SWATCH SUNDAY Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

Oh man it’s been a busy & crazy week. Between appointments, injuries & other, I haven’t had a minute to breathe, or think about blogging. but I do have a pretty throwback colour to share for this week’s Swatch Sunday. This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue.

2 coats + top coat.

This shade is definitely a throwback shade as I originally picked it up circa 2015 (I think while I was searching for the perfect blue to wear for my wedding nails although I didn’t end up picking it.) This is a beautiful smooth cornflower blue, that didn’t need to be fussed with to get perfect application. Obviously, I finished off with a quick dry top coat to speed up my dry time & add a little extra glossiness.

For a 9 year old polish, I must say she’s holding up pretty fantastically. The bottle is a little worn, but other than that it looks great. & we all know, what’s inside the bottle is what we care about most.

Do you own Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue in your nail polish stash? This shade has sadly been discontinued from the Xtreme Wear range — I hate when they do that — so I’m glad I have this shade in my stash.

What do you think about Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Royal Hue? Do you have this colour in your own stash? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

Purple-y Leopard Print

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! It’s hot hot hot out there — feeling close to 40 degrees C today with humidity — so going to need to keep well hydrated!

Today I’m sharing an old classic when it comes to nail art: leopard print. It’s been a while since I wore any leopard on my nails (last September) so I thought I was due!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Olive & June House of O&J *Gifted
  • Olive & June How Do You Spell Bougainvillea? *Gifted
  • Olive & June Starshower *Gifted
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Ghouls Night Out *Gifted
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (tiniest size) *gifted
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush *gifted

How cute is this leopard design? I love the colours together, the added sparkle from Starshower in the middle of my leopard spots — just everything. Plus leopard nails are so easy to do, I really should do them more often. I’ve always loved a good spotted pattern; the amount of leopard print clothing I have owned over the years is impressive.

What do you think about this leopard design? Are you a fan of patterned designs like this? As always, leave a comment down below! I love hearing what you think!

🖤

Dainty Red Dotticure ♥️

Good morning lovelies, happy Tuesday & happy July! We’re officially 1/2 way through the year, & that just seems insane to me. It’s officially Summer vacation for my kids, which means the free time to myself I have (when they’re not asleep) becomes much more limited!

So simple nail art becomes a bit more necessary. But simple does not need to mean boring, & I feel like today’s look is anything but boring!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Essie Here to Stay
  • Top Coat: Essie Gel Setter
  • Essie She’s Pampered
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in pink
  • Color Club Top Shelf
  • NailStuff.ca Dotting Tool Trio (tiniest size)

This beautiful polish is another thrift store score that I was not expecting, but I quite love. It looks much more pink in the bottle, but on my nail it’s giving all the way red. But I’ll never say no to a red nail polish — that is well established by now.

I added some pink polka dots over my base shade, with a colour sparkly ones just for fun! I think this look turned out chic & classic, but it’s also fun. From far away you get red nails, but up close you get the full fun look. & I love a nail art design like that! Polka dots were one of the first designs I ever taught myself, & they remain one of my favourites.

What do you think about this chic dainty dotticure? Are you a fan of a subtle look like this? Let me know what you think in the comments below & please — PLEASE — let me know any nail art looks you’d like to see me attempt!

🖤

Glittery Pastel Galaxies 🌌✨

Hello loves & happy Tuesday! I hope everyone’s week is starting off well. &, if not, that it improves from here on out.

Today I’m sharing some new nail art with you on my baby nails, & it’s a nail art design I don’t think I’ve done for a while: galaxies. 🌌 I was wearing a beautiful glittery nail polish base, & wanted to do something fun overtop. After some time browsing on Pinterest & Instagram for ideas, I decided that a pastel galaxy look was the perfect choice!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifer
  • Top Coat: Seche Vive
  • Cadillacquer Lavender Sunset (NailStuff.ca exclusive) *gifted
  • Starrily Space Debris
  • Sally Hansen InstaDri Lavish Lavender
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Crying Out Cloud *gifted
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Buffalo Nickel
  • Icing Stores Nail Art Stickers from 2015 (these are similar)
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge
  • Nailstuff.ca Mermaid Tail 7mm liner brush *gifted

Okay I’m kind of obsessed with these. The base of Lavender Sunset topped with Space Debris is already very eye catching, & then you add this pastel galaxy over top & it’s perfection!

I’ve had these stickers from Icing forever (like 2015-ish) but I haven’t really used them. But they made creating stars for my galaxy so easy, then I just added a few dots of Buffalo Nickel so complete it! Bam — the easiest galaxy nails you can create.

What do you think of these glittery pastel galaxies? Is this a look that you would rock? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below & share what design you’d like to see next!

Happy Tuesday 🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (OG Formula!) 🌊💙

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a beautiful weekend. It’s been a bit of everything this weekend — rain, sunshine, wind. That’s Nova Scotia weather for you!

Today though I have a special cult classic polish to share with you that I think most will definitely recognize! This the original Sally Hansen Pacific Blue.

1 coat + Top Coat

You may remember I did a comparison post featuring this shade circa 2019, but I never realized that I hadn’t shared full swatches of it! Considering we’re coming up on ten years since the untimely formula switch of Pacific Blue, I really wanted to throw this beauty on.

For those who don’t know the backstory, in 2014 Sally Hansen reformulated the original Pacific Blue, going from the beautiful creamy cobalt blue to.. something else. & nail polish aficionados were mad. We also scrambled to find as many back up bottles of the original shade to hoard.

The formula on this shade is about as close to perfect as you can find. One coat of creamy beautiful blue goodness. Even after 10 years, it still applies flawlessly. & unlike some similar shades—*cough* Butler Please *cough*—I never have any issues with premature chipping. & it kind of makes me remember why I fell in love with nail polish & nail blogging in the first place.

Do you remember the original Pacific Blue? Do you have a bottle of this beauty in your nail polish stash? Sadly, after 10 years since of being discontinued, I think the only place you might find a bottle of the OG is on EBay, or places like Poshmark where I found a bottle of the Original formula for $20.

Have a beautiful Sunday!

🖤