SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Blue My Mind

Hello lovelies! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to a new week. It’s a beautiful weekend here on the East Coast, & I could get used to this. It’s starting to feel like Summer, & I love it.

Today I’m showing off a shade from the stash that I’ve never worn! (& honestly… I don’t even remember when I bought it!) This is OPI Blue My Mind.

2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful vivid sapphire blue with a turquoise shimmer. According to my internet research, it was originally released as part of the 2005 Brights collection but then became part of the core collection. However, upon looking it may now be discontinued as it’s listed as out of stock on the OPI website, & No Longer Available on Nail Polish Canada. I’m sure if you really look for it, though, you could find it via smaller beauty supply websites.

The formula on this shade was smooth & easy to apply. First coat has a bit of patchiness, so a second coat was perfect for full opacity. That’s what I like in a polish. Obviously a one coat polish is always the most desirable, but it’s not always realistic, so I don’t mind having to apply two coats. I did also finish things off with a coat of top coat, to give it a little extra gloss.

How pretty is the glow on this shade? I’m super impressed with the colour, the shimmer — all of it. Not your typical “summer” colour, but I’m digging it — & I think it would be the perfect base for some aqua stamping or some chevrons.

I actually do have some nail art featuring this as a base, so stay tuned to see what I did with this colour!

What do you think about OPI Blue My Mind? Are you a fan of this pretty blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

OPI Minis Skittle Mani

Hello lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone’s week is off to a good start. Today I’m sharing a simple skittle look for this mid-week slump.

I was recently going through my drawer of mini polishes, & found a few great OPI colours I haven’t worn in a while. Instantly I thought: these would look awesome in a skittle design. Easy manicure accomplished!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Londontown KUR Nail Hardener & Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Thumb — OPI Is That A Spear in Your Pocket (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Pointer — OPI Living On The Bula-vard (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Middle — OPI Two Timing The Zones (2017 Fiji Collection)
  • Ring — OPI Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? (2014 Nordic Collection)
  • Pinky — OPI Getting Nadi on My Honeymoon (2017 Fiji Collection)

I really, really like this combination of colours together. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m always jealous when I did these perfectly coordinated skittle manicures on Instagram because I never feel like mine look as good. This is the first time I’ve done one like this where I’ve been like “yes… perfect!” & I’m so happy about it.

As you can see from my product listing, I used 4 shades from the 2017 Fiji collection, & then one from the 2014 Nordic collection. I really felt like I needed one more darker shade to compliment Is That A Spear in your Pocket? & Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm? was perfect for that! I have so many of these little OPI mini bottles from sets I’ve collected over the years, & I really should reach for them more often.

What do you think of my skittle design? I was this close to adding little white “s” on each nail after my co-worker said they reminded her of berry skittles (we work in a candy store, so it would be very fitting!) but I ended up feeling sick that night & not having the energy to do it. Even still, I absolutely love this colour combination. It just looks so good together.

Have a fantastic Wednesday loves! ♥︎

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Butterfly 🦋

Hello lovelies & happy May 1st! Can you believe we’re almost half way into this year? It’s crazy. But before I jump head first into a new month, I want to finish off Glam Nails Challenge April with the last prompt — Butterfly.

There were so many ideas that popped into my head with this prompt, but in the end I decided I wanted to do a neutral, almost naked, base with a little sparkle & shimmery butterflies. & I’m so beyond happy with the end result.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Frill Seeker
  • Color Club On The List
  • Starrily Vantablack
  • Essence Violet Voltage
  • OPI My Gecko Does Tricks
  • Nailstuff.ca clear stamper & scraper set
  • Unknown stamping plate (which I bought as part of a set at Dollarama years ago.)

How pretty did these turn out. I just knew I wanted my butterflies to have a little bit of colour & I adore the shimmery purple & green together. It’s a very pretty combination. Works very well with the little bit of holographic glitter on the base shade. It’s subtle but also eye catching at the same time.

I’m kind of obsessed!

I can’t believe another month is behind us! Kind of crazy. I had so much fun with the challenge this month, & I hope you enjoyed all the manicures too!

Did you have a favourite design? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Monday!

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Nature Strong Emflowered

pr/gifted — Features Gifted Product in Exchange for Content

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful sunny Spring Sunday here on the East Coast, which is lovely to see. So I thought that something bright & Springy would be perfect for this week’s Swatch Sunday post.

Today’s pick is actually a polish I’ve had in my stash since last year when I teamed up with TradeSecrets.ca & was sent some beautiful shades by them from the OPI Nature Strong line. Somehow, I completely managed to forget to share some swatches, so I thought today was the perfect day to share. Today’s pick: OPI Nature Strong Emflowered.

2 coats + OPI Nature Strong Top Coat

The formula on this shade was really easy to work with & apply. I’ve used a few of these different “natural” formulas over the years, & I’m always impressed with how you notice very little difference with these cleaner shades. It applied easily, in two coats, with full opacity. & it dried down quickly between coats as well, which is always a plus! The formula was a bit on the thinner side so I was careful not to over fill my brush, but I had no issues with cuticle flooding.

The colour of this one is definitely stunning. I love a good purple-y pink shade, & Emflowered definitely is my kind of pink. It’s vibrant & lush, & I’m kind of obsessed. Also, we’re giving off some Barbie vibes & I really like that. Maybe it’s the influence of the movie coming out soon, but I’m digging bright pinks right now.

Over all, I really like this pink, & the shades I’ve tried from the OPI Nature Strong line so far. The colours & formulas have all been spot on, & they’ve lasted pretty well on my nails, even through a long shift at work.

You can find the OPI Nature Strong line on TradeSecrets.ca, as well as a ton other OPI collections to choose from. I’ve kind of been itching to buy some new polishes, & there are a few shades calling my name (especially since @GrapeFizzNails has been sharing her own fun OPI Nature Strong shades on Instagram) so I think I might need to do a little online shopping… maybe for Mother’s Day? I’ll definitely do a haul of what I get in that case!

What do you think of this beautiful shade (or any OPI Nature Strong shades you might have tried)? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Sunday darlings!

Products featured in this post were provided in exchanged for content. 

All thoughts are honest & my own.

GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE APRIL — Daffodils

Good morning lovelies & happy Wednesday! I hope everyone’s week has been lovely so far. The weather has been seasonal so far, which I can’t complain about too much. & the flowers are beginning to bloom.

It’s time for the next prompt of Glam Nails Challenge April: daffodils. & I’ll be honest I was nervous, again, about this prompt. I love love love doing floral, but this was a type of flower I’d never painted before. But, you know, I think I nailed it!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive Fast Dry Top
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Glos-Sea
  • OPI Nature Strong Make My Daisy
  • Essie Fall for NYC
  • Essie Check Your Baggage
  • Essie Cliffhanger
  • ACO by Ardene Jungle Green
  • Essence Bloom Me Up! Blow My Mint
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush

First off, check out this blue! I recently picked it up at Shoppers when I had some optimum points, & I’m really in love with it. It’s kind of hard to see in this lighting, but it has the prettiest pink-y shimmer in it. A fantastic colour for Spring. Also the perfect base for these beautiful yellow flowers.

Second I’m so, so proud of how these daffodils turned out. Sometimes I get self conscious when it comes to nail art I’ve never done before, but I really do love them. & it’s inspired me to do more floral again. I feel like I stopped doing florals for a while, & now that Spring is here, it’s time to pick up doing them again. Because, they really do make me so happy.

What do you think of my daffodils for Glam Nails Challenge April? Did you miss all the floral? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.