Tag: Swatch

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Chocolate Cakes

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a blustery snow day here on the East Coast.

I apologize for my unannounced absence this week. The beginning of 2024 was a lot, & I didn’t realize I needed a week just to not do anything. But I’m back, & I have some new (shorter) nails to share with you to start off this new week. I’ve actually been loving darker shades a lot lately — January vibes.

For today’s Swatch Sunday pick, I grabbed an older shade from my stash — Essie Chocolate Cakes.

2 coats + top coat

This shade originally came to me in a set with Essie Ballet Slippers that I bought post-Christmas a few years ago. I remember loving the dark reddish brown shade, but being confused because I’d never heard of an Essie shade called Chocolate Cakes. I’m still not 100% sure which collection it was originally released with.

The formula though, is nice. This is two coats for full coverage. It was a bit thin, so I did find I needed the two to make sure I had no patchiness. It also pooled slightly at the cuticle line, so I had to make sure that I was careful with application. Mine came in what I think is an Expressie bottle, so it had the same wider brush which I always like.

I saw it described as a creamy dark chocolate shaded, but the red undertones really show up for me so I feel like it’s more a deep dark burgundy. We all know my love affair with red nail polish, so this is such a good alternative or option. Like I said, I’ve been wearing this shade for the last 3 days, so I’m really loving it.

I did find a few sites through Google that had this shade listed for sale, but I don’t know how reputable they are, so I’ll avoid posting them. However, I feel like this shade isn’t 100% unique, so you could definitely find a common dupe easily to get the vampy dark vibe this shade is giving off.

What do you think about Essie Chocolate Cakes? Are you a fan of this deep dark reddish brown? Do you remember this shade upon its original released? I always get excited when I find new to me shades, so I’m curious about the collection it was originally released with!

Have a lovely Sunday!

♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball

Hello loves & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend (& staying warm if you happen to be suffering under that arctic vortex taking over right now!) Today, I’m sharing a beautiful polish I can’t believe I haven’t swatched yet!

This is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball. I was originally gifted this by Sally Hansen in 2018 as part of their REDesign Collection, but as I was newly pregnant & constantly sick, I didn’t get a chance to swatch the whole collection. However, this shade found it’s way into Sally’s permanent CSM line up — & is still in rotation!

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful darkened plum is packed with a surprising red shimmer that looks beautiful depending on you move your fingers. It gives the polish a beautiful dimension which makes it more than just a simple purple nail polish. It was originally released as part of the Sally Hansen REDesign collection, but I was always confused by that as I don’t consider it a red (personally).

But it’s very, very pretty. & even after 5 years the formula in bottle is easy application perfection. Smooth, easy to build opacity. & thanks to those wide brushes, takes barely any time to apply at all. I also found the dry time, even before I applied my quick dry top coat, to be pretty speedy — I had no issues with polish bleeding onto my top coat brush when I applied it.

As mentioned, this shade is still in rotation (at least in Canada), & can be found with other Sally Hansen CSM polishes. For my fellow Canadians, Sally Hansen can be purchased c/o: Shoppers Drug Mart for $13.49 CAD. It can also be found on Amazon.ca. I’ve also seen it at my local Walmart as well.

Sadly, I didn’t find this shade listed on the actual Sally Hansen website, so I hope it’s not on the verge of being discontinued, because it really is stunning!

What do you think of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Belle of the Ball? Is this a shade that you would wear on your own nails? Are you a fan of the Sally Hansen CSM line? I do have quite a few of this line in my stash, & I’ve always been a fan.

Happy Sunday ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Essie Sable Collar

Hello & happy Sunday!

We finally have some nice Winter sun today which is nice after a week of not the greatest weather. Today, I’m pulling out an oldie Essie shade I’ve own for a long time: Sable Collar. I actually picked up this shade at my local Dollarama circa 2015 & I remember being so excited to find this shade.

