Tag: Red Nails

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI My Chihuahua Bites!

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Today I’m pulling one of my favourite OPI shades out of my stash: OPI My Chihuahua Bites! As I’ve mentioned in the past, oh, a million times (roughly), this is one of absolute my favourite coral-y red shades.

2 coats, no top coat

This shade was originally released as part of the 2006 Mexico City collection. I found it at Winners a few years ago, & was very excited because it was on my nail polish wish list.

You’re looking at 2 coats of polish, no top coat. I’m really impressed with the shine without any top coat added. The formula was fantastic—easy to apply, no streakiness. There is a reason why this is my favourite. In fact, I really need to get myself another back up bottle, just in case.

This is an amazing Summer shade. It’s been while since I pulled it out, & I’m honestly glad that I did. We’ve had some seriously crappy, dull weather the last few days so this bright pop of colour is exactly what I need right now.

What do you think of this shade? Are you ready for fun Summer colours? Let me know in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Can’t Beet Royalty (& a new Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat)

PR Sample/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Who else is in shock that Christmas is less than two weeks away?! While I’m super excited that this year is almost over, I can’t believe it either!

But before we skip ahead, I have a fun gift that Santa dropped off on my doorstep last week. Sally Hansen recently reformulated their Miracle Gel top coats (both glossy & matte) & they were so kind as to send me a bottle of their top coat & an accompanying shade: Can’t Beet Royalty.

2 coats + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Glossy Top Coat

First off, let’s talk about this beautiful Christmas-y red.

The formula is slightly cruelly, but still lovely, & I got almost full coverage in 2 coats (there was a bit of faint nail line, but it really wasn’t anything worth applying another coat of polish). As I’ve mentioned before, the larger brush means better application, because you’re able to do a single swipe over the nail. The colour is perfect for the holidays, & you know I will never shy away from a good red any time of the year. I also felt like this shade is very complimentary to my skin tone.

Now, as for this brand new formula for the Miracle Gel Shiny Top Coat, I’m pretty impressed!

It boasts 8 days of chip free wear, which is always a plus. It again applies quite easily, & I noticed that it definitely has a speedier dry time than past versions. My one & only complaint was that I tried to apply it over some nail art, & it smeared everything. So I don’t know if it would be the best nail art top coat—I might try waiting a bit longer before applying—but it was great over a single colour. & I did notice it held up really well through work, which it helpful when you’re dealing with copious amount of stock boxes.

Such a pretty red!

How gorgeous would this look with some gold glitter in a gradient? Very festive! I swear my nails has been the most festive part of me this year. Christmas 2020 definitely feels very different.

What do you think about Can’t Beet Royalty & the brand new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel top coat? Have you tried either out yet? Let me know in the comments below what you think!

These items were sent to me for review. However, all opinions are my own

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Morgan Taylor Looking For A Wingman

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

I had originally had different plans for my Swatch Sunday post — I had done a couple Insta-polls asking what people wanted to see for this post, & the consensus was still Summer-y & something new… but life got in the way (aka my 1 year old refusing to sleep) so instead I grabbed an untried shade from my stash that I bought pre-COVID times. & I think today’s shade is perfect for impending Fall weather: Morgan Taylor Looking For A Wingman.

Looking For A Wingman was originally released in 2016 as part of their Fall Sweetheart Squadron Collection. The shade is a beautiful (slightly) pink leaning burgundy cream, which is absolutely perfect for Fall!

For my swatches, I did 2 coats over my base coat, plus finished it with Essie Speed Setter top coat. Usually I would use Gel Setter, as it gives the glossiest finish, but my local Shoppers was all out when I went to pick some up.

The formula was really easy to work with, & the opacity built easily in two coats with no weird patchiness. Reds always seem to be hit or miss in formula, I find, so I’m very happy when I find an easy to apply one! As you know, I’m such a sucker for a good red!

What I really like about this shade is even though I would consider this a Fall shade, the colour itself is bright enough that it works as a good transitional shade. Am I the only one who has colours she prefers for seasons? I feel like people think I’m a little strange because I have set “Spring/Summer” shades & “Fall/Winter” shades. Maybe it’s my years of retail seeping into my brain?

I did find a few places online where it appears this shade is still available including, NailPolishDirect (UK based), but a lot of the places seem be for beauty professionals, so I’m not sure how easy it is to track this shade down.

What do you think about this Morgan Taylor shade? Have you started embracing the Fall vibes? Are you dreaming about Pumpkin Spice yet? Let me know down in the comments below!

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Freehand Daisies

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. At least, I think it’s Wednesday. I feel like time has no real meaning during crazy times like this!

But I DO know that (tomorrow) Friday is the 20th, officially Spring, which is definitely something to get excited about! This winter has been long, & brutal, & not just because it seems like bad news is happening every 3 days. So in honour of it almost being Spring, let’s get hard into the floral. 🌼 Because floral makes everything better.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Good Kind Pure Hardener
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Deborah Lippmann It’s Raining Men
  • White Acrylic Paint
  • Black Acrylic Paint
  • Yellow Acrylic Paint
  • NailStuff.ca Mermaid Tail Brush Trio (I used the 7mm liner brush) — use COFFEE10 to save 10% off your order

I attempted this manicure a while ago, using polish, but it did not turn out at all. I don’t tend to post my nail fails, but not every manicure I attempt turns out. Sometimes they are epic fails. So I decided to try this look again, just using acrylic paint again — & it worked.

I know I’ve mentioned it’s before but if you’re trying to get into nail art & struggling with hand painting, give acrylic paint a try. The best part about it is if you mess up what you’re drawing, you can just wash it off & start over again! Certainly makes things a bit easier.

I absolutely love daisies, they’re my absolute favourite flowers. But I haven’t worn them often on my nails just because I was scared of messing them up. I find roses so much easier to paint, because you can (usually) just keep adding layers to give it that petal appearance. Other flowers are a bit more difficult.

What do you think about this floral design? what is your favourite flower? What kind of flower do you think I should attempt next? I was thinking maybe tulips? I’ve never done tulips before.

Leave all your thoughts down in the comments below! I hope everyone is staying safe & healthy. ♥️

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SWATCH SUNDAY— YSL 49 Rouge Pablo

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Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! A very very snowy & blustery Sunday here in Halifax. So why not heat things up here with a nice fiery red polish! 🔥

This is YSL Beauty Rouge Pablo, gorgeous pink toned red cream polish. I’ve written before about my love affair with red nail polish, & the fact that I used to literally wear it almost exclusively during my University days, so whenever I get a new red I get VERY excited to add it to my collection.

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2 coats + top coat.

I was really really impressed with the formula on this shade. Sometimes red nail polishes can have a tricky formula, but this one goes on very buttery & smooth. The colour is also a very flattering shade of red that is great just to wear for everyday.

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This shade reminds me a lot of another favourite red — OPI My Chihuahua Bites. It really is an awesome red on its own, as part of nail art, on your toes, etc. Just all around a beautiful red! & a red that I think I’ll probably end up one that I grab quite a bit. I really need to do a post on my top five red nail polishes, even though I think when it comes down to it, it would be hard to narrow things down.

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If you’re looking for this red, I had trouble finding it online unfortunately. The YSL Beauty website has a few polishes listed, but this particular one is out of stock currently.

What do you think about YSL Rouge Pablo? What is your favourite red nail polish? Hope on over to Instagram & let me know what you think!