish! & back on 2016 I was all about the Ardene brand of nail polishes, so I thought I would share a beauty from that time: Aco by Ardene Bonne Nuit.

1 coat over Rimmel Blue Eyed Girl + top coat.

So yes, I did use some under-polish for swatching this beauty because it. is. thin. But I think it applies beautifully & you really get that shift of colour from blue to a purple hue. There is a nice micro glitter shimmer as well, which I remember loving a lot in the mid-2000s!

Now this shade is definitely a relict of another time, because Ardene no longer sells this brand of nail polish. I still have a drawer of this brand in my stash, that I stare at frequently, & every so often pull out for nostalgia sake. I also love that they were so trendy when it came to finishes, at a very affordable price point!

What do you think of this very mid-2010s nail polish? Do you remember what shades you were obsessed with circa 2016? Let me know what shades you were obsessed with back then, & if they are still top of your list 10 years later!

Happy Sunday loves!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Milani 17A Deep Thoughts

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! How are we already the second Sunday into November. I should probably start thinking about Christmas shopping soon!

Today I found a super forgotten shade in my stash, that I hadn’t realized I’d never swatched! This is Milani 17A Deep Thoughts.

2 coats + top coat

Oooooh boy this is a beautiful deep, dark purple with a stunning purple/pink shimmer. It does appear darker on my nail than in the bottle—I’m scared maybe I didn’t shake it enough to get the shimmer to show up. It’s there — it’s just a little more subtle than I would like.

But, for a 13 year old polish this beauty is still looking amazing & applying amazing! I was actually really impressed with just how flawlessly the formula applied! This shade was released sometime in 2012 (according to my internet—Google—research). Sadly, Milani has since discontinued their nail polish production, which is a shame because they did it very, very well!

Close up! One of the things I love about this colour is that from far away, it almost looks black. & then when you get closer you can see it’s dark purple colour & the subtle shimmer, & it’s really just so beautiful. I’m quite obsessed with the overall package.

What do you think about Milani 17A Deep Thoughts? Do you love this deep dark purple shade? Do you remember Milani’s line of nail polishes?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY—China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald (Fall 2010 Vintage Vixen Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. The first Sunday of November! I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween. I definitely ate my weight in mini bags of Sour Patch Kids & Starbursts.

But now we’re moving on from Halloween, at least for another 363 days, & it’s time to focus on the latter part of this year! I thought for today’s Swatch Sunday post I would pull a favourite from my stash to share, that is the perfect colour story for a November day. This is Emerald Fitzgerald from the 2010 vintage vixen collection.

2 coats + top coat

The formula on this beautiful dark green was a bit on the thin side, but easy to apply. It needed two coats for full cover, but as you can see from my swatches, it covered beautifully. For a nail polish that is potentially 15 years ago — I purchased mine on clearance circa 2013 or so — she doesn’t seem affected by age at all. The dark green colour has a beautiful shimmer that’s very easy to see both in the bottle & on the nail.

Close up shot really shows of that shimmer that’s so prevalent in the formula & it’s truly stunning. It gives this colour a little bit more depth which is just stunning. & I’m not usually a green kind of girl, but I think because this one has kind of a blue-ish undertone to it, it has always drawn my eyes more than your typical green.

It really is the perfect green for this inbetween time after Halloween, but before Christmas/Holiday designs start. It’s just such. stunning jewel tone.

What do you think about this old school China Glaze shade? Like I mentioned, I purchased this guy going on 13 years ago — & it was released 15 years ago — so she’s not easily found in circulation nowadays, but I did find a few listings for it online when I was trying to find out information about it’s original released.

Happy Sunday!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Triple Shine Wavy Blue

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy Thanksgiving Sunday to my fellow Canadians. I hope your day is full of yummy turkey, stuffing & pumpkin pie.

Today I’m digging deep, deep into my nail polish stash for another polish from years past. I found a line of Sally Hansen polish I had almost forgotten existed (it was pushed very far into the back of my drawer), but I’m excited to decided to pull it out because it’s very pretty!

This is Sally Hansen Triple Shine Wavy Blue.

3 coats, no top coat

As far as I can see from my Google research, this line was released in 2014 & was marketed as being extra glossy, without the need for top coat.

The formula on Wavy Blue is definitely on the thinner side, which means I needed a solid 3 coats for full opacity— but it’s thin enough, it dries very quickly. Obviously if I was on the run, I would slap a quick dry top coat, but it does have a nice shine without.

The colour is beautiful, although I was kind of expecting more of a purple shift like in the bottle. I wonder if you applied it over something like black, would that duochrome shift show more. Overall though, it’s a beautiful polish, wifh a beautiful finish. I’m not entirely sure why it’s sat in the back of my stash, untouched, for so long — but I’m glad I decided to reach for it!

What do you think about this old school Sally Hansen shade? Do you remember this line of polishes? I feel like it was pretty short lived — which is a shame, because the colour is very lovely!

Happy Sunday

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