Tag Archives: holo

Brag Swatch: Enchanted Polish’s Lobster Roll

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Today is a momentous occasion. I have squashed my ultimate lemming: I now own a bottle ofEnchanted Polish‘s Lobster Roll. As soon as I got home, I tore open the envelope, took off my old mani, and put it on. I have looked forward to this day for so long, and I thought it would never come. Here is my brag-swatch of Lobster Roll; I’m wearing two coats with Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct light.

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Lobster Roll is a red linear holo with a strong pink flash. It’s got a gorgeous formula; I actually had full opacity on the first coat. The consistency is rich, smooth, and velvety. It dried quickly with a semi-glossy finish. I used top coat for shine, as well as to bring out the shimmery pink flash.

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I am so happy that I finally own this that I can’t even tell you. I don’t want to be the dramatic nail girl who says that finally finding her holy grail polish is the best thing that has ever happened, and I can’t remember a time when I was this happy, but it’s kind of true. I gushed to my boyfriend about it the day I bought it, and he’s like “Don’t you have enough polish? I don’t care that it’s hard to find, it’s not freakin’ Pokemon.” So this is why I’m writing a post about it. I know that you, dear reader, will understand my euphoria. This is, without a doubt, a very happy day.

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Sorry this isn’t a proper review post. I really just needed to brag.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Ocean Warmed by the Sun

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Guess what, reader! My camera is fixed, and Weekend Swatches are back in action! You may notice that this is actually my second post today; that post is important, so make sure you check it out! These photos were actually taken a couple months ago; it was the last Swatch Saturday post planned before the camera broke. The polish is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Ocean Warmed by the Sun; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Ocean Warmed by the Sun is a turquoise linear holo with hot pink shimmers. It went on pretty well; it was almost opaque in one coat, and two sealed it up. The color is bright, and the holo effect is pretty strong. it even kind of upstages the pink shimmers, because they’re a bit hard to see. It dried quickly and with a glossy finish; I used top coat to really bring out the holo effect and shimmers.

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This is a super-summery polish. It’s the color of the sky when I’m near the ocean; it’s bright and cheerful and flawless. I want to live in a universe where the sky is this blue a hundred percent of the time.

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If you follow me on Instagram, you know I used Ocean Warmed by the Sun in my birthday mani. It was just the right blue to match the Nails Inc. glitter I used. I know holos have been around a while, but I still get excited when I use one. It must be how a dog feels every time it gets a treat.

Ocean Warmed By the Sun has been discontinued by BEGL, but other polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

 

Swatch Sunday: Love, Angeline’s Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

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Welcome to this week’s Swatch Sunday! I’m excited to show you a polish from a new-to-me brand called Love, Angeline. This polish, Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, was a Beauty Quartet Box exclusive, so it’s also not a common one. I’m wearing three coats of Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend is a deep emerald green holo with fine emerald glitter throughout. The holo effect is pretty subtle; indoors, it’s basically invisible, but outdoors it’s much more potent. The glitters are visible in any light and give the polish a jewel-like finish. Application was easy; the product consistency was on the thicker side, but I had no problems with it. It dried quickly and with a somewhat glossy but smooth finish. I added top coat to really bring out the glitter shine.

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This is a really lovely polish. The jeweltone effect is really cool. The holo isn’t the focus of this polish, and I think that’s really interesting; there’s just enough of it to be pretty, but the glitter is the real star of the show. It makes the polish.

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Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend was a box exclusive polish and is no longer sold new. Other Love, Angeline polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype SLE 1.1

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Happy weekend, reader! I’m excited to show today’s polish, a golden holo prototype from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. It’s the most summery polish I’ve worn this summer so far! This is Prototype SLE 1.1, and I’m wearing three coats of it with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos are taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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SLE 1.1 is a yellow linear holo with a golden flash and blue shimmer. Application was easy; though the product consistency was on the thinner side, it still went on smoothly. It did leave some brush-strokes, which are most apparent in the shimmer. The holo effect is subtle, and I can’t tell if it’s being overpowered by the gold or if there just isn’t much to begin with. Because of this, the polish really comes to life outdoors; indoors, the holo effect doesn’t really happen at all, it’s just the golden shimmer, which gives it a metallic look and is actually pretty cool. The polish dries quickly; I used top coat for shine.

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So yeah. I like this a lot, and I’m kind of mad I didn’t wear it sooner. It’s like sunshine in a bottle. Summer is nearly over — though in Florida it’s unofficially summer pretty much all the time — and I’m just discovering another perfect summer polish. Of course.

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This polish is a prototype and there are no other bottles. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Weekday Swatch: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s BEGLove

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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

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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’s Love Makes You Do The Wacky

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Happy Saturday, reader! I have one more Once More With Feeling holo to share with you before I get to the rest of the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer 2014 Fan Favorites collection. This beauty is Love Makes You Do The Wacky; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos are taken in direct midday sunlight.

