Tag: Shimmer

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Blue My Mind

Hello lovelies! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to a new week. It’s a beautiful weekend here on the East Coast, & I could get used to this. It’s starting to feel like Summer, & I love it.

Today I’m showing off a shade from the stash that I’ve never worn! (& honestly… I don’t even remember when I bought it!) This is OPI Blue My Mind.

2 coats + top coat

This shade is a beautiful vivid sapphire blue with a turquoise shimmer. According to my internet research, it was originally released as part of the 2005 Brights collection but then became part of the core collection. However, upon looking it may now be discontinued as it’s listed as out of stock on the OPI website, & No Longer Available on Nail Polish Canada. I’m sure if you really look for it, though, you could find it via smaller beauty supply websites.

The formula on this shade was smooth & easy to apply. First coat has a bit of patchiness, so a second coat was perfect for full opacity. That’s what I like in a polish. Obviously a one coat polish is always the most desirable, but it’s not always realistic, so I don’t mind having to apply two coats. I did also finish things off with a coat of top coat, to give it a little extra gloss.

How pretty is the glow on this shade? I’m super impressed with the colour, the shimmer — all of it. Not your typical “summer” colour, but I’m digging it — & I think it would be the perfect base for some aqua stamping or some chevrons.

I actually do have some nail art featuring this as a base, so stay tuned to see what I did with this colour!

What do you think about OPI Blue My Mind? Are you a fan of this pretty blue? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essence Violet Voltage

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope the weekend is treating you well. We’ve had a beautiful one here on the East Coast & I’m so happy for sunshine!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is a shade I picked up last Summer when Essence revamped their line. I’m always excited when they switch things up — I own a lot of Essence shades, so I love when I can add new ones to my collection!

Today’s pick: Essence Violet Voltage.

3 coats + top coat

This semi sheer pearlescent purple has a beautiful glowing blue shine that hits at just the right angle. The formula is quite thin, which is why I did 3 coats of polish. It is a bit streaky, due to the pearlescent finish, & can show flaws on your nails if you’re not careful. I have a patch on my middle finger from a bad crack in the nail, & it shows that little bit of raise in my nail in that spot.

BUT that doesn’t stop me from enjoying this shade. That glow alone makes me fall in love every time I look at my nails.

& a macro shot of course.

This shade is definitely Y2K vibes. It also works well for glazed donut nails if you use one coat. I originally used it for my Glazed Donut Half Moons last Summer & loved how it looked!

I purchased this shade at my local Shoppers Drug Mart in their Essence display. Essence is also available on their website — although this shade is currently sold out.

In Canada, you can also buy Essence at Superstore/Loblaws. You can also buy Essence nail polish through their website as well!

What do you think about Essence Violet Voltage? Are you a fan of the Essence brand of nail polishes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday!

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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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Shimmery Subtle Ruffian Nails

PR — Features Gifted Product

Hello beauties & happy Thursday. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. I had a very exciting week because I received the most amazing PR package from Sally Hansen Canada featuring 4 shades from their Miracle Gel Holiday 2022 collection. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but Sally probably makes my favourite Holiday collections, & I always feel so lucky when I receive any PR from them this time of year.

I have a fun unboxing Reel on my Instagram if anyone wants a sneak peak. Swatches are coming this Sunday!

In the meantime, I had to try out one of the shades I received, & decided to use as the base for this shimmery, & subtle, ruffian nails.

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
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shine Bright Like a Menorah (Merry & Bright Holiday 2022 collection) •pr sample•
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Garnish Attention
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Unicorn Top Coat

Another super simple look that has a very striking effect — that would be perfect holiday party nails. Listen, I don’t have a holiday party to go to, but that doesn’t mean my nails can’t look like I do! & I know lots of people do, & will be looking for nail polish/art ideas.

The most difficult part of these is getting that second rounded swipe. I find the Miracle Gel brushes can be a bit trickier for that, but only because my nails are pretty thin & small, & they are very wide so they almost cover too much of the nail! Just takes a bit of practice, but if you get it right… well, it looks pretty beautiful. & the subtle ruffian effect is a perfect touch of nail art. You could also do the opposite, & put the glitter as the base, which would also have a similar peek-a-boo subtle look.

What do you think about this subtle shimmery ruffian look? I really like how the combination turned out, & it’s a fun look to wear! If there is one thing about the cold, dark months of late-Autumn/Winter I enjoy, it’s that there is no better time to pull out all the pretty dark sparkly shades that have been hiding in my stash untouched for months! So expect a lot more shimmer & sparkle on this blog!

It’s long overdue.

Have a fantastic Thursday!

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SWATCH SUNDAY— Essie Bell-Bottom Blues

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far. Can you believe it’s the last weekend of August? That’s crazy! This Summer has definitely been a blip. But I had my first PSL yesterday from Second Cup, so I’m all in on Autumn.

Today though, I’m throwing it back to Fall 2015 with Essie Bell-Bottom Blues from the Essie Fall 2015 Leggy Legend collection. I remember when this collection was first released I was obsessed with all the colours in the collection, but especially Bell-Bottom Blues, & it was the one I almost immediately bought upon finding it in stores.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter Top Coat

For a polish that is 7 (!) years old, this shade is just as perfect as it was back when I first purchased it. The formula is still smooth & easy to apply. The formula is pigmented enough it could be a one coat wonder, but I did used two coats for full opacity. The polish itself is a beautiful dark blue, with vibrant blue shimmer, & this hint of purple which you can, sadly, see best in the bottle.

On its own, it dries to a soft satin finish. I much prefer it with top coat though as I feel like it shows off the shimmer much better.

It’s been a while since I pulled this shimmery blue from my stash, & I’m super glad that I did. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really been paying that much attention to the upcoming Fall collections, aside from swatches posted on Instagram. But I’ve been spending a lot of time shopping my own collection for fun Autumn shades to wear, including some oldies but goodies.

What do you think about Essie Bell-Bottom Blues? Do you have any of the shades from the collection in your stash? Let me know down in the comments, & let me know when of the 2022 Autumn nail polish collections you’re most excited about!