Tag: Red

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI All About The Bows (Holiday 2019 Hello Kitty Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s a beautiful Sunday here, albeit a little bit chilly. But the sun is shining, & that is nice to see for a January day. I thought I would match the brighter days, while also getting a little a little Valentines-y with some pinkish nails. I fee like end of January into February is the only time I really wear a lot of pink, so I’ve got to share when I do!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is OPI All About the Bows from the 2019 Hello Kitty Holiday Collection. Technically this shade is kind of enigma, because I feel like sometimes it leans hot pink, & sometimes it looks more reddish. Getting the right lighting for these nails was definitely a bit of a challenge, but I tried my best!

1 coats, No Top Coat

Hello beautiful! & hello one coater. I was super impressed with the smooth formula of this shade because it applied effortlessly in one coat. The formula itself has a syrupy feel, but with a good opacity. I was actually really, really impressed with how easily it applied. & the dry time was super quick as well, probably because I only needed one coat to reach full opacity.

I will say though, if my nails were longer, I might need two if I wanted a little more coverage. You can see a bit of visible nail line on my ring finger — but honestly, it’s barely visible unless you’re really looking for it.

I love how this shade is somewhere between a hot pink & a red. We all know how much I love a good red, but it still gives off the Valentine’s vibes I was hoping for. After all, it’s just a little over 2 weeks away so it’s time to start really getting my manicure & nail art ideas into action.

What do you think of OPI All About The Bows? Are you a fan of a hot pink shade like this? Let me know all your thoughts about this shade, & which shades you’re already planning on wearing for Valentine’s Day (& black totally counts!)

Have a happy Sunday loves.

♥︎

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Embracing the Nostalgia with Crackle Nail Polish

Hello lovelies & happy Thursday. I decided to throw things back a bit (& embrace the crazy nostalgia taking over my life thanks to my very own mid-2006 emo playlist) with a fun look featuring a very nostalgic nail polish finish— crackle.

For anyone not around during the early 2010s, crackle nail polishes became huge around 2012, & by 2013 everyone & their mom was coming out with their own version of the crackle (or shatter) effect. Black was the beginning shade I remember being everywhere, followed by a whole assortment of different colours & finishes.

Recently I was going through my stash, & found a bottle of Avon Mosiac Effects Top Coat — aka their version of the crackle nail Polish — & decided to give it a little shake to see if it was still good. Sure enough, the formula is still perfect! So I had to give it a try to see how it looked after all this time.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
  • Illamasqua Aorta
  • Avon Mosiac Effects Top Coat Black

I still have a couple crackle/shatter shades left in my stash, although most have long since dried up to be unusable. For this look, what you’re seeing is one rather thick coat over my base shade. I waited about 5 minutes for the cracked effect to set before applying my top coat, & I thought the end result was pretty perfect. I prefer my cracks to be larger so you can see more of the base shade underneath.

Is crackle/shatter nail polish going to make a comeback? I don’t know. I feel like these shades are so controversial, even 11 years later. You either love them, or hate them, & obviously I am firmly planted on the love side. I also think it’s a nostalgia thing, as I remember crackle being the first “nail art” trend I really feel in love with.

What do you think? Do you think crackle is due for its revival? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Deborah Lippmann Through The Fire 🔥

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely start to the week ( or end to last week). It’s been rainy & stormy here, although we just missed quite the snowy mess that the rest of the East Coast of Canada seems to be getting.

Either way, it’s wet & blah.

So let’s liven up this day with some nail polish. It’s Swatch Sunday, & I pulled out a beauty from the stash that was calling me. This is Deborah Lippmann Through The Fire.

2 coats, no Top Coat

Originally released for Holiday 2012, this beautiful glowing deep red applies flawlessly in almost one coat. Honestly, I probably could have easily achieved a beautiful manicure in one coat, but I applied a second for full coverage. I picked up my bottle as part of a Deborah Lippmann collection at Marshalls (Or Winners, I can’t remember after all these years.) This definitely gives red wine holiday vibes, & even though it’s January now, I’m not mad about it.

