Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Get Too Close to the Flame

Happy Saturday! We’re finally caught up on swatches from last week, so let’s look at some new ones! Today’s swatch is a special-edition glitter topper from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer called Get Too Close to the Flame. I’m wearing one coat over Revlon’s Bare Bones, Essie’s Good Morning Hope, and Sally Hansen’s Kelp Yourself, as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Get Too Close to the Flame is a clear-based topper with glitters in shades of pink and orange and various sizes (including stars), as well as a fine pink shimmer throughout. Application went well; the glitters spread evenly, though I did employ a bit of dabbing/placing to cover bare spots and spread out the glitters that clumped together. There was no extra cuticle-flooding lacquer, and the base was the right consistency to support the glitter without being too thick or goopy. Drying times were quick, and it dried with a smooth texture and glossy finish. I added top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

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This is a summer polish for sure. The color is bright and bold, even if it’s not that colorful, and the variety of shapes and sizes make it interesting to look at. I love the big dots and tiny stars, the hexes large and small. I love the pink shimmer and its perfect amount of sparkle. I love that it looks fantastic over any polish, soft or bright. This is the first BEGL topper I’ve worn in months, and I forgot how nice they are.

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Get Too Close to the Flame was a limited edition and is no longer for sale. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are for sale in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Weekday Swatch: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s BEGLove

I don’t normally post much during the week, but I spent my weekend out of town, so my weekend swatches didn’t get posted. I’m going to get those out this week. Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s BEGLove would have been my Swatch Saturday post. This is BEGLove at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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BEGLove is an dark indigo linear holo with deep purple shimmers. The purple shimmers give the polish a more purple appearance than indigo, I think. This was a dream to apply; I got strong color and full opaque coverage in one coat. It dried quickly — dry to the touch in under five minutes — and with a satin finish. I used top coat to emphasize the holo effect.

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BEGLove is also the name of the official Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer fan group on Facebook. This polish is a group exclusive; you have to be in the group to buy it and it’s not available to the general public. I’m torn by this: I wish everybody could wear this polish because it’s perfect, but I’m also kind of glad it’s exclusive. Like it makes us a real fan club.

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The BEGLove group is probably the reason I own so many BEGL polishes. I just really love the sense of community fostered by creator Julie and her mod team. I feel like I’m not just a customer, but a friend of the brand. Even though there are indie brands I like just as much or better than BEGL, I feel very loyal to BEGL because of that community. I always take my disposable income there first.

As I mentioned, BEGLove is only available to members of the BEGLove Facebook group. Other BEGL polishes are for sale in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Black Holo Marble

Hello, reader! This week’s Manicure Monday is a doozy, if I may say so myself. Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Discontinued Limited Edition makes a beautiful watermarble and I can’t stop staring at it. The watermarble was done with Sally Hansen’s Black Out. Other nails show Discontinued Limited Edition alone at two coats. All nails are topped with Seche Vite top coat.

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I’ve swatched Discontinued Limited Edition in the past, so be sure to check out that post if you want to know the details. What I didn’t expect then was that it would work so well for watermarbling. It spreads easily and quickly, even better than the black creme polish. The Spectraflair and orange shimmers mingle with the creme, which gives an all-over holo effect. I planned to use a Spectraflair top coat and ended up not needing it. This, with Black Out’s perfect opacity and consistency, made for a painless and gorgeous watermarble.

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I hadn’t even planned the watermarble today. I was going to try my hand at galaxy nails for the first time, and I couldn’t get it right. It was terrible! I either got too much polish or not enough, got too much coverage or not enough, and just made a big mess. After three misfires, I give up and did a watermarble because it was easier. Easier! What universe is this?

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And of course it’s pouring down rain today, because why wouldn’t it be? The holo effect is a little dull in these first few photos. I used the flash in the next few, because I really needed to show you the full holo effect. It shines right through the black marbling and I cant. stop. staring.

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I’ve got to do this more often. I try not to use the polishes I love, especially when they’re as aptly-named as this one. I thought I was going to use a lot more polish, but because I only marbled two nails on each hand, I lost way less than I expected. I can’t get over how well it spread in the water, also. I want to see how other indie holos, BEGLs in particular, marble with cremes. Have I been bitten by the watermarbling bug again? Perhaps!

