Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Self-Satisfied

Swatch Saturday this week is glitter chaos! I’m wearing Self-Satisfied from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer, a smorgasbord of neon glitters. I’m wearing one dabbed coat over Eaton Terrace from Nails Inc., and Saltwater Taffy and Skylight from Cover Girl, topped with one coat of Color Club’s clear coat.

IMG_88242

IMG_88262

IMG_88362

IMG_88412

BEGL describes Self-Satisfied as a glitter topper “predominantly yellow and green neon glitters with pink, blue, orange, and purple neon glitters, baby blue holo moons, fuchsia dots, and silver holo butterflies”. I’m not sure it’s possible to count every size, color, and type of glitter in this bottle. Attempting to do so would probably result in some kind of head-clutching space madness.

IMG_88462

IMG_88512

Since I dabbed this polish on, I’m not sure how long it took to dry, but it seemed dry enough after a 15 minute drying period. The glitters spread evenly enough, but I will admit that I placed a few here and there, just to cover some bare spots. Application is pretty typical for a glitter topper like this, but the look you get is so unique and so worth it.

IMG_88562

IMG_88652

This isn’t the first time I’ve worn Self-Satisfied; I brought it on vacation with me a couple months ago. I took a picture of my nails with the Washington Monument. I’m wearing it over Julep’s Cody.

IMG_59412

Self-Satisfied, and well as its insane pink counterpart, Watch the Walls, are on sale at the BEGL store for $6 each. I adore both of these polishes, and I definitely say they are worth grabbing.

I’m going to hijack the end of this post to say goodbye to an old friend. Last August, I bought a four ounce bottle of Seche Vite. Everyone thought I was crazy to buy so much at once, but I was living alone at the time, I couldn’t get to Sally Beauty whenever I wanted, and I got tired of having to buy a new bottle every few weeks. It was so worth the $15 I paid for it. Last Wednesday, I used the very last of that giant bottle. That giant bottle of Seche Vite has gotten me through nearly every manicure in the past year. Good night, sweet prince.

This is the day I got it. My polish is OPI's Get Your Number.

This is the day I got it. My polish is OPI’s Get Your Number.

ripsv

My interim top coat is Color Club’s clear coat. I’m not sure if this is a full-fledged top coat, but it dries quickly and leaves a nice shine, and that’s enough for me. This is my first time using it, so I don’t know how well it’s going to wear, but we’ll find out. Either way, it’s fun using something new.

Wacie Wednesday: Opulence

The Wacie Nail Company polish I’m using this week was a fun experiment. I’d gotten some very fine glitter, practically dust, that I wanted to play with. I got two colors, holo gold and holo silver, and mixed them together, just to see how it would come out. The final product is a full-coverage glitter that is insanely, gloriously sparkly. This is Opulence, and I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_87452

IMG_87472

IMG_87622

I actually took photos of the polish with and without top coat, just to see how they photographed differently. The left photo is with Seche Vite, the right photo is bare. They look pretty similar, and there’s a ton of sparkle either way, but I feel like the top coat really brings out the beauty of the holo glitter. It becomes so much brighter and sensitive to light. I definitely prefer it that way.

Left: Finished with Seche Vite. Right: Polish only

Left: Finished with Seche Vite. Right: Polish only

Opulence is an absolute joy to wear. It was very easy to apply; due to the density of the glitter, the polish was very thick; very little mistakes were made in application, so in that regard, it was a bit like applying a textured polish that’s heavy on the glitter. For as thick as it is, though, it dried very quickly. It did dry with a bit of texture, but it gradually got smoother with each coat; the first coat was the grittiest. It still wasn’t glassy smooth by the third coat, but it wasn’t grainy, either.

IMG_87672

IMG_87712

Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget there are two different colored glitters in there. The gold is definitely more visible, and you can see the silvers if you really try, but only in certain lighting conditions and viewing angles.

IMG_87742

IMG_87792

In the sun, this is incredible. In the studio, I couldn’t get my camera to focus on the glitters well, so all you see is sparkle and not much individuality among glitter particles. You can see them in the sun. It looks fantastic out there! All that shine, all those little rainbows… It’s just beautiful. I love it.

