Category Archives: Swatch Sunday

Swatch Sunday: Nina Ultra Pro’s Solar Flare

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Hello reader! It’s still Sunday somewhere, so let’s a have a look at this Sunday’s swatch! This is Nina Ultra Pro’s Solar Flare; I’m wearing one coat of Solar Flare over a base of China Glaze’s White on White and with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Solar Flare is a highlighter yellow neon polish. It’s one of those translucent neons; even at three coats, it never achieved full opacity, so a white base is imperative with this polish. Because it’s so translucent, one must take care to avoid streaks when applying; because it never becomes opaque, streaks and imperfections are never covered. Product consistency is thin yet manageable. It dried quickly and with a matte finish. I used top coat for shine and protection.

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Blogger’s note: Let me preface this by saying that since this is an older bottle, I may have an older formula. Newer bottles may have a newer, improved formula. However, since this is what I have, this is what I’ll review. I’ll just go ahead and say it: this is not my favorite neon. It was just really tricky to work with, and I’m not really happy with the result I got, even when being really careful and meticulous. Even over the white base, I still see streaks, though I didn’t notice them until after I was working through the photos. A second coat over a white base might have done some good. Even though the potential is there for a super neon look — this was way brighter in person, believe me — there are just so many better neons out there, neons that do reach opacity and do not require a white base, this polish is rendered obsolete.

For informational purposes, I’ve included photos without the white base. Here’s three coats of Solar Flare alone and without top coat. I’m not really a fan of this look; it really needs the white to pop and to cover the visible nail line. However, I won’t deny the potential for a neon jelly sandwich.

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Solar Flare and other Nina Ultra Pro polishes are sold at Sally Beauty Supply.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Nicole by OPI’s Love Your Life

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Happy Sunday, reader! My swatch today is of a polish I’ve had for a long time. This was 2009 or so, long before indie polish came into my life. I had ten dollars to burn and I was at Ulta. I found a polish with heart glitter in it and the rest is history. This is Love Your Life from Nicole by OPI; I’m wearing one brushed coat over OPI’s Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around (taupe), Ciaté’s Sugar Plum (lavender), and Sally Hansen’s Kelp Yourself (green), as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Love Your Life is a clear-based glitter topper with matte pastel pink heart glitters and a mix of fine iridescent hex glitters. Application was okay; the base is thick — unsure of whether this is due to formula or to age — and the bigger glitters tended to sink and had to be fished after. The iridescent glitters distribute well, at least. The hearts are a bit difficult to control with the brush; I kind of just brushed them on and left them where they landed. Though the product consistency was thick, it dried quickly, and with a glossy finish. I added top coat for protection and shine.

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You probably already have some fun dainty pink heart glitter polishes already from an indie, and if you do, you don’t need this polish. If you don’t, though, I do recommend it. It’s pretty simple, it’s just hearts and iridescent glitter, but I think it works. It’s annoying that the hearts are a little hard to get out, but it’s actually a good thing because you can control how many you want. You can make a mani as wild or as demure as you like. It also goes well over most colors, because it’s so light and pink. I actually really like it over these pastel cremes; when I swatch, I like to use some constrasting colors to make the swatch visually appealing, as well as show it some colors it might not normally be used over. I had to go for pastels this time, though, because it’s got that perfect Valentine’s candy vibe.

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Love Your Life and other Nicole by OPI polishes are available at Ulta and other stores nationwide.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Nails Inc.’s Cornwall

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Welcome to Swatch Sunday! Today’s polish is Cornwall from Nails Inc. I’m wearing one coat over China Glaze’s Pelican Gray, Essie’s Good Morning Hope, and Julep’s Bess. All nails are topped with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Cornwall is a clear-based glitter topper with matte blue and white short bar glitters. Application was easy enough; the glitters stick to the brush well, and the base consistency is such that the polish doesn’t drip off the brush or pool on the nail. However, this means it also doesn’t spread evenly, which makes the glitter drag and clump on itself. This can result in a heavy application in some cases. The bar glitters are short, so they don’t lean off the edge of the nail like the longer ones do. The polish dries quickly and with a textured finish. I used top coat for smoothness and shine.

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I have to admit, I have a hard time calling this a glitter polish. I think that’s what made the feathered topper trend so successful, albeit short-lived. Even though there was nothing new about either glitter toppers or bar glitters, this was still a pretty unique look that anyone could achieve. I still think it’s a cool look. It’s a shame these polishes didn’t really make it past 2013.

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The sun’s been good to me; I’ve been able to get direct sun pictures for the past few posts. These photos were taken outdoors in the late afternoon. I’m grateful; it’s helping me improve my macro game.

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The shimmer you see here is from Pelican Gray, not Cornwall.

Cornwall and the other Feathers polishes seem to be discontinued by Nails Inc. Other Nails Inc. polishes are available at Sephora, which is where I got this one.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: My True Love Creations’s Apple Crush

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Swatch Sunday, at last! The polish I’m wearing this week is something new and interesting to me; I actually got this little mini as a gift-with-purchase from another blogger’s destash sale. After a little bit of homework, I found out that it’s from a new-to-me brand called My True Love Creations. I’m excited to learn about them! The polish I’m sharing today is called Apple Crush; I’m wearing three coats of Apple Crush with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos are taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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You may also notice my nails took a trip to Chopsville this weekend. Yep. So sad.

