SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI First Date at the Golden Gate

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely & enjoyable weekend. I’m excited because I’m really embracing all the Autumn vibes with today’s Swatch Sunday pick. I know, I know… it’s still Summer. But my pumpkin spice loving heart is ready for more, & today’s polish pick is definitely filling the void.

Today I’m rocking OPI First Date at the Golden Gate which was originally released as part of the 2013 Fall/Winter collection (so perfect for Fall almost 9 years later!) This shade came to me during a Chatters sale, although I can’t exactly remember. The bottle is dusty though, so she’s definitely been around a while.

3 coats, no top coat.

The formula on this shade is soft & smooth, & applied to the nail easily. I did have to go with 3 coats of polish, as it was a bit on the thin side, but they dried surprisingly fast. This is always a bonus when you have to apply anything more than 2 coats.

I also like how syrup-y the finish looks, even without top coat.

The colour of this one seems absolutely perfect for Fall & I can’t believe I haven’t really reached for it much this time of year. First, it’s a not-quite-red — & we all know I adore read nail polish! But the shade has this burnt quality, with brown undertones, which reminds me of when the leaves shift around the end of September, beginning of October.

& that’s my favourite time of year!

What do you think about OPI First Date at the Golden Gate? Do you have this beauty in your collection? Do you enjoy me posting these throwback Fall collection shades? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Crystal Drag Marble (featuring Black Dahlia Lacquer Frozen Twilight & Winter Dusk)

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Features Gifted Product in Exchange for Content

Good morning lovelies & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s week is off to a not too stressful start. Today I’m excited because I’m sharing a stunning nail art look that I’m really, really excited about using the beautiful shades from Sunday’s Swatch Sunday post.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Black Dahlia Lacquer Frozen Twilight (NailStuff.ca exclusive)
  • Black Dahlia Lacquer Winter Dusk (NailStuff.ca exclusive)
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio — I used the thinnest one to make it easiest to create my drag marble

Look at the close up! I adore the look of Frozen Twilight against Winter Dusk.

I’m not going to lie — I was a bit nervous about how well these two shades were going to marble together. & quite honestly, this might be the most successful (& beautiful!) drag marble I’ve done in longer than I can remember. It sort of reminds me of when you find rocks that have geodes & crystals running through them.

It just turned out so pretty!

The jelly formula on Frozen Twilight being a bit on the thinner side meant it was also a lot easier to get the polishes swirling without things starting to dry too quickly. Nothing worse than trying to do a drag marble, & your polishes are drying as your trying to marble them! Then you get weird bald patches & have to start over. Ugh, the worst! But these two shades marbled together like a dream & I’m super happy with the end result.

What do you think about this drag marble featuring Frozen Twilight & Winter Dusk? Do you like how I paired these two shades together? Do you love the Autumn vibes that these shades are giving off? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Products featured in this post were provided in exchanged for content.  All thoughts are honest & my own.

Gold & Burgundy Colour Block

Hello lovelies & happy Monday! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

Myself — I worked all weekend, so it was very busy. The holiday season is full effect, especially in retail, so I’ve really been feeling somewhat pre-Christmas vibes. & I’m showing it off on my nails! Today’s look was really me just feeling some holiday colours. I wanted to pull out some of my more holiday-esque shades, but without going to fall into Christmas land. This feels like a good balance between Fall & the holidays.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • China Glaze Screen Vixen
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Pat On The Black
  • Finger Paints Piece De Resistance

Who doesn’t love red/burgundy & gold paired together? I think it’s such a beautiful combination. I also haven’t worn one of these colour block looks in a long time, & it’s such an easy look to pair together. &, like so many nail art designs that I love, an unlimited amount of colour combinations. You know that I’ll be doing a full Christmas colour block once we get into December (or at least slightly closer to December).

What do you think of this colour block design? Leet me down in the comments below, & let me know what colours you would like to see me do next!

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!

Matte Knit Sweater Nails

Hello lovelies & happy November… officially. We’re three days into the month, & I’m already feeling those post Halloween, pre-holiday vibes. Maybe it’s the fact every store has already decked their Halls fully, but you can definitely feel a shift in the air.

& you know what that means… sweater nails!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Matte Top Coat
  • China Glaze Intelligence, Integrity & Courage
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Zip Wine
  • NailStuff.ca 7mm detail brush

This look was a design that was inspired originally by @xglitzandpolishx & I did a version of it last year. I loved that one so much, I really needed to recreate it again… this time with a difference colour scheme. November brings greyer skies, so I thought I would paint my nails to match… with just a smidge of colour. &, of course, I had to add some matte top coat. It’s my favourite top coat in the cooler months, not sure why.

Also, sad to say… this was my last design I did with my longer nails. The cooler weather brings on easier breaks, so I’m now rocking some shorties. But that’s okay! Bring on the fun Fall designs for short nails! I’m actually really excited for some pre-holiday designs, cosy knit nails, & lots of jewel tone nail polishes!

What do you think about this knit sweater look? What are your favourite nail art designs for November? Are you already jumping on the Christmas polishes/looks, or do you like to wait until December? Let me know what you’re looking forward to seeing down in the comments below!