Manicure Monday: Cool Raspberry Swirl With Sprinkles

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Monday, reader! Today’s look was done because I realized I don’t do watermarbles as often as I should. I used Sinful Colors’s Timbleberry (pink) as the base, Essie’s I’m Addicted (darker blue) and Mint Candy Apple (lighter blue) in the marble, and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype PCFS 1.0 as the glitter accent.

In a future post, you’ll read about the lack of watermarbling on the blog; basically, when I plan a mani, I’m thinking about what glitters will pair best with cremes, and other cremes are rarely considered. The fact is, I love watermarbling, and sometimes it’s just so hard to find a cool color combination, and also formulas that lend themselves to the process; nothing’s worse than discovering a polish doesn’t spread over the water and knowing I’ve wasted polish. I’d been planning to use Timbleberry for a while, and I had a Lynnderella topper set aside for it. At the last minute, I decided that I was going to watermarble instead.

Mint Candy Apple and I’m Addicted were chosen because they just happened to be on my desk. I have them set aside for swatching some glitter toppers in the future. I saw them alongside Timbleberry and thought “Why not?”. The final outcome looks a little like a rocket pop, and more than a little like toothpaste, but I’m really happy with how it came out. My top coat smudged it a bit, but this is barely visible in real life.

The glitter was the very last piece the look needed, and to me, it brings the whole thing together. I couldn’t stand the thought of not using any glitter, so I picked this one. The colors aren’t a spot-on match, but it’s pretty close. Overall, I think this ended up being a pretty cool look; you’ve got the bright-but-not-totally-neon bright pink, the cool blues, and a tiny bit of sparkle. I also lucked out having the bow be the exact same color as the blue in the mani.

Outdoor photo time! There’s no large difference among the colors here, but I got some okay macros. Try to see past the smudges. I also got a photo of a nail on my right hand; I always get the best swirls on the nails on the other side of the camera.

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Timbleberry might be discontinued by Sinful Colors. I’m Addicted also may have been discontinued by Essie. Both brands are sold in stores nationwide. Prototype PCFS 1.0 is a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer one-off; other BEGL polishes are sold in their online shop. My bow charm is from Claire’s.

I bought these products myself.

Swatch Sunday: Pretty & Polished’s Pretty Chameleon

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

It’s another Swatch Sunday! I get to show you a thermal this week and I’m super excited. Pretty Chameleon from Pretty & Polished has been on the blog before, but never on its own. I’m wearing three coats of Pretty Chameleon with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Pretty Chameleon is a pink thermal polish with fine pink and blue glitters. Application was good; the product formula was very easy to work with, and I achieved full opacity in two coats. The colors change with the temperature of the polish; the pink is deep when cold and pale when warm. The glitters, though sparse, get lost in the creme; most of it just looks like blue dots with very little sparkle. It dries quickly and with a satin finish; I used top coat for extra shine.

Pretty Chameleon is one of the first indie polishes I ever bought — the eleventh, to be exact, and my second thermal — and it’s always been a polish I’ve loved. Thermals were new to me back then, and being pink made it all the better. I think the color difference was a big stronger when I first got it, but that tends to happen with thermals as they age. I’m surprised this one still changes at all, given it’s three years old. Also, because it’s hot in the house as well as outside, it was difficult to keep the cool effect long enough to get photos of it. As soon as I pulled it out of the ice water, it warmed right back up again.

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These photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors. I used pool water to effect the temperature change. It heated back up almost immediately.

Pretty Chameleon is out of stock; check Pretty & Polished’s website and etsy shop for other polishes.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Deathwatch Beetle

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome to Swatch Saturday! For this week’s swatch, we’re looking at Deathwatch Beetle, the second of five polishes from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s What Wouldn’t I Do Halloween collection. I’m wearing three coats of Deathwatch Beetle with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Deathwatch Beetle is a clear-based microglitter polish; the glitter is primarily black, but also contains orange, green, and purple glitters. Application was easy; the product formula, laden with glitter, was thick enough to fan out the brush, but still thin enough to apply smoothly. The first coat went on well; the glitter covered about half the nail, and the second coat brought it to full opacity. Drying times were fast, and the polish dried with a fine textured glitter finish. I added top coat for smoothness and shine.

This polish is the only microglitter in this collection, and easily the most Halloweeny of them all. The hallmark colors are all there, but it’s something I think you’d only notice if you knew it was a Halloween polish. Black is a classic color and works for any part of the year, and the other colors add more sparkle than color, especially from a distance. I feel like I should also mention that I love this collection because there’s as much variety as there is versatility. In addition to the holo and microglitter polishes featured so far, there’s a glitter jelly, a shimmer, and a neon glitter topper, and all of them are Halloween polishes in disguise. I love it.

Here are the outdoor photos! The glitter just lights up out here, and it almost kind of hurt to look at it. You can see the colored glitters best in these photos.

Deathwatch Beetle has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: California Pearl

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Monday, reader! Today’s mani was done with Sinful Colors’s San Francisco and Lynnderella‘s Chef Kitty. I was a little disappointed with how sheer San Francisco went on, but I still I got a pretty cool look. More photos below!

