Category Archives: Swatch Saturday

Swatch: Bluebird Lacquer’s Shine Bright Like a Rhinestone

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Welcome back, reader! My swatch today is yet another Indie Shop Atlanta buy. It’s funny; in case you missed it, Indie Shop 2018 locations were announced today, and they’re returning to Atlanta in March, so I’ll have the chance to go and buy more polish that I won’t even get to swatch until next year. I do hope I’ll see my favorite makers again though! Anyway, this is Bluebird Lacquer‘s Shine Bright Like a Rhinestone, and it’s one of the best polishes I bought last year. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Shine Bright Like a rhinestone is a clear-based microglitter polish with silver flakies, silver glitter, a little bit of holo, and a blue-to-purple shifting shimmer. Application was easy; the product consistency is easy to work with despite everything in it. As with most microglitters, coverage builds up to full opacity; I got full opacity on the second coat. The polish dries to a smooth finish; I used top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

Shift!

I’m afraid I didn’t really do this polish justice. There’s so much going on in it, and it was so much better in person. For example, the blue shimmer, which gives the polish an icy glow, isn’t easily seen in these photos. Aside from that, I love this polish. I love any polish that turns my nails into disco balls, but this one has been a nice change of pace with the extra shifting shimmer. It was a ton of fun to wear.

As of this writing, Bluebird Lacquer is closed for the holidays, but will reopen.

I bought this polish myself.

Throwback Swatch: Bluebird Lacquer’s Looking Spritely

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Hello hello! It’s another swatch! Today’s polish is Bluebird Lacquer‘s Looking Spritely; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Looking Spritely is a cobalt blue polish with some iridescent and shifting flakes and holo accents. Unfortunately, because it was cloudy and gross on the day I took these photos, the holo is hidden. The polish was really easy to apply and work with; the product consistency was just right, and I had full opacity in two coats. It dries to a smooth finish; I used top coat for extra protection and shine.

Because of the lack of sunshine, I was not able to do this polish justice. The holo is the crown of this polish. I mean, it looks great here; in blistering Florida sunshine, we’d probably be seeing all the holo and none of the flakies, so I guess that works out. My point is that there’s a ton happening in this polish in person, and there’s way more sparkle.

Looking Spritely was, I think, an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive, but I’m not sure. For the moment, Bluebird Lacquer is on a break while they process holiday orders.

I bought this polish myself.

Throwback Swatch: Bluebird Lacquer’s It’s Fall Over Me

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Right, so during the month of November, I was insanely busy with starting a new job, starting a volunteer job leading writing groups for National Novel Writing Month, actually writing a novel for National Novel Writing Month, and cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for nine people. Now that novels are finished and Thanksgiving is over, I’ve finally got the time to share the swatches I’ve been collecting.

This first one is It’s Fall Over Me from Bluebird Lacquer; I’m wearing two coats over e.l.f.’s Smoking Hot (red), Butter London’s Tea and Toast (tan), Sally Hansen’s Black Out (black), China Glaze’s White on White (white), and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Lighthouse on the Lake (blue), topped with Seche Vite and Essie’s Matte About You matte top coat.

It’s Fall Over Me is a clear-based glitter topper with iridescent shifting glitters of various sizes. The shift is definitely reminiscent of the flakies in Essie’s famous Shine of the Times. Application was easy; the product consistency is wonderful in that it’s not thick enough to be goopy and difficult to use, but it’s not thin enough that it drips off the brush. The glitter delivers very easily, but I definitely wanted more than I got on my first coat, so I used two. In the future, I might try sponging it on to get that heavy glitter coverage without the thickness of multiple coats of lacquer. I used two coats of top coat as well, just to smooth down any glitter texture that was left.

I bought this at the Indie Shop Atlanta, and it had my heart as soon as I saw the bottle. I am such a sucker for these opalescent kinds of glitters, because there’s always something going on with it; it’s the easiest way to give a look dimension and style without getting knee-deep in nail art. It also looks interesting over any color, even white, which is obviously not the ideal undies for this polish, has a unique effect on it.

When I was talking to maker Lou at her booth, she told me I had to try it with a matte finish, so I did, and here are the photos of that. I definitely prefer the glossy finish, but I have to admit that the glitter looks pretty cool mattefied. I feel like the matte finish makes the shift a little less dramatic, but it still does happen, and still looks pretty cool.

Unlike everything else I’ve shown you from my Indie Shop Atlanta haul, this is a polish you can actually still buy! As of this writing, It’s Fall Over Me is for sale on the Bluebird Lacquer website.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Bluebird Lacquer’s Realm of the Fae

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Today’s post is late and I do apologize, but it may be the norm for a while. Just bear with me! Today’s post is all about Realm of the Fae by Bluebird Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Realm of the Fae is a deep purple holo with a pink/orange shift. Application was great; I had perfect opacity at two coats, and the product consistency is very easy to use. The holo effect is best in sunlight, but the shifty shimmer is best indoors. The polish dries quickly and with a smooth satin finish. I used top coat for shine.

You guessed it, this polish was an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive. There were so many! I like this polish a lot. The holo isn’t too strong so it doesn’t overpower the shimmer, and there’s just enough shimmer in it to add dimension to the look. It’s gorgeous.

Realm of the Fae was an event exclusive. Other Bluebird Lacquers are available on their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Bliss Polish’s Secret Groves

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Happy Saturday! I’ve got one more Bliss Polish swatch for you! This is the second polish of an exclusive trio sold at The Indie Shop Atlanta. Last week’s Bliss, Fairy Castles, was the first one, and unfortunately, the third was sold out by the time I got there. This is the best of the three, though. This is Secret Groves. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

My nail is so long! It’s getting harder to get my thumb into this position.

