Tag Archives: glitter jelly

Manicure Monday: Autumn Moons

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Happy Monday, reader! Today’s Manicure Monday finds me with very short nails; I went bowling on Saturday night and kind of trashed them. At least they grow back. I went for a mature yet cute look today to remind myself that these are, in fact, not a child’s hands. I used Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Newborn Solstice Sun, Essie’s As Gold As It Gets, and China Glaze’s Angel Wings. All nails are topped with one coat of Seche Vite.

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I wore Newborn Solstice Sun on its own quite some time ago when I swatched it. Even though it’s gorgeous on its own, I wanted to try something new with it. I went through the bag of tricks: rhinestones and loose glitters, vinyls and striping tapes. I wanted to get really crazy with it. Once my nails were unexpectedly cut down, though, I decided to keep it simple. I’m wearing Newborn Solstice Sun alone on two nails, as well as the darker shade in the half-moon. It’s a beautiful polish; the color is so deep, and the glitters add depth and sparkle. This is a huge BEGL favorite for sure.

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I used Essie’s As Gold As It Gets as the undies for my half-moon. It’s so soft, you can barely tell I used anything there. I wanted just a hint of sparkle, and that’s exactly what I got. I used China Glaze’s Angel Wings as an afterthought; I actually had an accent ring finger nail that was just covered with red and gold rhinestones, but it looked too Gryffindor, so I took it off and just used the gold glitter instead. It still looks out of place to me, but at least it’s not as ridiculous as the rhinestones were.

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Newborn Solstice Sun was a limited edition polish; other BEGLs can be purchased from the BEGL shop. As Gold As It Gets and Angel Wings are available wherever Essie and China Glaze are sold. I got my rhinestones from Amazon. The red bow vinyl is from Monster Polish as part of their Doctor Who collaboration with BEGL. I always associate the red bowtie with Pee-Wee Herman, though.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Kunimitsu’s Lucky Goldfish

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Happy Sunday! I’m so excited to bring you this Sunday’s swatch. I bought this polish ages ago and I’m just getting to try it out. I’ve been looking forward to it for so long! This is Lucky Goldfish from Kunimitsu; I’m wearing four coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Lucky Goldfish is a royal blue jelly with metallic orange glitters. Application was easy; as a jelly, the first coat was expectedly thin, but coverage built with added layers. The product consistency is good; the lacquer is just the right thickness and distributes the glitter well. The jelly is thin enough to show the glitter from previous layers, giving it a proper jelly-sandwich look. Drying times were good, and the polish dries with a glossy finish and smooth touch. I used top coat for extra shine and to bring out the shine from the glitters.

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When I saw this polish had orange glitter in a blue base, I knew I had to have it. You may know that I’m a huge fan of complementary colors, and when I saw two in one bottle, I fell in love. The colors are bright and gorgeous; the blue absolutely glows, and that’s thanks in part to the orange glitters. This is also why the orange glitter stands out so strongly. Both parts work together to create a fun and colorful look.

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Lucky Goldfish and other Kunimitsu polishes are available from Kunimitsu’s etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Nail Art Ripper-Offer

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For today’s Manicure Monday, I attempted some actual nail art! A couple of weeks ago, Reddit user chill_out_dont_pout did an adorable mani with geometric shapes and negative space, and I’m totally biting her style. For my copycat mani, I used OPI’s Metallic 4 Life and Essie’s Toggle to the Top for the stripes, Fantasy Makers’s Night Glow as the base, and Seche Vite as my top coat.

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It’s been a really long time since I’ve done anything this intricate and time-consuming. For the past several Manicure Mondays, I’ve just been laying glitter down on accent nails and calling it a day. Inspired by that Reddit post, I decided I would buckle down and do some real nail art. I had the time, and I wanted to use this glow-in-the-dark polish but had no ideas for it, so it was a perfect coincidence. It was so easy to make this pattern my own; I used two glitter jelly polishes I really loved, made one edge longer than the other (by accident) and added rhinestones to the vertices. In all, I probably spent three hours or more on this look.

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Of course, I could have done a better job. My lines aren’t clean or even, and Night Glow was actually a big mess to work with; it was goopy and kind of dried out, so I put some thinner in. It wasn’t enough. I put in more. Even though it felt dry to the touch, I guess the under-layers never fully dried, because even though I waited an hour before I started taping, I still pulled up polish. Thankfully, thanks to a stealthy fourth coat of Night Glow and the power of Seche Vite, you can barely tell!

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Night Glow, as you might have guessed, glows in the dark. However, I am terrible at glow-in-the-dark nail photography, so here are some glow fails.

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Thanks again to /u/chill_out_dont_pout for the nail inspiration!

