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10 Chocolate Nail Colors to Try This Season

November 4, 2022

Sharing a roundup of some chocolate nail colors I’ve been loving this season! I’ve never received so many “what color is that?” questions about some of the shades I’ve been wearing recently. The ones that have been getting the most compliments are OPI Bonfire Serenade and Olive and June JJ.

I’ve been in a pale pink and neutral nude nail kick most of this year but love these different shades of brown for fall to winter. Here are 10 nail chocolate colors to try this fall.

OPI Bonfire Serenade is a creamy cool-toned chocolate brown. Opaque with two coats.

OPI You Don’t Know Jacques is a shade I always thought was brown, but I just bought a fresh bottle and it’s almost taupe blue on my skin tone. I added it to the mix for comparison.

OPI Espresso Your Inner Self is a true medium chocolate brown shade. Also creamy, opaque, two coats.

Olive and June JJ is the prettiest warm chocolate milk shade, neutral-warm on me. This is with two coats.

Essie All Checked Out is a darker cool toned brown. Has full coverage with one coat, but I applied it with two.

Chanel Le Vernis Inspiration and Impulsion are both nearly identical to me. A lot of you wanted a photographed swatch side by side next to Infinite. I would say Inspiration is a medium neutral warm chocolate brown, Impulsion is slightly deeper and cooler in undertone, Infinite is nearly black on my fingers with two coats.

Dior Nude Line is another great chocolate color. It’s a one coat wonder.

Hermes Brun Bistre is an ultra dark chocolate color, almost black on my nails, even in sunlight. It’s a deep brown. Applied with two coats.

For those who wanted to know what I’ve been wearing lately I hope you found this roundup helpful! What nail colors are you wearing this season? I’ve also linked some of my favorite DIY hand and nail care products. A lot of them are also featured in this Hand and Nail Care Favorites roundup here.

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Would love to hear about your favorites!

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Holiday Nail Colors I’m Loving Right Now

December 15, 2021

It’s been a while since I’ve done a nail polish roundup so I thought I’d share 10 Holiday Nail Colors that can take you from Christmas into the New Year. I love following all the nail trends and save a lot of tutorials for inspiration! However I still haven’t mastered the hand painting swirl designs myself. I bought a few tools to try at home in the new year, so maybe I’ll be able to do it one day! For now I love bright or bolds. I still wear my everyday neutrals often but love these holiday shades.

All swatches below are with two coats!

OPI Snow Day in LA

OPI Snow Day in LA* (infinite shine formula, also available in the regular formula) is a soft smooth white with a hint of pearl. Applies smoothly without streaks with 2 coats. Love that it’s a bright white without being too stark.

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OPI Intentions are Rosegold

OPI Intentions are Rosegold is a pretty metallic coppery rose gold with a foiled finish. Applies without visible brush strokes and ultra rich pigment!

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OPI Paint the Tinseltown Red

OPI Paint the Tinseltown Red* (infinite shine formula, also available in the regular version) is a pretty red with a holographic shimmer finish.

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OPI Big Bow Energy

OPI Big Bow Energy is a bright cool-toned fuchsia pink cream, I have it in the Infinite Shine Formula, also available in the Regular version.

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Hermes Rose Incarnat

Hermes Rose Incarnat is a bright fun pink cream, similar to Chanel Turban (the Chanel pulls more warm/peachy). I keep getting so many questions about the Hermes nail polishes and I’m working my way through testing them. I still don’t think they’re worth $45 as I don’t think any polish should be that much. But I am really happy with the formula so far. Has good lasting power, no chips within 1 week, opaque coverage, beautiful colors. I think you can definitely find dupes though!

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Hermes Rose Magenta

Hermes Rose Magenta is a gorgeous mauve magenta pink cream.

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Hermes Orange Poppy

Hermes Orange Poppy is a vibrant orange cream. I love how bright and vibrant it is!