San Francisco is a polish I’ve had a long time; you can tell in the photos that the bottle is only about half full. I’ve had it for many years, and it was one of the first few I bought when I was just starting my collection. That said, I knew to expect sheer coverage from this polish, but I forgot just how sheer it gets. The color is a deep and rich shimmering emerald, but the nail line is still very visible, even after three coats. This is especially true in bright lighting conditions; see the outdoor photos.

Chef Kitty is such a fun polish. It was my introduction to Lynnderella, and set me off on an exciting and financially draining journey. I think it’s a great addition to San Francisco; the green glitters are a little invisible over the green base, but the whites and the other colors stand out very well. It’s a great polish for adding a little extra color and sparkle without having it take over the whole manicure.

Here are some outdoor photos. You can see how sheer San Francisco is, but you can also see how lovely its shimmer is. The glitter in Chef Kitty is a lot more defined. The pearls I stuck on to finish the look are much smaller than they appear in these photos.

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San Francisco and other Sinful Colors polishes are sold in stores; I got mine from Walgreens. Chef Kitty and other Lynnderella polishes are available on eBay and in their Storenvy shop. My pearls were purchased on Amazon, and my bow charm is from Claire’s.

I bought these products myself.

Swatch Sunday: The Polish Bar’s Midnight Kiss

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back! This Swatch Sunday is all about my first-ever polish from The Polish Bar, Midnight Kiss! Midnight Kiss was an Addicted to Holos box exclusive, and it’s the whole reason I became acquainted with this brand. In these photos, I’m wearing three coats of Midnight Kiss with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Photos were taken outdoors in mostly cloudy conditions.

The photo on the left was taken outdoors, the photo on the right indoors.

Midnight Kiss is a deep blue holo with blue-to-purple shifting pigment. Application was good; while the product consistency is a good thickness, the first coat went on a bit thin. Opacity and evenness improved with additional coats. The holo effect is subtle in this polish, taking a backseat to the shift. The holo shows up best in the sunlight, and the shift is most intense indoors. The polish dried quickly and with a semi-glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and sparkle.

As I mentioned, this is my introduction to The Polish Bar, and I’m super impressed with it. This polish is just so fun to wear. As with any shift, this one is perfect for circling my hands around to watch the colors change. The color is already deep and mysterious, and adding the holo effect just makes it even more stunning.

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The shift looks best indoors, so here are some photos taken under LED lights. This shift is GOOD.

Midnight Kiss was a box-exclusive polish and is no longer made by The Polish Bar. Other Polish Bar polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Blood on the Moon

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Saturday! I’m excited to bring you a weekend swatch again, because I feel guilty for taking so many weekends off from blogging. This Saturday we’re taking a look at Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Blood on the Moon; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. Photos this week were taken indoors under LED lighting, because of course it’s cloudy today.

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Blood on the Moon is a red-orange holo polish with purple shimmers. Application was very easy; the product consistency was very smooth and buttery. The first coat was just translucent enough to warrant a second coat. The holo effect is very visible under LED lights. It dried quickly and with a satin finish; I used top coat for shine.

This polish is the first in a BEGL Halloween collection based on the film Practical Magic. BEGL Halloween collections — and holiday collections in general, really — are wonderful because they aren’t obviously tied to the holiday, and I love that. I’m wearing Halloween polish in April, and nobody would know it unless I told them. This polish is a deep and beautiful orange, perfect for any season and not just autumn.

Blood on the Moon has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Orion Nebula

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back, reader, and happy Monday! I only used one polish for today’s look, Orion Nebula from Different Dimension. I only own a few DD polishes, but this is my favorite of all of them, hands down. I’m wearing two coats of Orion Nebula with one coat each of Seche Vite top coat and Ulta’s matte top coat.

Let me get something off my chest first, though. I mentioned using a matte top coat, but my nails are satin, at best. The Ulta top coat came from a top coat set that I bought a few years ago, and all the top coats were crap. The holo top coat was basically a silver holo polish, the smoked top coat was streaky and sad, and I don’t even know about the UV top coat. The matte top coat has a lot of room for improvement, and it takes a century to dry. I smudged my index nail pretty bad like half an hour after I applied it. I’m kind of pissed. Thankfully, I don’t think it’s available anymore. You’ll also notice I’ve cut my nails, I had a break washing dishes. I was really looking forward to how this polish would look on long nails.

I’m happy to be wearing this polish, though. It’s such a cool look. The black jelly is a bit thin, but the glitters are suspended beautifully. It takes a little while to get the first large dot glitter, but when I finally got it, the others came out easily.

This was probably the polish that brought me to Different Dimension. I have no idea how I came across it or what led me to it, but I knew I needed it as soon as I saw it. In general, I love all these DD glitters with the big fat circles; they catch so much light and give the polish a lot of character. This one is my favorite because it’s so many of my favorite things in one bottle: black polish, pink glitter, huge shapes.

In direct sunlight, you can really see the jelly effect. It looks a lot darker and more opaque in the studio. The glitters shine better outside as well.

