Fall Inspired Glitter Gradient

Hello lovelies, happy Tuesday!

It’s been… well I can’t even remember how long since I last wore a glitter gradient. Even though it’s been hot & balmy weather, I was feeling some darker, Fall-esque nails. So I decided to grab a few fun (& Autumn appropriate shades) from deep, deep in my nail polish stash.

I mean, if Starbucks can release Pumpkin Spice today, I think a little dark polish is okay.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Hard Candy Zombie
  • Maybelline Color Show Rose Bling

I’ve always really enjoyed glitter gradients because they’re so quick & easy. In fact, I created this gradient without even using a sponge… just the bottle brush itself! So it really does cut down on application time, & the clean up is even more minimal!

& Oh my, after wearing this combination, I really I think I want to find some more fun glitters — most of my glitter is like pink, or purple, or silver, or gold. I need some bronze-y shades, or something! A nice Fall shade that will pair with a dark purple or burgundy perfectly! I might need to go through my stash a bit better, & see what glitters I’ve forgotten about.

What do you think about this glitter gradient? Are you enjoying this Fall manicure transition or would you like to see a bit more brightness or neon before September? Let me know in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

Hello lovelies & Happy Sunday. Yes, it’s happened… I’ve stumbled into the Fall polishes, & I’m not even upset about it. In fact, I’m quite giddy about it!

Today I have an exciting Swatch Sunday pick to share with you, because it is a time honoured classic OPI shade & it always happens to be a favourite Fall favourite of mine: Lincoln Park After Dark.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter top coat

This deep purple shade is so dark it’s almost black, which is the perfect combination of witchy & vampy for the Autumn season. In the bottle you can see the dark grape-y purple tones, but on the nails it definitely pulls more black-y.

Application was pretty easy; base coat, two coats of polish, & finished with top coat. It built to even opacity, which I’m always happy about. & I’ve never had any issues with removal, which again is always a plus when it comes to a dark polish like this.

I just absolutely adore this not-black shade. It’s silky, it’s sexy, & it’s pairs perfectly with a pumpkin spice latte & my favourite Fall plaid dress.

What do you think about OPI Lincoln Park After Dark? Do you have this classic OPI shade in your collection? Have you already started pulling out the darker Autumn shades from your collection? Let me know down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Morgan Taylor Looking For A Wingman

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

I had originally had different plans for my Swatch Sunday post — I had done a couple Insta-polls asking what people wanted to see for this post, & the consensus was still Summer-y & something new… but life got in the way (aka my 1 year old refusing to sleep) so instead I grabbed an untried shade from my stash that I bought pre-COVID times. & I think today’s shade is perfect for impending Fall weather: Morgan Taylor Looking For A Wingman.

Looking For A Wingman was originally released in 2016 as part of their Fall Sweetheart Squadron Collection. The shade is a beautiful (slightly) pink leaning burgundy cream, which is absolutely perfect for Fall!

For my swatches, I did 2 coats over my base coat, plus finished it with Essie Speed Setter top coat. Usually I would use Gel Setter, as it gives the glossiest finish, but my local Shoppers was all out when I went to pick some up.

The formula was really easy to work with, & the opacity built easily in two coats with no weird patchiness. Reds always seem to be hit or miss in formula, I find, so I’m very happy when I find an easy to apply one! As you know, I’m such a sucker for a good red!

What I really like about this shade is even though I would consider this a Fall shade, the colour itself is bright enough that it works as a good transitional shade. Am I the only one who has colours she prefers for seasons? I feel like people think I’m a little strange because I have set “Spring/Summer” shades & “Fall/Winter” shades. Maybe it’s my years of retail seeping into my brain?

I did find a few places online where it appears this shade is still available including, NailPolishDirect (UK based), but a lot of the places seem be for beauty professionals, so I’m not sure how easy it is to track this shade down.

What do you think about this Morgan Taylor shade? Have you started embracing the Fall vibes? Are you dreaming about Pumpkin Spice yet? Let me know down in the comments below!

Stamped Sweater Nails

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Hello lovelies! & happy Tuesday! I’m super pumped to share this manicure with you, because we recently had a nice splattering of snow fall & winter-y sweater nails just seemed appropriate. I also really, really wanted to use a couple old stamping plates of mine that are Christmas/Winter themed that I always feel like I forget to use when the season comes around!

I don’t do a lot of stamping, but I have been doing it more often & I like how quick it can be. So you can probably expect to see more Christmas-y stamped looks coming up so that I can use a bunch of stamping patterns I never have before. & there definitely needs to be some ugly Christmas sweater nails happening.

But in the meantime, let’s take a look at today’s manicure!

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For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Green Tea Bamboo Strengthener
  • Top Coat: YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Pat on the Black
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Get Mod
  • Sally Hansen MG Make It N-Ice
  • Revlon Iconic
  • Born Pretty Store Stamping plate BP-L032 (item #23268)
  • Born Pretty Store Stamping plate BP-L018 (item #19373)
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper

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Oh man, I can’t believe how much I love love love this manicure. The colours work so well together, & this looks gives me all the cosy feelings. The weather has definitely taken that winter-y turn if always does in November & there is nothing I love more than wearing cosy sweaters & drinking copious amounts of warm drinks when that happens. &, okay, maybe all the holiday decorations that are increasingly popping up in stores may be giving me the Christmas feels. Last year I was too sick with never ending morning sickness to even think about Christmas nails, so I’m really excited to make up for it this year!

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What do you think about these winter-y sweater nails? What is your favourite kind of Christmas design to wear? Share all your thoughts down in the comments below & let me know what designs you’d like to see me do coming up!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie For The Twill Of It

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Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a lovely start to this new month. Today I decided to pull an old favourite from my stash & one of the first Essie shades I ever owned: Essie For The Twill Of It. This polish was originally released as part of the Fall 2013 collection & I picked it up back then in a set of 4 minis at my local Marshall’s.

Now I have featured this shade before in my original China Glaze Choo Choo Choose You Post, but it’s long overdue for me to give this gorgeous polish its own spotlight!

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For my swatches, you’re looking at 2 coats of polish over my usual base coat. I skipped top coat for my photos so you could see For The Twill of It in its natural state. There are a few bumps in the polish once dried, but that could be chalked up to this polish being A. 6 years old & B. being a mini bottle, which I always find let’s to the polish getting gloopy or dried up faster. However, a nice coat of thick top coat (like Essie Gel Setter) will smooth any issues out.

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Look at the silver to fuchsia & green/turquoise shift… how gorgeous! Depending on the light it can be very apparent & pops off the nail! I also really love the tiny micro shimmer that is almost Holo-esque in the sunshine. It really gives this polish an amazing dimension that is unlike most other grey metallic polishes I own. I saw someone refer to it as an “oil slick” nail polish, & that really is the perfect description.

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For once, I picked a Swatch Sunday polish that was still available for purchase! You can find For The Twill Of It available in a few places like…

If you don’t already have a bottle in your stash, I definitely recommend picking one up. Also who else thinks that this shade would be the perfect base for an over the top glitter gradient? Holiday party ideas are brewing!

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What do you think of Essie For The Twill Of It? Do you own this beautiful shade? Let me know down in the comments below!