Author Archives: Stacie Wacie

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Peruvian Lily

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Swatch Saturday!! Today’s post is all about Peruvian Lily from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. It’s the second polish in their April Showers collection from Spring 2014. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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BEGL describes Peruvian Lily as a “pastel orange creme with a red to gold shift”. To me, it’s more of a peach. Application was very easy; I had full coverage in two coats. However, the creme is so opaque that it covers up the shifting pigments. The shimmer is visible in some parts of the nail and not others, and the shift doesn’t seem to occur at all. It dries with a semi-glossy finish and was dry to the touch in about five minutes.

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Even though the shift didn’t work out for me, I love this color. I don’t think I have anything quite like it. It’s a soft and sweet color, but it suits me. Other people agree; I’ve gotten so many compliments on this polish. This one teaches me that a polish can be borderline-dainty and still be unique.

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Though Peruvian Lily has been discontinued by BEGL, you can purchase other polishes from their store.

I purchased this polish myself.

Wacie Nail Company: Debut

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Hello readers! Today I’m showing you the second polish from the Wacie Nail Company launch. This polish is called Debut. I’m wearing three coats of Debut with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat. Debut is a dramatic and shining mix of silver flakies, small silver holographic hexes, and Spectraflair. This polish is my optimistic vision of the future: a little overwhelming, but bright and gorgeous and irresistible.

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My long-term readers will know that I’ve been working on my own debut for a very long time now. It was about a year ago when I first told my boyfriend that I was thinking of starting my own nail company. I was shocked when he said it sounded like a sound and lucrative project; he usually dismisses my ideas as harebrained schemes and they are never mentioned again. I got to work immediately. I sourced all the materials I could, sought advice from anyone who would give it, and spent many hours mixing prototype bottles. I covered our souvenir Fiji tablecloth in glitter, I spilled dye all over our hardwood floors, and permanently stained a lot of my own clothing. However life, as it is wont to do, got in the way. More important things and other entrepreneurial endeavors took priority. Last fall, I decided there would be no more waiting, no more putting it off, no more wasted time. Wacie Nail Company would come to fruition. I got to work right away on some new polishes. Those polishes are Debut and Origin.

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Alone, Debut dries to a smooth, metallic finish. A top coat is suggested for added shine and depth. Also, look how reflective it is. In the bottle shot, toward the bottom, you can see the polish reflecting the foot of the bottle. It also reflects a lot of light, which kind of drowned out the holo effect. It’s really much more impressive in person.

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The following photos were taken indoors with the camera flash. One is my first attempt at a macro shot. While it was not a success, I think it really shows the spirit of the polish.

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Debut will be available in the Wacie Nail Company etsy shop on Wednesday, April 29, at 2 PM EDT. Keep an eye out for the third and final launch polish tomorrow!

Wacie Nail Company: Origin

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If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember that I posted a few polishes that would be in the first Wacie Nail Company release. That was a few weeks ago. Well, the release is imminent, and now’s the time to show you what I’m going to stock for the very first time. This polish, Origin, will be one of the original three Wacie Nail Company polishes. I’m wearing three coats in every photo. Origin is a full-coverage glitter polish, made up of fine purple holographic glitter in a clear base. It’s a pretty simple polish in nature; it’s not a wild mix of dimension and color. It’s just one glitter, loaded up in a bottle, as an homage to a humble beginning.

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I had just turned twelve years old. Nail polish had just started coming in colors like blues and greens, and even though I was a hardcore nailbiter, I was very interested in nail polish now that it was coming in colors other than matronly mauves and corals. My older sister had given me a nail polish much like this one for my birthday, and I fell in love with it. I’d seen purple polish before, but not any like this; this one was all glitter, all shine and sparkle, and it was all mine. I put it on, wore it until it chipped off, and then I put it on again until the bottle ran dry. This was my first real nail polish love. I made Origin because I wanted to recreate that feeling of being entralled by something new and exciting that belonged only to me.

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Alone, Origin dries to a matte glitter finish, and has a fine texture. The following photos are taken with the camera flash.

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The following photos were taken with two coats of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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The following photos were taken with the camera flash.

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Origin will be available next Wednesday, April 29, at 2 PM EDT from the Wacie Nail Company etsy store. I’m so excited, I can’t wait for you guys to meet her!

Manicure Monday: Clambake Sandwich

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For Manicure Monday, I’ve done another jelly sandwich! I love this style; my nails always look so shiny and luxe, like special little jewels. This sandwich is made with three coats of OPI’s In True Stefani Fashion between Essie’s Clambake, topped with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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I have to tell you: I really love Clambake. It’s not one of the more popular Essie shades, and I guess I can understand why; I know people expect a more pigmented, fuller coverage polish, and jellies are duds. I think I also remember it being towards the bottom of the Walgreens Essie display and that’s probably a factor as well. I just think that, if you like jellies, perhaps this is one you should consider. It’s so squishy that you can see the squish from outside the bottle, and the color is really potent, despite the sheer coverage. It’s definitely unique to the Essie lineup, and pretty unique in my collection, too.

