Manicure Monday: Bridal Gradient

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back to Manicure Monday! I’m excited about today’s look, because the first-ever Wacie Nail Company polish is part of it. I feel like I made this polish a lifetime ago! This is Bridal Bouquet over a gradient of China Glaze’s For Audrey and Orly’s Water Lily.

Bridal Bouquet was the reason I started making polish. I’d had ideas for polishes and ordered customs from other indie makers, but this was an idea I wanted to do just for myself. I still remember how exciting it was to receive all the glitters and bottles and lacquer supplies in the mail; I still remember the satisfaction of shaking it together, brushing it onto a swatch wheel, and knowing I’d gotten it right. That was two years ago. It feels so good to come full circle.

To keep the marriage motif, I went for a Tiffany-inspired gradient. For Audrey, everyone’s favorite Tiffany blue, had to be used. In testing, I tried Bridal Bouquet over many blues, but For Audrey was my favorite base for it. As an afterthought, I added Water Lily to create a little bit of dimension beneath the glitter. Though Water Lily is a deeper, brighter turquoise, the gradient is very subtle, barely even there. The glitter is such that the gradient is covered up and on display at the same time.

The following photos were taken in direct sunlight. When the sunlight is harsh like this, the iridescent glitters get washed out. The gradient looks fantastic, though, and there is a bit of sparkle yet. I’m pretty happy with this look, overall. How long has it been since I last did a gradient? Much too long.

Follow wacie.com for Bridal Bouquet release info, as well as other Wacie Nail Company polishes. China Glaze and Orly are available in stores nationwide.

I made this polish. Other polishes were purchased myself.

Manicure Monday: Dreams of Mermaids

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Hello reader! I’m so excited for today’s post. I’m wearing a thermal polish! Dreams of Mermaids was a very early indie polish purchase, and today’s the day I’m giving it some love. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Dreams of Mermaids is a green-to-teal thermal polish with gold, blue, and green glitters, as well as a green shimmer throughout. Unfortunately, because it’s a very hot day in sunny Florida, I wasn’t able to capture the thermal effect well. In July, it doesn’t matter how long my nails are, the polish is always in the hot stage. Dunking my nails in ice water effects the change, but as soon as I pull it out, it goes right back to hot. This is why my cold stage and transition photos are so watery; I had to work fast. I do apologize.

I’m actually surprised the thermal effect still happens at all; this is a three year old polish, after all. I bought it at the same time I bought Pretty Chameleon, another beautiful Pretty & Polished thermal. Not only does it still change, it still has a pretty dramatic change. Something I notice about old thermals is that even though the effect still happens, it doesn’t happen as quicky or as powerfully as it used to. This one still works like it’s brand new.

In the sunlight, you can see exactly why this polish is called Dreams of Mermaids. The colors are definitely evocative of the ocean, and the shimmer really lights up out here! These photos were taken in direct sunlight.

mmpnpdommc

It looks like Dreams of Mermaids has been discontinued by Pretty & Polished; other P&P polishes — including thermals! — are for sale in their etsy shop and on their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Grandpa

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Saturday! Today’s polish is Grandpa from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. I’m afraid I couldn’t do this polish any justice, because it is full of tiny magnificent flakies. I’m wearing three coats of Grandpa with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Grandpa is a white creme with pink and gold iridescent flakies. Application was easy, especially for a white polish; the first coat went on nicely without streaks or bald spots in the color, and was about halfway opaque. The second coat achieved perfect opacity. I hesitate to say “full opacity”, because even after the third coat, there was still slight squishiness left. However, it’s still opaque enough that the flakies aren’t readily apparent — in fact, I sometimes forgot they were there. It was only when the light hit them just right that they were noticeable. The polish dries quickly and with a smooth, semi-glossy finish; I added top coat for shine and extra flakie visibility.

As I mentioned, because the flakies disappear so well into the creme, it was hard to get good photos of it. They’re much easier to see in person. In some of these photos, if you look where the glare is, that’s where you’ll see the flakies, but even then, they’re tough to spot. This reminds me of another BEGL polish, Purple Phlox, that had these teeny iridescent glitters blended in that often went undetected. They were like tiny little secrets on my nails.

In direct sunlight is where I saw them best. The second photo in this set has the most flakie glow, I think. I love this polish, it’s the perfect base for nail art but with a tiny oft-hidden sparkle.

Grandpa and other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Saturday, reader! Today’s swatch is a gorgeous one! I know I said last week’s BEGL swatch was the best BEGL holo to date, but this one is in a close second for sure! This week we’re talking about Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy; I’m wearing it at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. The following photos were taken in direct sunlight.

Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy is a black linear holo with shifting shimmers. Application was great; it has the same velvety formula Void Stuff had; one that’s nearly opaque on the first coat, but isn’t thick or hard to control. This was very thin, almost drippy, but not quite, and went on very easily. It dried quickly with a satiny finish; I used top coat for shine and protection.

This is the best black holo BEGL has ever made. It’s the blackest of the black; polishes like Don’t Worry, I Don’t Bite and Discontinued Limited Edition aimed for black, but were still a pretty silvery gray at the end result. This one has a great linear holo effect, but also manages to stay a rich, deep black. It’s the best black holo I’ve used so far.

IMG_23542jpg

The shimmers get lost a bit in the holo, but it’s fine. Being one of the darkest black holos ever, I can forgive it.

Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy has been discotninued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s The Innuendo Squad

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! I absolutely love today’s polish. This is The Innuendo Squad from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Al photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight (by the pool!).

The Innuendo Squad is a powder blue linear holo polish with silver shimmer. Application was very good; the consistency was thin enough to glide on, but thick enough to be very pigmented. I had near-opacity on the first coat. I had no issues at all with this polish. It dries quickly and with a satin finish; I used top coat for shine and extra holo goodness.

I’m really enjoying this polish. The holo is on the softer side; there’s no crazy rainbow action here, but I’m okay with that. I feel like too much holo would spoil the beautiful color of this polish. The silver shimmer is really subtle as well, a soft addition you’ll miss if you don’t know it’s there. It’s very delicate, and very charming.

Outdoors is where you’ll see the holo effect best, obviously. I think the shimmer might look best indoors, but the holo looks best out here for sure. Really, just the color of this polish is a huge win for me. The holo and shimmer are bonus.

The Innuendo Squad is discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Rica’s Alchemical Seas of Hope

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back! Today’s swatch is a fun one; it’s my first-ever Rica polish! This is also a charity polish from the Lighthouse of Hope box curated by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This is Alchemical Seas of Hope; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche vite top coat.

Alchemical Seas of Hope is a green jelly with green and gold glitters, as well as a fine golden shimmer throughout. Application was good; even though there’s a lot of glitter in the bottle, there isn’t a lot that comes out on the brush. Additional coats deepen the jelly while only adding a few bits of glitter. I kind of like this look as is, but I wish there’d been more glitter. The green jelly is wonderfully squishy. The polish dries quickly enough and with a textured glitter finish. I used top coat for smoothness and extra shine.

You might notice the edges on some nails to be ragged and chipped at the tips. I’m not completely sure what caused this. I can tell you that some nails have thicker coats of polish than others, and that might have led to easy chipping. Also, Seche Vite never seems to play nice with glitter jellies and crellies, shrinking the edges away from the tip of the nail. Either way, I do apologize for how terrible it looks. I didn’t really realize it was this bad until I took photos.

As I mentioned, Alchemical Seas of Hope is a polish in a charity box called the Lighthouse of Hope. $60 from each box is donated to I Need a Lighthouse, a depression awareness network. Rica had this to say about their polish:

“I named it Alchemical Seas of Hope because sometimes depression can feel like you’re in turbulent seas. As hard things may seem to be, there is always a lighthouse of hope in the horizon. Don’t lose sight of that.”

The Lighthouse of Hope Box contains eight polishes from eight makers, including Rica’s Alchemical Seas of Hope. The box is $80; $60 of it goes to charity. It’s available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. Other Rica polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s 2000 Years

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Saturday! I have the most gorgeous microglitter to show you today! This is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2000 Years, part of the huge Doctor Who collection! I’m wearing three coats of 2000 Years with one coat of Seche Vite.

2000 Years is a clear-based periwinkle, silver, navy, and lilac microglitter polish. Application was easy; the first coat was sparse, but coverage built with additional coats. I could have gotten away with only two, but I really wanted the third, just to really solidify the glitter. It dried with a slight texture; I used top coat to smooth it out.

I love microglitters so much. BEGL makes all my favorites because they have the best color combinations. There are so many colors of glitter in this bottle, but you barely notice, because they blend together so organically. It blows my mind that there’s a person actively thinking “yes, these are the glitters”. It’s just consistently beautiful, every single one.

It comes alive beautifully in the sunshine! It’s crazy sparkly, and I felt so glamorous wearing this outdoors.

2000 Years and other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop. For once, I’m wearing one that’s not discontinued!

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Floppy. Hoppy. BUNNIES!

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back to Manicure Monday! Today, I’m wearing a favorite from my collection, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Floppy. Hoppy. BUNNIES! I’m wearing three coats with Seche Vite top coat and Essie’s Matte About You matte top coat.

