Tag Archives: indie

Swatch Saturday: A Rhyming Dictionary Polish’s Heathendom

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Hi reader! This is the first new swatch I’ve done since I got the camera back. It feels so good to be doing this again! This Saturday, I’m wearing a new-to-me brand called A Rhyming Dictionary Polish. This is Heathendom; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Heathendom is a medium blue linear holo with silver flakies. Application was a breeze; my first coat was sheer, the second evened out the color, and the third achieved full opacity. The holo effect is most visible outdoors, though it does appear in any lighting condition. The silver flakes are more easily seen indoors. It also seems to have a purple shift in some lower lighting conditions. Drying times were very fast, and the polish dried with a satin finish. I used top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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Heathendom was released as an installment of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Destination Duo collaboration series. It and its sister polish, Foss Idols from BEGL, were inspired by the spectacular Goðafoss, or Waterfall of the Gods, in northern Iceland. Both polishes do a very nice job of evoking images of clear, deep, cool water, but I think this is my favorite of the two. The fact that it’s a holo helps a bit. I’m also really impressed with the formula and the presentation, so I’m also pretty likely to check out A Rhyming Dictionary’s other polishes.

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The Goðafoss Destination Duo is available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. Other A Rhyming Dictionary polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

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 Sunday: Lynnderella’s Chef Kitty

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Did I mention how happy I am to be swatching again? I have missed it so much. I know I’m out of practice, so please bear with me while I get back into the swing of it. This Sunday, I’m wearing my first Lynnderella polish, Chef Kitty; I’m wearing one coat over Mac’s Queen’s Honor (red), Essie’s Roarrrrrange (orange), OPI’s I Just Can’t Cope-acabana (yellow), Revlon’s Posh (green), and Nails Inc.’s Baker Street (blue) with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Chef Kitty is a shimmery glitter topper with mostly white glitters in various shapes and sizes, as well as accent glitters in various colors and finishes. The maker describes it as an “’everything but the kitchen sink’ approach to cuisine”, and I have to agree with that; the variety of glitters in this polish is staggering. Considering the amount of glitter in this bottle, it spread very well over the nail; I had no trouble getting even coverage at all. It dried pretty well, all things considered. I used to top coat to smooth everything down and really bring out the shimmer in the lacquer base.

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I know Lynnderella is old news for most people, but I had to see what the fuss was about and, last March, purchased Chef Kitty. I loved the mental image; I pictured my own fat fluff wearing a chef’s hat and knocking every herb and spice I own into a bowl. I was amazed by this polish and its quality, so impressed that I bought 24 more since then. They’re just so gorgeous! Lynnderella’s been in the indie polish game a long time, but everything they make is still creative and gorgeous.

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Chef Kitty is available from Lynnderella’s Storenvy; other Lynns can be purchased via eBay auction.

I bought this polish myself.

News: Wacie Nail Co. for Depression Awareness 2015

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Hey reader! For once, I have something really exciting to share with you. Julie, the owner of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, is getting ready to start her annual depression awareness fundraiser, and for the second time, Wacie Nail Company has made a special edition one-of-a-kind polish for the cause. This year’s offering is called Glow-Mo; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Glow-Mo is a pastel green polish with a green pearl flash, rose pearl flakies, and a slight holo effect. It also glows green in the dark. It’s on the sheer side; it took me all three coats to get to this opacity, and it dries with matte finish.

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These photos were taken in direct sunlight. This is where the holo effect is most visible.

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These photos were taken in complete darkness to demonstrate the glow-in-the-dark effect. If I may say so myself, the glow is really bright. I wore this to bed last night and I kept waking myself up with my nails. And, for funsies, I included a photo that’s not in complete darkness; it’s really just my hallway with the lights turned off. It glows even there. I feel I should mention that that photo is not altered in any way.

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Looks like an ’80s music video!

There is only one bottle of Glow-Mo (other than the one I used for swatching, of course), and it is being auctioned on eBay with tons of other special polishes from other makers. 100% of the proceeds goes to benefit the depression awareness and suicide prevention network I Need A Lighthouse. This is a cause that means a lot to me, so please check out the auction. Last year’s auction raised over 700 dollars, so let’s try to beat that number! The auction begins today, 10/31, at noon EDT; you can find the entire auction here.

