Tag Archives: indie

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’s Siren Seashore

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Happy Saturday! I’m excited to bring you today’s swatch, because it’s the first of a small-batch series by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Each month since August 2014, BEGL has released one Siren polish, and more often than not, they sell out in minutes. Siren Seashore, the oldest Siren, is the one I’m wearing today. I’m wearing three coats of Siren Seashore with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Siren Seashore is a sheer nude crelly with gold, copper and blue glitters in various sizes and finishes, as well as a fine shimmer throughout. The product consistency was really nice; the lacquer is thin, but supports the glitters well. The glitters spread easily and evenly over the nail. It’s quite sheer; even after three coats, my nail line is still visible. This also means it layers beautifully over the glitter. The polish dries with a glossy, smooth finish; I added top coat for extra shine.

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I think the Siren series polishes are among BEGL’s best work. Siren Seashore is my favorite of the recent BEGLs I’ve worn. I really love the nude crelly, because it blends right in with my nail. The glitter really stands out from it. It’s a soft neutral look with just a bit of color and lots of sparkle. It’s absolutely beautiful.

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Siren Seashore is no longer available from BEGL, and the BEGL shop is currently on hiatus.

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.

Swatch Sunday: Literary Lacquers’s Grey Cat/Grey Fence

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Swatch Sunday is here again! Today I’m wearing one of the first indie polishes I ever bought, as well as one of my first Literary Lacquers. This is Grey Cat/Grey Fence; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Grey Cat/Grey Fence is a gray crelly with black, white, and iridescent glitters in squares and hexes. Application was easy; though sheer, the crelly goes on evenly and without streaks or patches. The glitters also spread evenly and show nicely through many layers of polish. I had no issues at all with it. The product consistency was perfect; it supports the glitters without being thick or blobby. It dries quickly and to a glossy, somewhat smooth finish. I added top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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Grey Cat/Grey Fence is inspired by a passage from O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi. As quoted by the maker:

“Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.”

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I’ve had this polish for two years now, and I’ve only worn it once before. Even though Literary Lacquers makes some breathtaking holo polishes, there’s a special place in my heart for this polish, and it might be my favorite LitLacq to date. It’s simple by today’s indie polish standards, but two years ago, when I was new to indie polish, this was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and the fact that someone was making polish inspired by books was pretty much the greatest thing I’d ever heard.

Grey Cat/Grey Fence has been discontinued, but other Literary Lacquers are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Get Too Close to the Flame

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Happy Saturday! We’re finally caught up on swatches from last week, so let’s look at some new ones! Today’s swatch is a special-edition glitter topper from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer called Get Too Close to the Flame. I’m wearing one coat over Revlon’s Bare Bones, Essie’s Good Morning Hope, and Sally Hansen’s Kelp Yourself, as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Get Too Close to the Flame is a clear-based topper with glitters in shades of pink and orange and various sizes (including stars), as well as a fine pink shimmer throughout. Application went well; the glitters spread evenly, though I did employ a bit of dabbing/placing to cover bare spots and spread out the glitters that clumped together. There was no extra cuticle-flooding lacquer, and the base was the right consistency to support the glitter without being too thick or goopy. Drying times were quick, and it dried with a smooth texture and glossy finish. I added top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

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This is a summer polish for sure. The color is bright and bold, even if it’s not that colorful, and the variety of shapes and sizes make it interesting to look at. I love the big dots and tiny stars, the hexes large and small. I love the pink shimmer and its perfect amount of sparkle. I love that it looks fantastic over any polish, soft or bright. This is the first BEGL topper I’ve worn in months, and I forgot how nice they are.

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Get Too Close to the Flame was a limited edition and is no longer for sale. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are for sale in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Weekday Swatch: Lavish Polish’s Mint to Be

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Happy Thursday, reader! Today’s post would have been this week’s Swatch Sunday if I hadn’t gone out of town. This is Lavish Polish‘s Mint to Be. I’m wearing three coats of Mint to Be with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Mint to Be is a mint green crelly with sky blue, fuchsia, white, and baby pink glitters, as well as hot pink and white heart glitters. Application was challenging; the product consistency is quite thin and didn’t really stay put on the nail. It also didn’t seem to be able to support the glitters, because they didn’t distribute well inside the bottle, no matter how much I rolled, shook, or stirred it. This is especially true for the large glitters; I just could not get them out on the brush and really had to dig for them. On a positive note, the crelly looks fabulous with the bright matte glitters; the translucence is perfect for the layered glitter effect. This polish dried pretty quickly, about five minutes per coat, and dried with a semi-glossy finish. I added top coat to smooth out the glitters and add shine.

