Tag: Red

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Chocolate Cakes

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a blustery snow day here on the East Coast.

I apologize for my unannounced absence this week. The beginning of 2024 was a lot, & I didn’t realize I needed a week just to not do anything. But I’m back, & I have some new (shorter) nails to share with you to start off this new week. I’ve actually been loving darker shades a lot lately — January vibes.

For today’s Swatch Sunday pick, I grabbed an older shade from my stash — Essie Chocolate Cakes.

2 coats + top coat

This shade originally came to me in a set with Essie Ballet Slippers that I bought post-Christmas a few years ago. I remember loving the dark reddish brown shade, but being confused because I’d never heard of an Essie shade called Chocolate Cakes. I’m still not 100% sure which collection it was originally released with.

The formula though, is nice. This is two coats for full coverage. It was a bit thin, so I did find I needed the two to make sure I had no patchiness. It also pooled slightly at the cuticle line, so I had to make sure that I was careful with application. Mine came in what I think is an Expressie bottle, so it had the same wider brush which I always like.

I saw it described as a creamy dark chocolate shaded, but the red undertones really show up for me so I feel like it’s more a deep dark burgundy. We all know my love affair with red nail polish, so this is such a good alternative or option. Like I said, I’ve been wearing this shade for the last 3 days, so I’m really loving it.

I did find a few sites through Google that had this shade listed for sale, but I don’t know how reputable they are, so I’ll avoid posting them. However, I feel like this shade isn’t 100% unique, so you could definitely find a common dupe easily to get the vampy dark vibe this shade is giving off.

What do you think about Essie Chocolate Cakes? Are you a fan of this deep dark reddish brown? Do you remember this shade upon its original released? I always get excited when I find new to me shades, so I’m curious about the collection it was originally released with!

Have a lovely Sunday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Sable Collar

Hello & happy Sunday!

We finally have some nice Winter sun today which is nice after a week of not the greatest weather. Today, I’m pulling out an oldie Essie shade I’ve own for a long time: Sable Collar. I actually picked up this shade at my local Dollarama circa 2015 & I remember being so excited to find this shade.

2 coats + top coat

Sable Collar was originally released as part of the 2013 Essie Winter Shearling Darling collection. It is this beautiful smokey reddish brown, with an irresistible shimmer. It’s been so. long since I put this shade on, I totally forgot how gorgeous it is. The epitome of a winter shade (in my opinion). These are exactly the kind of shades that make me think of January.

The formula was pretty easy to apply on this one — two coats needed for full opacity. The first coat was definitely streaky, but upon the second we got the beautiful finish you see in my swatches. I did apply Essie Speed Setter top coat over my swatches, mostly because this ended up being my manicure for the last few days.

A nice close up of the finish.

Below you can really see the reddish brown shimmer in the bottle. I’m kind of obsessed — which is funny, because I’ve owned this bottle of polish almost a decade, but this is. the first real time I’ve worn it all on its own. & it’s giving me the cosiest vibes.

What do you think about Essie Sable Collar? Do you remember this shade from its original release? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & if this shade is giving you the same Winter vibes I’m feeling.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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GLAM NAILS CHALLENGE DECEMBER — Mistletoe 🌲

Hello beauties & happy Monday. & happy one week could down to Christmas! The end of the year count down is officially on, & 2024 is looming. I swear I’m still in 2020 some days, & now we’re almost mid-way through the decade. Time is a crazy thing!

But I digress. We still have some prompts left for this month’s Glam Nails Challenge December & I’m so excited to share the manicures to come. Today’s prompt is Mistletoe, & I just love how my design turned out!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • ORLY Garnet Luxe Shimmer
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Red Carpet
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Central Pink
  • Dimension Nails Amazonian Manatee
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Thyme is Money
  • NailStuff.ca 4mm detail brush

I was a little bit nervous about creating mistletoe nails, because I wasn’t sure how exactly to do them — & Pinterest was showing me holly nails when I typed in mistletoe, which was confusing — but I think my design turned out beautiful! I was inspired by this look on Pinterest by @tessalynnails.

& I got a ton of compliments at work for my nails, which is always satisfying. I love when people notice & love the work I put in. Just feels so satisfying for people to recognize your nails, especially when you’re super proud of them! & I’m very proud of these ( even if the lighting for these designs wasn’t my favourite.)

What do you think about these mistletoe nails? Do you like the simplicity of this design? I absolutely love how festive they turned out. Let me know what you think down in the comments below!

Have a lovely Monday! ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Yves Saint Laurent 6 Rouge Dada

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! Is everyone having a lovely Sunday so far? Who has started their Christmas shopping?

Today I was feeling some red nails, so I searched through my stash, & found this beautiful Yves Saint Laurent shade that I’ve owned for a few years. If there is any time to pull out all my red polishes, now is the time! So here is Yves Saint Laurent 6 Rouge Dada

2 coats + top coat

At first, I was expecting I might need a lot coats of this to get a good opacity, but I actually managed to get full coverage in two coats. The formula, like I said, is a bit thin but easy to apply, & I didn’t have to worry about any pooling around the cuticle line or anything — especially nice when you have a red like this, which can be a bit difficult to clean up.

Because of the syrup-y formula, this would definitely be a great choice for a glitter sandwich. It also dries quickly, so you wouldn’t have to worry about huge layers of polish staying wet on your nail. It also means you probably want to add a nice thick glossy top coat over top, to plump up the finished look.

I did not use a more plump top coat, which I’m kind of regretting, but I did end up adding glitter over my base when I wore it for the day.

Sadly, it looks like with the expect of second hand stores, the Yves Saint Laurent polishes are no longer available for purchase, which is a shame. The whole collection, including this shade, is still listed on their website, but I couldn’t find any options for buying.

What do you think about Yves Saint Laurent 6 Rouge Dada? Do you like this glossy, syrupy red? Do you own any Yves Saint Laurent (or other designer) shades in your nail polish stash? Let me know down in the comments! & stay tuned, because I have plans for lots of fun glittery, holiday polishes to share in the Sunday’s leading up to Christmas!

Have a lovely day ♥︎

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Holiday Inspired Red & Gold Velvet Dotticure

Hello loves & happy Friday!

It’s officially (pretty much) the weekend which means I’m in full holiday haze. It also means, I have been thinking about holiday manicures a lot. Even though I no longer attend many holiday parties — I’m more of a homebody these days — that doesn’t mean I don’t mind if my nails have somewhere special to go.

Today’s look is totally something I would wear to a fun holiday party, paired with the perfect little black dress.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour Grip Primer Base Coat 
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Santee Magnetic 04 Metallic Tropical Rose
  • Starrily Magnetic Wand
  • Santee Magnetic 21 Sand Burst
  • Smallest sized dotting tool (NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio)

First off, I apologize for how difficult these were to photograph. Apparently using flash on these particular magnetic base gave it almost this blurry effect in some pictures.

I’ve had these magnetics in my stash for… a while haha. Apparently I picked them up for 99 cents at my local Lawton’s on clearance… & just never tried them out! I used my Starrily Magnetic Want, & it gave this red base the coolest crushed velvet effect. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I wish I had pulled them out sooner.

What do you think about these holiday nails — are they giving you Christmas vibes? We have our first Tax Free Event this weekend at work, & it’s going to be crazy, so I need all the festive spirit I can get! I would much rather be drinking egg nog & nibbling on Christmas cookies with my pretty nails.

Enjoy your weekend loves, however whatever you’ve got planned. 🖤