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However, In True Stefani Fashion was a bit of a letdown. I mean, it’s a fantastic polish; it dried well, I got pretty good (but not complete) coverage in three coats, and it dried very quickly. In the bottle, it looks like there are more holographic silver glitters than there are. I thought it was all holographic glitter, which is why I picked it to go in this sandwich. Instead, I think it’s just the bigger square glitters that are holo, and the rest are just metallic silver. I mean, it ended up looking pretty good, but there’s just nothing like a jelly sandwich full of twinkling holographic glitters.

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I added a bow. When I did that purple jelly sandwich a few weeks, I thought that, even with all that glitter, it still looked a little bare, so this time around I added a bow, just for a little something extra. It’s not the same orange as the polish, but I still like it.

Clambake is available wherever Essie polishes are sold; I got mine from Walgreens. I think In True Stefani Fashion was a limited release as part of the first Gwen Stefani collection, but it can still be found around online. My bow charms are from Claire’s.

Swatch Sunday: Girly Bits’s Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer

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For Swatch Sunday, I’m wearing my first and — so far only — Girly Bits polish! This is Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer, a collaboration with Julie from Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl to celebrate the blog’s first anniversary. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer is a deep royal blue jelly with iridescent microglitters. From the first coat, the polish has fantastic coverage and rich color; it builds with each additional coat. Even though I have three coats on, you can see my visible nail lines. This is the first time I’ve seen it though, so I think it only occurs in harsh, bright lighting. The glitter spreads evenly and comes out of the bottle without any fuss. The consistency is just right, even with all the glitter in it. Drying times were good as well; my nails were dry to the touch in about five minutes. It dries with a smooth and glossy finish.

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This polish is definitely a winner in my book. I love the way the color and glitter play together. The color on its own is already deep and powerful, and then the glitter just makes it. There’s not so much glitter it makes the polish bumpy or coarse, but it’s just enough to make it sparkle. It’s so lovely. I also love that it was a blogger collaboration; I love seeing makers and regular folks working on things together. I feel like it really strengthens the indie community. The reason I even have this polish is because it’s a collaboration. And if you’re wondering why it’s a mini bottle, this is a decant from my friend Angela at Older Ladies Like Color Too. See? Community!

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Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer and other Girly Bits polishes are available from the Girly Bits website.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Cherry Blossom

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Swatch Saturday is here! I’m excited to show you this one, as it’s the first in a series of gorgeous floral-themed pastels. This is Cherry Blossom from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2014 April Showers collection; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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Cherry Blossom is a pale pink polish with a pearly blue shimmer. Application was easy; the consistency is just right and I had no trouble getting even color and opacity. Drying times were also very good; my nails were dry to the touch in about five minutes. The polish dries to a semi-glossy finish. It’s a very nice polish to use.

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I don’t consider myself a fan of pastels, but I absolutely fell in love with this collection, and with this polish in particular. Each color is so soft and innocent, not unlike their petal namesakes. This shimmering and delicate pink is just like a sakura blossom: pure, fleeting, beautiful. I adore it. I’m really looking forward to swatching all the rest.

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Cherry Blossom, unfortunately, has been discontinued by the maker. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Weekday Swatch: Formula X for Sephora’s Pyrotechnic

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It’s another weekday swatch! This is the last one until I’m caught up. Pyrotechnic from Formula X for Sephora is the last of my red manis from last week. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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Pyrotechnic is basic red creme. It was easy to apply; the mini brush was just the right size for my small nail beds, but the square top was hard to hold at times, and though it comes off, the small brush cap underneath wasn’t any more comfortable. The polish itself is a nice consistency, on the thinner side, but still easy to work with. The first coat can be sheer, but coverage builds with multiple coats. It dries with a glossy finish, and with good drying times.

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I got this mini of Pyrotechnic as a 100-point reward from Sephora. I love red cremes to death, but I rarely buy them because I have so many already. At this time, the Formula X polishes were just coming out, and because I was curious about them, I went for it. Compared to Sephora by OPI, I don’t really think they’re much different. I love the bottle and packaging, and I definitely like it better than Sephora by OPI’s weirdly-shaped bottles, but I think the polish itself is pretty comparable. Also, I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: if you’re really in the market for a red creme, this might be a nice one to have, but if you don’t want to drop ten dollars on a nail polish, it’s totally fine to look elsewhere.

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I admit that this mani looks a little rough. I did it Friday night, I think, at 1:30 in the morning. I’d spent the week working a booth at a trade show, and by Friday, I was a few days in and still had a few days to go. It was a rush job; I was exhausted and I was trying to get my nails done as quickly as possible so I could sleep. It’s only now that I’m seeing the pictures do I realize what a crap job I did. I mean, they looked great in person, but the pictures just make it look sad. The stained cuticles in particular, I promise they weren’t really that red. That’s all on me and my sleepiness and not the polish’s fault.

