Monthly Archives: June 2015

Manicure Monday: Red Luxe

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Welcome to Manicure Monday! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that I got off my duff, got the dotting tool out, and did some real nail art. I still kind of suck with the dotting tool, but I’m really pleased with my results. For this look, I used Maybelline’s Red Relic as my primary color, Ciaté’s Gold Digga as the secondary color, and caviar beads in Gleam, also from Ciaté. I also used Seche Vite and Hard Candy’s Just Matte top coat.

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Red Relic is a fun little polish. It’s a red jelly with iridescent pink flakies that dries matte. I was a little disappointed when I first tried it out, because I’m not a huge fan of the matte finish. I supposed then that it wasn’t anything top coat couldn’t fix, so I kept it. The finish has grown on me, though. It’s actually the reason I made the whole manicure matte. Gold Digga has a metallic shine, and I needed to even it out with a matte top coat, so the finish you’re seeing is actually the matte coat, not the original Red Relic finish.

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Gold Digga and the Gleam beads came together in a caviar nails set that was in the sale bin at Sephora. Gold Digga is a pretty nice polish; it’s a burnished gold with a rich metallic finish. It also looks fantastic mattified. The matte coat hides the brush strokes and evens out the color. It’s rare that I think a polish looks better without a glossy finish, but this one definitely does. I feel like it helps emphasize the luxe feel Ciaté was going for.

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The two colors together are gorgeous. I got the elegant and opulent look I wanted. I’m just a bit unhappy with all the nail art horrors my camera captured. In the photos you can see just how uneven the crosses are, you can see all the gaps in the caviar, you can see the glue spots where I put the studs down. I know nobody probably noticed them until I mentioned them, but when I look at these photos, they’re all I see. In person, though, this mani is perfect.

Red Relic was a limited edition and has been discontinued by Maybelline, though you can find it if you look around the internet. Gold Digga and the caviar nail kit are available from Ciaté’s website. Hard Candy’s matte coat is from Walmart. My studs are from an outlet store.

I bought all of these products myself.

Swatch Sunday: Gothic Gala Lacquers’s Wop Bam Boom

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Welcome back! This week’s installment of Swatch Sunday is all about Gothic Gala Lacquers‘s Wop Bam Boom, another polish from June’s Beauty Quartet Box. It’s still weird wearing something so new, something that hasn’t had to sit in the Helmer for a year before I got to it. I’m wearing three coats of Wop Bam Boom with two coats of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Wop Bam Boom is a full-coverage microglitter polish with glitters in bronze, teal, dusty rose… There are so many colors and finishes of glitter in there that I can’t even pick them all out. Application was fine; the product consistency was very thick and goopy, and I had to thin it out quite a bit. After thinning, it went on easily. I got full coverage in two coats. The polish dries matte; the glitter still shines, but there’s no gloss at all, and it dries with a slightly gritty texture. I added top coat for smoothness and shine.

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I really like this polish. I love the colors of the individual glitters; they pair together so well. There’s a ton of dimension. There’s something really summery about it, too, even though it’s not bright or cheerful. It pairs beautifully with sparkling swimming pools, deeply tanned skin, and mai tais in tiki mugs.

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Wop Bam Boom and the rest of the Beauty Quartex Box were pre-ordered limited editions and are now unavailable. Other Gothic Gala polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Fire In Your Eyes

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Welcome back, reader! I trust you’re having a lovely Saturday. I’m taking a break from swimming and sunbathing to bring you this week’s Swatch Saturday. The polish I’m wearing this week is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Fire In Your Eyes; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Fire in Your Eyes is a red jelly polish with blue-to-pink shifting shimmers. I don’t feel like I need to tell you yet again how easy BEGL polishes are to apply and use, and this is no exception. This polish glides right on without any drag or fuss. I got nearly perfect coverage on the first coat, and full coverage by the second. Despite being a jelly, it’s quite opaque; I don’t see any hint of a visible nail line. It also dried pretty quickly and with a satin finish. I added top coat to add shine and really bring out the shimmers.

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I love this polish. Like Sordid End, it just seems to glow when the light touches the shimmer, all while maintaining a vibrant base color. It doesn’t sound like much when I describe it, and it does seem to lose something in photos, but this is a polish you have to see in person to really appreciate it. It’s just absolutely beautiful.

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Unfortunately, though, Fire in Your Eyes has been discontinued. Sorry! Other BEGL polishes are available from their shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Fun With Neons

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Welcome to another Manicure Monday! Today’s manicure accurately sums up my weekend; it was full of bright colors and summer fun! To celebrate the first day of summer, or the fact that a mani I planned ages ago is actually relevant, I’m wearing Julep’s Abbie over white polish with Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Watch the Walls, as well as Seche Vite top coat.

