Wacie Wednesday: Esoterica

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For this week’s Wacie Wednesday, I’m wearing Esoterica, a jet black scattered holo. I have on three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

I made Esoterica when I was feeling particularly creative but had few supplies. Like many of my prototype polishes, I made it with what I had on hand, which was basically white and black polish. That explains the deep color. I set it aside, and when I got some holo products to experiment with, I got it back out. I was actually able to make three bottles of this polish from what I’d made before. Even after mixing it down, it’s still quite pigmented; one coat was all I needed to achieve the perfect opacity.

Unfortunately, it is not a sunny day. It’s been raining since I woke up this morning, and I don’t see the sun coming out at all, so I resorted to using the flash on my camera to get the good holo pics. I’m actually surprised with how well they turned out, even though the results aren’t optimal. Scroll through and enjoy the holo goodness.

The flash isn’t too bad. I’ve definitely done worse. The holo looks more linear here than in the photos without it.

I still want to experiment with other holo products, so this will probably not be the final version of Esoterica. However, this probably will make it into a collection sooner rather than later. You know, when I finally launch my company.

Wacie Wednesday: Skybright

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

Skybright is my Wacie Wednesday pick this week. This calm blue crelly contains three different colors of small blue hexes and squares. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

So there’s a lot of glitter in here, probably more than it needs. Skybright dries with a gritty textured finish, and is still gritty after applying top coat. Because there is so much, it does dry quickly. It dries semi-matte, but that’s tough to notice with all the glitter shining in your face.

I must still be bitter about having to cut my nails, because I can’t stop thinking about how good this would look on longer nails. The roughness of the polish is emphasized by the shortness of my nails.

At least in the sun this looks good. You can really see the glitter layers there. That adds a lot to the look.

I don’t want to down on this polish too much, because I don’t think I’d be being fair to it. I feel like there are a lot of factors keeping it from looking its best. I would like to revisit this in a month or two to see what it really looks like.

Wacie Wednesday: Maneater

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For Wacie Wednesday this week, I’m wearing a little polish called Maneater. I was trying to get a sultry red with a strong gold shimmer; I didn’t quite get there, but I love the result regardless. I’m wearing three coats of it with one coat of Seche Vite.

Maneater is awesome, if I may say so. It applies super-easily, dries quickly, and achieves a rich opacity in two coats. The only drawback for me is that it dries a bit matte. Top coat is definitely necessary for this one, because the shimmer doesn’t shimmer without it.

It’s no secret that I love red polish. My desert-island polish would probably be a red creme. I made this knowing that my eventual Wacie Nail Company lineup would need a good solid red polish. As I said, it’s not quite what I wanted; the shimmer is much too subtle. However, I’m happy with it. It’s still sexy, bold, and confident, as red polish should be.

Outdoors, direct sun. The shimmer looks great here.

I’ve actually been on a red streak in the workshop, too. I’ve got tons of red prototypes I can’t wait to show you guys.

Wacie Wednesday: Euphorica

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

I am so excited to show you this week’s Wacie Wednesday! This is a momentous occasion, for I am showing you the first-ever Wacie Nail Company holo! This is Euphorica; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Euphorica is an ocean blue scattered holo. Unfortunately, the holo effect isn’t very strong indoors. This one has a rather delicate holo, and often the indoor lights will make the holo particles appear silver instead of presenting the usual rainbow effect. It’s still pretty though, it just looks like a shimmery icy blue. It’s still beautiful indoors, even without the holo.

In the sunshine is where this polish really shines (pun intended). My camera could not capture all the holo goodness.

This is such a perfect color for summer; it reminds me of the sky before the Florida summer storm clouds set in, the light playing in the water of a swimming pool, the shore on a foreign beach. I seriously cannot stop staring at these.

I’m totally a holo addict now. I see myself making a ton more like this.