Pyrotechnic is available from Sephora and sephora.com.

I bought this polish myself.

Weekday Swatch: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype HFT 1.1

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I know I don’t usually post in the middle of the week, or this late at night, but I have a couple of swatches I did for last weekend and didn’t have time to post because of work stuff. For what would have been last Swatch Saturday, this is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype HFT 1.1. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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Prototype HFT 1.1 is an orange-red jelly with metallic and holographic gold glitters in various shapes and sizes, as well as some red dot glitters. The formula was good; it was a little on the thick side, but was still easy to work with. The glitters were pretty sparse, I didn’t get a lot on every nail, but the ones I did get are pretty good. The jelly opacity is good, too; it was able to cover my nail lines without obscuring the glitters. It dried quickly to a glossy finish; top coat really brought out the additional effects of the glitters.

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This is the second of three red manicures I did last week, and even though I had a ton of fun wearing all of them, this was my favorite. It has so much pop, so much bold color; my skintone really sets it off. The glitter emphasizes the color without detracting from it. I got tons of compliments for it. It was definitely a blast to wear.

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As HFT 1.1 was a prototype polish, there is only one bottle and I have it. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Cracked Blue Frost

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Hello, readers! It’s Monday again, and I have another mani to show you. I’m wearing China Glaze’s Crackle Glaze in Oxidized Aqua over Julep’s Char, topped with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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For a Julep polish, Char, a deep blue creme, is pretty good. I had almost-opaque coverage in one coat; I guess these darker colors use more pigment, because I never have to struggle with the darker colors, only the light ones. It dries with a beautiful gloss. One thing I do notice, however, is the smell; Julep polishes generally have a mild smell, but this one is way different and much stronger. I suspect the pigment is the culprit; I have a similar shade from OPI that has the same odd scent. I’m looking forward to wearing Char on its own.

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Over Char is Oxidized Aqua, an icy blue crackle polish. This is the part of the mani I don’t like so much. You know how it is with crackle polishes; you sacrifice many tiny cracks for good coverage. I wanted good coverage, and so I have one or two cracks on each nail, which looks pretty silly. Also, I had to redo some nails because the crackening never took place. Overall, I guess it isn’t that bad. I can talk about how lame the polish is, but I only have myself to blame. I didn’t have to use it.

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Let’s talk about the new top coat! I got a bottle of Rica’s Glossy Glam in the March/April Beauty Quartet Box. I’ve heard so many good things about this top coat and I see it everywhere, so I’m excited to have the chance to try it out myself. I’ve used it in two manis now (the first is one you’ll see later this week) and I’m pretty happy with it so far. It doesn’t feel totally dry after five minutes, so I’ll have to remember to give it ten. The shine is beautiful, and my nails are so smooth; I don’t feel any of the cracks or ridges from the crackle polish when I touch my nails. I find that impressive.

Char is available wherever Julep polishes are sold; I got mine from their website. Crackle Glaze appears to be discontinued by China Glaze; I got mine at Big Lots. Glossy Glam is available from their etsy shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Red Static

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Manicure Monday!! I’m posting super-late because real-life not-nails stuff is a little more important right now. Updates this week, unfortunately, will be late if they come at all, and I do apologize. For right now though, let’s look at my new nails! I’m wearing Julep’s Rose and Nails Inc.’s Belgravia Place, each at three coats, topped with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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Julep’s Rose is a gorgeous creme whose color I can never quite pin down. Is it red? Is it pink? Is it the sweetest, ripest, juiciest raspberry? I have no idea, but I love the polish. It had good coverage at one coat, which I find unusual for a Julep creme. It also had a beautiful glossy shine, which I think the top coat dulled quite a bit.

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Belgravia Place is a clear glitter topper with red and silver holo bar glitters. I decided after my bar glitter swatch on Sunday that I would wear this one as a full coverage glitter. I did get full coverage, but not without a price; I couldn’t get the tips smooth and free of jagged glitter, no matter what I did. I pulled away the offending bits with tweezers, I trimmed them with cuticle scissors, I filed down and wrapped with top coat whatever was left, and I’m still getting things snagged on them. You can see on my ring finger where some fiber of who-knows-what is still stuck to it. So frustrating.

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I love both of these polishes, but I don’t feel good about this combo. In my office, Rose looks like a very red creme, but in other lighting conditions, it looks more pink, and the combo isn’t as cohesive as I’d have liked. I also expected something else from the glitter, like more red. I definitely thought I would have two very red shades here, and neither of them really lived up to my expectations. I don’t blame the polishes here, but I am a little disappointed, especially with all the work I spent trying to get this glitter to not cut me every time I scratch myself.

You can find Julep’s Rose and Nail Inc.’s Belgravia Place wherever these brands are sold. I happened to get mine from the Julep website and Sephora, respectively.

I bought these polishes myself.