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Love Makes You Do The Wacky is a dusty lilac linear holo with a dark pink flash. Application was super-easy with this one; I had near-perfect opacity in one coat, and it dried almost immediately. The product consistency was just right. The holo effect and the pink flash are visible in nearly every lighting condition. The product formula and quality are nearly perfect. The polish did dry with a somewhat matte finish, so I added the top coat for shine and protection.

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This is seriously a gorgeous polish. I actually put this on on Wednesday, and the whole time I wore it, I had no issues with chipping or tip wear. It seriously wore like iron. Something else I like about this polish is that it seems to flatter everyone while also looking completely different on everyone. I love how individual it is while still being quite beautiful.

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As of this writing, Love Makes You Do The Wacky is currently available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. This is one you don’t want to miss.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday Night: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, I’ll Pass

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Swatch Saturday!! Today’s post is late because I make bad choices (and I have really good parties). The polish I’m wearing today is Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, I’ll Pass from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat. Photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors.

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Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, I’ll Pass is a cool greige holo with a pearly green shimmer. Application was easy; the product consistency is smooth and easy to use. I had full coverage in two coats. I had no issues with flooded cuticles or goopy polish. The polish dried quickly, about five minutes until it was dry to the touch, and it dried with a satin/matte finish. The holo effect is subtle but still bright. Top coat really helps make it shine.

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Tact, as I’ll call it, is one of the more subdued polishes from the Once More With Feeling Collection. The companion polishes are made with brighter colors, stronger holos, and more intense shimmers and flashes, but that doesn’t mean Tact isn’t incomplete. It’s actually pretty refreshing. The color is neutral and work-friendly, but the holo effect and green flash make this polish pretty, fun, and unique.

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Tact and the rest of the Once More With Feeling Collection are currently available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s We Saved the World, I Say We Party

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Welcome to Swatch Saturday! This Saturday, I’m wearing a polish that’s been languishing in my collection for a year. I spent the past six weeks swatching Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s April Showers collection, and though each polish was a unique beauty, I’d been looking forward to new things. I’m moving into last year’s Fan Favorites collection, a re-release of some of the most popular BEGLs. This is somewhat relevant, since this year’s collection is due to launch soon, and because this week’s polish is actually for sale. We Saved the World, I Say We Party is also part of the recently re-released Once More With Feeling Collection, based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat.

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We Saved the World, I Say We Party is a light pink linear holo with a darker pink flash. Application was easy; the polish starts out sheer but builds coverage. The product was just the right consistency for smooth application. It dries quickly and with a smooth satin finish. I used top coat to add shine and protection.

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When the Once More With Feeling collection originally launched, I skipped this polish because it was too dainty. Yeah, we’re gonna talk about this again. I mean, it’s not that I didn’t like the polish, because I did. At the time, I just couldn’t afford to buy the whole collection, so I bought the ones I’d like the best: the glitter topper, the black, and the red. When a few were released in the Fan Favorites collection, I got as many as I could; a few of them weren’t offered, and a few were already sold out before I could get to them. It was a long road to get this polish.

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Fortunately for you, for once, you can buy this polish! Because the Once More With Feeling collection is so popular among BEGL fans, the maker just re-released the whole thing. The polishes have been reformulated for better coverage, and a couple of them were totally reworked. You can buy We Saved the World, I Say We Party and her counterparts from the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Indigo Bananas’s Suneater

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Welcome to Swatch Sunday! I get to swatch a holo today. I haven’t worn one since March; yes, I went back to check. Now that we’re in the summer months, the sunshine is abundant except on the days I wear holo polish. This is Indigo Bananas‘s Suneater, worn at three coats, with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in partly cloudy conditions.

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Suneater is a metallic gold/cool green duochrome linear holographic polish. There’s so much going on! Application was easy; the product consistency was on the thin side, which I sometimes find harder to work with. I made a mess with it a little, but it wasn’t too bad. The coverage is still a bit sheer, even after three coats; I still see a little bit of visible nail line. The holographic effect is strong outdoors, and less so indoors, though it’s visible in most lighting conditions. In dim lighting, or in the shade, the green duochrome effect is more obvious. The polish dries quickly and with a smooth texture; I added top coat to add shine and really bring out the holographic effect.

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Indigo Bananas is still a pretty new brand to me, even though I’ve had a few of their polishes for a while. I bought four at once about a year ago and this is the first time I’ve used one for a full mani. If only I’d known what I was missing! Suneater is a gorgeous polish; even just as a metallic gold, it’s pretty and interesting. The green shift and the linear holographic effect are just cake.

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Suneater and other polishes are available from the Indigo Bananas website.

I bought this polish myself.