Tag: beauty trends

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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!

♥︎

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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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Cosy Autumn Plaid🧣

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! & happy Thanksgiving Weekend to my fellow Canadians celebrating this weekend. It’s officially shifted into Fall weather (almost in overdrive) & the days are feeling cool, & the leaves are feeling crunchy!

Today’s look is one I’ve done a million (plus) times, but still remains a favourite. Nothing screams Autumn to me more than a plaid nail art look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen InstaDri Top Coat (red bottle) 
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • NailStuff.ca Essentials Raven *pr
  • OPI Icelanded A Bottle of OPI
  • Color Club What’s The Matte-r
  • OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI
  • Revlon Devine
  • NailStuff.ca 16mm Striper Brush

I wanted to start off with a super dark base, so I went with my bottle of NailStuff Essentials Raven. Such a good black! (& I’ve been loving black lately.) Then using my other colours, I layered on lines to create the woven plaid look. Super easy, & comes out beautifully.

What do you think of my cosy Autumn plaid? Do you like these seasonal designs that aren’t necessarily Halloween centric designs? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE OCTOBER 2025 — Ghost 👻

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! It’s hope your week has been as calm & peaceful as can be.

Today is our third prompt for Glam Nails Challenge October, which is ghost! I do love a good ghost design especially this time of year, so I was excited to give this a go. I wanted to create a ghost look slightly different from ones I’ve done in the past, & I think I managed to create a spooky & fun look. & I’m so in love with how they turned out.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen InstaDri Top Coat (red bottle) 
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • China Glaze Skyscraper
  • Essence Pastel Ombre Top Coat
  • OPI Alter Ego
  • Icing Store Black
  • Small Dotting Tool (NailsStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

So the trick of creating these translucent ghosties is using a really, really shear white polish (or mixing a more opaque white with a clean polish to thin it out.) I Have this Essence Pastel Ombre Top Coat from years, & years ago, & while I’ve never used it for an ombre design, it works perfectly for nail art like this! I also added a bit of OPI Alter Ego for a bit of extra shimmer/glow.

What do you think about this ghostly design? Do you like the spooky sheer effect of the ghosts. I feel like these ones are definitely more on the spooky side, compared to my ghost designs of years past — which I’m loving! Let’s go for all the spooky vibes this October — I am here for it!

Happy Wednesday

♥︎

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE OCTOBER 2025 — Candy Corn

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! & Happy October 1st. It is officially my favourite season, & I can’t wait for all the spooky fun that this month will bring. Give me pumpkins, & ghosts & all the treats!

Today though, I’m excited because I’m officially committing to Glam Nails Challenge October for this month. It’s been… a while. It’s been a long while. But I think what I need to get out of my nail art slump, & create some beautiful designs, in honour of my absolute favourite month. & the first prompt of Glam Nails Challenge October is candy corn! I, for one, am a huge fan of candy corn (when I can find it that is gluten free) so I was pumped to paint it on my nails. & I thought I’d do something similar to a design I did a few years ago, where I did a candy corn themed dotticure.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Good To Go Top Coat
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Essie Nail Art Studio Jelly Gloss Blush Jelly *pr
  • Madam Glam Nail Art Pen White *pr
  • Madam Glam Nail Art Pen Orange *pr
  • Madam Glam Nail Art Pen Yellow *pr

How cute are these itty bitty polka dots? I used some of my Madam Glam Nail Art pens, & they worked perfectly for the finest dots. I love them!

&, I also got a ton of compliments on this look over the weekend when I wore them to work, which always makes me so happy. Whenever I’m at work at someone notices my nails, it gives me such a sense of pride, & really does make my whole day! So I was very excited when I got multiple compliments on my nails.

What do you think about my candy corn inspired nails for the first prompt of Glam Nails Challenge October? All the prompts for this month are so exciting & fun, & I can’t wait to really dive into the challenge & come up with fun & creative designs — & share some super cute new nail art stickers I bought just for this month!

Enjoy your first day of spooky season!

♥︎