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Hermes Rose Tamise

Hermes Rose Tamise is one I love in the bottle, dries to a slightly darker finish on my nails. I’d describe it as a muted dusty mauve plum. This one is a bit hard to find, but I’d recommend checking back online to see if they restock at Hermes.

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Essie Topless & Barefoot

Essie Topless & Barefoot is the one classic pale nude pink shade that always gets me compliments. Doesn’t last as long as other formulas but it’s a great neutral!

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Chanel Le Vernis in Interdit

Chanel Le Vernis in Interdit is another classic bold vampy shade. Opaque, smooth, dramatic! Another one that always get compliments more than any other vampy dark shade I own.

What’s on your nails right now this holiday season? Do you do them yourself or go to the salon? Mine are all DIY. I have only been the salon once in the past 3 years for a pedicure. All the others are done on my own at home! For those new to the blog you can check out my Hand + Nail Care Favorites here including hand creams, tools, base + top coat favorites and more.

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Press samples have a * next to them. All other items purchased by me.

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Favorite Light Pink Nail Polishes

July 26, 2021

I’ve been on a baby pink nail polish kick lately and have a few favorites I love I wanted to share! So many of my favorite light pinks have been discontinued from Chanel and Dior. Rescue Beauty Lounge also used to make some of the best pale pinks (so sad they’re no longer around!). Here are my favorites right now!

Olive and June Pink Sands ($8, available at Olive and June) – This one is super creamy pale and opaque white-based pink, apply 2 thin coats for full coverage. (If you want something with a little less white base try Olive and June SE.)

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OPI Bubble Bath ($10-$10.50, Target and Ulta) – This is one I rediscovered early summer, I remember not liking it before thinking it was sooo sheer it was difficult to get the color to show up. I tried it again and if I apply 2-3 coats I find I get the perfect pale pink manicure.

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Gucci Beauty Ellen Blush ($30, Nordstrom, Sephora, Gucci) – I just ordered a few of the newly repackaged nail polishes from Gucci. This one has full opaque coverage with one stroke but I still prefer to apply 2. Ellen Blush is the perfect medium light pink to me.

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Essie Fiji ($8.99 at Target) – This will be hit or miss depending on your skin tone or undertone, it’s a cool-toned blue based pale pink with full coverage. It has the tiny skinny brush which I wish they would update. I do think it’s a classic pale pink on me though.

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Essie Muchi Muchi ($8.99 Target) – Muchi Muchi is a medium pale pink on me. It’s not quite as pale as most lighter pinks which makes it more fun for me.

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Essie Gel Couture Polished and Poised ($11.50, Ulta) – A newer to me discovery, love that this is a really pretty light medium neutral warm pink that has full coverage but doesn’t have too much white in it.

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For those who want a closer look at the brush applicators:

A few other posts you might find helpful!

My favorite Base and Top Coats to extend wear in my Hand and Nail Care Routine Favorites post
Favorite Nude Polishes in my Top 5 Best Nude Nail Polishes post

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What are your favorite light or pale pink colors to wear?

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Nail Polish

Fun Nail Polish Colors to Try This Summer

June 6, 2021

I’ve been getting back into colorful nail polishes, especially the colorful French tips with a neutral base for fun! I have so many colors that I’ve been playing with and thought I’d do a roundup of some favorites right now. Last week I posted a fun manicure combination with picks from Target on Instagram. I love these colors by themselves too so I thought I’d share full swatches on the blog along with a few others.

Rainbow Manicure

3 Coats of OPI Bubble Bath (base), then (thumb to pinkie) Don’t Tell a Sol (yellow), That’s Hula-rious (mint), It’s a Girl (pink), Gelato On My Mind (aqua), Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya (coral) – all available at Target

Yellows

OPI Bee-Hind the Scenes – softer almost pastel yellow, opaque, shown with 2 coats (from Ulta, but sold out, still available in Infinite Shine formula)

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OPI Don’t Tell a Sol – vibrant yellow, opaque, 2 coats on tips, Passion as the base

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Essie You Know the Espadrille – warmer sunflower/mustard like yellow, 2 coats