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Even though I had a tough time applying it, I really like the look I got. This is part of a Valentine’s Day trio, but it’s not overtly, obviously lovey-dovey. It’s colorful and cheerful, it’s perfect for springtime, and it’s not mawkish or over the top romantic. It’s adorable. This is my first Lavish Polish, and I’m looking forward to trying some new ones.

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Mint to Be may be discontinued, as it’s no longer listed in their inventory. Other Lavish Polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Wacie Nail Company Release: Whitewash

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Surprise! There’s a Wacie Nail Company release today! I wanted to do it sooner; a couple of weeks ago, I showed you a manicure featuring Whitewash, a white jelly polish, as part of a jelly sandwich. I wanted to release it then, but as I’d just cut my nails back, I wanted to wait until I had a little more growth. Whitewash is being released on the Wacie Nail Company etsy shop when this blog goes live. I’m wearing two coats of Whitewash with one coat of Seche Vite.

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I’ve always loved the look of whitewash over wood; wood, especially when battered and weathered, has a wonderful amount of character. Whitewash emphasizes it; it covers yet highlights every splintery, grainy detail. I wanted to see if this applied to nails as well. I mixed a very small amount of white polish into clear lacquer base, and I got a result that was creamy and pleasantly sheer, just like a good whitewash. It covers the imperfections while highlighting what’s beautiful beneath.

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Whitewash and other Wacie Nail Company polishes are for sale in the Wacie Nail Company etsy shop.

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Also, just for fun, I’ve decided to give a bottle of Whitewash away to a lucky giveaway winner. Contest is open to US residents 18 years or older. No giveaway accounts, please. Entrants outside the US or under 18 years of age will be disqualified. Contest ends Saturday, August 8, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be notified on Sunday, August 9. Good luck, players!

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.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype FOJ 1.0

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Happy Saturday, reader! I have another fun Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype to show you. This is FOJ 1.0; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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FOJ 1.0 is a white crelly polish with glitters in white, blue, and holographic silver, as well as some fine red glitters throughout. Application was easy; the crelly went on evenly and the glitters spread well. Drying times were good. It dried evenly and with a glossy finish. I still used top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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I like this polish, even though it’s not terribly exciting. The white glitters blend into the crelly pretty well, avoiding detection. The same is true for the holographic glitters; they’re pretty when they’re not too obscured. The blues and the tiny reds stand out pretty well and add a small touch of color. As it said, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s still pretty fun to wear.

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FOJ 1.0 was a one-off prototype and is not for sale. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Opal Sandwich

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Happy Monday! I’m excited and nervous to show you today’s manicure. It didn’t turn out quite the way I envisioned, mainly because I expected to have longer nails when it was time for it. However, I get to tell you about a brand new Wacie Nail Co. polish, and that’s cool! For this manicure, I’m wearing Revlon’s Heavenly between layers of Wacie Nail Company‘s Whitewash, topped with Seche Vite top coat and Hard Candy’s Matte-ly in Love matte coat.

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Heavenly is one of my favorite glitters, and if you’ve been reading for a while, you’ve seen it on the blog like five times. It’s just the right topper for when you want a little iridescent sparkle. It looks great all over or as a gradient, and its appearance changes over different colored polishes. It’s truly a versatile and beautiful polish.

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I made Whitewash because I wanted a white jelly polish. I actually made this quite some time ago as a franken, long before I’d even really started Wacie Nail Company. I checked a lot of etsy stores and didn’t see any, so I just made one for myself. Today is the first time I’ve used it. It’s still on the creamy side, and maybe it’s just not possible to have a true white jelly, but I quite like the way it layers over glitter. I hope to have proper swatches of it alone soon.

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Heavenly and Whitewash, along with the matte top coat, create a look that’s soft and opalescent. I really love the look, but I wish some things were different. Maybe I should have used an opaque white base. I used three coats of Heavenly to ensure I had a good glitter cover, but it’s still very translucent; I can see where my nails are still stained from a lime green polish I wore a few weeks ago. I wish my nails weren’t so short, because the whiteness and the shortness make my hands look grubby. It’s still a cool look, but today I don’t feel like it suits me.

Revlon is sold in stores nationwide. Whitewash will be available soon from the Wacie Nail Company etsy shop.

I bought these polishes myself.