IMG_87952

IMG_88052

IMG_88132

I do apologize for the lateness of this post. I spent all day playing video games.

Manicure Monday: Summer Bronze and Gold

For Manicure Monday this week, I’m wearing one of the super-gorgeous Naked polishes! Every time I get one of these out, I think about how foolish I was to buy this Urban Decay set, and how glad I am that I did, because it’s nowhere to be found now. This is Smog, and I’m wearing two coats topped by one coat of Seche Vite. My glitter accents are Orly’s Too Fab.

IMG_86122

IMG_86202

Smog is a bronze polish with a rich golden shimmer. It’s wonderfully opaque in two coats, dries quickly enough, and delivers even color. It reminds me of chocolate ganache, just rich and sweet and shiny. Delicious. I want to wear this so much more often, but the bottle is so small and scarce that I never want to run out.

IMG_86292

IMG_86352

Too Fab is the opposite. Orly bottles are enormous, and I’ve had this one for a pretty long time. This is like the metallic gold glitter topper that never stops giving. My bottle is a hair more than halfway full, but I will be using it until the end of time, probably. I didn’t expect to get so much glitter on my accents; this is one coat, after all. I wanted to be able to see the Smog through the glitter. It’s still pretty, though. I think the gold and the bronze complement each other very well.

IMG_86402

IMG_86582

Outside, this is just blinding. The gold shimmer in Smog is really visible here, and the glitter throws so much light it’s insane. You can see the light flaring off of it. It’s crazy.

IMG_86722

IMG_86802

Handcare rave: I got this cream the other weekend from Ulta. Le Couvent des Minimes Soothing Night Hand Creme has the most delicious lavender scent, and it makes my hands pretty soft. I use it right after I wash dishes in the evening, when my hands are the most dry. It absorbs well, smells incredible, and feels very light after application. The price is a little steep; it was something like $8 for a .8oz tube, but oh my gosh, it was so worth it to me.

IMG_86612

Final word: these are the perfect polishes for the end of summer and the beginning of the school season. I could not have chosen better.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Skating in the Snow

Thanks to Swatch Saturday this week, it’s winter in August! As I write this, my phone says it is 101 degrees outside, but Skating in the Snow from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer is keeping me cool. I mean that figuratively, of course; I’m so sweaty you don’t even know. I am wearing three coats of Skating in the Snow alone with one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_85472

IMG_85562

IMG_85692

IMG_85742

Skating in the Snow is a white crelly with lavender and blue hexes, iridescents, and pink and blue dots. Applying this was pretty easy; some glitters sink, but that’s easily rectified with shaking and keeping it upside down for a minute or two. Otherwise, it can be tough to get the glitter to spread evenly. Apart from that, this polish dries quickly, cleans up easily, and is semi-opaque at two coats. Three coats, seen here, was a little too much. I covered up all the glitters from previous coats.

IMG_85782

IMG_85822

I’ve lived most of my life in Florida, so I can count all the times I’ve ever seen snow on one hand. I’ve been ice skating exactly once. I can imagine this polish as a winter scene, though: revellers in candy-colored snow suits, surrounded by white, laughing and enjoying themselves. I’ll probably never experience such a thing, but it’s nice to think about, especially in August.

IMG_85852

IMG_85922

In the sunshine, the crelly looks a bit more opaque. The previous coat’s glitters are harder to see, and the iridescents don’t shimmer so well. It’s still quite pretty, though. The whiteness makes my fingers look tan.

IMG_86002

IMG_86072

Final Word: Skating in the Snow is still available in the BEGL shop, and it’s on sale! Don’t miss out on this soft but colorful polish.

Wacie Wednesday: Dynamica

It’s always a great day to wear red! The Wacie Nail Company prototype I’m wearing today is called Dynamica; it’s a strawberry red jelly with a smatter of holo pigment. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_84342

 

IMG_84442

 

IMG_84482

 

IMG_84552

This polish is everything I love. It’s red, it’s holo, it’s versatile. Because I’m wearing three coats, it’s visibly opaque. The first coat is quite thin, however, and can be used for jelly sandwiches or similar looks. It didn’t occur to me until just now to demonstrate it with a layer of glitter beneath, but I may do that in the future. I want to wear this again soon.