Peach and Coral

OPI Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya – perfect fun bright coral peach, opaque, 2 coats

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OPI PCH Love Song* – electric coral orange with gold shimmer, smooth, opaque, 2 coats

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OPI We Seafood and Eat It – pretty coral pink-red cream, 2 coats (also available in Infinite Shine)

Pinks

OPI Mod About You* – white based pale pink, opaque, 2 coats

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OPI It’s a Girl – soft pale pink, sheerer finish and not as white/pastel as Mod About You, wearing It’s a Girl with 3 coats

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Olive and June Grateful and Kind* – pretty medium rose pink, opaque, cream, 2 coats (available at Olive and June and Target, ombre pink and yellow tumbler from Target)

Nail polish comparisons side by side:

Mint

OPI Mexico City Move-Mint – pale mint blue cream, opaque, wearing 3 coats

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OPI Gelato On My Mind* – fun aqua color, opaque, 2 coats

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More mint polishes on the hands: OPI Mexico City Move-Mint, Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI That’s Hula-rious, OPI Gelato on my Mind

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Louboutin Batignolles – long time readers will recognize this swatch from many many years ago! One of the prettiest aqua colors to date

More mint swatches:

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For those curious, my go-to base and top coats are the OPI Natural Base Coat and Top Coat. More on my current Hand and Nail Care Routine in this post here.

What are you wearing on your nails for this summer? Any fun ones you’ve pulled out recently? I’m already working on part two with some baby blue shade, lilacs and corals. Let me know what you want me to swatch next! Peach? Lavender? Purples? Neutrals? Shimmers? Any other brands you want me to swatch?

I usually buy my OPI and Essie nail polishes from Target or Ulta. Olive and June has sent a number of bottles for press samples but I also buy from their website Olive and June and Target.

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Press samples indicated with a *.

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Hand and Nail Care Routine Favorites

March 10, 2021

By popular request I have an updated hand and nail care routine roundup! My last one was a few years ago (time flies!) and while many of the things have stayed the same, I have stopped using a few things. I’ve been doing my own nails on my own for several years now – pretty much since we moved to Florida. I still haven’t tried gel nails, dip powders, acrylics or press ons. I usually keep things simple and use regular nail polish formulas.

Cuticle Care

I feel like a lot of the Deborah Lippmann formulas changed! I bought several replacements of the Cuticle Remover and Nail Polish Remover and they didn’t work the same. Recent reviews still seem positive but the bottles I bought had chunks of white product floating in the bottle. I decided to look for an alternative. My tools remain the same tried and true go-to’s! I did replace the cuticle trimmer recently, over time the tools become dull with a lot of use and just need to be replaced.

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover is my current go-to to soften and help dissolve dead skin around the cuticle.
Tweezerman Pushy and Nail Cleaner is my favorite tool to push back cuticles so they can be trimmed. The size is perfect for my nail size and I prefer the flat tip versus the curved ones of other styles.
Tweezerman Rockhard Cuticle Nipper ½ inch jaw is my favorite tool to trim cuticles.
OPI ProSpa Nail and Cuticle Oil is my favorite hand oil for the cuticles. It comes in a range of sizes and formats (like a bottle or brush pen). Definitely helps dry fingers!

(I also love the Dior Huile Abricot Daily Nutritive Serum and CND SolarOil.)

Nail Polish Remover + Tools

For nail polish removers and tools, my all around favorites are from Olive and June. You can buy their items from their website and they have also expanded their line at Target! I love the nail files, nail buffer, clean up brush and their nail polish remover! I recommend shopping their website for the best selection and customizable Manicure Systems and box sets. (I use their boxes to store a lot of my essentials to keep them all in one place!)

My next favorite polish remover is Zoya. It’s one that doesn’t make my nails peel or fingers dry out. It’s effective on regular polish and doesn’t feel harsh on the skin.

My favorite clippers and on-the-go tools are also from Tweezerman. I love this Mini Nail Rescue Kit for everyday use and love that it also travel friendly.