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.

 

Manicure Monday: Nighttime Blizzard

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Happy Monday, reader! Welcome to this week’s manicure. My look this week is simple but striking. I used Sally Hansen’s Blazing Blue as the base, Digital Nails‘s Winter is Coming for the glitter accents, and one coat of Seche Vite to finish it off.

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Blazing Blue is a polish I’ve had a long time. You can’t tell from the photos, but this bottle is about half-full. Of course, this was a well-loved polish back when I only had 20 bottles or so; this is one of the stalwart veterans from when I first started my collection. This is actually the first time I’ve used it in a couple of years. I must admit, however, I hated using it today. First, I had to thin it, because it was a goopy mess when I first opened it. I also hate the Insta-Dry brush; it’s too wide for my small nails, and so I didn’t get a good application. Even worse, the formula is really smudgy; when I applied the glitter, some blue came off on the brush and left some holes in the color. Some smudged on the glitter, too. When I cleaned up my cuticles, I had so much smeared blue on my hands it looked like a pen exploded. I still couldn’t get some of it off, and my cuticles are still a mess. Cleanup took ages. I love this color, but it was such a hassle to use today.

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Winter is Coming is amazing. It is packed with white and various colors of blue glitters in a myriad of shapes. There are also some rose-gold glitters in there that I didn’t notice until today. It all comes together in a light blue jelly base. Some of the glitters are the same color as the base, but that’s kinda cool; you see the glint without being able to see where it comes from. The lighter ones stand out very well. It’s a great glitter topper and I suspect it would look fantastic over anything.

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You guessed it — my DSLR is still out for repairs. I took it to a local repair shop, and they ended up having to send it to Canon. So yeah. I do apologize; I had no idea it would be gone this long, and I’m dying to start swatching again. I’ve got so many polishes I want to use, and so many I thought I would have gotten to by now that are just sitting on my desk. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.

I bought all these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Lemon Butterfly Fizz

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Happy Monday! It’s still Monday somewhere, so let’s take a look at my mani this week. For this look, I used Color Club’s Daisy Does It and Ellagee‘s Chronic Badass. I’m pretty chuffed with it. I’m also thrilled with the photos, since I’m still on my backup camera; I can’t believe this is the same camera that took last week’s sad photos.

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Daisy Does It is gorgeous, and I was afraid I — or the backup camera — would fail to do it justice. It’s a sheer yellow with yellow-to-gold shifting flecks, but I couldn’t get the shift to show up in the studio. Everything else is accurate, though: the lemon yellow, the barely-there nail line, the tons of shimmer that make it almost metallic. I love this polish and the rest of the collection; the shades are pretty simple but have tons of dimension and personality.

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I’ve loved Chronic Badass ever since I swatched it earlier this year. I picked it to go with Daisy Does It because I just love purple and yellow together. Before I put it on, though, I had my doubts. I didn’t want the pink and purple glitters to interfere colorwise with the green shift, but it actually looks pretty cool. The shift only shows up in certain lighting conditions anyway, so I worried over nothing. The shimmer itself is really powerful and seems especially so on the accent nails. The topper makes it seem much glassier than the nails without it. It’s gorgeous.

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I hope to have the camera fixed in time to start weekend swatches again; the camera place nearest me is only open 8 to 5 Monday through Friday, so finding the time to get there will be a challenge. I’ve missed my blog, though. I miss my camera.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Arctic Circle Marble

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Hey guys! I’ve got a few minutes to post my Labor Dabor post before it turns Tuesday. I actually had a post typed up and then my new keyboard, whose CTRL button only works if you mash it so hard your finger turns white, did not work and ate my post. We’re also stuck looking at pictures from the backup camera this week, so these photos are not up to my usual standards. For this look, I used OPI’s I Vant to Be a Lone Star, Elevation Polish‘s Pitaraq, Essie’s Blue Rhapsody, and Lynderella‘s Something Blue, all topped with one to two coats of Seche Vite top coat.

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For my watermarble, I used clear polish between drops of Blue Rhapsody and I Vant to Be a Lone Star. My base was two coat of Pitaraq. This was my first time doing a negative space watermarble, and I envisioned frosty silver and blue rings over the icy metallic shimmer. The marbling process, however, wasn’t as painless as it could have been. It dried on the water before I could swirl it and tore my design a little. The rings are also so wide it hides the base glitter. I still like it, but it was better in my head.