Manicure Monday: Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

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Happy Monday night! After a long day and a busy weekend, I’m finally getting around to sharing some new manicures. For this installment of Manicure Monday, I’m wearing Wanna Be Your Boyfriend from Model City Polish. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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Wanna Be Your Boyfriend is a black jelly polish with blue metallic dot and fine teal holographic hex glitters. Application was pretty standard for a glitter jelly polish: it was thin on the first coat, but the other two coats evened out the opacity and created a beautiful dimensional layered effect with the glitter. Drying times were good, and the jelly dries with a glossy finish, though also with a texture from all the glitter. I used a top coat to smooth it out as well as make it extra shiny.

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So uh, I love The Ramones. In the summer of 2013, I was first discovering indie polish, and when I saw Model City had a little Ramones collection, I was all over it. At the time, these three polishes were unique little gems in my collection, and the fact that they were named after some of my favorite songs were a total bonus. It’s been almost two years since I bought this polish, and even though it’s simple, it’s still special to me and I still don’t have anything quite like it.

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I wanted a little extra punk, so I got the studs out. I actually ordered some real metal spike charms to put on; they were set to arrive today but didn’t. I had to get the lame-o Claire’s studs out instead. They’re plastic with silver paint, and you can see that the paint is coming off the points. One of the studs on my right hand is entirely black by now. Oh well, I still think it’s cool.

Wanna Be Your Boyfriend has been discontinued by Model City, but you can find their other polishes in their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Girly Bits’s Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer

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For Swatch Sunday, I’m wearing my first and — so far only — Girly Bits polish! This is Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer, a collaboration with Julie from Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl to celebrate the blog’s first anniversary. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer is a deep royal blue jelly with iridescent microglitters. From the first coat, the polish has fantastic coverage and rich color; it builds with each additional coat. Even though I have three coats on, you can see my visible nail lines. This is the first time I’ve seen it though, so I think it only occurs in harsh, bright lighting. The glitter spreads evenly and comes out of the bottle without any fuss. The consistency is just right, even with all the glitter in it. Drying times were good as well; my nails were dry to the touch in about five minutes. It dries with a smooth and glossy finish.

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This polish is definitely a winner in my book. I love the way the color and glitter play together. The color on its own is already deep and powerful, and then the glitter just makes it. There’s not so much glitter it makes the polish bumpy or coarse, but it’s just enough to make it sparkle. It’s so lovely. I also love that it was a blogger collaboration; I love seeing makers and regular folks working on things together. I feel like it really strengthens the indie community. The reason I even have this polish is because it’s a collaboration. And if you’re wondering why it’s a mini bottle, this is a decant from my friend Angela at Older Ladies Like Color Too. See? Community!

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Blue Eyed Beer Drinkin Music Lovin Lawyer and other Girly Bits polishes are available from the Girly Bits website.

Weekday Swatch: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype HFT 1.1

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I know I don’t usually post in the middle of the week, or this late at night, but I have a couple of swatches I did for last weekend and didn’t have time to post because of work stuff. For what would have been last Swatch Saturday, this is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype HFT 1.1. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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Prototype HFT 1.1 is an orange-red jelly with metallic and holographic gold glitters in various shapes and sizes, as well as some red dot glitters. The formula was good; it was a little on the thick side, but was still easy to work with. The glitters were pretty sparse, I didn’t get a lot on every nail, but the ones I did get are pretty good. The jelly opacity is good, too; it was able to cover my nail lines without obscuring the glitters. It dried quickly to a glossy finish; top coat really brought out the additional effects of the glitters.

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This is the second of three red manicures I did last week, and even though I had a ton of fun wearing all of them, this was my favorite. It has so much pop, so much bold color; my skintone really sets it off. The glitter emphasizes the color without detracting from it. I got tons of compliments for it. It was definitely a blast to wear.

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As HFT 1.1 was a prototype polish, there is only one bottle and I have it. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Toasty Warm

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It’s another winter polish this Swatch Saturday! This is the next-to-last of the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer winter collection from 2013. This is Toasty Warm; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

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Toasty Warm is a deep and rich blackened red with red glitters. It applies very easily; it was almost opaque on the first coat, and had perfect coverage on coat two. The glitters are suspended well in the polish; there’s no digging for it or struggling to even it out. The polish consistency was just right, not too thick or thin. It was pretty quick-drying; it reached its dried satin finish in about five minutes. I added a top coat to really bring out the beautiful amber shimmer.

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I have a deep affinity for these dark and vampy colors; they’re so dramatic and striking. They also shine like crazy with top coat on. I love this a ton. I wore these colors a ton when I was younger, because I wasn’t allowed to wear black nail polish. Every time I wear a deep color like this, 13-year-old me is giving almost-30 me a high-five.

