Category Archives: Quick Look

Essie Bridal 2016 Collection Swatches

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Essie Bridal 2016 Collection Swatches

The Essie Bridal 2016 Collection, which is currently available, has colours that interest me more than the ones from previous years. (It could be because there’s a green…and you know that there’s always a spot in my heart for it.)

As a whole, the Essie Bridal 2016 Collection makes me think of spring blossoms. And while many brides sport pink, peach, or white on their nails as they walk down the aisle, I think it’s refreshing that Essie included a purple, a green, and a bolder colour.

What colour did you or would you wear on your nails for the Big Day?

When it came to the formula, Mrs Always-Right (dusty rose) was the most pigmented and only needed two coats. (It figures that she’s ‘always right’…hehe!)

Tied for second best were Passport to Happiness (green), Groom Service (purple), and Between the Seats (pale grey lilac), which looked their best with two to three coats.

In last place were Steal His Name (peach) and Coming Together (pink), which I needed to use three coats to fully cover the nail. (Tip: To get better coverage with these, I suggest that you wait several minutes in between coats. If you just slap on each layer, you might get slight bald patches in some areas of your nails.)

Later in this post, you’ll see some bottle shots and close-up swatches of every colour in the Essie Bridal 2016 Collection. Additionally, I’ve included the official press release, in case you want to read the colour story for further details.

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Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection (Part 2) Swatches

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Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection Part 2 Swatches

The Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection grows bigger with the second instalment: six new colours that are already available now!

Pretty Serious Cosmetics is an Australian indie company that offers vegan, cruelty-free nail polishes and international shipping.

Karen, the owner and Managing Director of the company never ceases to impress me with her vast imagination because her creations are always special with interesting colour combinations and finishes!

The formula on all of these were great – easy to apply and wonderful coverage with just two coats.

It’s hard to choose a favourite in the Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection (Part 2) because they’re all so gorgeous! But, if I absolutely had to make a choice, I’d go with Bump-Dee-Bump, followed closely by Forbidden Zone (red) and An Uzi from Daddy (purple).

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Essie Summer 2016 Collection Swatches

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Essie Summer 2016 Collection Swatches

Get ready to dip your nails into the hottest summer colours because the Essie Summer 2016 Collection officially launches on May 17th across beauty destinations in Canada!

The first thing that stood out to me is that there’s a black nail polish in a summer collection. You know how happy that makes me? I’ve always been a strong believer that you should enjoy any colour you want regardless of what is ‘in season’ or expected.

I’ve been known to sport black manicures in sweltering August and blinding neons during February’s frost. That’s why seeing a dark colour in the Essie Summer 2016 Collection made me smile – it encourages going against the grain, which can oftentimes be quite refreshing!

The formulas on all of these were excellent because I only needed two coats to get full coverage.

It must be noted that Coconut Cove (white) pleasantly surprised me because it wasn’t a streaky, sheer mess, which is typical of many white nail polishes. It covered very well!

Another honourable mention goes out to Tribal Text-styles (black) because the formula was extremely pigmented and smooth with the ideal consistency.

Loot the Booty (sapphire blue) and Viva Antigua! (turquoise) are both gorgeous with a delicate sparkle, and after Tribal Text-styles, they’re my favourites in the collection.

When I swatched Berried Treasures (berry), I wondered, “Is it an Essie Brides No Grooms dupe?” You may remember it from the Bridal 2015 Collection. Since some of you may also be curious, check out the bottom of this post because I did comparison swatches that answer the question.

Additionally, this post includes the official Essie Summer 2016 Collection press release and Rebecca Minkoff’s editor’s note (she’s Essie’s Global Colour Director), in case you want to know the inspiration behind the colour selection.

P.S. Yes, I’m a green nail-polish lover and maybe sometimes I’m immature, but when I read the name Berried Treasures, it made me think of buried treasure…as in the green kind. Am I the only one?

Edit (April 12, 2016): One of my readers asked me on social media if there’d be a mini set for this collection. I sent over an e-mail to find out. Turns out that, YES, there will be a mini set, and it will include all the shades! If I receive more information, I’ll add it here.

Edit (April 15, 2016): Someone on Instagram wondered how they compared, so I added a comparison swatch of Essie Hiking Heels with Essie Color Binge in this post and on my social media.

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OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection Swatches

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OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection Swatches

The OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection officially launches in April, which is just a wink away, but today, I have some quick swatches to whet your appetite! (For the full colour story, check out the official press release I published earlier.)

Hey, is it just me, or is time zipping by? I can’t believe that it’s already going to be Easter tomorrow!

Will you be doing any fun and festive Easter nail art? I have some ideas, but I’m not sure if I’ll have enough time to sit down and execute any. We’ll see!

If I’m unable to blog on Sunday, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter now! Whether you celebrate the holiday for religious reasons or for the yummy chocolate bunnies and candies, I hope that you have a great time.

HEYYYYYY!

That’s Odin the Owl, and he’s flying off with my nail polishes!

Catch him – quick!

OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection

Thanks so much for convincing Odin the Owl to return them!

We sat down, and he apologized. Life for owls is rough these days. He said, “Nobody gives a hoot about us!” 😉

After I consoled him and told him that there are lots of people (myself included) who love owls, we ended up talking about nail polish. One thing led to another, and I ended up painting his talons with a few flattering shades. Odin’s now sporting a spiffy pedicure!

And now…onto the rest of the post where I share with you swatches of all eight colours and some bottle shots!

Stay tuned for a detailed review on at least one colour from this collection in a future post.

In general, these polishes applied easily and were smooth and shiny (even without a top coat). I used three coats for all these swatches, however, the darker shades (Olive for Green, Don’t Provoke the Plum!, and In Familiar Terra-tory only required two coats).

My favourites from the OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection are Olive for Green (obviously!), Reach for the Sky, and In Familiar Terra-tory.

Which colours are you itching to try first? Or will you be skipping them completely?

Although OPI suggests that you use their special Infinite Shine Primer (base coat) and Infinite Shine Gloss (top coat) in conjunction with the Infinite Shine colours, I’ve found that I still get great wear when I use my usual base and top coats. So, don’t think that you have to commit to a whole new polishing system.

If you do decide to get the matching set, know also that you can use the Infinite Shine base and top coats with your other regular polishes. (I’ve tried it, and it works fine. Of course, manicure results vary based on your unique nail chemistry.)

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OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection Swatches

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OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection Swatches

With Easter just a bunny hop, skip, and a jump away, it’s only fitting to share OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection swatches!

Start dreaming up fun spring manicures and pedicures because the OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection officially launches in April, according to the press release I posted earlier this month. (For the colour story, click that link to get all the juicy details.)

As the name would suggest, the colours are pastel, and I found that they were heavily white-based. However, they still had just enough saturation to keep them from looking washed out.

A lot of lighter shades like these tend to require three coats to reach full opacity, and these were no exception.

The formula on all of them were consistent in that they were smooth and easy to apply. The first coat was streaky, but the coverage builds up effortlessly with the second and third coat.

Based on my quick swatches, my favourites are the green (This Cost Me a Mint) and yellow (One Chic Chick). However, I’ll wait to reserve final judgement when I wear them as full manicures. (Later, I’ll do at least one in-depth review on here with multiple photos of a single shade, as per usual.)

A special mention needs to be given to It’s in the Clouds because I was expecting a stark white, but it’s a bit softer…hehe, like a cloud. 😉 Usually I’m not crazy about white nail polish, but I liked the way this one looked. I think it’s because it’s ever-so-slightly off-white, yet it still looks clean and fresh.

Overall, my first impression is that these colours are a nice change of pace from OPI’s SoftShades collections from previous years. Instead of sheers, we have cremes that can be built up for full coverage, which is what I prefer. Also, all the colours make me think of cute Easter eggs!

Edit (March 25, 2016): Scroll to the bottom of this post to see comparison swatches of OPI It’s a Boy! and OPI What’s with the Cattitude?. It was requested by Jessica, one of my awesome readers.

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Nail and Makeup Inspiration from Toronto Fashion Week 2016 (Day 1)

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Toronto Fashion Week 2016 Mikhael Kale Essie 6

Rita Remark, Essie’s Lead Nail Artist

In yesterday’s post, I shared with you my Toronto Fashion Week 2016 (Day 1) experience and photos that I captured during the event.

Today, I’m sharing some Nail and Makeup Inspiration from Toronto Fashion Week 2016 (Day 1) from the Mikhael Kale show.

The models wore Essie After School Boy Blazer and Essie Stylenomics on their nails and Maybelline New York makeup.

You’ll find the details on how to recreate the looks, along with some model shots to give you a better idea overall.

Grace Lee Toronto Fashion Week 2016 Mikhael Kale

Grace Lee, Maybelline’s Lead Makeup Artist

All images in this post are courtesy of Essie and Maybelline.

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Toronto Fashion Week 2016 & Chatting with Rita Remark (Essie’s Global Lead Educator)

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Toronto Fashion Week 2016 Rita Remark Essie

Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of attending the Toronto Fashion Week 2016, which was held at David Pecaut Square in Toronto.

If you follow me on social media, you already know that and got to see a few photos that I snapped with my phone during the event.

This post contains those photos, since not everyone uses social media, as well as many additional photos. I hope they give you a taste of what it was like to be backstage at a runway show!

Also, I got to chat with Rita Remark, Essie’s Global Lead Educator. This will be the third time that I’ve had this honour, and each time, I leave inspired by how hard-working, humble, and successful she is!

Rita is one of those people who, I believe, will always stay grounded with her heart in the right place, no matter how far her career takes her.

Later in this post, I share with you some of the questions I asked and her answers.

P.S. When looking more closely at the photo of Rita and me, I laughed. The way the light is shining on my glasses makes me look like I have painted a “W” across my face! (Oh the first-world problems of those with bad eyesight!)

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