2 coats + top coat

Sable Collar was originally released as part of the 2013 Essie Winter Shearling Darling collection. It is this beautiful smokey reddish brown, with an irresistible shimmer. It’s been so. long since I put this shade on, I totally forgot how gorgeous it is. The epitome of a winter shade (in my opinion). These are exactly the kind of shades that make me think of January.

The formula was pretty easy to apply on this one — two coats needed for full opacity. The first coat was definitely streaky, but upon the second we got the beautiful finish you see in my swatches. I did apply Essie Speed Setter top coat over my swatches, mostly because this ended up being my manicure for the last few days.

A nice close up of the finish.

Below you can really see the reddish brown shimmer in the bottle. I’m kind of obsessed — which is funny, because I’ve owned this bottle of polish almost a decade, but this is. the first real time I’ve worn it all on its own. & it’s giving me the cosiest vibes.

What do you think about Essie Sable Collar? Do you remember this shade from its original release? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below & if this shade is giving you the same Winter vibes I’m feeling.

Happy Sunday! ♥︎

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Quo Beauty Show Stopper

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday — the first Sunday of 2024.

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is actually a reader request! I had someone on my Facebook message to ask if I had any pictures of Quo Beauty Show Stopper, & it made me realize I had this shade in my stash — but hadn’t actually swatched it. So immediately I had to pull it out so I could feature it for this week’s Swatch Sunday post!

2 coats + Top Coat

Quo Beauty Show Stopper is a beautiful shimmery fuchsia, with a flash of hot pink depending on how you move your hand. It’s from the Breathable line, so it’s designed to be “healthier” on the nail — allowing your nails to “breathe”.

The formula on this one was easy to apply, giving me full coverage in 2 coats. On its own, it dries down to a nice shiny finish, but I did apply top coat as I was planning on wearing it for a few days. The shimmer is absolutely beautiful, & give me early Valentine’s Day vibes.

Quo Beauty nail polishes are a Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive brand, which means it’s sold exclusively in Canada. The Breathable line retails for $13.49 CAD, although you can on occasion tucked into to clearance bin–which is, I’m pretty sure, where I picked up my bottle.

This shade can also be purchased from the Shoppers Drug Mart website if you cannot find it in store.

What do you think about Quo Beauty Show Stopper? Are you a fan of shimmery pink polishes like this? Have you already started feeling those Valentine’s Day vibes? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

& if you ever have a nail polish you’d love to see me feature on here, reach out! I’m always down to share the nail polish love.

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Infinite Shine Shaking My Sugarplums (2023 Terribly Nice Holiday Collection)

Good morning lovelies & Happy New Years Eve! Can you believe today is the last day of 2023?! This year has been a whirlwind for sure. So much has happened, but I’m excited for what 2024 will bring!

Today I’m excited to share a brand new polish which I received as part of my Christmas gift from my kids. All I asked for this beautiful OPI share, & I was excited to receive it — along with 3 other gorgeous shades I’ll be sharing soon!

This is OPI Shaking My Sugarplums from the 2023 Terribly Nice Holiday Collection.

3 coats + top coat

This beautiful metallic periwinkle shimmer has a beautiful flash of pinky purple. The second I saw swatches of this shade, I knew I needed to have it. & of course, the hilarious name really sold it!

The formula was a bit thin on this one — I could have gotten away with 2 coats, but opted for a 3 for really solid coverage. It dries quickly, so the extra coat wasn’t an inconvenience at all but really helped with that flash of shimmer.

Macro shot to show of the depth of this beautiful shade. I can’t get over how beautiful it is! I am so happy to be able to add this shade to my collection (as well as the 3 other shades I was gifted)

The OPI 2023 Terribly Nice Holiday Collection can be found anywhere OPI polishes are sold. For fellow Canadians, I know they are currently on sale at Chatters & Chatters.ca for 50% off!

What do you think of this beautiful OPI Holiday shade? Did you pick up any of the beautiful shades from this collection? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below, & I hope you have the most wonderful New Years Eve!

See you next year!