Wacie Wednesday: Slop Bucket

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

My post today requires a bit of a backstory. When I first started experimenting with making my own polish, I ran out of bottles pretty quickly, and in an effort to save money, I decided to try to reuse some; I took my failed prototypes, poured them into an empty lacquer base bottle, and cleaned the polish bottles out with acetone. Unfortunately, the amount of work and acetone this required did not make it worth the time, and so I just ordered new bottles. Today, as I was walking into my workshop, I saw the bottle I’d poured all the polish into. I shook it up and watched it settle. There were so many kinds of glitter in it, so many pigments and dyes. I poured some of it into a polish bottle and put it on, and I got something weirdly wearable. I submit to you Slop Bucket, shown here at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

I don’t even know how to describe this polish. What do you even call this color? Shimmery brownish mauve? There are shimmers with hints of green, blue, gold, silver. I can’t even name all of the glitters, but I’m willing to bet every color, shape, and size of glitter I’ve ever used is in here. The lime green glitters outnumber the rest, I’d say, because I used those a lot in my first prototypes. There are flowers and hearts, but I didn’t get a lot of those; you can see the only heart I got on my pinky nail. I got a flower on my thumb, but it got buried under the additional coats.

Is it weird that I like this? All things considered, I think this is really pretty. None of the glitters match, and they weren’t intended to go together. The base turned creamy and brown. Theoretically, this should be the ugliest nail polish in the world, and somehow, it isn’t.

When I took my studio photos, it was storming, so I didn’t think I’d get to see what this looks like in the sunshine, but now the sun is out and the sun is shining like the storm never happened. Thanks, fickle Florida weather! This is crazy shimmery in the sunlight. There’s so much shimmer it’s hard to see what’s going on on the rest of the nail. It’s still weirdly, strangely pretty to me.

Well, that was fun. I’m definitely going to keep this bottle around. I’m also inspired to dump out the rest of my fail bottles and make a sequel.

Wacie Wednesday: Wintergreen

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

This week’s Wacie Wednesday is all about Wintergreen, a sheer white with a strong pearly green flash. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

I kind of really love how this turned out. This is actually its second formulation; the first one was much more opaque, but thicker and more difficult to work with. I poured a lot of it out (like half) and replaced it with clear lacquer base, and now it’s beautiful.

The green flash changes depending on the angle; it’s not very obvious here.

I’m wearing three coats here, just because I always put on three coats for swatches, but I actually really liked this at one coat. I wish I’d taken photos of it then; it was sheer enough to see my nail line beneath, but the green flash was still very prominent. It was a very cool look just on its own. With three coats though, it’s still a little sheer, but the white is more apparent.

It’s also not very apparent in sunshine.

I’m also rethinking the name a little. At the time (about a day ago) it seemed perfect, but wearing a polish called Wintergreen in the middle of July is a little weird.

Wacie Wednesday: Eclectic

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For this Wacie Wednesday, I’m sharing with you my first attempt at a colorful white crelly. This is Eclectic, so named for the variety of glitter, at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Eclectic is a white crelly with pink hexes and bars, lime green hexes and diamonds, black shreds, gray hexes, and iridescent hexes. There’s a ton of glitter in here, and as such, the formula is quite thick, even after adding a fair amount of thinner. I like this combination of glitter; the pink and green give a soft look, the black shreds give it some edge, and the iridescent glitter gives it just a touch of sparkle. Even after all that, though, it feels like it’s missing something. Maybe the colors should be brighter, or maybe I should just leave out the crelly and go for a glitter topper. I’m not sure yet. This one is by no means finished.

Here are some photos taken in the sunlight. It looks a bit more lively here than in the studio.

I also went through many names, too, before settling on Eclectic: Conflict, Quartz, Pastel Badass. I like the look of this one, but I feel like it needs more work, and maybe a better name.