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Apple Crush is a orange-leaning red polish with holographic shimmer. Application was easy: the product consistency is good; it’s a little on the thin side, but doesn’t have any thin-polish problems like flooding or streaking. It is on the sheer side; it took me all three coats to achieve this opacity. It dries quickly and with a semi-glossy finish. I added top coat for extra shine and protection.

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I’m pretty impressed with this little polish. I have to confess, I didn’t expect much since I didn’t know too much about it, but I’m really pleasantly surprised. The polish is gorgeous in its sparkly simplicity; while holos these days are these intense sparklers, this one takes a step back and offers just enough. It’s kind of refreshing actually.

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Apple Crush and other My True Love Creations polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I did not buy this polish, but it was not sent by the maker for review.

Swatch Sunday: Monster Polish’s What’s Wrong With This Jumper?

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Happy Sunday! I’m excited to show you today’s polish, because it’s from a new-to-me brand calledMonster Polish. This is one of the first two polishes I ever got from them, and I’m pretty floored by it. This is What’s Wrong With This Jumper?; I’m wearing three coats with and without top coat.

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What’s Wrong With This Jumper? is a black holo with blue and purple shimmers. Application was very smooth; the product consistency was thin, but not drippy or watery. It was sheer on the first coat, but even out by the second; I had full opacity in two coats. The polish dries with a satin finish reminiscent of leather. When top coat is used, the holo effect and shimmers really come out, making it look like a completely different polish.

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I really struggled on whether to wear this polish with top coat or not. Usually, I put top coat on without question; I’m not a huge fan of satin and matte finishes, so I put on top coat because that’s how I would normally wear it. I’m actually shocked that I like this polish with its original finish. You can see the holo effect and shimmers and the dimension they create quite nicely with the satin finish. I was really impressed with it.

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However that didn’t stop me from putting on the top coat. I had to see what it looked like, and holy cow, I couldn’t believe it. The shimmers and holo effect are so much more brilliant, the dimension even more intense, I couldn’t believe it was the same polish. Honestly, I do prefer it with the top coat, because after I put it on, it was like I breathed life into my manicure. I don’t want to say that the original finish looks dull or lifeless, because that’s absolutely not true. I’m saying that the top coat is like icing on the cake. It makes the polish way more appealing to me.

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What’s Wrong With This Jumper and other pretties are currently in stock in the Monster Polish online store.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Darling Diva Polish’s The Pumpkin Queen

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Happy Sunday, reader! 2016 is off to a great start, isn’t it? I hope you’re all having a fantasic weekend. Yesterday, we looked a summer polish, and today we’re looking at an autumn polish. From a destash mystery bag, the same one that yielded this beauty, this is Darling Diva Polish‘s The Pumpkin Queen. I’m wearing one coat of The Pumpkin Queen over Nails Inc.’s Eaton Terrace and Baker Street and OPI’s I Just Can’t Cope-acabana, as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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The Pumpkin Queen is a clear-based glitter topper with a mix of glitter that is predominantly matte and metallic orange hexes and metallic green hexes and squares. Though these colors are the focus of the polish, it’s actually quite colorful; there are glitters in red, yellow, and blue, as well as very large purple hexes. The glitters brushed on easily, though sparsely at first. The base consistency is good; it carries the glitter without goop. It dries quickly and with a smooth finish, though the purple hexes don’t lie flat on the nail.

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Though the glitter mix is inherently autumnal, wearing this polish in January doesn’t feel completely out of place. Because there aren’t any seasonally-shaped glitters, and because the mix is so colorful, it’s not strictly a fall polish, even though it’s intended as one. I like the blue glitters best; they stand out from the rest of the glitters, but they also make the orange bolder. I really love the purple hexes too, but they feel just a tad out of place. Overall though, I like this polish, even though it’s not something I would have bought myself.

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I did a little bit of homework on this polish; it’s a polish from 2012. I don’t even know if I have any others that old, because I didn’t get into indie polish until 2013. How cool, it’s vintage! I also love the printed label, it’s like a bootleg.

The Pumpkin Queen is no longer sold by Darling Diva Polish; other polishes are available from their shop.

I got this polish in a grab bag.

 

 

Swatch Sunday: Anna Gorelova by Dance Legend’s Кот Баю

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Hello reader! We’re looking at yet another polish from a destash sale. I’m really excited about this one; I’ve seen Dance Legend polishes everywhere, and I finally have one! This is a polish from the Anna Gorelova by Dance Legend collaboration; it’s called Кот Баю (Kot Bajun) and I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Kot Bajun is a sheer nude with fine holographic silver glitter. Application was easy; the product consistency was on the thinner side, but still held onto the brush and applied evenly. As you can see, after three coats, there’s no such thing as full opacity when wearing it alone. The glitter shines nicely through the sheer polish; it distributes well and lays flat on the nail, leaving no texture behind. It dries quickly and with a smooth satin finish. I added top coat for extra shine.