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Abbie is the perfect summer yellow; it’s bright and gorgeous. It’s so bright my hands got a bit of a tan. It’s a chameleon, though; in some lighting it’s flourescent highlighter yellow, but in others it’s closer to lemon. Either way, it’s cheerful and a ton of fun to wear. My only complaint is that it never seemed to reach full opacity, even at three coats, so I put on one coat over two coats of white polish. This way, I got boost in opacity and in color.

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When I picked Abbie out of the Helmer, I knew Watch the Walls would compliment her perfectly. Watch the Walls is the perfect mix of neon pink glitters, along with some other fun colors and shapes and the perfect amount of blue-to-purple shifting shimmers. It’s a glitter topper with color, depth, and fun. It absolutely breaks my heart that it’s been discontinued and is now out of stock.

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I don’t know if I’ve told you guys, but I probably have, because I’ve only been writing on this blog for two years, but summer is my favorite part of the year. I seem to handle it better than most people, too; I love to sit out on the porch — better yet, the pool — with a drink and a book and just spend the entire day out there. I’ll take sweat and sunburn over shivering and itchy sweaters any day.

Neither Abbie nor watch the Walls are currently in stock on their makers’ websites. Julep is available from Sephora and julep.com; Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer is sold from their BigCartel shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Dollish Polish’s Beauty School Dropout

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Swatch Sunday is here again! Today I got to use a new-to-me brand, as well as a recent purchase. This is Beauty School Dropout from Dollish Polish, which was part of last month’s Grease-themed Beauty Quartet Box. It’s rare that I use a polish so soon after I get it, so this is super fun for me. I’m wearing Beauty School Dropout at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Beauty School Dropout is a white crelly with glitters in various shapes and shades of pink, holographic silver, and white, as well as a fine pink shimmer throughout. The application process was pretty simple; the crelly goes on thin and translucent on the first coat, as crellies tend to do, then opacity increases with additional coats. It’s pretty typical in that regard. What I found unusual was how few glitters I got on each coat; there doesn’t seem to be much glitter in this polish. Drying times were good, and the polish dries with a semi-gloss finish. I added top coat for shine and protection.

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I love white crelly polishes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to wear one. This polish has a lot of things I love: the crisp white, the pink glitters, the occasional glint of holographic silver. I only wish there was more glitter. These are things I can never have enough of. It’s a little refreshing to see a crelly that’s not overwhelmed by glitter, but I kind of wish this one was. That’s my only complaint, though; that side, I like this polish quite a bit.

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Beauty School Dropout was a Beauty Quartet Box exclusive and is no longer available as part of the set. You may be able to find one from blogger sales or destashes. Other Dollish Polishes are available from their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sordid End

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Welcome to this week’s installment of Swatch Saturday! I’m excited to bring you one of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s most popular shades, Sordid End! I’m wearing three coats of Sordid End with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Sordid End is a periwinkle blue creme polish with blue-to-purple shifting shimmer. Application was smooth and flawless; the product consistency was a little on the thinner side, which is unusual for a BEGL polish, but it was still easy to use and control the color. It’s quite rich; I had almost-perfect opacity in one coat, and full opacity in two. The product dries with a satin finish; I used a top coat to brighten the shimmer. Even without the top coat, the shimmer is still pretty intense. Some white pigment settled on the bottom of the bottle, but it doesn’t affect the color or product at all.

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Released twice — it debuted with the My Indecisive Valentine collection, then returned with the Fan Favorites collection of 2014 — it sold out quickly and is still sought after by collectors and fans. It’s easy to see why Sordid End is such a popular shade. The periwinkle creme on its own is a deep and rich color, but the shimmer just makes it glow. It is incredible. I couldn’t capture that beauty on camera, I’m sorry to say. This is definitely a polish you have to see to believe.

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Sordid End is currently not in stock, but other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers can be purchased from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Revlon’s Spun Sugar

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Happy Monday! Today’s Manicure Monday post is simple and sweet, and not just because it smells that way. Revlon’s Spun Sugar is a scented polish, so I deliberately kept it plain to keep the scent from being covered up. I’m wearing three coats of Spun Sugar without top coat.

