SWATCH SUNDAY — Zoya Kissy

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Hello lovelies! & welcome to not only the last Swatch Sunday of the month.. not only the last Swatch Sunday of the year… but the last Swatch Sunday of the DECADE! So obviously when selecting this weeks shade I wanted something perfect for New Years, but also something special. & I decided to dig deep deep deep into my nail polish stash & grab a very very special shade: Zoya Kissy.

This polish came into my life as a gift for Christmas 2011 & was the very first Zoya I ever owned. It was originally released as part of the Zoya Gems & Jewels collection for Holiday 2011–here is a vintage Vampy Varnish post featuring this shade (for those curious!)

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Kissy is a densely packed glitter topper with fuchsia bar glitters, Holo bar glitters & fuchsia microglitters. I believe that the base used to be more clear, but it had turned pinky over the years.

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You’re looking at 3 coats over my (almost) bare nail, which gave me pretty awesome coverage. I used a peel off base coat underneath so that they would be easier to remove. You can also use this shade over top a base shade (I thought about doing it over black or navy blue — the pink would really pop) & it will cut down on the coats of glitter you use, but will still look beautiful. I think this would also be gorgeous for a New Years Eve glitter gradient!

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Like I mentioned before, this glitter shade is about 8 years old… but you can still find it for purchase online which is amazing! NailPolishCanada currently has Kissy stocked, so if you need this shade in your life, you are in luck. It is also available on the Zoya website as well!

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What do you think about this beautiful glitter — do you have Zoya Kissy in your stash? Have you picked out what you’re wearing on your nails for New Years Eve yet? Hop on over to Instagram & let me know!

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI DS Extravagance

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Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. This is my first swatch post since my disastrous nail break last week, so obviously I need to pick something stunning to share. & Today I’ve got one of the most beautiful polishes I own, & one I always pull out this time of year–OPI Designer Series Extravagance. This polish was a birthday gift given to me 5 years ago, & I love to wear it in October on or around my birthday.

The OPI Designer Series was a collection of polishes (that are now discontinued I do believe) that were a step above OPI’s regular polish line. A lot of them had holo glitter & flakies to give them a special touch. Extravagance was my first polish from this line, so it holds a special place in my heart. It was also one of the first holos I ever owned, & helped me fall in love with holographic nail polish.

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For my swatches, I did base coat, 2 coats of polish & finished it off with YSL Beauty Quick Dry Top Coat. I’m planning on doing a full post on this top coat, but oh boy am I loving it so far. It dries SO QUICK you guys, like I almost can’t believe it. It might actually be the quickest quick dry top coat I’ve ever used.

The formula on this polish is pretty damn awesome. First coat goes on not quite opaque, & the second coat gives your nail a beautiful sparkly finish. It’s slightly jelly like, but not quite as much as say China Glaze Private Side-Eye. The glitters are so dense though, which is what makes this shade just so beautiful. Literally, it turns your actual nails into gemstones & I love it.

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Even though I do believe this collection has been discontinued, you can see find the polishes available in some places like nailpolishcanada.com & amazon, as well as a few other places they sell OPI I’m sure.

I must say, I don’t officially have a list of all time favourite polishes but if I were actually to sit down & compile one (which I’ve been thinking about doing), this shade would definitely be on it! There are only a few polishes I’ll ever truly wear on their own without even thinking about nail art, but Extravagance is definitely one. It’s just too perfect. 💗

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What do you think about OPI DS Extravagance? Do you own any shades from the Designer Series collection & which is your favourite? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I’m super excited to share brand new swatches with you of a new polish! & yep I changed my nail shape again. Round/almond nails just work so much better with newborn life.

Today’s polish pick a new to me shade which was actually gifted to me by my Mom as a gift after having our baby girl: Essie Gel Couture Princess Charming. 🌸

This pink neutral has an amazing formula which goes on in easy coats. It is almost a one coaster, & you could quite possibly apply in one if you were super careful (my pinky only needed one coat). I did two with thin coats, & everything levelled down perfectly, even before I added my top coat (Essie Gel Setter).

This link is such a nice neutral shade, which boarders on almost a nude. This is definitely a great Office appropriate shade that you could wear everyday. There is a hint of mauve to this shade as well, & I really like the duskiness of it. It would also make a fantastic base for nail art.

This is only my second ever Essie Gel Couture shade, but I must say if all of their polishes are like this I’m definitely going to need to change that! I am beyond impressed with the formula & how smoothly it applied. Not only that, but it seemed to dry quickly before I even applied my top coat. I’m definitely curious to see how well the polish holds up for me & how long it lasts on my nails before chipping.

Do you have a favourite Essie Gel Couture shade? Do you own Princess Charming in your own stash? Share all your thoughts on this polish down below.

SWATCH SUNDAY — Quo by ORLY Color Amp’d LA Dreamin’

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. Today I’ve got a bright & girlie pink to share with you from deep in my stash: Quo by ORLY Color Amp’d in LA Dreamin’. This shade is from the Shoppers Drug Mart based Quo by ORLY range & I picked up this particular shade in the clearance last Summer for only $1!

For those who don’t know, these Color Amp’d shades are designed to wear like gel, lasting longer than your tradition polishes. They are designed to be paired with a Gel-like top coat that, when paired with the polish, will create that gel like bond on your nail.

For my swatches, I used 3 coats of polish & finished with top coat. The polish itself is very, very thin so you need a lot of layers in order to build opacity. You could definitely use some white undies to keep layers to a minimum, but for my swatches I wanted to show the polish on its own.

Even with 3 coats, there is still some visible nail line showing (although not as well in my swatches). Even though I don’t usually like thin formula polishes like this that show off nail line, there is something about this pink shade that I don’t mind it as much. It also has this slightly neon quality to it that I really like with my skin tone for Summer because it brings out the natural olive undertones in my skin & makes me look more tan… which is ALWAYS a good thing.

Who doesn’t love pink!? What colour do you feel like is your shade for Summer? I feel like with how much I’ve been wearing it lately, pink/coral is going to be the shade for me for Summer 2019!

Pink Drag Marble with Gold Glitter

Hello lovelies & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is recovering from the time change this past weekend. I’m currently trying to recover from another fantastic cold, but I did manage to get my nails done before it struck me down this weekend! & it was so exciting to play around on my nails.

& what was I feeling? A drag marble. & oh boy was I rusty!

The polishes I used for this manicure:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Ardene ACO Dashing
  • Ardene ACO Road to Nowhere
  • Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Black Heart
  • Sinful Colors Twilight Twinkles
  • Nailstuff.ca dotting tool

It’s been forever since I attempted any kind of drag marble design & my base shade (Ardene Dashing) was a little too quick drying which added some difficulty to my look. But the more I look at this design, the more it’s grown on me. I added a bit of gold glitter flakes which I’m not sure if it added to the design, but I was a little haphazard with my placement.

& my favourite nails? My thumb & my pinky. The design on both definitely turned out be best. As you can see, the swirl on my thumb looked just perfect. If only every nail had turned out this amazing.

What do you think of this look? Which nail do you think turned out best? Which colour combo do you think I should try next?

Share you thoughts down in the comments below!