I love this polish so much; it’s so whimiscal and cute I could die. It’s one of my favorite indies, and it’s one of the cutest polishes I own. I like to think it might also be pretty hard-to-find, and that kind of excites me. It was the gift with purchase the first time BEGL’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer-inspired collection came out, and when it was re-released a couple years ago, it was replaced with a holo that was actually pretty stunning. It’s kind of sad to think it might never come back; as much as I love having HTF polishes, I feel bad that so many people missed out.

I needed a new matte top coat, so I finally decided to try Essie’s. The last time I looked for this, I was buying my first matte top coat ever, and they were just becoming popular. I ended up with the Revlon one because it was the only one my Walgreen’s had. I’m still struggling to embrace the matte finish, but I really like how it looks with this polish. The glitters still shine despite not being glossy, and the milky blue crelly looks like porcelain. I actually do have a few matte looks planned in the coming weeks, and I feel weird that I’m looking forward to them.

Sunlight photos! The pale blue got washed out in direct sunlight, looking more like a cool white in some photos. The glitters stand out very well though!

mmbeglfhbmsc

Floppy. Hoppy. BUNNIES! has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop. My bow charm is from Claire’s.

This is also one of my most frequently used polishes, as you can see.

This polish was a gift, but was not sent for review.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype DW 13.4

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Today I’m sharing with you a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype. I said last week that I’m getting back into the Doctor Who collection, and while this is true, I’m just wearing things in the order that I bought and received them, so the order is going to be a little mixed up. This prototype was purchased during an annual BEGL depression awareness fundraiser. This is Prototype DW 13.4; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Prototype DW 13.4 is a white creme with a pink-to-gold shifting shimmer. Application was good; it’s sometimes hard to get complete coverage with a white creme until the third coat, and this one was no exception. I had streaks and bald spots until the very last coat I applied. Also, the white was a bit thick and completely overpowered the shimmer. You can see the shimmer in the bottle, but it gets completely covered up by the creme, making it look like a plain white creme. On the plus side, it dries quickly and has a really nice glossy finish.

So I like this polish, even though it didn’t really work as intended; I guess this is why it didn’t make it past the prototype stage. This has actually happened to me before with other white cremes with shimmer, indie and mass-market polishes alike. It’s always a shame, but it’s not like a white creme isn’t a good thing to have on hand. Get it, on hand, because nails. This polish will still get lots of love from me.

I took a couple of photos outside in direct sun; the shimmer was really strong in the bottle in the sun, so I thought that if it was going to show up on my nails, this would be the time. It didn’t.

You gotta look really hard.

There is only one bottle of DW 13.4 out there and I have it. Other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Reverie Nail Lacquer’s Secret Garden

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Hope you’re having a good Sunday, reader! Today’s swatch is from a new-to-me brand, Reverie Nail Lacquer! I bought this polish because I’d seen Reverie around the nail polish internet, and being so smitten with the sheer amount of glitter in their polishes, I had to try one. This is Secret Garden; I’m wearing three coats of Secret Garden with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Secret Garden is a deep green jelly with, according to the maker, a “pastel rainbow of glitters”. Application is good; though the jelly is dense with glitter, it’s very easy to brush on and apply; you get a great amount of glitter on the brush, but it’s never clumpy. I could have stopped at two coats, or even just wear one coat over a deep green creme like Zoya’s Envy. Three coats was total overkill. Surprisingly, the glitter lies flat on the nail and very little texture is felt with top coat. The polish dried quickly and with a glossy-glitter finish.

So I am astonished by how much glitter they packed into this bottle. It’s really incredible! There’s no dabbing or sponging to do here, you just brush it on and you get all the glitter you could ever want. I am so impressed by the formula. The intensity of the jelly color, the huge variety — as well as quanitity — of glitters, and the ability to apply it without issue, it’s basically my ideal polish. It may be the best glitter jelly I’ve ever worn.

In the sunlight, you can see the layers of jelly and glitter interacting with each other. I mentioned wearing this over a creme earlier, and though you could do that, I don’t think I would. Seeing the layers of glitter is just so nice. There is nothing I dislike about this look.

Secret Garden is out of stock; other Reverie Nail Lacquers are available from the Reverie etsy shop.

Wacie.com

Home of Wacie Nail Company

Tag Archives: indie

Manicure Monday: Bridal Gradient

I made this polish. Other polishes were purchased myself.

Manicure Monday: Dreams of Mermaids

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Grandpa

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s The Innuendo Squad

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Rica’s Alchemical Seas of Hope

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s 2000 Years

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Floppy. Hoppy. BUNNIES!

This polish was a gift, but was not sent for review.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype DW 13.4

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Reverie Nail Lacquer’s Secret Garden

I bought this polish myself.