Wacie Wednesday: Esoterica

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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

Summer of Untrieds Day 24: Holographic

Holographic polish is today’s Summer of Untrieds theme, and I’m visiting one of my first holo polishes, China Glaze’s Cosmic Dust. This might even be my first-ever, I’m not sure. After putting it on, though, I regret not buying more than this one. I’m wearing three coats of Cosmic Dust with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Cosmic Dust is an intriguing color. The holo rainbow effect is pretty strong, even indoors. In the studio it’s a bit faint, but in my office and other parts of the house, it’s quite obvious. When it’s not, Cosmic Dust is a futuristic steel gray. It’s always sleek and smooth.

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In the sunshine, though, oh mama. This is blinding! I just stood outside and admired my nails for a good five minutes before I took any pictures. I kept hearing how disappointing these China Glaze holos were, so I wasn’t expecting much from this. I am completely blown away. This could be the best holo I’ve ever worn yet.

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I have to take this off tomorrow. I don’t want to.

Wacie Wednesday: Euphorica

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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

Summer of Untrieds Day 17: Elevation Polish

The Summer of Untrieds Challenge is halfway over! Today’s entry is Elevation Polish, so I’m wearing my first-ever Elevation Polish: Epidote. It’s a gorgeous grassy green holo that everyone should own. Seriously. I’m wearing three coats of it with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Once upon a time, I saw Epidote featured on Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, and I knew, one day, I had to have it. I have such a thing for these yellow-green polishes. I want them all. I finally got it a few months ago, and I’ve been looking forward to wearing it. I’m so glad I finally had the chance.

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Epidote applies evenly and without difficulty. The holographic effect looks fantastic in most lighting conditions, in others it just looks like a silver shimmer. The color varies in the photos; in the studio, it’s very green; outdoors it’s more true to its actual army green. Speaking of outdoors, I’m going to stop writing and just let you look at the pretties.

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How beautiful is this? It actually took me a long time to get these outdoors photos. It was sunny the entire time I was polishing my nails, and when I went outside to take photos, it was overcast for about an hour. It was annoying. I almost had to resort to using the flash on my camera.

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So I like Epidote. Like really really. I like Elevation Polish, too! I can’t wait to get more from them.

Swatch Saturday: Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Don’t Worry, I Don’t Bite

This Saturday, I’m wearing Don’t Worry, I Don’t Bite from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This is another beauty from the Once More With Feeling collection that was released last August. It’s a gray linear holo, shown here at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. Photos were taken indoors and outdoors.

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Don’t Worry, I Don’t Bite is a gorgeous polish. It applies very easily, dries quickly, and the holo effect is vibrant and powerful, even in indoor lighting. The only thing I regret is that it’s mostly cloudy outside and my outdoor shots are not fantastic. I assure you, this is absolutely stunning in the sunlight, but right now it’s not very sunny at all. It’s disappointing.

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Sorry this post is kind of short. I feel like this polish speaks for itself. Also I have soccer to watch.

Swatch Saturday: Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Out. For. A. Walk… BITCH.

I’m really excited about this week’s Swatch Saturday. It’s red, it’s holo, and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Out. For. A. Walk… BITCH. I’m wearing three coats of it under two coats of Seche Vite.

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BEGL described this as a blood red linear holo, but I don’t think it looks very red on me. It’s more like a raspberry, or a burgundy. In any case, I have nothing to say about this polish but gushing and incoherent mumbling. Just look at the pictures and mumble with me.

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In the studio, the holo rainbow is quite strong compared to some other holos I’ve reviewed recently. Usually I don’t get a visible spectrum in the studio like I do here. Even indoors, the holo effect is stunning. I can’t believe there was ever a time I didn’t like holos. I was so wrong. I am so sorry. This next set of photos was taken outdoors in sunshine. This is the good stuff. Look at all this holo goodness! Also, the redness is much more apparent in the outdoor photos. It looks less like a berry or burgundy out here.

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I have nothing else to say about this polish, other than I am dead. Also, unfortunately, it’s been discontinued. Hopefully you’ll get lucky and find it somewhere. If not, BEGL is restocking a lot of the gorgeous holos from the Once More With Feeling collection, the Buffy-inspired collection this one is from, on May 17. Get on that.

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One more thing: this is the last Swatch Saturday for a couple of weeks; I’m taking somewhat of a hiatus while I go on vacation. I’ll try to keep up with Manicure Monday while I’m travelling, but apart from that, I won’t be doing any more swatches until June. See you then!