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It’s a little weird wearing it this time of the year, though. As I write this, it is 83 degrees outside. It’s sunny, it’s warm, it’s gorgeous. “Toasty warm” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel right now; right now, I do not have socks on. I do not have on a hoodie or long pants. It did not take my 13 year old LCD monitor 25 minutes to warm up. This is the beginning of the year for me, when I can crawl out of my flannel and wool cocoon and bask in the sunlight. Unfortunately, I understand that a lot of you got snow on the first day of spring. I am so sorry. Hang in there, my northern buddies. This too shall pass.

Toasty Warm is long discontinued and is no longer for sale from the maker. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

This polish was a gift. It was not sent by the maker, nor was it sent for review or evaluation.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Snowfall at Dusk

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Hello! Swatch Saturday is late today due to website maintenance. If you were here earlier and the site was down, I apologize. That said, Swatch Saturday is digging into the rest of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2013 winter collection. Yeah, I know. It was 80 and sunny and springtime now, but here we are. This polish is called Snowfall at Dusk; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego’s She Shines top coat. Also, that’s lotion stuck in my cuticles. Sorry.

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Snowfall at Dusk is a cornflower blue jelly with various shades of blue glitter in hexes, dots, and squares. There are also white snowflakes in the bottle, though I didn’t get any on my nails. The formula was fantastic; the glitters and the color apply easily and evenly over the nail. It dried quickly. It dried completely smooth, even before top coat. The jelly is a great translucence; you can see all the glitter through all the coats. It’s a fun and easy polish to put on and wear.

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I really like this polish. I love the blue winter motif, because it’s seasonal without being holiday festive. Blue is also a pretty cheerful color to me; sometimes winter is just so gray and dreadful and any pop of color, even one this soft, is a welcome sight. This polish says to me “Hey, it’s cold and wet and you’re miserable, but we’re gonna get through it”. That said, winter in Florida is over and I could not be happier.

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I even got some pics in the sunshine! This polish almost looks like it wants to melt out here. The jelly is beautiful; you can see right through it. The glitters shine so well. Glitter in direct sunlight in the best thing in the universe.

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Snowfall at Dusk has been discontinued, but BEGL‘s most recent winter collection is still available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype VDay 6.1

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On this week’s Swatch Saturday, I’m showing you a rather unique polish prototype from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. I’m wearing three coats of VDay 6.1 with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

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VDay 6.1 is a pale green jelly with dark green and navy glitters and golden shimmer. It was really easy to apply; the glitters weren’t difficult to remove from the bottle or brush onto the nail. The first coat was thin and sheer; more shimmer than color. It could be worn as a topper over a similarly green polish. A second coat gave some color back, but was still quite sheer. At three coats, it’s sheer enough to allow each layer of glitter to shine through, but the color is as strong as it is in the bottle. Drying times were fast; the polish dried with a satin finish. Top coat gives this polish extra golden shine.

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Since this polish is green and Valentine’s Day-related, it reminds me of the French term of endearment mon petit chou, which, literally translated, means my little cabbage. I’ve also heard it can mean my little pastry, but that’s not as fun. It’s perfect, though, right? This polish has such a crisp and vegetal color, and cabbage was the first thing I thought of when I saw it. I’m such a weirdo.

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Unfortunately, as this polish was a prototype, this is the only bottle like it. Sorry! Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop. I heard there’s a new Valentine’s Day collection coming out next month.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Different Dimension’s Orion Nebula

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I’m really excited to bring you this week’s Swatch Sunday! Different Dimension‘s Orion Nebula is a polish I’ve been dying to try since I got it, and today’s the day I finally got around to it. I’m wearing three coats of Orion Nebula with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

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Orion Nebula is a black jelly with metallic hot pink dot glitters in various sizes and large holographic pink dots. It is absolutely laden with these glitters. I had no trouble getting them out of the bottle or applying to the nail. As it is a jelly, the first coat does go on a bit thin, but evens out on the second coat. Considering this and the glitter content, I probably didn’t need the third coat. Drying times were good, and it dries with a glossy finish; top coat was definitely necessary to smooth down the huge glitters, as well as to bring out even more shine.

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This polish is so much fun to wear, I can’t even tell you. I love this look. The big glitters catch so much light, and the smaller ones add just enough shine to keep it from looking bare. I seriously can’t stop looking at my nails, and I squeed a little looking through the photos. It’s deep and mysterious, but also full of shine and color. I love this and I never want to take it off, but I have to because I actually lost a few of the big glitters washing dishes. Pretty sure this is an issue in my application and no cause for alarm; Speed Coat Pro wasn’t made with these ginormous glitters in mind and didn’t really stand up to them.

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Orion Nebula is available from the Different Dimension shop. How nice is it to finally see something on this blog that you can actually still buy? I definitely want you to get this.

I bought this polish myself.