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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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Skyscraper (Fall 2011 Metro Collection)

Good morning lovelies & happy first Sunday of October. It’s a beautiful Autumn day, I’ve been jamming to Taylor Swift’s new album for the last two days, & I’m currently enjoying my maple brown sugar coffee. It’s a good day! I’m also excited for another Swatch Sunday.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t really been in the mood to buy new nail polish. Maybe I just need a trip to Sally Beauty, but my usual haunts are not really cutting it right now. However, the plus side of me not buying new polish, is I’ve been going through my current stash a lot more often & finding long forgotten about gems — like today’s polish pick. This is China Glaze Skyscraper from their Metro Collection from Fall 2011.

2 coats + top coat

Once upon a time, purple used to be my signature colour (after red, of course) & as a result I spent many years buying every purple, or purple leaning, polish I could get my hands on. Skyscraper is a gorgeous dark blue/indigo jelly base packed full of silver & blue micro glitters. Some of the pictures of swatches of this shade I’ve seen seem more blue than my bottle, but maybe that’s the result of it being 10+ years old (I can’t remember exactly when I bought it, but I did post about it here.)

Close up shot to see all those glitters. I only did 2 coats on my nails for swatches, but you could definitely do another coat for even thicker glitter — or sponge it on to make it really glittery! I was happy with the opacity I had after two coats though, & especially happy with how easy the formula was to apply The first coat goes on very thin, but that second one saves it & gives it a beautiful finish. Will I enjoy removing this glitter? Well we will have to see.

But I do love wearing it!

What do you think about China Glaze Skyscraper? Do you own this shade? What do you think about the colour?

China Glaze has long been one of my favourite go to brands (I own a drawer & a half of their polishes!) but I feel like I haven’t really checked out the new revamp they recently did. I’m definitely going to have to go to my local Sally’s & check out the new bottles & polishes they’ve released!

Happy Sunday!

♥︎

Deep Wine Red with Sparkly Glitter Placement

Good morning lovelies & happy Friday! & happy The Life of a Showgirl release day to my fellow swifties! I’m going to one of the showings tonight with a friend for the album, after I get off work, & we decided to go in blind without pre-listening, so today is going to be a serious test of my willpower!

But in the meantime, how about a little sparkle. We are in full October vibes now, & while I am having so much fun doing Halloween designs for the Glam Nails Challenge, I thought I would switch it up a bit with just a little dark glitter placement.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen InstaDri Top Coat (red bottle)
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Revlon Color Stay Gel Envy Heartbreaker
  • Essie Nail Art Studio Glitter Separated Starlight

Okay I don’t want to sound too conceited, but like how freaking glamorous do these nails look? I absolutely adore how they turned out. The sparkle is kind of subtle, but not subtle. It’s definitely an everyday kind of glamour, & perfect for these Autumn October days! Also, no tools required which I always love because sometimes I’m just too tired to spend an hour on something more complex (especially when I have to be up at 5:30am to get ready for work!)

So what do you think of this design? I know it’s not a groundbreaking nail art look, but I think it just looks so pretty. Definitely my go to when I want something chic, but not complex. & just a little bit subtle.

Happy Friday!

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Autumn Abstract Stripes

Hello beauties & happy Monday.

I know — two posts in two days, who is she? But after a rough month with little nail painting motivation, I’m really trying to get back into doing it again. Nail art is my antidepressant, & my brain is so much calmer when I’m regularly creating beautiful designs! I plan on starting Glam Nails Challenge October on Wednesday as well, so prepare for a month of fun prompts & even more fun designs!

Today’s look — a favourite: abstract stripes. But with an Autumnal flair.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Good To Go Top Coat
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Berry Fancy
  • Revlon Black Cherry
  • OPI Icelanded a Bottle of OPI
  • Quo Beauty Shimmer & Shine
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

At first, I thought about doing classic (straight) stripes — but there is something about abstract stripes that just feel fancier to me. Especially now that my nails are feeling so short. They just look way fancier (& complicated!) than they actually are, which I love.

What do you think of my Autumnal abstract stripes? Are you a fan of these designs? Also, are you excited for October & Halloween designs?! Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Monday

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI PeePee’s Purple Passion (2011 Muppets Holiday Collection)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a rainy Sunday here, feeling very Autumn-y (minus how muggy it’s been). That means — more shades that just feel perfect for the season. & for today’s Swatch Sunday post I reached way, way back into my stash to find something perfect! This is OPI PeePee’s Purple Passion, from the 2011 OPI Holiday Collection.

2 coats + top coat

Firstly, this shade seems more like a dark dark red than a purple, which is why I probably initially purchased it. I’ve also heard it described as a dark raisin, which I can get behind. Regardless of what the colour is, the formula is easy to work with, & the flakies make the finish very unique. It gives a little dimension to the polish, which I like.

& for a 14 year old polish, it holds up very well. I wish I could say the same for my bottle of Rainbow Connection (from the same collection).

Oooh close up! You can really see those different flakie glitters in the formula.

Do you remember this shade from all the way back in 2011? Did you have any of the Muppets Holiday shades? I was absolutely obsessed with getting my hands on Rainbow Connection — as was everyone else — but this was definitely before my nail polish obsession fully took hold!

Happy Sunday!

🖤