SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene Bonne Nuit

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. We’re halfway through January & that’s kind of crazy.

But everyone in my social media feeds keep taking nostalgic trips back to 2016, so I thought I would do the same — only with nail polish! & back on 2016 I was all about the Ardene brand of nail polishes, so I thought I would share a beauty from that time: Aco by Ardene Bonne Nuit.

1 coat over Rimmel Blue Eyed Girl + top coat.

So yes, I did use some under-polish for swatching this beauty because it. is. thin. But I think it applies beautifully & you really get that shift of colour from blue to a purple hue. There is a nice micro glitter shimmer as well, which I remember loving a lot in the mid-2000s!

Now this shade is definitely a relict of another time, because Ardene no longer sells this brand of nail polish. I still have a drawer of this brand in my stash, that I stare at frequently, & every so often pull out for nostalgia sake. I also love that they were so trendy when it came to finishes, at a very affordable price point!

What do you think of this very mid-2010s nail polish? Do you remember what shades you were obsessed with circa 2016? Let me know what shades you were obsessed with back then, & if they are still top of your list 10 years later!

Happy Sunday loves!

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Butter London Pure Colour 21X Winter 2025 Shades (gifted)

Contains PR

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. It’s a bit of a snowy Sunday here, with a bit of snow on the ground which actually feels very festive. & they’re calling for more snow tomorrow! So maybe we’ll have a white Christmas — who knows. But it is giving me a flickering of holiday spirit, I won’t lie.

Today I’m excited because I got a bit of an early Christmas present c/o: Butter London. They sent me an amazing PR package containing two limited edition Pure Colour 21X shades for Winter: Branwen’s Pearls, & Frozen Loch. Two gorgeous Winter-y shades that are absolutely perfect for the winter season.

So let’s take a look!

Continue reading “SWATCH SUNDAY — Butter London Pure Colour 21X Winter 2025 Shades (gifted)”

SWATCH SUNDAY — Orly Buried Alive (2012 Dark Shadows Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! A sunny, but chilly, Sunday. The roofs are all frosted over this morning, & it’s definitely feeling like Winter lately. However, I’m just not quite feeling that holiday nail spirit yet. Usually by this time, I’m already planning Christmas manicures — but I haven’t been feeling any Christmas vibes yet this year unfortunately.

It’s Swatch Sunday, though, & I was going through my stash & found a beauty from 2012 that I don’t think I’ve ever worn! This is Orly Buried Alive from the 2012 Dark Shadows Collection.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful shimmery chocolate brown polish is packed full of golden flakie shimmer. I am actually so sad it’s taken me this long to wear this polish, because it’s absolutely stunning! It’s the most perfect Autumn brown. It’s shimmery on its own, but then you add in that golden shimmer & it just adds the whole other dimension to it.

The formula on this one was actually really easy to use considering it’s a 10+ year old nail polish. Maybe it’s because I haven’t cracked the bottle since I bought it.

Wow! Look at that close up!

I’m actually really sad I have dropped the ball on this shade. I guess I thought “brown polish, not going to like it” but oh boy was I wrong! I love it! The application was flawless, the colour is stunning, & it’s just such a lovely Autumn shade I wouldn’t think to reach for.

What do you think about Orly Buried Alive? Do you remember this shade, or this collection? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below — I’d love to know what you think.

& if you have any tips for getting me in the holiday spirit, I will take all the ones I can get!

Happy Sunday

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Milani 17A Deep Thoughts

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday! How are we already the second Sunday into November. I should probably start thinking about Christmas shopping soon!

Today I found a super forgotten shade in my stash, that I hadn’t realized I’d never swatched! This is Milani 17A Deep Thoughts.

2 coats + top coat

Oooooh boy this is a beautiful deep, dark purple with a stunning purple/pink shimmer. It does appear darker on my nail than in the bottle—I’m scared maybe I didn’t shake it enough to get the shimmer to show up. It’s there — it’s just a little more subtle than I would like.

But, for a 13 year old polish this beauty is still looking amazing & applying amazing! I was actually really impressed with just how flawlessly the formula applied! This shade was released sometime in 2012 (according to my internet—Google—research). Sadly, Milani has since discontinued their nail polish production, which is a shame because they did it very, very well!

Close up! One of the things I love about this colour is that from far away, it almost looks black. & then when you get closer you can see it’s dark purple colour & the subtle shimmer, & it’s really just so beautiful. I’m quite obsessed with the overall package.

What do you think about Milani 17A Deep Thoughts? Do you love this deep dark purple shade? Do you remember Milani’s line of nail polishes?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

🖤

Neutral Sparkle Colour Blocking

Hello loves & happy Friday. I’ve been pretty quiet this week on the blogging front — end of Summer kind of does that to me. But I didn’t want to end this week without posting at least one nail art look, & I think this particular design is perfect.

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Top Coat: Essie Good To Go Top Coat
  • Base Coat: Essie Hard to Resist (purple)
  • Beyond The Nail Glistening Fairy Nails
  • Essie Merino Cool
  • Essie Light as Linen

I love the mixed finished of this colour blocking look. You have the flakie look of Glistening Fairy Wings, the shimmer of Light as Linen & the cream finish of Merino Cool. Usually when I do my colour blocking, I stick to one — sometimes two — finished but I’ve never done anything so contrasting before (I don’t think, at least). I also really like the neutral colour palate— it’s not as eye catching as some colour blocks I’ve done, but it is so beautiful in its cooler tones.

I just really love how this looks, & I got so many compliments on them when I wore them to work.

What do you think about this neutral colour blocking look, with a touch of sparkle? Do you like how I mixed up the polish finishes? Would you wear this design?

Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & share what you’re wearing on your nails right now!

Happy Friday

🖤