SWATCH SUNDAY — CNDVinylux Dark Dahlia #159

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. I hope everyone is having the best weekend possible — the last weekend of Summer vacation ( at least around here.) It’s crazy to believe August is basically over, & school starts for us this upcoming week. Autumn is quickly approaching, & you know what that means… Fall nail polish!

I haven’t had a chance to buy any new Fall colours yet, but I did some perusing of my stash & found some shades I haven’t really worn since buying them. Today’s polish pick — in particular — I think I bought last Autumn, & it’s been sitting in my stash ever since, so this last (unofficial) weekend of Summer felt like a good opportunity to pull it out.

This is CNDVinylux Dark Dahlia.

2 coats + top coat

First thing I notice about this shade is it’s very much giving the same vibe as OPI Lincoln Park After Dark — a super dark purple, so dark it almost appears black. Although, I will say… I think CND Vinylux Dark Dahlia might be even darker than LPAD.

The formula is smooth & supple, & applies to the nail very easily. In two coats, it builds to this dark shade that is so vampy. I feel like this is very much going to be my signature shade I go to this Autumn–dark purple, dark blue, dark red. Just the vampiest of nail polish colours.

What do you think about this vampy dark purple colour? Are you feeling the vamp, kind of goth vibes. I love the idea of wearing a shade that looks black from far away, but when you look at it up close you realize it’s not.

& yes, it’s getting me extra excited for Halloween. We all know how much I love Halloween!

What do you think of CND Vinylux Dark Dahlia? Are you feeling this shade as much as I do? Is it giving you warm fuzzy flannel vibes, like it is for me? Let me know your thoughts down below & share what Autumn shade/collection you’re most excited for!

Enjoy your Sunday loves.

❤︎

Purple & Gold Dotticure 💜✨

Hey beauties, happy Wednesday!

It’s another snowy Wednesday here, which is making this December feel very festive. I think this is the most snow we’ve had in a December in longer than I can remember. Now if only I could get enough holiday spirit to get my shopping finished.

Today I’m sharing a pretty holiday-esque design. Not outright Christmas, but using some older season Holiday polishes so I feel like it counts! Plus it wouldn’t look out of place at a Holiday party while you drink too many eggnogs!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Cure
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Morgan Taylor Plum-thing Magical (2017 Little Miss Nutcracker collection)
  • OPI Rolling in Cashmere (Gwen Stephanie Holiday 2014 collection)
  • Small-ish dotting tool

Oh goodness, I just adore a good dotticure. The gold looks lovely against the purple-y plum base, especially with its shimmer. This is such a simple look to do, but eye catching at the same time. I love it! & sometimes I just need to rock a colour other than red or green, you know?

What do you think of the glam dotticure? Would you wear a design like this? Can you believe we’re two weeks away from Christmas Eve, & 15 days away from Christmas morning? Crazy!

Happy Wednesday

🖤

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!

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Milani 17A Deep Thoughts

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! How are we already the second Sunday into November. I should probably start thinking about Christmas shopping soon!

Today I found a super forgotten shade in my stash, that I hadn’t realized I’d never swatched! This is Milani 17A Deep Thoughts.

2 coats + top coat

Oooooh boy this is a beautiful deep, dark purple with a stunning purple/pink shimmer. It does appear darker on my nail than in the bottle—I’m scared maybe I didn’t shake it enough to get the shimmer to show up. It’s there — it’s just a little more subtle than I would like.

But, for a 13 year old polish this beauty is still looking amazing & applying amazing! I was actually really impressed with just how flawlessly the formula applied! This shade was released sometime in 2012 (according to my internet—Google—research). Sadly, Milani has since discontinued their nail polish production, which is a shame because they did it very, very well!

Close up! One of the things I love about this colour is that from far away, it almost looks black. & then when you get closer you can see it’s dark purple colour & the subtle shimmer, & it’s really just so beautiful. I’m quite obsessed with the overall package.

What do you think about Milani 17A Deep Thoughts? Do you love this deep dark purple shade? Do you remember Milani’s line of nail polishes?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

Glittery Chevron Claws ✨🔪

Hello lovelies & happy Friday!

This week has been a whirlwind, & a lot has been going on, but I refused to skip out of a final (non challenge) design of the week!

Today is an easy design that turned out so perfect — glittery chevron claws. It’s just the perfect amount of sparkle.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen InstaDri Top Coat (red bottle) 
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rockstar Pink
  • Deep Chevron Nail Vinyls

Look at the close up of that sparkle — isn’t that just so pretty? Also the pinky purple blue glitter just looks so beautiful paired with the dark base of Belle of the Ball.

What do you think of my glittery chevron claws? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.