Wacie Wednesday on Friday: Andromeda

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

My Wacie Nail Co. swatch this week is late and I apologize. I actually wanted to hold onto the pink and glitter nails I did on Monday for a while longer, but then they chipped Wednesday night. I put this polish on Thursday between World Cup matches, but I couldn’t do any photography until this afternoon. The tips are worn, but this is still a nice-looking polish. This is Andromeda from Wacie Nail Company, shown here at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Andromeda is a black jelly with fine rainbow iridescent glitter. It’s a pretty simple in composition; there’s only one glitter variety in here, but look at what it does. There are so many colors here, so complex and dynamic, and yet it’s all the same glitter. It’s very less-is-more, which as you know, is an ideal I almost, almost want to embrace.

You can see the difference in the colors very well in the sunlight photos below. This is crazy in the sunshine; you can see every speck of glitter on every nail. It’s insane.

Also, it was cloudy as crap when I went outside to take these photos; the sun came out just for me. I love when that happens! Either I am the sun, or the universe just wants my skin to char, I’m not sure.

Wacie Wednesday: Deep

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For this Wacie Wednesday, I submit to you Deep, an emerald green jelly with gold dots and tiny iridescent glitters. I am wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. As usual, photos were taken in an indoor studio and outside in sunlight.

When I made this polish, I just felt like making something, and I was limited on supplies. I was between shipments, I was totally out of lacquer base and most glitters. All I had on hand was a small bottle of blue base, a bottle of yellow, and these two glitters. I thought “Why not?” and dumped a little of everything into a bottle. It was way too thick, but I liked how it looked, so when I got my next shipment of clear lacquer base, I diluted it until the formula was right (and made about five bottles in the process). In fact, because this color is so dark, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to get until I put it on today. I even added a little more clear base just to ensure that it would be a jelly. I’d like for it to be a little squishier, but I’m pretty happy with it.

Because the color is so dark, I’m not sure how well it layers. I’m not sure if I’m seeing three coats’ worth of glitter or just one. Also, the dot glitters are actually gold, and the color gets totally lost in the green base, even in the most recent coat. However, in the sun, you can see every speck of glitter the way it was meant to be seen. I freaking love this in the sun. It’s shiny as all get out.

Outdoors, sunlight

I haven’t mentioned the Wacie Nail Company launch in a while, I know. So far, everything is on track for a summer launch. I know I said spring, I know I said a lot of things. For real this time though: Wacie Nail Company is happening soon. Watch this space for updates.

Wacie Wednesday on Thursday: Purity

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

Wacie Wednesday is happening on Thursday today because I really struggled with whether I wanted to post it or not. I’ve been developing this color, called Purity, for quite a while now, and I’ve just never been able to get it right. I can’t get the blue jelly squishy enough, and it dulls the larger holographic glitter. I didn’t want to post it this week because it’s still not right, but I like how it looks anyway, so I’m going for it. Also, I’m in this post-vacation funk where nothing is interesting, so I’m kind of doing this just because I need something to do. This is three coats of Purity with one coat of Seche Vite.

Purity is (or is meant to be) a blue jelly with holographic silver glitters. They’re a bit hard to see in the polish; the holographic effect tends not to show up too well in the studio, and the unintended crelly effect of the blue base dulls them. As a result, it just looks like a pretty but unremarkable blue. Not to say there’s anything wrong with that, it’s beautiful color in itself and I love how it looks on me. It’s just not what I was going for. See how it looks in the bottle? That’s what I want, and I’ve been trying like hell to get it. I just can’t make it work.

It’s been cloudy and blah outside for a few days, so unfortunately, I couldn’t get any great photos in the sunlight. Sunlight usually saves my so-so glitter photos; couldn’t make that happen today. I actually took the studio shots last night, a few hours after I’d done the manicure. I took the outdoor shots this morning, but I just ended up getting great shots of sad cuticles. I’m a little embarrassed of these, actually.

Sad cuticles are sad.

Outdoors, cloudy as eff.

I love Purity, and I guess I’ll be taking it back to the workshop yet again for another reformulation.

Wacie.com

Home of Wacie Nail Company

Category Archives: Wacie Nail Company