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype FOJ 1.0

Happy Saturday, reader! I have another fun Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype to show you. This is FOJ 1.0; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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FOJ 1.0 is a white crelly polish with glitters in white, blue, and holographic silver, as well as some fine red glitters throughout. Application was easy; the crelly went on evenly and the glitters spread well. Drying times were good. It dried evenly and with a glossy finish. I still used top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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I like this polish, even though it’s not terribly exciting. The white glitters blend into the crelly pretty well, avoiding detection. The same is true for the holographic glitters; they’re pretty when they’re not too obscured. The blues and the tiny reds stand out pretty well and add a small touch of color. As it said, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s still pretty fun to wear.

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FOJ 1.0 was a one-off prototype and is not for sale. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Prototype MW 1.8

Another Saturday, another swatch! Today I’m wearing Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype MW 1.8; this is three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Let’s have a look!

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Prototype MW 1.8 is a nude creme with fine holographic gold glitter. It applies like a French pink might; the first coat is very sheer, but builds in opacity with additional coats. The glitter is deposited easily and evenly; the sheer polish covers the glitter, but not enough to remove its holographic effect. At three coats, the glitter looks like cinnamon sugar in my polish. The consistency is fantastic and applies well. It dries quickly and with a glossy, smooth finish.

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I am having a blast wearing this. Nude polishes always make me think my nails look longer and expertly manicured, so I get excited when I have the chance to wear one. This polish is a fun take on a dainty and classic look.

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Prototype MW 1.8 is a one-off bottle and there aren’t any others like it. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype Summer 1.1

Happy Saturday! Swatch Saturday is upon us once again. I’m done swatching the 2014 Fan Favorites collection from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. I’ve got a few one-off prototypes to try out, and then we’ll get into the Far From the Sun collection from last summer. This first prototype, Summer 1.1, is a non-final version of a Far From the Sun polish. I’m wearing four coats of Summer 1.1 with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Prototype Summer 1.1 is a clear-based microglitter polish with glitters in red, orange, gold, green, pink, and violet. Application was all right; the lacquer-to-glitter distribution was fantastic, I got an even mix with each coat. This isn’t a polish where you get flooded with lacquer but only with a little glitter. At three coats, I didn’t have the full coverage I wanted; there were still some small holes through which I could see my bare nail. It dries quickly and with a textured glitter finish. I used top coat for smoothness and extra shine.

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Summer 1.1 is a fantastic polish. There’s just so much color in it. All of the different glitters complement each other well, and the many colors add dimension. In the sun, this is especially obvious; it’s almost difficult to look at, there’s so much sparkle. I don’t know if you’ve ever moved a ring or something with a gemstone in it to watch all the facets glint in the light, but this polish has that effect. This is definitely one that dances in the light when you move your fingers. I love it.

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Prototype Summer 1.1 is not available, but as of this writing, there’s one bottle of Sail Her Don’t Sink Her, a very similar polish, left in the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s One Gray-t Year

Hello, reader! I’ve just gotten back from the spontaneous trip my boyfriend and I took this weekend to celebrate the holiday. If you’re American, I hope you had a fantastic July 4th, and if you’re not, I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Because I was out of town, I only have one weekend swatch for you. This is One Gray-t Year from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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One Gray-t Year is a deep gray creme with an assortment of rainbow flakies. The formula consistency is just right and was super-smooth to apply. The flakies are easily distributed as well. I had full opacity in two coats. My bottle did suffer some settling, but the color isn’t affected at all. Drying times were fast, and this polish dries with a matte finish. I used top coat to bring out the color in the flakies and add shine and protection.

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One Gray-t Year was made to commemorate the first anniversary of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer in 2014. It was a limited edition polish released with the first Fan Favorites collection. I’ve been a BEGL fan for a long time, even before the maker started selling polish to the public, so to be able to celebrate this milestone with her, albeit more than a year late, is really exciting. I love this polish; the contrast between the striking base color and the soft pastel flakies is gorgeous. It also wears like iron. I usually do my Swatch Saturday manicure on Wednesday; it’s now Sunday, I still have this polish on, and it’s barely showing any signs of wear. The tips are a little worn, but the color and shine are still going strong. It’s rare that I get this much mileage out of any one manicure. I’m really impressed.

