SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Cute As A Button

PR/Gifted

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! My first Swatch Sunday in quite a while — sorry about that! But I’m excited to be back, & excited to share a somewhat Spring-y polish with you all. This winter, although not quite over yet, has been a long one, & I think I’m ready to embrace what Spring has to offer. At least when it comes to my nails.

Today’s nail polish pick was kindly gifted to me c/o: L’Oréal & Essie. It is Essie Cute As A Button.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful pinky coral has been an Essie core shade for a long, long time & there is definitely a reason for that! The shade itself is gorgeous, & it’s a perfect pop of colour. The formula was smooth, easy to apply, & smoothed down to the perfect finish with a quick swipe of top coat (I used Essie Gel Setter).

Oh my gosh, this dress is so juicy & beautiful! It just screams a sunny spring day & that’s what these long end of Winter days are calling for.

As I mentioned, Essie Cute as a Button is one their core shades so it’s available anywhere Essie is sold!

What do you think about this juicy shade? Are you already feeling like dipping into your Spring shades, or are you still embracing Winter? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below! I’m always curious to see what other people are currently wearing.

Happy Sunday

🖤

Products used are gifted. All thoughts & reviews are my own.

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Gel Couture Rock The Runway

*contains PR

Hello beauties & happy Sunday.

I hope everyone has had a lovely week so far. Mine has been non-stop between my two jobs, hence the lack of posting on my part. I’m really hoping I can figure out a better schedule for posting, as I miss sharing my nails with you! Today, though, I thought I would grab one of the beautiful polishes I was gifted courtesy of Essie & L’Oreal — especially since it’s the perfect Valentine’s Day red. This is Essie Gel Couture Rock The Runway.

2 coats + top coat

Okay, we know… we know. I love red nail polish. So whenever I add a new red to my vast collection, I get excited. This one, which is part of the Gel Couture Line, is a smooth to apply bright red, which actually has very nice coverage in two coats. It has a bit of an orange undertone, which kind of brings out the yellow in my skin tone — depending on the lighting you’re looking at the polish in. This is a red that I think would be very complimentary on many different skin tones — which is kind of the beauty of a red nail. It truly looks good on everyone!

Essie Gel Couture Rock The Runway was one of the original shades released as part of the Gel Couture line, & it remains part of the core collection. I actually really love this line; it took me a while to introduce myself to it, but I’ve been impressed with every shade from the line that I’ve tried. The top coat is also great, & I know a lot of nail bloggers consider it the GOAT.

Essie Gel Couture Rock The Runway can be purchased wherever Essie nail polishes are found. In Canada, they tend to retail for around $11 – $17 CAD depending on where you’re shopping.

What do you think about Essie Gel Couture Rock The Runway? Are you a fan of this shade, & this line? Which colour is your favourite? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

Happy Sunday

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Starry Starry Night (2016 Re-release) 🌌🌠

Hello loves & happy Sunday. It’s a rainy, miserable Sunday here but I guess it beats snow. Today I decided to take a little trip to the past… all the way back to early 2016 when life was just simpler & all the crazy in the world seemed manageable.

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is Essie Starry Starry Night from the 2016 Retro Revival Collection.

2 coats + 2 coats top coat

I’ll start off with this shade has definitely had a hard go since I bought it in 2016. While I have lots of shades over a decade old that apply perfectly, this was took some trick & finese to get a good looking application (& top coat… lots of top coat.) A little polish thinner, & I feel like she will be back to normal again.

The polish itself is a dark navy jelly base, with small silver glitters layered inside. The coats are thin enough that the glitter still peaks through, even with multiple coats.

I really like this colour & layered glitter look, which was why I originally bought it. I had no experience with the previous (original) version of this shade, but saw later people were upset about how different it was. Here is a great comparison post of the two different shades. While I love the revival version, I can see why lovers of the original could be upset, especially with change in colour & glitter size.

Do you remember this Essie shade? I kind of wish they had kept this one around rather than making it a limited edition release, but I suppose that’s how they build hype. I just find it so much more fun than a lot of the shades you see in the core collection.

What do you think? Should Essie bring this shade back (again)? Let me know what you think down in the comments below.

Happy Sunday

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Garnish Attention (2018 Decadence Collection)

Hello my beauties! I hope everyone had a beautiful week. Mine was busy, busy as I started at a new cafe part time as a barista, & it’s been a while since I did that! My hands are feeling the need for a little TLC, but I think I’ll save that for another post.

Today we’re all about the polish, & this one in particular— Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Garnish Attention from the 2018 Decadence collection. This shade was one of the limited edition shades released for the Holidays that year.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful dark navy blue is enhanced with a gorgeous green shimmer. It’s kind of giving me Wicked vibes, a little bit. Or maybe like Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty). It’s definitely feeling a bit villainy, which I adore. That’s the kind of vibe we all need going into this new year. As for formula, first coat was definitely thin & streaky, but two builds to perfect opacity, & that’s what we like to see.

I also had no problems with removal, & no staining.

Look how pretty this is! That too shot just looks like some kind of rare sapphire, & I want it. Garnish Attention is absolutely stunning on the nails, even the short little nubby nails I’m currently rocking. I just love that bright greenish shimmer that comes out through the dark navy blue.

Sadly, this beauty was a limited edition released as part of the Holiday 2018 collection, so it’s not in current rotation. But maybe if we all ask for it, Sally Hansen could bring it back (even under another name) because I believe she deserves her moment in the spotlight!

What do you think of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Garnish Attention? Would you wear this shade? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Sunday

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Cyber Cherry On Top 🍒

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a great start to the New Year. Mine started… roughly but I’m excited to put that all behind me, & focus on the good things that 2025 will hopefully hold — like new (to me) nail polishes.

Today is one of those shades! This one was picked up along with last week’s polish pick, for only $5 at my local Shoppers Drug Mart on clearance. I love this time of year because you can always find past collections being cleared out to make room for the new year & new releases. Today we have OPI Cyber Cherry On Top from the Fall 2024 Metallic Mega Mix Collection.

2 coats + top coat

Oh wow! Cyber Cherry On Top is a beautiful cherry pink-red with a fuchsia flash with a bit of micro shimmer. It’s definitely a fun not-red red option, & we all know I cannot say no to a red. & with Valentine’s Day a month away, I’m going to be all about pinks & red leading up to it. The formula was smooth & easy to apply & built to pretty good opacity with two coats. There was minimal nail line visible, but with a shade like this it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.

My own complaint with this shade was I found it was a tad thin, so you can easily floor your cuticles if you’re not careful. Just not one of those shades you can apply in a rush, but I honestly find that with most red polishes.

This colour! Wow, it’s just so beautiful. Is it red? Is it a hot pink? Like I don’t know but I adore it, especially with that bit of shimmer. It’s a step up from my usual red manicure.

As OPI Cyber Cherry On Top was released as part of the Fall collection, I’m not sure about its current circulation. It looks like it’s still available for sale on the OPI Website (also available in gel), as well as the TradeSecrets website (for my Canadian friends). I also found it online at Sally Beauty, so you might be able to find it in store. & of course, check the clearance sections at your local stores that sell polish, as they could be marked down.

What do you think of OPI Cyber Cherry On Top? Did you pick up this shade when it was released, & what do you think? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below, & let me know what your favourite shades to wear during January are!

Happy Sunday

♥︎