Secret Groves is a deep green jelly with iridescent flakies. Application was great with this polish; the formula is very smooth and easy to work with. Coverage on the first coat is a little streaky, but it evens out very well. I had a good opacity at two coats. The polish dries with a smooth semi-glossy finish.

One thing I want to note is that when I took these photos, they really don’t do the polish any justice. You see, these flakies are golden in bright direct sunlight. Like, bright glaring golden. It was beautiful, and I’m so bummed the camera didn’t capture it. In fact, I was thinking I should take an indoor set of photos for accuracy. Looks like we’re good on that front. I love this polish, though. I felt super stylish when I was wearing it.

Secret Groves was an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive. Other Bliss Polishes are available from their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Bliss Polish’s Fairy Castles

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Today’s polish is another Indie Shop exclusive! It’s a stunner, too. This is Fairy Castles from Bliss Polish; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Fairy Castles is a dark purple holo. Application was very good; the polish is the perfect consistency, and my first coat was nearly opaque. I used three because I like the thickness. The polish dries to a smooth and glossy finish.

It has been a long time since I put on a purple this rich and velvety. I love it! I actually kept this on for a full day and it was so much fun to wear. The holo is so strong, even in indoor lighting, and I kind of hated taking it off. So happy I snagged this one!

Fairy Castles was an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive. Other Bliss Polishes are available on their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday Doubleheader, Part Two: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Queen Lime Rose Zinnia

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Here comes part two of the Swatch Saturday Doubleheader! It’s another BEGL, of course. This one is Queen Lime Rose Zinnia; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Queen Lime Rose Zinnia is a lime green polish with a strong pink shimmer. Application was good; the consistency was a little thinner than I expect from a BEGL, but I still got good coverage with only two coats. It dries with a satiny finish; I added top coat because the polish improves with shine.

So it was difficult to capture the shimmer in midday sun. It’s definitely a stronger pink than the photos show here, and the green is a darker, more sherbety color. The macro here is probably the most color-accurate of them all. This is probably one of my all-time favorite BEGLs because of the shimmer; it’s complementary without clashing and being over the top. The shimmer is strong but doesn’t take over the polish. It’s beautiful.

Queen Lime Rose Zinnia has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes can be found in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday Doubleheader, Part One: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Kaffir Lily

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You lucked out this weekend, Reader! Because I was super busy this weekend, I didn’t have time to post my weekend swatches. That means this weekend will have four swatches instead of just two! The first of these swatches is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Kaffir Lily; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Kaffir Lily is a dusty pink holo with pink shimmers. Application was easy; the polish has the typical velvety BEGL consistency while also being pretty well-pigmented. I had nearly opaque coverage on the first coat, which was wonderful. It needed a top coat for shine, but other than that, this polish is pretty much perfect.

I had so much fun wearing this. I kept it on for a day or so, only taking it off to do another swatch. Besides this swatch, I wore it a couple weekends ago with a watermarble, and it just felt so ladylike and so chic. I absolutely love it.

Kaffir Lily is discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Other BEGLs can be purchased from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype W14 7.0

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Man, I’m excited to say that again. Swatching is what I missed the most during my hiatus. I’ve missed the excuse to go through my stash and try on polishes. I’d originally planned to bring you this swatch in March, but as you know, things happen. Anyway, this is a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype called W14 7.0; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

There’s just a little bit of ugly bottle syndrome, it’s still good

Protoype W14 7.0 is a gray creme with a faint smattering of blue-to-purple shifting shimmer. Application was very nice; the polish has a smooth consistency and was lovely to work with. Coverage was also good, with only two coats necessary for complete opacity, or even just one if you like to apply thicker coats. The downside to the polish, and likely the reason this isn’t the final formula, is that the creme is too opaque for the shimmer and hides it. You can just barely see it in these photos. The polish dries to a smooth, shiny finish.

I’ve got to say, gray has been one of the most fashionable colors for polish, and I’m so grateful. I’ve been into gray as a go-to for a while now; black goes with everything but is often too severe, and whites and nudes get dirty and sometimes don’t have enough impact. Gray falls perfectly in the middle, goes with everything, and is very stylish. I love it.

W14 7.0 is a one-off and I have the only bottle. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their BigCartel shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype JS 1.2

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Hello, reader! Now that the Indie Shop stuff is out of the way, we’re back to our regularly-scheduled weekend swatches. Today’s swatch is not an Indie Shop polish, but you will be seeing those in coming weeks. No, this is a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype! This is JS 1.2, and I’m wearing it at three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Prototype JS 1.2 is a white crelly with a colorful mix of glitters. Application was easy; the product consistency was just right, and the glitters brushed on evenly. It doesn’t look like it in photos, however. The white base is pretty opaque and obscures a lot of the glitters, so that classic translucent crelly look isn’t quite there. The polish dried with a glossy finish and was smooth to the touch. I used top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

I don’t think I will ever get tired of crellies like this. I know I say this every time I wear one, but seriously, I still remember when these were the new hotness and every maker had tons of them. Makers are doing these gorgeous shifters and shimmers now, but the glitter crelly will always be my fave.

I probably didn’t need to take sunlight photos of this polish, it basically looks the same in both situations. The following photos were taken outdoors.

Prototype JS 1.2 was a one-off and I’ve got the only bottle. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are sold in their online shop, though at publication time, they are taking a break.

I bought this polish myself.