Hello loves & happy Sunday! I know we may be sick of the Sally Hansen x InstaDri content this week, but I’m just so excited to share the shades from this collection with you!
The Sally Hansen x Sesame Street InstaDri collection consists on 10 polishes — 4 creams, 2 glitter toppers, 2 metallic/shimmery shades, & 2 jelly glitters. It’s a great assortment of different shades brought together under one great collection. There is also a fun set of press on nails as part of their Salon Effect Perfect Manicure line (although I won’t be featuring those as part of my swatches.
Each shade is based around a corresponding Sesame Street character (or, characters) which is a fun idea. & I think all the polishes fit perfectly!
Hello lovelies & happy Monday! A brand new week to enjoy. Today, I’m sharing a little bit of sparkle with you to start off this week. I recently was feeling stuck for inspiration, so I decided to grab one of my favourite purple OPIs Dutch You Just Love OPI?, & a pretty glitter OPI, & create a quick, easy glitter gradient!
The polishes I used for this manicure are:
Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat
Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat
OPI Dutch You Just Love OPI?
OPI Charmmy & Sugar
Latex free make up sponge (mine are from Dollarama)
Check out that sparkle! I love it. I don’t know if I’ve ever worn this pretty sparkle before (it’s from the 2016 OPI x Hello Kitty collaboration) but I think it looks incredible over this purple. I love a good glitter gradient, & sometimes you find two polishes that just go together so perfectly. I love that moment.
What do you think of this quick & simple nail art look to start off your Monday? I know it’s not the most exciting of manicures, but sometimes you just want a little bit of sparkle.
Let me know what you think down in the comments below.
Hello loves & happy Sunday! & happy long weekend to all who get to celebrate! The May long weekend always feels like the official beginning of Summer, which I’ll gladly take — even if they’re calling for thunderstorms today. Bring on the beach & BBQ!
Today, though, I’m throwing things back to a shade originally released for Winter 2020. What can I say — I like to keep you on your toes. This is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hip-nautical.
3 coats + top coat
I’m not even sure how to begin to describe this shifty polish. The base is a darker blue that flashes purple or lighter blue depending on the lighting or how you move your fingers. It did take 3 coats for a full solid coverage — & the best shift — but the polish formula is very thin so it dries quickly.
Definitely needs a good coat of top coat to finish it off. Keeps that beautiful shine, & helps smooth out any brush strokes.
The shift between colours is actually very good. Maybe not as shifty as in the bottle, but I rarely find that drugstore polishes are. The flash of blue is very strong on this shade, which is just absolutely gorgeous! & I love, as you can see in this macro shot, you get all the levels on this polish in one shot.
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Hyp-nautical is now part of the permanent core collection, so you can find it where ever Sally Hansen shades are sold including:
What do you think about Sally Hansen Hyp-nautical? Is this a shade that you would wear? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.
Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope the weekend is treating you well. We’ve had a beautiful one here on the East Coast & I’m so happy for sunshine!
Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a shade I picked up last Summer when Essence revamped their line. I’m always excited when they switch things up — I own a lot of Essence shades, so I love when I can add new ones to my collection!
Today’s pick: Essence Violet Voltage.
3 coats + top coat
This semi sheer pearlescent purple has a beautiful glowing blue shine that hits at just the right angle. The formula is quite thin, which is why I did 3 coats of polish. It is a bit streaky, due to the pearlescent finish, & can show flaws on your nails if you’re not careful. I have a patch on my middle finger from a bad crack in the nail, & it shows that little bit of raise in my nail in that spot.
BUT that doesn’t stop me from enjoying this shade. That glow alone makes me fall in love every time I look at my nails.
& a macro shot of course.
This shade is definitely Y2K vibes. It also works well for glazed donut nails if you use one coat. I originally used it for my Glazed Donut Half Moons last Summer & loved how it looked!
I purchased this shade at my local Shoppers Drug Mart in their Essence display. Essence is also available on their website — although this shade is currently sold out.
In Canada, you can also buy Essence at Superstore/Loblaws. You can also buy Essence nail polish through their website as well!
What do you think about Essence Violet Voltage? Are you a fan of the Essence brand of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!
Hello beauties & happy Sunday! It’s an absolutely frigid day here in Halifax — this whole weekend has been in the negatives. I’m not a fan of the cold, mostly because I’m a petite person who wears multiple layers in October. Also, the cold absolutely wrecks havoc on my nails, so we’re back to some serious shorties… again!
But you know what makes short nails so much better? A pretty polish colour. & today’s beautiful shade is also one I had to dig super deep into the stash to find: Barielle Shades Secret Encounter.
2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
I’m actually surprised that when I looked up this shade in previous blog entries, I haven’t posted about it! I picked up this shade in 2015, on clearance at Winners (where else). But according to the internet, this shade was originally released as part of the 2008 Fall Affair Collection. So she goes back a few years.
The colour itself is this beautiful deep cranberry with metallic shimmer. I needed two coats for full coverage but the formula was easy to apply. The brush was definitely on the thinner side, which made cuticle line application a little more difficult, but that was the trend for most bottles of nail polish back then.
I was looking for something kind of Valentines-y to wear, & I think this is a great option! Like I said, this shade is one of the older ones in my collection, but she’s held up quite well over the years. I do believe Barielle is still making nail polish, although I haven’t seen any in my neck of the woods in a long time. However, according to their website, this shade is no longer in rotation.
What do you think of Barielle Shades Secret Encounter? Do you like this throwback shade as a Valentine’s Day option? I had originally planned on doing a little heart accent on this guy, but didn’t quite have enough time. Either way, I think it’s a beautiful polish colour all on it’s own.
Coffee & Nail Polish 