Tag: purple

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon 💫

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A beautiful Sunday at that — although, still desperately waiting on some rain in this part of the country (we really need it!) So today I thought I’d wear something a little moodier, a little cooler in hopes of encouraging some rainy weather.

I also thought it would be fun to pull out a polish from my stash from a now discontinued brand: Nicole by OPI. In my earlier nail polishing days I was absolutely obsessed with the Nicole by OPI days, so I’m sure you can imagine how many shades of I have in my collection. This is Shoot for the Maroon.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful flakie purple has a deep dark base, with a metallic micro flakie effect that gives it beautiful dimension. Depending on how you move your hand, it shifts pink, purple, golden & even a little green. Super beautiful!

You can really see those micro flakies. I love the shiftiness of this shade & the dark jewel like tone. It’s a beautiful polish that just says Autumn & I’m here for it.

Sadly, the NOPI line was discontinued in the latter 2010s, so they’re no longer available in stores. I have seen some bodies available online, but not sure how easily you can find them. It’s a real shame, because I feel like this line was a great mainstream line for more specialty formulas — like this shade!

What do you think about Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon. Do you still own any of the NOPI shades? What were your thoughts on the brand — let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Ruby Do

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a beautiful start to your day. It’s been a busy couple of days, so I’m really relishing my cup of coffee this morning.

It’s Sunday! & the first swatch Sunday of August. I was perusing my nail polish stash, & realized I have quite a few shades I’ve never shared on here! So I decided pick one of those shades to share with you, & the one that caught my eye first was Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Ruby Do.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful dark berry shade is a current member of the Sally Hansen CSM core line up, so it is available anywhere you purchase Sally Hansen nail polish. I do love the cream formula, & it applied quite smoothly. I believe my bottle was gifted by my Mother in law around 2017, so it’s going strong after almost 8 years. Love that!

The colour is very Autumn-esque, but I think it’s a great August transitional shade, before I really dive into the Autumn colours. It’s not too dark or jewel toned. (& you could pair it with some brighter purple & turquoise for some fantastic nail art!)

Give me any red & I am a happy girl.

What do you think about Sally Hansen CSM Ruby Do? Are you a fan of this beautiful berry shade? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below! I’d love to know what you think.

Happy Sunday

🖤

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen InstaDri Prismatic Shine Purple Prism 💜✨

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! The Summer weather is officially back in full swing — after some rainy chilly days — & I’ll be truthful, I’m loving it. I’m a hot hot hot Summer kind of girl always. Give me the sunshine!

& you know what looks awesome in sunshine — glitter. & today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a glitter bomb. This is Sally Hansen InstaDri Prismatic Shine Purple Prisim.

3 coats + top coat

I love a good purple, & I’ve really been loving glitter lately, so Purple Prism really brings the two worlds together. The base is a sheer purple jelly, which is packed full of multicoloured glitters, including holographic ones.

The base is very, very sheer so you need multiple coats. This is 3 not too thick coats — to achieve the bottle colour I would need at least one more thin coat, or to apply it thicker on the nail.

I do love the jelly like formula, with the exception of how it always seems to dry for me. There is always shrinkage at the tip, no matter how hard I try to cap my edges properly. I’m thinking it’s the fault of my quick dry top coat.

Look at all those glitters! Perfect to show off on a sunny day!

With how sheet the jelly formula, you could definitely get away with using it as a topper over another purple polish, & skip needing so many applications. The glitter might not be as dense on the nail, but it would definitely be beautiful!

How fun is this shade! Do you own any of the Sally Hansen InstaDri Prismatic Shine shades in your collection? Sadly my Shoppers Drug Mart has cleared out its stock of these shades, but I’m still hoping to find a few more of these beauties in my favourite clearance sections someday.

Happy Sunday!

🖤

Posted on

Purple Broken Glass Glitter Placement

Good morning lovelies — happy Friday & Happy July! Can you believe June is already over? How crazy is that. Of course, we’re starting off July foggy & lame. So much for Summer days. So I feel like this manicure is definitely matching the vibe.

June saw a lot of things, including quite the break on my ring finger, which is why I didn’t do a lot of nail art. But I did return to an old favourite design during that growing out period, & it made me realize I (still) need to get more shattered glitters for nail art, to add to my stash.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter Top Coat 
  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifier
  • OPI In The Moon For Love
  • OPI Infrared-y to Glow
  • Small dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

This design has been a go to favourite over here for a long, long time. & I’m always happy to return to them, even if I’m not finding nail polish brands making the kind of shattered glitter toppers like they used to. I mean, I could use loose glitters, but have you met me? I’m a clumsy person, & it usually results in a mess. Haha.

What do you think about this design? Are you a fan of glitter placement designs? Which glitter shade is your favourite for a design like this? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

& happy Friday.

🖤

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Gel Couture Tailored By Twilight

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Sunday — the first Sunday of Summer.

Surprisingly, today’s Swatch Sunday post isn’t super Summery, but I’ve been wearing really vampy polishes lately for some reason. While usually Summer screams neon for me, but I just find myself being drawn more towards darker shades. & today’s Swatch Sunday pick is just that: dark & vampy. & I love it.

This is Essie Gel Couture Tailored By Twilight. *gifted/PR

3 coats + top coat.

The first thing about this beautiful dark plum polish is the fact it is very jelly, which is not something I usually think I want when I’m reaching for a darker shade, but it really works with this particular shade. The formula is smooth, easy to apply, but with the darker colour I feel like I needed 3 coats in order to be able to fully cover the nail, & not have any streaky spots. But it did dry down quickly, especially with the added benefit of quick dry top coat (I used Essie Gel Setter.)

The more coats you apply, the darker the shade. You can see around my cuticle line where it is a bit lighter, but again I feel like for me 3 coats was what I needed to be fully in love with these nails.

Look how beautiful that shade is. I love love love a dark purple, & this one is just gorgeous.

Essie Gel Couture Tailored by Twilight is part of the core collection, so you should be able to find it anywhere you purchase your Essie shades, ranging in price from $11.49 CAD to $16.49 CAD (when not on sale).

What do you think about Essie Gel Couture Tailored by Twilight? Do you like these darker, vampier shades — even as the days are warming up? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below, & if you would wear this shade.

Happy Sunday.

♥︎