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Spun Sugar is a warm metallic gray polish. THe application process was quite nice. The product formula was on the thinner side, but still provided even and full coverage in one to two coats. Unforunately, there are still lots of visible brushstrokes, which I don’t mind, but I know a lot of people aren’t into that. Some may also dislike the ball-top brush cap, it can be weird to hold at times. It dries with a metallic finish, not unlike that of OPI’s Push and Shove or Essie’s No Place Like Chrome, but isn’t as reflective. The scent is quite strong, even after many hours, and smells like a warm spicy perfume.

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I always feel super-weird wearing things without top coat. I really do rely on it, not just for protecting my color, but also protecting my nails. I have these very soft and bendy nails, and I like a solid, rigid top coat to give them a coat of armor. When I say I’m not wearing top coat with this mani, that’s a little bit of a mistruth; I’m actually wearing it under the last coat of my color. I put down two coats of Spun Sugar, a coat of Seche Vite, and another coat of Spun Sugar to finish the look. This way I have the protection and durability top coat affords me, but I also preserve the finish and the scent offered by the polish. Win/win!

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Spun Sugar is sold wherever Revlon is sold; I got mine at Walgreens, and I see them on sale there a lot. The infinity loop charm and other charms are sold at Daily Charme.

I bought these products myself.

Swatch Sunday: Kleancolor’s Neon Orange

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For today’s edition of Swatch Sunday, I’m wearing a new-to-me brand, Kleancolor. I grabbed a couple bottles of Kleancolor polishes during my last trip to Atlanta, and I’m finally trying one of them out. This is Neon Orange; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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was on the thicker side, but this didn’t hinder its quality much. It dried quickly and with a satin finish. My one complaint is that it’s still not fully opaque at three coats; it’s not obvious in photos, but my nail lines were still rather visible.

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Under a black light!

This isn’t a bad little polish. It’s pretty well-pigmented and the neon is as bright in person as it is in photos. It makes my hands tan, and it really lights up under a black light! Unfortunately, neon cremes are pretty easy to come by these days, especially within the indie polish community; this Neon Orange isn’t your only option, but it’s a good option if you can find it.

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I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Love Makes You Do The Wacky

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Happy Saturday, reader! I have one more Once More With Feeling holo to share with you before I get to the rest of the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer 2014 Fan Favorites collection. This beauty is Love Makes You Do The Wacky; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos are taken in direct midday sunlight.

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Love Makes You Do The Wacky is a dusty lilac linear holo with a dark pink flash. Application was super-easy with this one; I had near-perfect opacity in one coat, and it dried almost immediately. The product consistency was just right. The holo effect and the pink flash are visible in nearly every lighting condition. The product formula and quality are nearly perfect. The polish did dry with a somewhat matte finish, so I added the top coat for shine and protection.

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This is seriously a gorgeous polish. I actually put this on on Wednesday, and the whole time I wore it, I had no issues with chipping or tip wear. It seriously wore like iron. Something else I like about this polish is that it seems to flatter everyone while also looking completely different on everyone. I love how individual it is while still being quite beautiful.

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As of this writing, Love Makes You Do The Wacky is currently available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. This is one you don’t want to miss.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Nail Art Ripper-Offer

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For today’s Manicure Monday, I attempted some actual nail art! A couple of weeks ago, Reddit user chill_out_dont_pout did an adorable mani with geometric shapes and negative space, and I’m totally biting her style. For my copycat mani, I used OPI’s Metallic 4 Life and Essie’s Toggle to the Top for the stripes, Fantasy Makers’s Night Glow as the base, and Seche Vite as my top coat.

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It’s been a really long time since I’ve done anything this intricate and time-consuming. For the past several Manicure Mondays, I’ve just been laying glitter down on accent nails and calling it a day. Inspired by that Reddit post, I decided I would buckle down and do some real nail art. I had the time, and I wanted to use this glow-in-the-dark polish but had no ideas for it, so it was a perfect coincidence. It was so easy to make this pattern my own; I used two glitter jelly polishes I really loved, made one edge longer than the other (by accident) and added rhinestones to the vertices. In all, I probably spent three hours or more on this look.

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Of course, I could have done a better job. My lines aren’t clean or even, and Night Glow was actually a big mess to work with; it was goopy and kind of dried out, so I put some thinner in. It wasn’t enough. I put in more. Even though it felt dry to the touch, I guess the under-layers never fully dried, because even though I waited an hour before I started taping, I still pulled up polish. Thankfully, thanks to a stealthy fourth coat of Night Glow and the power of Seche Vite, you can barely tell!

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Night Glow, as you might have guessed, glows in the dark. However, I am terrible at glow-in-the-dark nail photography, so here are some glow fails.

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Thanks again to /u/chill_out_dont_pout for the nail inspiration!