Monthly Archives: March 2015

Manicure Monday: Blurple Jelly Sandwich

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I’ve been looking forward to this manicure for a lot of reasons. Number one, I adore this color. Number two, I’m using a Wacie Nail Company polish in an actual manicure. Number three, Wacie Nail Co. sales info is coming! I’m wearing two coats of Wacie Nail Company’s Dang! under three coats of Wet ‘n Wild’s Black Light Party and one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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On its own, Black Light Party isn’t that special on its own. It’s very translucent, and though it’s the perfect candidate for the jelly sandwich, I don’t feel like it gives enough coverage to make wearing it alone worthwhile. I put it on my toes without the glitter, and it just looks like a watery sad mess. The color is beautiful, though, and the pink-gold shimmers throughout really make it. It gives the holo glitters underneath just a tad more shine and fun.

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I was a little uncomfortable using Dang! as the glitter in this mani, but I think it worked out well. Mostly I was unsure whether I should. Even though Wacie Nail Co. has been in the works now for at least a year, I feel a little weird seeing it in a manicure. I also feel a little like a jerk talking about a polish nobody can buy yet. I was also unsure of how well Dang! would work as a full-coverage glitter. I didn’t have to worry about that, though; two coats was enough to cover my nail completely.

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In the sun, the blurple is much more on the purple side, and the glitters show really nicely through it. The heart glitters are a lot more obvious.

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So I promised Wacie Nail Co. info, and here it is: The shop will (finally) open this month! wacie.com’s second anniversary is Wednesday, and I’d hoped to have a couple of special polishes in stock by then, and to have Dang! in stock today, but it’s taken a lot longer to get some supplies in than I expected. I’d also like to bring some swatchers on board so you don’t have to take my word for it. I think that, at the soonest, the end of March is when you’ll finally be able to buy your own Wacie Nail Company polishes.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Essie’s Marathin

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Swatch Sunday’s polish this week is Essie’s Marathin. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego’s She Shines top coat.

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Marathin is a dusty mauve creme polish. Applying it was easy; the formula is pretty even, so the first coat was almost opaque; a little streaky, but filled out with another coat. I had full opacity in two coats. It dried well; I didn’t notice any long drying times, and it was still pretty glossy and smooth before top coat. It’s a good quality polish.

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Marathin was my first Essie polish that wasn’t from the LuxEffects line. You can be sure I bought all of those first. I just happened to spot Marathin in a sale in at Walgreens, and even though it’s not my style, I bought it anyway. I don’t have a lot of enthusiasm for this one, you can probably tell. This color just reminds me of that dreadful time when the only nail polish colors I had access to were my mother’s, and the only colors she had were variants of dusty mauve. It’s not a bad color, I’m just still burnt out on it after all these years.

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I don’t see Marathin on the Essie website, so it might be discontinued. I get my Essie polishes from Walgreens.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Alter Ego’s Grows Hope

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For today’s Swatch Saturday, I’m wearing a brand that’s very new to me. I had not heard of Alter Ego until Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer launched the Lighthouse of Hope Box last October. I didn’t have any of their polishes until I purchased said box. I’m wearing three coats of Grows Hope with two coats of Alter Ego’s She Shines top coat.

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Grows Hope is a frosty metallic green polish. The formula is definitely on the thicker side, but I believe this is by design; to thin the consistency would be to change the intended foil effect. Despite the viscosity, I had no problems at all applying it. It dried quickly with a satin/matte finish, likely due to all of the pigments and magic that comprise the formula. Top coat went a long way in bringing out the metallic look. I ended up using two coats of top coat because the first one soaked right in and didn’t give me as much shine as I wanted. Despite that, I enjoyed working with this polish.

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Grows Hope and the Lighthouse of Hope Box were created to raise awareness for depression. Each polish in the box was made in the spirit of perserverance, optimism, and support. The maker has this to say about it, taken from the BEGL Lighthouse of Hope Box item page:

“While this woman doesn’t suffer from depression she knows lots of people who do. She Grows Hope for those she know who suffer, trying to make others more aware of how personal these issues can be, and by standing quietly by the side of these people she loves so much, without judgement, to help in whatever way she can.”

Grows Hope is like nothing else in my collection. I can’t get over this finish. I don’t have a single polish like this one. I really am impressed with it.

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Also, a quick word about the Alter Ego top coat. I’ve actually used it for a couple of manis so far, but I thought this would be the best time to talk about it. It’s really nice. After applying, my hands are bathroom-dry in five minutes. I have had no problems with shrinking or cracking, even with multiple coats. I didn’t know what to expect with it, but I’m really happy with it.

Grows Hope is a Lighthouse of Hope Box exclusive, which you can purchase from the BEGL shop. The box contains seven other polishes, as well as the She Shines top coat. The price is $80, $60 of which is donated to I Need a LightHouse, an organization that works with people who suffer from depression and their loved ones. Polish for a cause!

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Pink and Glitter Cutesy

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It’s another dainty manicure today! Pink nail polish is the best. I’m wearing three coats of Julep’s Martha with three coats of Digital Nails‘s Bonnibel on my accent nails, as well as one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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I started with Martha, and believe it or not, I struggled to find a glitter to pair it with. I hear you, saying that it cannot be that hard to match something to a light pink. It’s really not. I have so many polishes, though, and so many possible combinations; I wanted something that was just right instead of good enough. Bonnibel turned out to be perfect; the pink crelly and Martha are about the same color. The glitter makes it sparkle just enough. This a soft, girly, and — here’s that word again — dainty look. I like it.

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I like this week’s polishes. Martha is a typical Julep creme; to call it a crelly might be more accurate. I used three coats because the second coat was still streaky and uneven. The third coat gave me full opacity. Bonnibel was opaque in two coats, but I used three because I wanted more glitter, especially the big round pink dots. My first coat totally lacked these; I had to sit the bottle upside down to flush them out. I’m really surprised at how well they go together.

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Martha is available from julep.com or wherever Julep polishes are sold. Bonnibel appears to be out of stock at Digital Nails (for now). You can shop the Digital Nails etsy shop here.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Enchanted Polish’s March 2014

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What’s this? Two holos in a row? Yes! This is another swatch I am totally thrilled to bring you, because it’s a polish I thought I would never own. This is March 2014 from Enchanted Polish; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat. All photos are taken outdoors in partly cloudy/overcast lighting.

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March 2014 is a spring green linear holo with baby blue shimmers. I loved putting this on; the holo effect is very powerful right from the first coat. I reached perfect opacity in two coats. The formula was a little thin for me, but it went on evenly. Drying time was good. I’m really impressed by the holo effect in this polish; the rainbow really pops out in nearly every kind of lighting. Only when a room is really dim does it fail to show up.

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I mentioned that I never thought I’d have my own bottle of March 2014. I hadn’t heard of Enchanted Polish until about March 2014, when I started seeing this exact color all over the nail blogosphere. It was beautiful, and when I found out it wasn’t for sale for very long, I just admired it from afar. I forget when exactly it was, probably the summer or early autumn, I happened to see it for sale in another blogger’s destash sale. I bought it for 24 dollars. At that time, it was the most money I’d ever spent on a bottle of nail polish. I felt guilty for days after.

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I had really hoped for more sunshine, because I wanted to see just how big and crazy these linear rainbows get. I feel like this is a really good show for just overcast skies. I bet this is crazy stunning on a clear day.

Like I said, March 2014 is only available if you’re lucky enough to find someone selling their bottle. Subscribe to the Enchanted Polish newsletter to find out when the next restock is, so you don’t miss this year’s March polish.

I bought this polish myself.