Tag: nail polish

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Claire’s Evil Queen 🖤👑

Hello beauties & happy Sunday! Can you believe it’s already the middle of September. Like how did that happen? I’m in full cosy Fall mode 24/7, so obviously that means pulling out a fun Autumn shade to show off. & this shade from the early days of my nail polish stash is perfect!

This is Claire’s Evil Queen.

1 coat over Hard Candy Scam + top coat

This beautiful shimmery duochrome has thin dark maroon vase packed wth a thick sea of shimmery fuchsia & blue glass flecks. Unfortunately it does show up better in the bottle than on the nail, but it does have a beautiful finish that I’m obsessed with (& is why I’ve held onto this bottle for over 15 years!)

Check out that shimmer! It’s just so beautiful. 😍 I love how it shifts in the sunshine. Obviously, if I had applied another coat I could have had it a bit thicker. I have also worn it on its own without any undies, but I do find you need more coats than you might want to deal with to get full opacity.

What do you think of Claire’s Evil Queen? Do you remember when these shades were released, all the way back in the late 2000s? They were alleged dupes of the MAC Villainous Villains collection — although I sadly never got to compare (although Throwback Lacquer has a fantastic post about the original polishes!)

Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

🖤

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Autumn Colour Blocking 🍁🍂

Hello lovelies & happy Friday! I hope everyone is having the loveliest of Fridays… the weekend is almost here! I thought I would break up the Glam Nails Challenge content with something different. I’m full into the Autumn vibes now, so a Fall inspired colour blocking was exactly what I was feeling!

As I mentioned in my Swatch Sunday post, I’ve really been digging into my China Glaze stash lately & really loving all the polishes from Autumn collections past. So I pulled out a few Autumn shades to enjoy.

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
  • China Glaze Mind The Gap
  • China Glaze a Whole Latte Fun
  • China Glaze Loves ‘Em & Leaves ‘Em

Don’t mind those bit of wrinkles — I may have been rushing a smidge when I was doing this mani, so I did muck it up just a smidge. But it still turned out beautifully, & I think these colours just go together so beautifully. I’m definitely going to need to remember this colour combo so I can use it again, maybe in a stripe or chevron look!

What do you think about this Autumn colour block? Do you like this combination of colours? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

& happy Friday!

🖤

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE SEPTEMBER (2024) — Sunflower 🌻

Good morning lovelies & happy Wednesday! It’s a beautiful & slightly chilly day here on the the East Coast — very Fall-like. Makes you want to snuggle up in your favourite cardigan & sip on pumpkin spice!

Today we have another Glam Nails September look to share, for the prompt Sunflower. This one I’m very excited about because I feel like it turned out so beautifully, & it’s embodies Autumn vibes to a tee!

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
  • Dimension Nails Amazonian Manatee (c/o: NailStuff.ca)
  • Starrily Nails Magma (c/o: NailStuff.ca)
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • China Glaze Autumn’s Up
  • Essie Expressie Cold Brew Crew
  • China Glaze The Snuggle Is Real
  • Essie Willow in the Wind
  • China Glaze Loves ‘Em & Leaves ‘Em
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush

Okay, how perfect is this colour combination? I’ve been wanting to apply Starrily Magma over a dark green for a while now, & I think it turned out so beautifully. It really reminds me of a leaf, mid change in the Fall. I’m obsessed.

Secondly, I just love these little sunflowers turned out. The colours compliment the base so perfectly, & they just look so perfect. 🌻 I couldn’t have asked for it to turn out more perfectly, & I honestly never wanted to take them off. I could have worn them for weeks… if I didn’t have other manicures to complete this month!

What do you think about my cute little sunflowers? Do you love this look as much as I do? Oh man, I always forget about floral for Fall, but it is beautiful! 🧡

Are you following along with the other nail art designs for this month’s Glam Nails Challenge September? Don’t forget, you can check out #glamnailschallengesept24 on Instagram, & see all the other beautiful designs being shared!

Happy Wednesday!

🖤

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE SEPTEMBER (2024) — Autumn Leaves 🍁🍂

Good morning lovelies & happy Monday! It’s a beautiful day, feeling ever so Autumn-like, so I feel like today’s manicure is the perfect match. We’re onto the next prompt of Glam Nails Challenge September, which is Autumn leaves. 🍁🍂

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie First Base 
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie Vested Interest
  • Essie Leggy Legend
  • NailStuff.ca Clear Stamper
  • Born Pretty Store Stamping Plate BP-L026

How cute did these turn out? My stamping did show up a little bit lighter than I was hoping, but I do love how pretty this colour combination is! Also I’ve been having so much fun digging through all my polishes of Autumn’s past & pulling out some forgotten favourites — like these beauties from Essie.

What do you think about this design? Are you enjoying the prompts so far this month? I know I certainly am enjoying all the Fall-themed prompts, & I’m excited to share more!

Don’t forget, you can check out #glamnailschallengesept24 on Instagram, & see all the other beautiful designs being shared!

& happy Monday! ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars 🌌

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a surprisingly sunny day considering it was full on torrential rain yesterday. today, I dug deep into my stash to pull out a favourite Fall nail Polish to share with you for this week’s Swatch Sunday — this is China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars from the Fall 2015 The Great Outdoors collection.

1 coat (!) + top coat

This beautiful dark navy blue really comes alive in the sunshine to show off the beautiful shimmer scattered throughout. But, sadly, it is much more hidden than it appears in the bottle which is a bummer.

Nonetheless, this shade is still an Autumn favourite & you can definitely amp up with the shimmer with a fun topper like Essie Shine of the Times or Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Moonlight top coat. Plus the fact it only requires one smooth coat really makes it a shade I love.

For those curious, this beauty is still available on the China Glaze website, so I’m guess maybe it’s transitioned into the core collection — although I haven’t checked to see in person if it’s available where they usually sell China Glaze, but it does seem to be available at quite a few online retailers.

What do you think about China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars? Do you have the Autumn beauty in your collection? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday 🖤