You can really see the beautiful shimmer in this close up ( & the dust on my bottle… whoops!) The colour is really beautiful. As mentioned, this is without top coat, so you can see how beautifully glossy the polish dries just on its own. This would definitely be a great polish option for a Valentine’s Day Date, if you wanted your nails to feel extra fancy. A little heart accent nail, & bam! Done.

Sadly this shade seems to be long gone for circulation, but I did see a few listing for it on eBay, so if you’re really in need, you could definitely find someone destashing a bottle.

What do you think about this beautiful polish from Deborah Lippmann? I always forget about her polishes in my stash until I wear one again, & then I remember how stunning they are. Especially the reds I own. Let me know all your thoughts on this shade down in the comments below, & let me know you absolute favourite red to wear — I’m always open to new suggestions to add to my rotation!

Have a lovely Sunday ♥︎

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Red Toned Skittle Nails 🔥

Good morning lovelies & happy Thursday. A beautiful sunny—albeit chilly—day here on the East Coast. You really can’t ask for a better late Autumn day. It’s got just the right amount of chill to make it feel like Christmas will be here soon… without needing 4 pairs of tights under your pants. Haha.

Today I have a fun red toned skittle manicure to share with you inspired by @heysolomiya on Instagram. I know, I know… I literally just posted a skittle manicure on Tuesday, but she posted a fun reel of some different skittle looks, & I was too obsessed with hers not to try another fun colour pairing. This time, though–& truthfully, after some false starts–I decided on a red toned skittle look.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Hard To Resist Glow & Shine 
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-chip Top Coat
  • Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire
  • Deborah Lippmann Good Girl Gone Bad
  • Deborah Lippmann New York State of Mind
  • Deborah Lippmann It’s Raining Men
  • Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow

I decided to go with my Deborah Lippmann reds because they make some of my favourite red polishes, & I had enough for almost every finger. They combination turned out absolutely perfect, which I was so happy about, because this isn’t my first time trying to recreate this look, but it’s definitely the best combination I’ve ever done. & all these reds together scream✨ Holiday ✨ to me.

What do you think about this skittle look? Do you prefer skittle pairings with all the same colour, or pairing different complimentary shades together? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Race Red

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

I’m going to be honest — originally I had a different polish plan for this Sunday — new shades from the Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. reformulation, as well as the OPI Nature Strong shades featured in my previous post. But I’ve been struggling with the cold from Hell this week, which means I’ve not been up to much, especially swatching 9 polishes, & wasn’t able to get the shades swatched.

I didn’t want to skip this week entirely though, so I decided why not go with my all time favourite OPI red: OPI Race Red.

2 coats, no top coat

This collection was originally released as part of the 2014 OPI Mustang Collection. I have a few of the shades from the collection in my stash that I’ve picked up over the years, either on clearance or at the Dollarama, but Race Red has always been my favourite. In fact, it’s probably one of my favourite red nail polishes of all time.

The colour itself is an orange leaning red. It’s a beautiful cream that applies in 2 easy smooth coats. Even after 8 years, & a whole lot of wears, it still applies like perfection for me.

Look how pretty that colour is! It’s actually very similar to the colour of our Suzuki, which is another reason why I love this shade so much. But my love of red nail polish knows no bounds, & this is no secret.

Obviously, my bottle is looking a little dusty & worn, but the polish is still perfection. My only sadness is that I only ever bought one bottle of this beauty.

As mentioned, this OPI Mustang Collection was released circa 2014, so these shades have long since gone out of mainstream circulation. I did find a few spots online, like Ebay, with bottles listed. I’m definitely going to need to find myself a dupe soon, because I’ll be very sad when my polish officially runs out.

What do you think about this OPI shade? Do you have OPI Race Red in your stash? What is your favourite OPI shade? Let me know down in the comments below!

Also stay tuned this week, because I’m determined to get those other shades swatches this week, which might mean this whole week will see some beautiful shades featured on this page!