Hand Creams

above, clear stackable box in the last photo from amazon

I’m the biggest hand cream fanatic and always love trying new formulas. My current top 5 include:

Chanel La Crème Main Texture Riche – best packaging design and lightweight formula
La Mer The Hand Treatment – one of the most luxurious hand creams for ultra dry skin, I also love the La Mer Rejuvenating Hand Serum but ran out of it and will be replacing it soon!
L’Occitane Solidarity Hand Cream – is one of their new limited-edition formulas, it has a soft hibiscus sent which is really pleasant! I bought 2 but am going to order a few more backups since it’s limited-edition and I really like the scent and cause it supports. Every year they make a product where 100% of the profits help fund projects for women in Burkina Faso for education and professional development
Molton Brown Flora Luminare Hand Cream – I love a lot of the Molton Brown hand creams but this one smells like sunshine to me, it has a bright happy kind of sent with orange blossom, mandarin, ylang-ylang, frangipani, jasmin, rose, vanilla, cedarwood and musk. The formula is nice and not too heavy, I also adore this scent in the Shower Gel and Glowing Body Oil.
Guerlain Repairing and Youth Hand Balm is one of the best new discoveries I’ve had, the balm is pretty spendy, especially for the size, but I’ve found it to be the best for ultra dry skin, it has a balm-feel with honey concentrate and really does work to smooth and hydrate super dry hands, it’s lightly scented (not overpowering).

Base and Top Coat

For base and top coat, I stopped using Essie’s Quick Dry Speed Setter. It worked so well to dry the nails fast and create a long lasting manicure but the formula was harsh on my nails and hands. If any product came in contact with my skin (even if I removed it with remover) it caused cracking and hardening wherever it touched.

OPI Natural Base Coat is the best product I’ve tried that doesn’t hurt my sensitive nails and prevents yellowing from the polish. I also use the OPI Top Coat to extend wear.
Chanel Le Gel Coat is another favorite I use on Chanel polishes. Gives the nails the glossy gel effect without the gel formula.
Smith and Cult Basis of Everything and Above it All are also great options versatile to use on a wide range of other nail polish brands.

above expandable tray from Amazon

That wraps up my hand and nail care routine favorites! I hope you found this helpful! A number of you have also asked for my favorites for feet care. I still haven’t found my favorites to replicate a salon pedicure, although I really like the Spongables Pedi-Scrub and Tweezerman Sole Smoother Stone.

Let me know your favorites in the comments!

Press samples include: OPI Cuticle Oil, Guerlain Hand Balm, Olive and June tools.

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Pink + Red Nail Polishes To Try for Valentine’s Day

February 9, 2021

I’ve swatched and rounded up some pink and red nail polishes to try for Valentine’s Day! OPI is one of my favorite brands for nail polish and they just launched their new Hollywood Collection. I received a few press samples to try but the ones that stood out to me were the lighter shades so I ordered them from Ulta (also available at Amazon). I decided to swatch of the new ones alongside a few of their classics. Colors I have swatched are all with two coats. I found they applied smoothly – I tend to prefer the opaque colors anyways!

For those interested in my DIY hand and nail care routine, you can see my Hand + Nail Care Routine and Tips post.

Movie Buff (Hollywood Collection) – pale creamy pink mauve
Hollywood and Vibe (Hollywood Collection) – pale cool-toned pink
I’m An Extra (Hollywood Collection) – medium pink peach
Suzi Calls the Paparazzi (Hollywood Collection) – neutral creamy pink rose
Princesses Rule – sheer sparkling light pink with microsparkles
15 Minutes of Flame (Hollywood Collection) – metallic fuchsia pink
OPI Red – classic red with a tiny hint of pearl
Emmy Have You Seen Oscar? (Hollywood Collection)- perfect bright bold red
I’m Really an Actress (Hollywood Collection) – sparkling plum gold shimmer
I’m Not Really a Waitress – deep metallic wine

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Movie Buff (Hollywood Collection)

