SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze The Heat is On (Desert Heat 🏜️ Collection 2015)

Good morning lovelies & happy Sunday. It’s been a while since I posted a Swatch Sunday post! So I’m excited to jump back in, & for this one I’m throwing it way, way back to 2015 with a gorgeous China Glaze shade I bought as part of a mini set: The Heat Is On.

2 coats + top coat

I was thinking about this shade, & kind of nervous about its state (I feel like these mini bottles dry up way faster than normal sized bottles) but she was in great shape, & I was so excited to wear it.

The shade is a beautiful vibrant red with an undertone of orange. The formula was creamy, & easy to apply; it had a glossy finish even before I applied top coat. I like that it has just a hint of a jelly formula, because it really does make it look juicy on the nails.

I was so obsessed with this shade when I first bought my mini set of this collection, & all these years later — 11 to be exact — I still love it. It really makes me wish I had a full sized bottle, but sadly it was a limited release. I have found a few bottles online for sale… & I won’t lie, it’s tempting.

What do you think of this shade? Do you think it’s as fun & lush as I do? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below.

& stay tuned — because I have my eyes open for any Fall collections popping up in store, & I’m ready for full on Autumn vibes.

Happy Sunday!

SWATCH SUNDAY — OPI Miss Piggy’s Big Number (2014 Muppets Most Wanted Collection)

Hello beauties — long time no see!

Life has been a bit tricky lately, & my ability to blog has kind of taken a backseat. But I’m missing sharing my nails, so I’m trying to get back into my regular routine. I even have some PR/nail mail to share that I recently received.

But first, let’s start off our week like we usually do with some fun polish for Swatch Sunday. & I decided why not to throw it way, way, way back with OPI Miss Piggy’s Big Number from the 2014 Muppets World Tour collection.

2 coats + top coat.

Okay, so this shade has been in my collection a long time — possibly back to 2014 when this collection was released. But I don’t think I’ve worn it too often in the years since I’ve owned it. Formula on this shade is a metallic blue finish with a bit of a purple flash. I needed two coats for full coverage which is pretty good.

In the close up you can see a bit more of that purple flash, plus how it dries with minimal brush strokes. I feel like with this kind of polish, you kind of can’t escape brush strokes — no matter how hard or careful you are to try to avoid them.

This colour though — I love this colour. It’s such a vibrant blue which I’m a huge fan of, & it’s perfect for this time of year where the weather so quickly switches between bright, sunny, & warm to cold & grey. This shade is perfect to rock while switching between temperatures.

Sadly this shade was released 12 years ago, so I don’t think it’s going to be an easy one to track down if you’re looking for it. Ebay might be your friend, but I feel like it may be a bit of a quest if you’re on the hunt for it.

What do you think of OPI Miss Piggy’s Big Number? Do you remember this shade, or the collection it was a part of? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below. & also — if you like these throwback Swatch posts, let me know & I will make sure I do more!

♥︎

SWATCH SUNDAY — Nicole by OPI Scarlett || Happy 12th Birthday Coffee & Nail Polish 🎂

Hello lovelies & happy Easter Sunday! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend, celebrating however they celebrate. But it’s not just Easter Sunday — 12 years ago today I made my very first post on Coffee & Nail Polish! So I thought it would be fun, & for this week’s Swatch Sunday I would share the first very nail polish I ever used for a manicure: Nicole by OPI (RIP) Scarlett from the Selena Gomez collection.

2 coats + top coat

This beautiful metallic pink was originally released as part of the Nicole by OPI Spring Collection which was Selena Gomez themed. I picked up this beauty at my local Lawton’s Drugs (which was one of my favourite places for clearance nail polish) for the stellar price of $2.50.

The formula on this one was slightly thin, but not too thin it made it hard to apply. 2 coats built to this perfect opacity. The finish though — the finish is my favourite. It’s this gorgeous glass fleck finish. Also I love that it sort of looks pink, but also sort of looks red.

Stunning.

Close up of this beautiful finish. I love the shimmer, the pinkish glow; all of it. It really does glow on the nail which just adds to the beauty.

& obviously, since today is the anniversary of my very first blog post, I had to do a recreation of my very first design — a red on red leopard print. Base is Scarlett & my spots were done using Nicole by OPI Basking in Gloria (from the Modern Family collection).

Unfortunately I did forget to matte-ify my design & didn’t realize until after the fact, but I still love my recreation.

What do you think about this throwback shade! I feel like the NOPI shades were definitely ahead of their time for drugstore brands. I really miss them, & cherish the shades I still have.

Happy Sunday!

Happy Easter!

🖤

SWATCH SUNDAY — ACO by Ardene Bonne Nuit

Hello lovelies & happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. We’re halfway through January & that’s kind of crazy.

But everyone in my social media feeds keep taking nostalgic trips back to 2016, so I thought I would do the same — only with nail polish! & back on 2016 I was all about the Ardene brand of nail polishes, so I thought I would share a beauty from that time: Aco by Ardene Bonne Nuit.

1 coat over Rimmel Blue Eyed Girl + top coat.

So yes, I did use some under-polish for swatching this beauty because it. is. thin. But I think it applies beautifully & you really get that shift of colour from blue to a purple hue. There is a nice micro glitter shimmer as well, which I remember loving a lot in the mid-2000s!

Now this shade is definitely a relict of another time, because Ardene no longer sells this brand of nail polish. I still have a drawer of this brand in my stash, that I stare at frequently, & every so often pull out for nostalgia sake. I also love that they were so trendy when it came to finishes, at a very affordable price point!

What do you think of this very mid-2010s nail polish? Do you remember what shades you were obsessed with circa 2016? Let me know what shades you were obsessed with back then, & if they are still top of your list 10 years later!

Happy Sunday loves!

🖤

Purple & Gold Dotticure 💜✨

Hey beauties, happy Wednesday!

It’s another snowy Wednesday here, which is making this December feel very festive. I think this is the most snow we’ve had in a December in longer than I can remember. Now if only I could get enough holiday spirit to get my shopping finished.

Today I’m sharing a pretty holiday-esque design. Not outright Christmas, but using some older season Holiday polishes so I feel like it counts! Plus it wouldn’t look out of place at a Holiday party while you drink too many eggnogs!

The polishes I used for this manicure are: 

  • Base Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Cure
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Morgan Taylor Plum-thing Magical (2017 Little Miss Nutcracker collection)
  • OPI Rolling in Cashmere (Gwen Stephanie Holiday 2014 collection)
  • Small-ish dotting tool

Oh goodness, I just adore a good dotticure. The gold looks lovely against the purple-y plum base, especially with its shimmer. This is such a simple look to do, but eye catching at the same time. I love it! & sometimes I just need to rock a colour other than red or green, you know?

What do you think of the glam dotticure? Would you wear a design like this? Can you believe we’re two weeks away from Christmas Eve, & 15 days away from Christmas morning? Crazy!

Happy Wednesday

🖤