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Something Blue as a glitter accent was a bit of an afterthought. I was shopping my stash, found Something Blue, and tried it over I Vant to Be a Lone Star. It was a perfect match; the silvery blues blend in beautifully. Of course, since this camera sucks, you can’t see the fine details, but the blue glitters are nearly but not quite the same color, and adds a bit of shimmer as well. I love Lynnderella polishes, even though they’re quite new to me, and it’s especially satisfying to use one I had to fight on eBay for. It was the last bottle! Shop victoriously, indeed.

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I’ve really missed doing my weekly swatches. I bought a new battery for my main camera and I hope that fixes it. If not, I’ll have it serviced soon so I can get back to them. I have enjoyed my time, though. I’ve been wear-testing a few new Wacie Nail Company polishes, including the one I hope to release for my birthday. I’ve also been playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and I’m so absorbed in it I can barely pull myself out. Hope to see you this weekend with new swatches, and if not, see you Monday!

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Glitter in Backup Camera Hell

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To begin this post, I must first apologize. My regular camera has decided it wants a vacation and has so far refused to turn on. This is the reason my weekend swatches were not posted, and it’s the reason I had to fall back on my — shudder — backup camera. I apologize for the missed posts, and I apologize for the low quality of this one. Until the camera is fixed, my Manicure Monday posts are going to look like this, and I will not do swatches.

Anyway, this mani is gorgeous in real life, and it is an absolute tragedy what this camera did to it. My polishes today are Revlon’s Bare Bones and Digital Nails‘s Timey Wimey, all topped with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Bare Bones is a pretty run-of-the-mill nude. In person, it’s on the cooler side of nude; some of these photos are color-accurate, some are not. The formula is okay; it was on the sheer side and though I did reach full opacity, it still leaves something to be desired. It’s not as smooth as it could be. It doesn’t quite level itself and some brush-strokes were left behind, though a top coat did help some to resolve that.

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The real star here is Timey Wimey, one of my oldest indie polishes. When I chose a nude as the base, I started combing through the glitter toppers, thinking what this polish needed to carry it through the week was the craziest glitter I had. I found poor Timey Wimey at the bottom of the Helmer and that was that. I used an eyeshadow applicator sponge to apply it to my nail; I brushed the glitter onto the end of the sponge, then dabbed it on. I’m really happy with how it came out. Even when it’s a little dense or clumpy, it’s still gradual. I’m glad some of the nude base can be seen through it.

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Revlon polishes are sold in stores; I got this one from Big Lots. Timey Wimey and other Digital Nails polishes are available in their etsy shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Polka.com/thermal

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Happy Monday! It’s late, but here’s this week’s Manicure Monday post. I’m wearing OPI’s Polka.com over Digital Nails‘s Nox with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. I love this mani, let’s get started!

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I love thermals. I have so few and I don’t wear them often, but I adore them. Nox is especially beautiful; it morphs from a pale periwinkle to a deep indigo and dries with a matte finish. Unforunately though, because it’s been so warm here, I’ve rarely seen it in its cold state. It goes right back to the warm state pretty much instantly. I had a glass of ice water in the studio while I was taking these photos for a quick dip, and I got one photo where you can see the transition. One thing that’s constant, though, is the shift in this polish. This delicious shimmer shifts from blue to pink, and it’s amazing. It’s definitely the best part of this manicure.

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Polka.com is a pretty simple topper; while colorful, there aren’t a ton of crazy shapes and the colors are muted. This is pretty typical for an OPI topper; there’s a bit of excess lacquer, so without dabbing or sponging the glitter on, there isn’t much coverage. I usually hate this, but today I’m thankful for it, because I didn’t want to cover up the thermal. I could have done with more, but I didn’t want to risk another coat and then having too much.

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My one photo of Nox doing thermal things.

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I’m really happy with how they look together. I thought the glitter would overpower the shimmer in Nox, but they work together well. The darker glitters blend into the thermal when it’s in its cold state, but that’s forgivable, especially since the cold state is unlikely to happen. I really want to try this look in the winter, when the thermal effect will actually get some play.

I bought these polishes myself.