Sothys Paris Baroque Make-Up Collection Review

Happy 2017, and welcome back to Writing Beauty!

After a busy December of posting about lots of wonderful brands that I discovered near the end of 2016, I took a month off to prepare for the winter 2017 lineup.

I’m starting the year by sharing my thoughts on Sothys Paris, a highly specialized beauty brand that exudes pure luxury.

Sothys, an avant-garde beauty expert, produces products sold exclusively in beauty institutes and spas. The company has a line of innovative skin and body care, as well as a makeup line with limited-edition collections inspired by the seasons. I was lucky enough to test out seven of their top picks from the Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Baroque Collection, and am excited to share my experiences with you. This collection is glowing with its glints of gold and iridescent accents.

Winter 2016 Nail Polish Favourites

My nail polish favourites for this winter feature a range of different shades from iridescent glitters to snowy baby pinks to blue and purple jewel tones to rich reds and berries and everything in between.

You can see my nail polish favourites from previous years and seasons by clicking HERE.

Which polish is your favourite from my list below? To see swatches and more detailed posts on the polishes below, click on any names in mint green text.

NOTD: Butter London Queen Vic

Butter London’s nail polish in Queen Vic is the perfect berry shade for my pale cool-toned skin. Although the colour looks very pretty in the photos above and below, it is even richer in real life. Since my camera finds it difficult to accurately capture anything with red tones, the colour appears a lot more red in the photos. Queen Vic is actually deeper and more purple toned. In fact, Butter London describes it by saying, “Stunning, elegant and classy. Red wine meets cranberry. Fit for a queen.”
Aside from the colour, the formula of this polish is very impressive. It applied smoothly, dried quickly, and lasted for six days without any chipping. I couldn’t help but look at my nails every few minutes while wearing this polish to admire the way that it brightened up my hands with its rich tones and shiny finish. I received many compliments while wearing this shade.
My only complaint is that Queen Vic left my fingers with a red stain for a few days after I removed it with nail polish remover. To avoid this type of staining, I recommend using a good base coat and a strong polish remover.
Overall, Queen Vic is a gorgeous polish with a great formula. It will continue to be a go-to shade for me during the fall and winter months.

Winter Nail Trend: Matte Nails

I love to experiment with different nail polish textures, especially during the colder months when I’m wearing darker shades.
Lately I have been really into matte nails and wanted to share a few photos with you.
This first set of photos features the chocolate matte shade (#13) from bornprettystore.com
I like this colour because it is more of a mauve brown rather than a true brown and it has a hint of shimmer to prevent the polish from looking flat. It’s also much less expensive than matte polishes from higher end brands and you can save 10% when you purchase it using the coupon code BEAUTY4K31.

This next shade is actually Monica from Zoya (my new favourite Zoya polish) with a coat of bornprettystore’s Super Matte Surface Oil on top.
If you have ever used Monica you will know that it is a super glossy polish even without a topcoat. I love how the surface oil instantly dulls down that shiny finish to create a new look that is chic and on trend for winter.


*this is NOT a sponsored post or video. I was sent the product to try but I am not being compensated for the post  and all opinions expressed are honest and are my own. the coupon code was provided by the company for my readers to use--I do not receive any compensation if the code is used*

Snow Inspired Nail Look

This snow inspired nail look is my first entry in Nail Polish Canada’s Holiday Nail Art Challenge.

I wanted to create a design that reflected the beauty of snow flakes and the winter fun associated with snow.

I began the look with a medium blue base (Zoya Jo), and then added a bit of glimmer by dabbing on a thin layer of China Glaze OMG with a makeup sponge. Next, I created snowflakes with a white polish and a nail art stamping kit. I used a larger snowflake for the thumb nail and smaller designs for the others. Using a dotting tool and Zoya Snow White, I drew the snowman’s body on one nail, and added a hat, buttons, and eyes with a black polish. The final touch was the carrot nose which I created using Butter London Jaffa.

What do you think of my snow inspired nail look? I would love for you to take a few moments to check out the other amazing designs created by bloggers, and show your support for my nail art and my blog by voting for my design here: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/holiday-nail-art-challenge-week-1-snow/

I can’t wait to see what next week’s challenge will be!

Easy Candy Cane Nail Look

Today I wanted to make a holiday nail look that’s quick and easy to create but also very festive. As a result, I came up with this candy cane nail tutorial. It’s traditional but also has a bit of holiday glimmer. Hope you enjoy the video tutorial and pictures below!

Easy Candy Cane Nail tutorial

*click photos to enlarge*

Holly Holiday Nail Look

Now that Christmas is about a week away, I’m creating and filming holiday inspired nail tutorials. This one is my first. It incorporates different shades and textures of red and a holly design. Hope you enjoy the video tutorial and photos below!

Holly Holiday Nail Tutorial

*click photos to enlarge*

My Favourite Nail Polishes for Winter

Now that winter is just around the corner, I have selected some nail polishes that I will be wearing until the snow stops falling.

Cream finish polishes with purple/blue/grey undertones:

Zoya Jana, Zoya Petra, Zoya Kelly
Dark purple cream finish polishes:

China Glaze VIII, Zoya Pinta
Dark shimmery purple polishes:

OPI Concord Grape, OPI Catherine the Grape, OPI Purple with a Purpose

Zoya Juno, Sally Hansen Vixen
Medium purple metallic/icy polishes:

OPI Sahara Sapphire, China Glaze Avalanche, Zoya Areetha
Light metallic/icy polishes:

Color Club Front Row Diva, OPI Loyalty Islands Lilac, OPI Play the Peonies

Zoya Laney, Zoya Harley, Zoya Jules
Holographic/glitter polishes:

OPI Designer Series (DS) Shimmer, China Glaze OMG, OPI Absolutely Alice
Purple holographic/glitter polishes:

China Glaze LOL, China Glaze C-C-Courage, Zoya Neeka

OPI OPI Ink, Zoya Jem
Nude/light pink polishes:

Essie East Hampton Cottage, Zoya Marilyn, Essie Topless & Barefoot
Shimmery red/burgundy polishes:

OPI Glove You So Much, Revlon Blackberry

What are your winter favourites????