Tag: Swatch

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SWATCH SUNDAY — Giorgio Armani Nail Polish in Woodstone

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far.

Today I decided to dig deep into my stash, & pulled out a polish that was gifted to me back in 2015, & has been sitting in there, peaking my interest, for a long time. This is Giorgio Armani #214 Woodstone, which was originally released as part of the Fall 2014 Fade to Grey Collection. At least — I’m 99% sure this is #214 Woodstone. Mine didn’t have the official name on the bottle, but after some Googling, & seeing other swatches, it’s pretty clear that’s which shade this is.

2 coats, no top coat.

First up, this shade is such an unusual colour selection for me, but I was really really feeling this bronze-y brown shade, that I had to put it on. It’s such a deep, dark brown, but the gold shimmer really gives it another depth to it. For my swatches, I applied two coats of polish, but honestly it was pretty much opaque on the first coat, the second one was just to smooth things out fully.

Also, I really like the way the golden shimmer looks with this shade. With the matte finish, it really does almost give you the effect of being wood grain, which is really cool.

Just for fun, I wanted a comparison of the polish both matte & glossy. Top coat definitely takes it to a whole other level — I just love it!

I’m really loving this shade, & kind of sad it’s taken me 7 years to actually venture out of my comfort zone & try it out. It really is a stunning shade for Autumn & Fall. All is missing is a little bit of golden accent, maybe some leaves. A fantastic base for an Autumn inspired nail art look!

Sadly it looks like Giorgio Armani Beauty no longer produces nail polishes, which is a shame. If I had known how nice of a formula their polishes had, I definitely would have sought some out sooner. However, I’m glad to have this beauty in my stash, & I definitely won’t be waiting another 7 years to wear it again!

What do you think about this pretty bronzed brown? Do you ever wear brown nail polish? Do you prefer it with a matte or glossy finish? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Kiss & Spell

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is enjoying the second week of September so far. 🍂🍁 The weather here here has been that perfect mix of no humidity & slightly cooler temperatures that always gets me excited to get dressed in the morning!

I’m also excited because today I’m sharing another dark beauty of a polish, which was originally released as part of the 2020 Halloween Spellbound collection: Kiss & Spell.

2 coats, no top coat.

How pretty is this beautiful purple-y burgundy packed with red & golden flakies. Kiss & Spell takes two coats for full opacity, & dries down to a lovely matte finish. I didn’t have any issues with application, which can sometimes happen with matte shades, & I found it dried relatively quickly. Of course, if I was wearing this for a few days, I would probably still apply a quick dry top coat, & then apply a matte top coat over that as well.

Sadly, while beautiful, the matte finish definitely hides the beauty of the glitters — applying a shiny top coat definitely shows off those flakies. You can see in my bottle shot how gorgeous the colours are!

I know a lot of people are still in Summer mode, & I don’t blame them, but wearing this polish makes me realize just how freaking excited I am for Fall, & Halloween! There is something about a deep reddish burgundy shade that is perfect for this time of year as we get those cooler mornings & evenings. This just makes me happy for knee high boots, sweaters, & tights. Plus all that Halloween candy that is just calling my name!

Do you remember China Glaze Kiss & Spell from the Halloween 2020 collection?

It feels like so long since that release. I found this beauty last Halloween at my local Winners, so if you missed out on this shade upon first release, definitely check out your local Winners/Marshalls for a lingering bottle. It is a perfect Autumn shade, & definitely perfect for spooky season.

Have a lovely day!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — A Color Club Mystery

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday… the first Sunday of September. The weather has been absolutely beautiful the last couple days, & I even had a chance to break out the knee high boots & my favourite tights. & I’ve been perusing through all my deeper nail polish shades, looking for fun dark shades that are calling my name.

Today, though, I have a bit of a nail polish mystery featuring Color Club. I’ve mentioned before I’m a huge fan of buying polish at Winners, & I found this beauty in a set of 6 at my local Winners — with no name or codes or any distinguishing information. A real nail polish mystery!

2 coats + Essie Speed Setter top coat

The formula on this beautiful dark plum is super rich. I probably could have gotten away with just one coat of I had been a bit more careful — the opacity is stunning.

The colour is beautiful & dark, & perfect for Autumn. In fact, this is the exact shade I’m thinking about putting in my hair for Fall.

So after some perusing on Google, & Veronica Mars level sleuthing, I think I’ve figured out this shade is Color Club Twice Bitten from the 2016 Under My Spell Holiday collection. There were a couple I thought it might be, but after reviewing bottle shots & other swatches, I definitely think it has to be that one!

The only downside I found to this polish — it stained my nails (& fingers) really badly upon removal. Like… my finger nails & cuticle area were seriously red. Which is a shame, because the colour itself is beautiful & I love a deep dark shade like this.

What do you think about this mystery shade? Do you think I was correct in surmising that it’s Color Club Twice Bitten? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below, & if you like these mystery shade posts?

Have a great Sunday!

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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!

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SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI First Date at the Golden Gate

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely & enjoyable weekend. I’m excited because I’m really embracing all the Autumn vibes with today’s Swatch Sunday pick. I know, I know… it’s still Summer. But my pumpkin spice loving heart is ready for more, & today’s polish pick is definitely filling the void.

Today I’m rocking OPI First Date at the Golden Gate which was originally released as part of the 2013 Fall/Winter collection (so perfect for Fall almost 9 years later!) This shade came to me during a Chatters sale, although I can’t exactly remember. The bottle is dusty though, so she’s definitely been around a while.

3 coats, no top coat.

The formula on this shade is soft & smooth, & applied to the nail easily. I did have to go with 3 coats of polish, as it was a bit on the thin side, but they dried surprisingly fast. This is always a bonus when you have to apply anything more than 2 coats.

I also like how syrup-y the finish looks, even without top coat.

The colour of this one seems absolutely perfect for Fall & I can’t believe I haven’t really reached for it much this time of year. First, it’s a not-quite-red — & we all know I adore read nail polish! But the shade has this burnt quality, with brown undertones, which reminds me of when the leaves shift around the end of September, beginning of October.

& that’s my favourite time of year!

What do you think about OPI First Date at the Golden Gate? Do you have this beauty in your collection? Do you enjoy me posting these throwback Fall collection shades? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!