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I admit, I had to do some homework on this polish. There’s no shade name on the bottom on the bottle, only a number. The destash shop I bought it from called it Кот Баю, which also turns up in a Google search. It also turns out that this polish shares a name with an animal from a Russian folk legend; Kot Bajun is apparently a giant cat that lives in the forests of Siberia. I couldn’t find much about it in English. I just love the international appeal of this, though. I’m a huge fan of  products from other countries; my kitchen pantry is a mishmash of international foods, but I only have a few polishes that aren’t from the United States.

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I love this polish. It’s another soft neutral that’s both sparkly and work-appropriate. It’s weird how many of these I’ve been wearing lately. The glitter is a lot like the same stuff that’s in Fairy Dust; it’s the same single-serve portion of sparkle, even with three coats. This would definitely pair well with a white tip or over a nude base.

Кот Баю seems to be discontinued. Check Dance Legend’s site for international stockist info.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: CrowsToes Nail Color’s That Boy is a P-I-G Pig

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Welcome to Swatch Sunday! I’m really excited to show you this week’s polish. I’ve been shopping a lot of destash sales lately on Facebook, and about a week ago, I bought my very first mystery bag, which means I got a lot of new polishes I wouldn’t normally have bought. It was a really fun experience! Today’s polish is one from that set. This is That Boy is a P-I-G Pig from CrowsToes Nail Color; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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That Boy is a P-I-G Pig is a sheer pale pink with blue-to-pink shifting shimmer and pearly white flakies. Application was easy; the polish went on smoothly and evenly. The product consistency is very easy to work with; it stays on the brush quite well, but isn’t thick. The coverage is very sheer; at three coats, you can still my nail bed through the polish. The shimmer is visible in nearly every lighting level, though more powerful in some than others. The polish dries with a smooth finish; I used top coat for shine and protection.

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I didn’t know anything about this polish when I got it, so I did a little Internet homework; it turns out this was in an A Box Indied box last year. I feel pretty lucky to have gotten a box-exclusive polish on accident, and one this pretty to boot.

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For the shift!

For the shift!

This is the daintiest polish I have ever worn. I think I say that every time I wear a pale pink, but this time I mean it. This is gloriously dainty. It’s so pink and soft and girly. The strong blue shimmer and flakies set it apart from every other sheer pale pink in my collection. I feel a little exposed with my visible nail lines for everyone to see, but overall, this polish gives a clean and elegant look to my nails.

That Boy is a P-I-G Pig is no longer in production. Other CrowsToes polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Model City Polish’s Sheena is a Punk Rocker

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Happy Sunday, reader! This week I’m wearing an oldie-but-goodie, a first polish from a beloved indie. This was even one of my first-ever indie polishes. All the way from 2013, here’s Sheena is a Punk Rocker from Model City Polish; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Sheena is a Punk Rocker is a black jelly polish with magenta dots and silver holographic hex glitters. Application was easy; the jelly base was thin at first, but built up to deep black in three coats. The glitters spread evenly and lay flat on the nail. The polish dries quickly with a glossy finish, though with a little bit of texture from the glitters. I used top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

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The shine is probably the first thing you noticed about this polish. It is shiny. The shine from both the glitter and the jelly gloss overwhelmed my camera, so the focus is off in a few of these photos. The shine is probably my favorite thing about the glitter jelly polish, especially in black. It’s the icing on top of a very glittery cake.

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I totally bought this polish because it was named after a Ramones song. Believe it or not, this is actually my second bottle of it. I bought a mini in my very first Model City order, and I loved it so much that I went back for the full size when it was restocked, as well as the other two polishes in the collection. These are very special polishes to me and I’m so sad MCP doesn’t make it anymore.

Sheena is a Punk Rocker has been discontinued; other Model City polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself. The Ramones are awesome.

Swatch Sunday: Maybelline Mystery Red

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Hello, reader! For today’s Swatch Sunday, we’re looking at a very old polish from Maybelline. Its name has since been lost, but today, we’re immortalizing it in blog form. It’s also one of the polishes I used in my first-ever wacie.com post, so there’s that. I’m wearing three coats of this mystery polish with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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This mystery polish is a red jelly with fine red and silver glitters. Application was easy, and pretty typical of a polish like this; the first coat was streaky, but additional coats deepened the color and built opacity. And, for a polish its age — it’s been about ten years since I got this bottle — it applied pretty well. I thinned it myself a few months ago, but there were still some issues with inconsistent thickness, which I believe is a sign of its age, not its formula. The glitters distributed easily. It dried quickly and with a glossy finish. I added top coat for extra shine and protection.

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I have a real soft spot for this polish. I’ve written time and again about how much I love red polishes, and this is a really special one. I’ve had it a long time, and though nothing beats a red creme for me, this may be an exception; it’s like a red creme but with more. It complements my skin tone so well, and it just makes me feel glamorous and sexy. I will truly be sad when it runs out.

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I do not know the name of this polish, nor do I know whether it’s still being made by Maybelline. Other Maybelline polishes are sold nationwide.

I bought this polish myself.