Tag: Shimmer

Posted on

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!

Posted on

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!

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY—Essie Dive Bar

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. I’ve been enjoying a lovely, although a tad rainy, weekend off from work. Today, though, I’m all about Swatch Sunday, & this classic Essie shade from my stash: Dive Bar.

This shade has been in my stash a long time — I’m pretty sure I found it on a good deal at Winners, as I do a lot of my shades. Dive Bar was originally released as part of the 2012 Spring collection, also named Dive Bar.

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter

This colour is so gorgeous! It’s a deep navy blue base, with a striking teal shimmer. It just screams Fall to me — so I was surprised when I learned it was released as part of a Spring collection. It also reminds me of Space, so I feel like it would be an incredible base for galaxy nails because it has a great depth to it!

The formula is also still really awesome, which is good after all these years. I’ve own this bottle since at least 2015, so it’s going on 7 years old. It does have the original skinny Essie brush, which means you do have to be careful with application. I managed to get opacity in 2 thicker coats, but you could definitely do one coat over a black as well — it probably wouldn’t be as shimmery, but it would save on coats.

What do you think about this Essie oldie? Do you have Dive Bar in your stash? Do you love these deep shimmery blues as much as I do? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — LA Girl Color Addict in Extreme

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! & happy Mother’s Day to all those Mums, step-Mums, GrandMums, & Dad’s doing double duty out there… & anyone else celebrating today.

Today I’m digging deep deep deep into my stash for a polish I’ve had quite a long time: LA Girl Color Addict in Extreme. This brand used to be sold at my local Lawton’s, & I added quite a few shades to my collection over the years — especially when they were on clearance!

Today’s pick is one I don’t think I’ve ever worn! But I thought the pretty colour would be perfect for this Spring-y weather, & I really wanted to see what it looked like on the nail.

2 coats, no Top Coat

The shade itself is really interesting. It’s a periwinkle blue, that has a beautiful golden shimmer. The formula was really easy to work with — it was two easy swipes for full opacity, & this was pre-top coat, but still had a beautiful shine on its own.

The colour is very beautiful. The gold shimmer gives me icy vibes, which gives me Frozen vibes. But the periwinkle colour feels very Spring-y to me. & we all know how much I love blues on my nails, especially frosty blues like this.

Sadly I haven’t seen LA Girl nail polish in my area for a long time, & could only find listings for this shade on eBay, but LA Girl cosmetics do still exist & you can find other shades by them on their website.

What do you think about this beautiful periwinkle blue polish? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below & tell me any experiences you’ve had with LA Girl Nail Polish.

Posted on

SWATCH SUNDAY — Dimension Nails Kronosaurus

•pr sample/gifted•

Hello lovelies & happy 2022!

It’s the first Swatch Sunday of 2022, in fact, & I’m excited because I have a beautiful polish to share with you that was gifted to me c/o: the oh so sweet @NailStuff.ca: Dimension Nails Kronosaurus. This shade was released as part of the Prehistoric Collection — a whole collection of polishes named after Dinosaurs!

Two coats, no top coat.

How freaking stunning is the beautiful blackened blue? It’s absolutely perfect for this time of year!

The formula is smooth & easy to apply. I applied 2 coats for full coverage, but you may be able to get away with one thick coat if you have shorter nails. The brush on the Dimension Nails bottle is also great because it’s wider, meaning you need less swipes for full coverage.

The shimmer is so beautiful, & I love how you don’t have to fret about too many brush strokes because the wider brush. You might remember I used this shade for one of my New Years Eve looks, & I feel like it has a lot of nail art possibilities! I also really want to see how it looks with matte top coat over top — I bet it is stunning!

Dimension Nails are Vegan, Cruelty-free, & Certified by PETA, Leaping Bunny, and Logical Harmony. They are also “10 free” which means they don’t contain any ingredients like formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, etc.

In Canada, you can buy Dimensions Nails via NailStuff.ca. In the USA, Dimension Nails can be bought directly via her website.

What do you think about Dimension Nails Kronosaurus? Do you love a deep blue shade like this? Do you own any Dimension Nails in your stash? Let me know in the comments below!