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Hollywood and Vibe (Hollywood Collection)

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I’m An Extra (Hollywood Collection)

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Suzi Calls the Paparazzi (Hollywood Collection)

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Princesses Rule

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15 Minutes of Flame (Hollywood Collection)

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OPI Red

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Emmy Have You Seen Oscar? (Hollywood Collection)

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I’m Really an Actress (Hollywood Collection)

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I’m Not Really a Waitress

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It has been ages since I did a nail polish wheel swatch! I thought it might be helpful to do a side by side with a few other shades mixed in for reference:

You can find the new Hollywood shades available at Ulta Beauty and Amazon. Other classic colors are more widely available. Do you like pinks or reds for nails? What are your favorites? (I’ve linked a few of my favorite base and top coats below as well.)

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Press samples include OPI Princesses Rule, I’m Really an Actress, 15 Minutes of Flame. All others purchased by me.

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Holiday Nail Polish Swatches OPI, Smith & Cult + Dior

December 27, 2020

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Holiday! Andrew and I had a nice Christmas eve with close family. We made Christmas dinner at our house this year and tried making gingerbread houses too which was fun but super messy! I have a nail polish swatch roundup of a few colors I’ve been loving this season. I have been sticking with my usual neutrals for the most part this year but thought it was time to switch things up and play with some sparkle and shine.

OPI Naughty or Ice? is a pretty semi-sheer pearlescent white. It’s similar to OPI Happy Birthday but the holiday Naughty or Ice pulls a little more champagne/warm.

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OPI Snow Falling For You is a metallic light pink. It has minimal visible brush strokes so it applies pretty smooth. I love this pretty pink!

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OPI Tinsel Tinsel Star* is a light blue-grey shimmer. It pulls on the sheer side with 2 coats (shown below). You can get more opaque coverage with 3.

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OPI To All A Good Night* is a beautiful complex metallic gunmetal shade. It flashes different sparkles of silver, blue, grey. I love it for a deeper but fun color.

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OPI Merry In Cranberry is a pretty pearly cranberry shade. It has full smooth coverage with 2 coats.

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Dior Golden Snow* is a top coat. It has larger chunks of iridescent glitter. I applied it alone but it’s fun over another color too!

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Smith and Cult Ceremony of Secrets* is a beautiful metallic pink. It has smooth full coverage with two coats.

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Smith and Cult A Little Lovely is one of the prettiest pink gold glitters I’ve ever tried. It has a beautiful pink gold base and tons of glitter mixed in.

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What have you been wearing on your nails this holiday?

Press samples have a * next to them. All others purchased by me.

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Older Posts

Nail Polish

10 Chocolate Nail Colors to Try This Season

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Holiday Nail Colors I’m Loving Right Now

OPI Snow Day in LA

OPI Intentions are Rosegold

OPI Paint the Tinseltown Red

OPI Big Bow Energy

Hermes Rose Incarnat

Hermes Rose Magenta

Hermes Orange Poppy

Hermes Rose Tamise

Essie Topless & Barefoot

Chanel Le Vernis in Interdit

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Favorite Light Pink Nail Polishes

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Fun Nail Polish Colors to Try This Summer

Rainbow Manicure

Yellows

Peach and Coral

Pinks

Mint

Hand and Nail Care Routine Favorites

Cuticle Care

Nail Polish Remover + Tools

Hand Creams

Base and Top Coat

Pink + Red Nail Polishes To Try for Valentine’s Day

Movie Buff (Hollywood Collection)

Hollywood and Vibe (Hollywood Collection)

I’m An Extra (Hollywood Collection)

Suzi Calls the Paparazzi (Hollywood Collection)

Princesses Rule

15 Minutes of Flame (Hollywood Collection)

OPI Red

Emmy Have You Seen Oscar? (Hollywood Collection)

I’m Really an Actress (Hollywood Collection)

I’m Not Really a Waitress

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Holiday Nail Polish Swatches OPI, Smith & Cult + Dior

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