Tag: Grey

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Avon Stardust Collection Silver Crystals

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Can you believe tomorrow is December 1st — we officially have 32 days of 2025 left. That is just crazy!

Today I have another throwback shade from my stash to show you. I’ve been feeling glitter (a lot) lately, so that’s what I’ve been wearing! Trying to get myself hyped up for the season. & when I saw this glittery textured Polish on my stash, I knew I had to share!

2 coats + top coat

Hello textured glittery perfect. This is Avon Stardust in Silver Crystals & it’s a beautiful grey with lilac undertones & large & small glitters. It dries down to a rocky texture, but I did apply top coat to mine which smooths that texture out some, but helped with wear.

The colour is really pretty. It’s silvery, but it’s lilac, & those multi sized glitters really pop. This shade was released around 2014 (I believe) at the height, or near the end, of the textured polishes boom. I’ve always been a huge fan of these glittery textured polishes, so I’m glad I’ve kept this beauty in my stash all these years.

The close up really shows off all those beautiful glitters. & you can see that even with the layer of top coat, the textured finish comes through — just not as roughly.

The removal was a bit tricky & needed a lot of strong nail polish remover. I had glitter all over my hands afterwards, but nothing a little soap & water can’t fix. & it was totally worth it for that sparkle.

As I mentioned, this shade was released around 2014 so it is no longer available. I’m not even sure if Avon still makes nail polish anymore. But I am certainly glad to have this shade in my stash, & wearing it did make me feel a little festive.

Also: nail polish companies — bring back textured nail polish! It’s such a fun finish to wear, & I would love more shades in my collection!

What do you think about this textured shade? Do you enjoy textured nail polish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

🖤

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Colour & Go 122 Chic Reloaded (2012)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It is a chilly, very Autumn-y feeling Sunday. The Fall chill is definitely in the air — & I’m drinking all the pumpkin spice things. It also means I’m craving all the Fall-ish nail polish colours, so I’ve been digging through my stash looking for shades from years past to put on.

& naturally that meant perusing through my Essence stash. I’ve been a hardcore Essence lover since they had those tiny little round bottles, & it continues to this day. When looking for a fun Autumn shade, this one immediately jumped out. This is Essence Chic Reloaded.

2 coats + top coat

Chic Reloaded is a beautiful dark grey metallic duochrome, that flashes purple or blue depending on the light. Similar to Essie For the Twill of It, or OPI Peace Love OPI, it has that beautiful oil slick effect to it. However, unlike the previous two mentioned shades, I feel like Chic Reloaded has a much stronger duochrome effect! Which, for a drugstore shade that cost me maybe $2.99 CAD at the time — circa 2012 — that is pretty darn amazing!

You can really see the two different shade in the close up shot! Such a fun effect on the nails. I also like that Chic Reloaded has a darker grey base, because it feels more moody.

The formula on this guy is also super easy to apply. My only complaint has nothing to do with the polish itself, but with my topcoat which I think is getting old & caused some shrinkage. Other than that, this shade is perfection & I would love to see Essence bring back more formulas like this into their current core collection!

What do you think of Essence Chic Reloaded? Are you a fan of the Essence line of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

🖤

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Spooky Season Holo Skull & Crossbones ☠️🖤

*contains PR

Hello lovelies & happy Friday. I hope everyone’s had a great week so far.

The weekend is almost here & it’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada so I expect to be in a full food coma by Sunday night. I thought it would be fun, though, so start my Spooky Season nails with a fun little skull & cross bones design.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

How fun as these?! Again, I got to use another one of those beautiful Essie shades I was recently gifted which is very exciting. Sadly, I wore these on a day when it was cloudy & rainy so the fun holo effect was not showing up very well.

What do you think of this fun holo skull look? Just a little dip into the Halloween nails to come. ☠️ You know me, Halloween is my favourite season for nail art, so I’m excited to share lots of fun designs with you.

Enjoy your Friday!

🖤

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Essie Fall Skittle 🌈🍁🍂

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

I’m feeling rested from having the whole weekend off work, & ready to take on another week. Now it’s time to ready for (Canadian) Thanksgiving next weekend! Maybe I’ll sneak in some kind of Thanksgiving themed nail design sometime this week.

Today, though I’m sharing a super easy Fall design with you all. It’s been a while since I rocked a skittle look, so I thought I would pull out a few Autumn-esque Essie polishes for a quick skittle look!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base 
  • Base Coat: LA Colors Mega Grow Treatment 
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Frock n Roll (thumb)
  • Essie For The Twill of It (pointer)
  • Essie Cross Body Heat (middle)
  • Essie Back in the Saddle (ring finger)
  • Essie Vested Interest (pinky finger)

How well do these shades pair together? I always find that’s my struggle when I’m trying to create a skittle look, is finding the shades that look best together. I think this collection of shades really flatter, & I love it. The colours are slightly muted, with a few bits of shimmer thrown in. I’m actually obsessed with how well they go together!

What do you think of this Essie Fall Skittle look? It’s like an Autumn rainbow!

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & I hope everyone had a lovely start to their week.

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Sable Collar

Hello & happy Sunday!

We finally have some nice Winter sun today which is nice after a week of not the greatest weather. Today, I’m pulling out an oldie Essie shade I’ve own for a long time: Sable Collar. I actually picked up this shade at my local Dollarama circa 2015 & I remember being so excited to find this shade.

2 coats + top coat

Sable Collar was originally released as part of the 2013 Essie Winter Shearling Darling collection. It is this beautiful smokey reddish brown, with an irresistible shimmer. It’s been so. long since I put this shade on, I totally forgot how gorgeous it is. The epitome of a winter shade (in my opinion). These are exactly the kind of shades that make me think of January.

The formula was pretty easy to apply on this one — two coats needed for full opacity. The first coat was definitely streaky, but upon the second we got the beautiful finish you see in my swatches. I did apply Essie Speed Setter top coat over my swatches, mostly because this ended up being my manicure for the last few days.

A nice close up of the finish.

Below you can really see the reddish brown shimmer in the bottle. I’m kind of obsessed — which is funny, because I’ve owned this bottle of polish almost a decade, but this is. the first real time I’ve worn it all on its own. & it’s giving me the cosiest vibes.

What do you think about Essie Sable Collar? Do you remember this shade from its original release? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & if this shade is giving you the same Winter vibes I’m feeling.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