Orion Nebula and other Different Dimension polishes are available on their website. My bow is from Daily Charme.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Blackheart Glam

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Monday!! For Manicure Monday this week, we’re feeling fancy high-end. For today’s look, I used Urban Decay’s Blackheart and Deborah Lippmann’s Glitter and Be Gay.

Urban Decay is a huge player in my daily makeup game, but I’ve only worn a few of their polishes. That’s why I’m super-thrilled to be wearing Blackheart this week. It’s a pretty nice polish: deep chocolate as a first impression, and upon closer inspection, a pink-to-gold shift appears. It reminds me of middle school, when I stuck to deep browns, plums, and gunmetals because my parents didn’t allow me to wear black polish. Good times! I’m pretty sure I had a Street Wear polish just like this.

I picked Glitter and Be Gay to go with Blackeart because both polishes used plenty of rich, warm colors. I mean, of course I had to choose gold to go with chocolate brown. Also, it’s not all gold, there are some cornflower blue glitters in there, and I think maybe some silver, but it turned into one big sparkly cluster. I regret that I was so heavy-handed with the glitter, and I wish I’d done some nails with brushed-on glitter, but the gradient turned out well enough. It looks like a mess in photos because it was so shiny, but I still like it.

In the sun, Blackheart isn’t as deep as it is indoors;actually, even indoors it doesn’t look all that dark, but I think that’s the glare from the glitter washing it out. You can see the pink and gold shimmers quite well outside, too. You can also see the individual glitters best out here, which is proof that they actually do pair well.

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Blackheart was an Urban Decay limited edition and is sold out on Sephora.com, which is where you can find other UD polishes. Glitter and Be Gay is available wherever Deborah Lippmann is sold; mine is from Sephora as well.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Polish Addict Nail Color’s Fireflies

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome to this week’s Swatch Sunday! Today’s swatch is a fun one; I’m using an older polish from a new-to-me brand. This is Fireflies from Polish Addict Nail Color; I got it in a destash mystery box, and the only thing I could find out about it on Google was that it came out in 2013. I’m wearing three coats of Fireflies with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Fireflies is a pastel yellow crelly with pale yellow hexes, orange bars, pink and purple butterflies, and blue shred glitters. Application was okay; the pale yellow is very streaky on the first coat, almost nonexistent, and did leave some streaks by the third coat. Though the glitters are on the larger side, they were easy to retrieve from the bottle. I did have the glitters pile up in some places. The product consistency was good, though on the thinner side. The polish dries with a glossy finish. The larger glitters, especially those that piled up, did leave a bit of texture, even after top coat was applied.

I’m not really familiar with PANC, even though I’ve seen them around the indie polish internet quite a lot. This is my very first one, and I’m not even its original owner. Despite that, it’s always fun to revisit older polishes and see how far the maker — and indie polish in general — has come. That said, I’m kind of torn on how I feel about this polish. The nostalgia factor is certainly fun, the concept and colors are fun, but I feel like the overall look is a little lacking. I would really love to see a reformulation of this polish in today’s indie style.

In the sun, this polish looks about the same. There’s no shimmers or anything in this polish, there’s nothing really that comes to life in direct sunlight.

Fireflies is probably discontinued by Polish Addict Nail Color; other PANC polishes are sold in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself via mystery box.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sewing Shadows

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Saturday! Swatch Saturday is back, and today’s polish is a beauty. This is Sewing Shadows from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. It was originally part of a 2014 collaboration box with Sweet Heart Polish inspired by characters from Disney’s Peter Pan. I’m wearing three coats of Sewing Shadows with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Sewing Shadows is a sky blue polish with green iridescent shimmer. Application was easy; the product consistency is on the thicker side, and opacity builds with coverage. The shimmer blends into the polish easily, and can sometimes be difficult to see, especially in brighter lighting conditions. The polish dries with a smooth and glossy finish; I added top coat for extra shine.

Sewing Shadows is a really fun polish, and another fine example of the BEGL shimmer. The color is vibrant, the coverage is opaque, and the shimmer is a fun and unexpected pop of color that sets the polish apart from the rest. It’s just beautiful and easy to wear. I also love that it was inspired by Peter Pan, and in particular by Wendy Darling; Peter Pan is my favorite Disney animated film (sometimes it’s The Jungle Book, I can never decide!), and as a child, I basically wanted to be Wendy, so there’s that.

In direct sunlight, the shimmer gets a little overwhelmed, but the blue base is still going strong.

The collaboration box this polish came in has since sold out. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are sold in their online shop.

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Home of Wacie Nail Company

Manicure Monday: Cool Raspberry Swirl With Sprinkles

I bought these products myself.

Swatch Sunday: Pretty & Polished’s Pretty Chameleon

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Deathwatch Beetle

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: California Pearl

I bought these products myself.

Swatch Sunday: The Polish Bar’s Midnight Kiss

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Blood on the Moon

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Orion Nebula

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Blackheart Glam

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Polish Addict Nail Color’s Fireflies

I bought this polish myself via mystery box.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sewing Shadows

I bought this polish myself.