IMG_84612

IMG_84632

IMG_84782

IMG_84802

Dynamica is yet another holo experiment. I was trying to see just how little holo pigment I could get away with using. As you can see, this is rather delicate for a holo; there are no intense punch-you-in-the-stomach rainbows here, and I wonder if it can even be called a holo. Because the polish is translucent, the holo particles from the previous coats shine through, but they are now red, not rainbowy. It doesn’t serve that purpose, it’s merely a little extra sparkle to complete the look. Even in the sun, it’s still very subtle.

IMG_84862

IMG_84942

IMG_85032

IMG_85092

It didn’t occur to me until just now that this is a very similar color to Maneater, a Wacie Nail Co. polish I swatched last month. I wish I’d thought of it in time to do a side-by-side comparison. I did use the same red pigment for both, but Maneater is more opaque and warmer than Dynamica. They look like dupes, but they’re totally not.

IMG_85132

IMG_85222

IMG_85312

IMG_85432

Finally, a day where the sun is actually shining! This is the first manicure in over a week it wasn’t storming while I was taking photos. I got super lucky this week.

Manicure Monday: Heavenly Jewel Tones

For Manicure Monday this week, I got to use a glitter topper I absolutely love. Revlon’s Heavenly is a beautiful mix of iridescent glitters. It looks incredible over dark colors; I wore it over black about this time last year. I decided to try it over jewel colors for a fancy, muted look. My under-colors this week are Zoya’s Envy, Revlon’s Persuade, and Ulta’s Moody Blues; I’m wearing two coats of each, two coats of Heavenly, and one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_83762

IMG_83812

IMG_83862

I don’t know what to say about Heavenly I haven’t already said. It’s nothing short of amazing. It transforms any polish into a shining beautiful mermaid. It’s so cool how so many colors can come from two different glitters. The first coat of it was kind of lacking, so I went for a second, and made a bit of a mess with it. That’s why my cuticles are so rough-looking. I’m a little embarrassed by it.

IMG_83992

IMG_84052

A quick word to my under-colors: Zoya’s Envy is a dark green creme that is the perfect base for this glitter. I almost used this color only until I started to wonder how it would look over blues and reds. Moody Blues is a dark blue creme that dries with a matte finish. Persuade, the wine creme, flooded my cuticles because it was so thin, but I’ll chalk that up to being a brand-new full bottle. All three cremes look fantastic in two coats, and all three work very well beneath this glitter.

IMG_84122

IMG_84232

One more thing: I did some shopping this weekend at Ulta, and I grabbed a lot of new hand creams to try. My dishwasher has been broken and washing dishes by hand every night is destroying my hands, making them red, flaky, and itchy. I fully admit to buying this Anatomicals cream because it made me laugh, but I really like the cream so far. I put it on before I go to bed, after I finish my skincare routine, and it makes my hands really soft and smells fantastic.

IMG_84272

I almost chose pastels for this instead since it’s still summer, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I love this look.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Blue Moon Over Georgia

It’s Swatch Saturday! I am super excited to try the polish I have on this week. Blue Moon Over Georgia is a special Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer given to me by Julie, the creator herself. When I visited my boyfriend in Atlanta last year, I got to meet up with her and have a couple drinks at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur. She gave me this amazing polish, and I’m finally trying it out. I’m wearing three coats of Blue Moon Over Georgia with one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_83172

IMG_83202

IMG_83312

IMG_83372

Blue Moon Over Georgia is a deep blue jelly with sky blue dots, squares, and crescent moons, as well as a fine blue shimmer. Application was okay; the consistency was a little thinner than I expect from BEGL, and the first coat flooded my cuticles. I also had to fish around for the moon glitters, but that’s to be expected. It dries quickly though, and leaves a nice matte finish. The issues are pretty inconsequential. Coats two and three went on beautifully.

IMG_83472

IMG_83562

It has been a really lousy week for weather here; it’s been rainy and gray all week long. This means I don’t get to share any photos of this polish in the sunlight. I love looking at jellies in the sun, because you can see all the way down through the many coats and see all that glitter shining back at me. It looks like that’s going to have to wait for another day.

IMG_83602

IMG_83722

Final word: This polish is gorgeous, and I was so fortunate to get it.