Swatch: Emerald & Ash’s Boot Season

I don’t normally do this, but I got something new in the mail today, and I had to try it out right away. This is Boot Season from Emerald & Ash, a brown holo with copper flash. I’m wearing three coats (through two would have been sufficient) and two coats of Seche Vite.

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The first seven pictures were taken in my studio, where the holo was pretty hard to see. You can almost see it in the second to last photo. In all the others, it just looks like a rich, shimmery brown. I love browns like this, especially in the summer; it’s like my nails have a tan. The formula was on the thick side, but I like that; I find it easier to work with and I don’t make a huge mess. This is my first E&A, so I’m new to the nice grippy brush cap. I like that a lot.

Okay, here’s the outdoor sunlight photos. Look at that holo! This polish looks completely different in the sunlight. There’s so much pretty holo goodness. It’s amazing. I have no other words.

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I started using Instagram in February to meet other nail bloggers and discover some new polish brands. It’s been a lot of fun being able to interact more with the people who make my polish, polishes I haven’t tried yet, and people who might be wearing Wacie Nail Co. in the future. A few days ago, Emerald & Ash posted a photo of their bitchin’ new business cards, and I, being the proofreader I am, happened to spot a spelling error on it. Turns out it had been that way for a long time and no one had noticed. To thank me, they sent me this bottle of Boot Season. I decided to review it ASAP because I want to feel like I earned it. I did get this polish for free, but reviewing it wasn’t even part of the deal. That was all me. If you like Boot Season, you can buy it here. I mentioned before that this is my first Emerald & Ash. I will undoubtedly be buying more of this brand.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype BVS9.2

This Swatch Saturday is a nice change of pace. I don’t own many holos, so I’m a little excited that one ended up in the rotation. Everybody knows I love glitter like nothing else, but it’s a little refreshing to use something that’s glassy smooth and wasn’t difficult to clean up. Today, we’re looking at another Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype called BVS9.2. I’m wearing two coats of it and two coats of Seche Vite.

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BVS9.2 is a cool taupe holo with some green shimmer. It goes on easily and beautifully, and dries quickly. I love wearing it. I don’t have a lot to say about this one, but I have tons of photos. Just let the rainbows do the talking. The following set of photos were taken indoors with softbox lighting.

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It finally stopped being gray and cold and disgusting outside, so I took a set of photos in natural sunlight as well. As you can see, the holo effect is much stronger outside. It’s a rainbow explosion!

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Honestly, I don’t know why I don’t have more holos. The effect can be absolutely stunning, and it’s an effect that can’t be achieved through glitter alone. I hope I’ll be wearing more in the future.

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Because it’s a gorgeous spring day, here’s a picture of some of the flowers I was standing under while I was taking these outdoor shots. They were too pretty not to photograph.

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Swatch Saturday: Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Elusive Unicorn

This weekend, we’re looking at a long-discontinued limited edition polish from Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer called Elusive Unicorn. It really is elusive now, since only a few bottles were ever made, and that was way back in June or July. I’m wearing four coats of it here with three coats of top coat. All photos were taken indoors with natural light and camera flash. I bought this polish myself, but even if I hadn’t, my opinions would be the same. Let’s get started.

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Elusive Unicorn is a sheer pink holo. It’s also the first holo I’ve reviewed on the site. I don’t really know what to say about holos; you have to see them to know what they’re about. Unforunately, I don’t feel like I’ve done this one justice. It’s sad and rainy outside, so I didn’t get any great photos of it in the sunshine, where they look best. Elusive Unicorn isn’t a very strong holo; it’s just holo enough. I like that, though. Sometimes I don’t want a super-strong punch-in-the-stomach-by-a-rainbow holo.

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Flash!

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For a while, I didn’t really go for holos. I usually skip anything with a solid color, because I feel like I have them all already. Glitter is the best way to sell me on anything. Holos don’t fit neatly into either category. Then I bought this one. I didn’t even want it at first, then caved to peer pressure. Then I put it on and I kind of changed my mind about holos.

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As I was writing this, the sun came out and I was able to get a good holo shot after all. I’m probably going to walk into traffic or something staring at it.

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There you go. That’s Elusive Unicorn. Like I said earlier, this was only made once and probably won’t come back. However, if you are a big fan of holos, please check out theĀ BEGL store. There’s a Valentine’s Day collection launching tomorrow that has a really nice holo, and you wouldn’t want to miss it.