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Here are some vacation photos! We spent Friday and Saturday in the Titusville, FL/Cape Canaveral area. I’m very interested in space travel and exploration, and Kennedy Space Center is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. It was the greatest! I got to drink a beer in the Rocket Garden.

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw this photo already. On the way home, we stopped a kitschy little wildlife park in Christmas, FL called Jungle Adventures. I never get tired of seeing alligators.

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One Gray-t Year was a limited edition and is no longer for sale, but other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Fire In Your Eyes

Welcome back, reader! I trust you’re having a lovely Saturday. I’m taking a break from swimming and sunbathing to bring you this week’s Swatch Saturday. The polish I’m wearing this week is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Fire In Your Eyes; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Fire in Your Eyes is a red jelly polish with blue-to-pink shifting shimmers. I don’t feel like I need to tell you yet again how easy BEGL polishes are to apply and use, and this is no exception. This polish glides right on without any drag or fuss. I got nearly perfect coverage on the first coat, and full coverage by the second. Despite being a jelly, it’s quite opaque; I don’t see any hint of a visible nail line. It also dried pretty quickly and with a satin finish. I added top coat to add shine and really bring out the shimmers.

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I love this polish. Like Sordid End, it just seems to glow when the light touches the shimmer, all while maintaining a vibrant base color. It doesn’t sound like much when I describe it, and it does seem to lose something in photos, but this is a polish you have to see in person to really appreciate it. It’s just absolutely beautiful.

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Unfortunately, though, Fire in Your Eyes has been discontinued. Sorry! Other BEGL polishes are available from their shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Fun With Neons

Welcome to another Manicure Monday! Today’s manicure accurately sums up my weekend; it was full of bright colors and summer fun! To celebrate the first day of summer, or the fact that a mani I planned ages ago is actually relevant, I’m wearing Julep’s Abbie over white polish with Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Watch the Walls, as well as Seche Vite top coat.

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Abbie is the perfect summer yellow; it’s bright and gorgeous. It’s so bright my hands got a bit of a tan. It’s a chameleon, though; in some lighting it’s flourescent highlighter yellow, but in others it’s closer to lemon. Either way, it’s cheerful and a ton of fun to wear. My only complaint is that it never seemed to reach full opacity, even at three coats, so I put on one coat over two coats of white polish. This way, I got boost in opacity and in color.

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When I picked Abbie out of the Helmer, I knew Watch the Walls would compliment her perfectly. Watch the Walls is the perfect mix of neon pink glitters, along with some other fun colors and shapes and the perfect amount of blue-to-purple shifting shimmers. It’s a glitter topper with color, depth, and fun. It absolutely breaks my heart that it’s been discontinued and is now out of stock.

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I don’t know if I’ve told you guys, but I probably have, because I’ve only been writing on this blog for two years, but summer is my favorite part of the year. I seem to handle it better than most people, too; I love to sit out on the porch — better yet, the pool — with a drink and a book and just spend the entire day out there. I’ll take sweat and sunburn over shivering and itchy sweaters any day.

Neither Abbie nor watch the Walls are currently in stock on their makers’ websites. Julep is available from Sephora and julep.com; Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer is sold from their BigCartel shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sordid End

Welcome to this week’s installment of Swatch Saturday! I’m excited to bring you one of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s most popular shades, Sordid End! I’m wearing three coats of Sordid End with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Sordid End is a periwinkle blue creme polish with blue-to-purple shifting shimmer. Application was smooth and flawless; the product consistency was a little on the thinner side, which is unusual for a BEGL polish, but it was still easy to use and control the color. It’s quite rich; I had almost-perfect opacity in one coat, and full opacity in two. The product dries with a satin finish; I used a top coat to brighten the shimmer. Even without the top coat, the shimmer is still pretty intense. Some white pigment settled on the bottom of the bottle, but it doesn’t affect the color or product at all.

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Released twice — it debuted with the My Indecisive Valentine collection, then returned with the Fan Favorites collection of 2014 — it sold out quickly and is still sought after by collectors and fans. It’s easy to see why Sordid End is such a popular shade. The periwinkle creme on its own is a deep and rich color, but the shimmer just makes it glow. It is incredible. I couldn’t capture that beauty on camera, I’m sorry to say. This is definitely a polish you have to see to believe.

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Sordid End is currently not in stock, but other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers can be purchased from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.