SWATCH SUNDAY — Barielle Shades Secret Encounter

Hello beauties & happy Sunday! It’s an absolutely frigid day here in Halifax — this whole weekend has been in the negatives. I’m not a fan of the cold, mostly because I’m a petite person who wears multiple layers in October. Also, the cold absolutely wrecks havoc on my nails, so we’re back to some serious shorties… again!

But you know what makes short nails so much better? A pretty polish colour. & today’s beautiful shade is also one I had to dig super deep into the stash to find: Barielle Shades Secret Encounter.

2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

I’m actually surprised that when I looked up this shade in previous blog entries, I haven’t posted about it! I picked up this shade in 2015, on clearance at Winners (where else). But according to the internet, this shade was originally released as part of the 2008 Fall Affair Collection. So she goes back a few years.

The colour itself is this beautiful deep cranberry with metallic shimmer. I needed two coats for full coverage but the formula was easy to apply. The brush was definitely on the thinner side, which made cuticle line application a little more difficult, but that was the trend for most bottles of nail polish back then.

I was looking for something kind of Valentines-y to wear, & I think this is a great option! Like I said, this shade is one of the older ones in my collection, but she’s held up quite well over the years. I do believe Barielle is still making nail polish, although I haven’t seen any in my neck of the woods in a long time. However, according to their website, this shade is no longer in rotation.

What do you think of Barielle Shades Secret Encounter? Do you like this throwback shade as a Valentine’s Day option? I had originally planned on doing a little heart accent on this guy, but didn’t quite have enough time. Either way, I think it’s a beautiful polish colour all on it’s own.

Happy Sunday loves!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI All About The Bows (Holiday 2019 Hello Kitty Collection)

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

It’s a beautiful Sunday here, albeit a little bit chilly. But the sun is shining, & that is nice to see for a January day. I thought I would match the brighter days, while also getting a little a little Valentines-y with some pinkish nails. I fee like end of January into February is the only time I really wear a lot of pink, so I’ve got to share when I do!

Today’s Swatch Sunday pick is OPI All About the Bows from the 2019 Hello Kitty Holiday Collection. Technically this shade is kind of enigma, because I feel like sometimes it leans hot pink, & sometimes it looks more reddish. Getting the right lighting for these nails was definitely a bit of a challenge, but I tried my best!

1 coats, No Top Coat

Hello beautiful! & hello one coater. I was super impressed with the smooth formula of this shade because it applied effortlessly in one coat. The formula itself has a syrupy feel, but with a good opacity. I was actually really, really impressed with how easily it applied. & the dry time was super quick as well, probably because I only needed one coat to reach full opacity.

I will say though, if my nails were longer, I might need two if I wanted a little more coverage. You can see a bit of visible nail line on my ring finger — but honestly, it’s barely visible unless you’re really looking for it.

I love how this shade is somewhere between a hot pink & a red. We all know how much I love a good red, but it still gives off the Valentine’s vibes I was hoping for. After all, it’s just a little over 2 weeks away so it’s time to start really getting my manicure & nail art ideas into action.

What do you think of OPI All About The Bows? Are you a fan of a hot pink shade like this? Let me know all your thoughts about this shade, & which shades you’re already planning on wearing for Valentine’s Day (& black totally counts!)

Have a happy Sunday loves.

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY— Revlon Unicornicopia

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! It’s a beautiful sunny Sunday here which only means one thing — let’s wear some holo. I was digging through my nail polish stash for this week’s Swatch Sunday, & decided to take a peek into my Revlon stash. There was a few polishes in there I’ve realized I bought, but never worn, but the one that really caught my eye was Revlon Unicornicopia.

3 coats, no top coat.

Revlon Unicornicopia is a beautiful liner holographic lavender that was originally released in 2017. The formula is a bit thin — I needed 3 coats for full coverage — but I found it dries quickly. I had no issues with the coats pulling when you apply another, something which I’ve found with other holographic shades.

The sparkle is quite pretty, & I like the pale lavender shade it has. It’s almost pastel, which obviously makes me feel Spring vibes (yes… still). We still be digging out from a big snowstorm on Friday, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still be dreaming of Spring.

& obviously I needed to show off a sun shot of this holo. The liner holo definitely shows up better in the sunshine than under my daylight bulb with camera flash. Both are gorgeous though! & I’m really glad I finally pulled this shade out. It deserves its day in the sun.

What do you think about Revlon Unicornicopia? Do you love this beautiful lavender holo as much as I do? Do you have any of the Revlon Holochromes in your stash? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a lovely Sunday!

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 ♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Color Club Pucci-licious

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday!

I hope everyone’s day is off to a great start & that your first week of 2023 has been lovely. It’s finally kind of looking like Winter here in my part of the East Coast, so naturally that means I’m feeling the complete opposite with this week’s Swatch Sunday pick.

I’ve been in a serious purple mood lately. The last 4/5 of my manicures have a purple theme (& I have another one ready to go!) So naturally when picking this week’s Swatch Sunday pick I wanted to keep the trend going. & one of my all time favourite purples?

Color Club Pucci-licious.

2 coats + Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

I’m not going to lie, I’m actually surprised I haven’t picked this shade to swatch yet. It’s absolutely one of my all time favourite purple polishes.

Color Club Pucci-licious was originally released as part of the Poptastic collection, but then made its way into the permanent line up. The polish itself is a cool toned vibrant purple cream. On its own it’s quite glossy, but I did add top coat to mine as I was adding some crackle overtop.

I used two easy coats for my swatches, & it was perfectly levelled with the second coat.

As you can see from the top of my bottle, I bought this guy at my local Lawton’s in the clearance section. However, you can still find this guy for sale on the Color Club Website so I don’t think he’s been discontinued (thank goodness!) It’s also available via NailPolishCanada.com — on sale! — so that’s a good option as well.

The shades look much different on the two sites, but they’re definitely the same polishes. That’s kind of the thing about photographing Pucci-licious—depending on your lighting when photographing it, it can look very different. I did my best to capture my swatches as close as real life as possible!

What do you think about Color Club Pucci-licious? Do you own this beauty of a shade in your own nail polish stash? L

et me know all your thoughts, & what colours your currently wearing to get you through the January blahs.

Have a lovely Sunday! 🖤