Wacie Wednesday: Esoterica

For this week’s Wacie Wednesday, I’m wearing Esoterica, a jet black scattered holo. I have on three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_82212

 

IMG_82242

IMG_82342

IMG_82382

I made Esoterica when I was feeling particularly creative but had few supplies. Like many of my prototype polishes, I made it with what I had on hand, which was basically white and black polish. That explains the deep color. I set it aside, and when I got some holo products to experiment with, I got it back out. I was actually able to make three bottles of this polish from what I’d made before. Even after mixing it down, it’s still quite pigmented; one coat was all I needed to achieve the perfect opacity.

IMG_82472

IMG_82542

IMG_82592

IMG_82652

Unfortunately, it is not a sunny day. It’s been raining since I woke up this morning, and I don’t see the sun coming out at all, so I resorted to using the flash on my camera to get the good holo pics. I’m actually surprised with how well they turned out, even though the results aren’t optimal. Scroll through and enjoy the holo goodness.

IMG_82752

IMG_82802

IMG_82822

IMG_82872

The flash isn’t too bad. I’ve definitely done worse. The holo looks more linear here than in the photos without it.

IMG_82932

IMG_82972

IMG_83022

IMG_83072

I still want to experiment with other holo products, so this will probably not be the final version of Esoterica. However, this probably will make it into a collection sooner rather than later. You know, when I finally launch my company.

Manicure Monday: Glitter Explosion over Orange

Manicure Monday is so fun this week! I’ve got two fun polishes, Wet ‘n Wild’s Orange Smoothie and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s St. Nick’s Sweet Treats. I love these together so much. I have on three coats of Orange Smoothie, one brushed coat of Sweet Treats on my accent nails, and one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_81722

IMG_81822

Orange Smoothie is a sheer orange with golden shimmer. I like it, for the most part: the consistency was about average, and it dried pretty quickly with a nice shine. The brush was stupidly wide and made a mess, so application wasn’t terribly easy. It is still pretty sheer; I can see my very thin nail line through three coats of it. However, it looks so nice when the light hits it that I don’t even care.

IMG_81942

IMG_82012

St. Nick’s Sweet Treats is a veritable glitter explosion. It completely makes this manicure. This is the glitter topper to end all glitter toppers. The glitters are mostly white, red, and gold, with smaller glitters in different colors and silver micro-flakies. I am not exaggerating when I say there is a little of everything in this bottle. It applies beautifully; what you see here is one brushed coat. There was no dabbing here, no blobbing, no sponging, no nonsense. The lacquer-to-glitter ratio is perfect. I had no trouble with this at all.

IMG_82052

IMG_82172

Unfortunately, it stormed all day, and so I don’t have any gorgeous sunlight photos to post. I know this would be a stunner outside for sure.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Monster’s Tea at Tiffany’s

I love today’s swatch! This is Monster’s Tea at Tiffany’s from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; it’s a Tiffany blue polish with green-to-red shifting shimmer. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

IMG_80112

IMG_80192

IMG_80302

IMG_81682

Monster’s Tea at Tiffany’s is a really easy polish to work with. The consistency is just right, and it dries quickly to a semi-matte finish. Full opacity is acheived after two coats. All you need here is a top coat to bring out the shimmer.

IMG_80402

IMG_80472

IMG_80522

IMG_80602

What sets this polish apart from any other old Tiffany blue is the shifting shimmer. At most angles, generally when the light is behind you, you’ll see green. You’ll see the red when the light is in front of you. Mind you, I’m using studio lights to capture the green shimmer, and regular CFL lighting in my office to get the red. I could not manage to get the shift in the studio at all.

IMG_81352

IMG_81532

Because the light is everywhere outdoors, the shimmer doesn’t lean one way or the other, at least not in photos. The green is easy to see, but the shift, while it does appear to occur, is not very strong. The color itself, though, stands out beautifully. It is absolutely gorgeous out there.

IMG_80972

IMG_81022

IMG_81102

I love this polish. I love walking from room to room and seeing my nails change.

Monster’s Tea at Tiffany’s is, as of my writing this, currently available from the BEGL shop, but stock is very low. Do yourself a favor and pick up this polish. It’s such a fun twist on a classic color, and you really need to see it to believe it.