Manicure Monday: Serenity Gray

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

Manicure Monday today is awesome! I got to pair a favorite creme with an insane glitter shifter. I’m wearing two coats of Sally Hansen’s Grey Area with two coats of Digital Nails‘s Serenity on my accent nails. All nails are topped with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

I almost don’t even want to bore you with the details of my gray polish. I know you’re not looking at it. You’re probably not even looking at these words, and I don’t blame you. Grey Area is a warm charcoal creme that’s pretty versatile. It’s one of the first polishes I bought to use for nail art, and it does everything well, even water marbles. It goes on opaque and smooth and glossy in one coat. It’s the best. I love it.

Serenity, the show-stopping glitter you see here, is one of the most exciting polishes I have in my collection. The shift is so strong and so dramatic, and occurs in any lighting condition. I cannot stop waving my hands around in front of my computer monitors, just to see it happen. It’s green-to-purple at most angles, and when a light source is directly in front of it, the purple-to-pink-to-gold happens. It’s incredible. I’m just going to stop writing now and let you drool over this glitter.

I really love this combo. The gray is dark and interesting, and the glitter just makes my eyes fall out of my head. It’s truly stunning. I’m also a little upset I waited this long to try it. Also, I’m trying the accent nails in a different place today because I saw other people do it and it’s cute.

Grey Area is available wherever Sally Hansen is sold; I think I got this bottle from Target. Serenity can be found in the Digital Nails shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Toasty Warm

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

It’s another winter polish this Swatch Saturday! This is the next-to-last of the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer winter collection from 2013. This is Toasty Warm; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

Toasty Warm is a deep and rich blackened red with red glitters. It applies very easily; it was almost opaque on the first coat, and had perfect coverage on coat two. The glitters are suspended well in the polish; there’s no digging for it or struggling to even it out. The polish consistency was just right, not too thick or thin. It was pretty quick-drying; it reached its dried satin finish in about five minutes. I added a top coat to really bring out the beautiful amber shimmer.

I have a deep affinity for these dark and vampy colors; they’re so dramatic and striking. They also shine like crazy with top coat on. I love this a ton. I wore these colors a ton when I was younger, because I wasn’t allowed to wear black nail polish. Every time I wear a deep color like this, 13-year-old me is giving almost-30 me a high-five.

It’s a little weird wearing it this time of the year, though. As I write this, it is 83 degrees outside. It’s sunny, it’s warm, it’s gorgeous. “Toasty warm” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel right now; right now, I do not have socks on. I do not have on a hoodie or long pants. It did not take my 13 year old LCD monitor 25 minutes to warm up. This is the beginning of the year for me, when I can crawl out of my flannel and wool cocoon and bask in the sunlight. Unfortunately, I understand that a lot of you got snow on the first day of spring. I am so sorry. Hang in there, my northern buddies. This too shall pass.

Toasty Warm is long discontinued and is no longer for sale from the maker. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

This polish was a gift. It was not sent by the maker, nor was it sent for review or evaluation.

Swatch Sunday: Emerald & Ash’s California Stop

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

Swatch Sunday comes to you in a more timely manner today. I’m excited to show you California Stop from Emerald & Ash. It’s from their textured Road Trip collection. I’m wearing three coats without top coat.

California Stop is a brick red jelly with shimmer and reflective silica beads; the silica beads are what gives this polish its texture. The texture is fine and still pretty smooth to the touch. I thought the drying times were good; my nails were bathroom dry in about fifteen minutes. Applying it was tricky; with all the beads and reflective goodness in it, the brush widened quite a bit, and was wider than my smaller nails. This made application on my thumb really nice, but made a mess on my pinky. I don’t blame this on the polish, just on my small hands. I got perfect opacity in three coats, though those who use lighter coats may need more.

Inspired by the ever-present red stop sign, this color is the exact shade of sun-aged red found in signs all over my neighborhood. To me, it evokes childhood memories of being in the car with my mother, driving around in my grandparents’ suburb, seeing the faded signs, the palm trees in every yard, and the sun in my eyes. Now that I think about it, that car was the same color as those signs.

The polishes in the Road Trip collection were the first textured indie polishes I’d ever seen, and I just thought they were really cool. They aren’t as coarse as mass-market textures, and they are beautiful in their shimmery monochrome simplicity. Also, at the time, I was getting ready to embark on a two week long road trip with a friend, so I was all about road tripping. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any of the polishes until recently, and by then, three of the seven were out of stock. It’s a shame, because there really isn’t anything else like them in my collection.

The reflective effect works best in dimmer, direct light, so in bright midday sunshine, it’s not as obvious. Out here, you get the shimmer and color of the polish, but not the reflective effect.

California Stop, as well as three of the other Road Trip collection polishes, are still in stock on the Emerald & Ash website. They are clearance priced, so it’s likely quantities are limited.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Snowfall at Dusk

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

Hello! Swatch Saturday is late today due to website maintenance. If you were here earlier and the site was down, I apologize. That said, Swatch Saturday is digging into the rest of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2013 winter collection. Yeah, I know. It was 80 and sunny and springtime now, but here we are. This polish is called Snowfall at Dusk; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego’s She Shines top coat. Also, that’s lotion stuck in my cuticles. Sorry.

Snowfall at Dusk is a cornflower blue jelly with various shades of blue glitter in hexes, dots, and squares. There are also white snowflakes in the bottle, though I didn’t get any on my nails. The formula was fantastic; the glitters and the color apply easily and evenly over the nail. It dried quickly. It dried completely smooth, even before top coat. The jelly is a great translucence; you can see all the glitter through all the coats. It’s a fun and easy polish to put on and wear.

I really like this polish. I love the blue winter motif, because it’s seasonal without being holiday festive. Blue is also a pretty cheerful color to me; sometimes winter is just so gray and dreadful and any pop of color, even one this soft, is a welcome sight. This polish says to me “Hey, it’s cold and wet and you’re miserable, but we’re gonna get through it”. That said, winter in Florida is over and I could not be happier.

I even got some pics in the sunshine! This polish almost looks like it wants to melt out here. The jelly is beautiful; you can see right through it. The glitters shine so well. Glitter in direct sunlight in the best thing in the universe.

Snowfall at Dusk has been discontinued, but BEGL‘s most recent winter collection is still available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Blurple Jelly Sandwich

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

I’ve been looking forward to this manicure for a lot of reasons. Number one, I adore this color. Number two, I’m using a Wacie Nail Company polish in an actual manicure. Number three, Wacie Nail Co. sales info is coming! I’m wearing two coats of Wacie Nail Company’s Dang! under three coats of Wet ‘n Wild’s Black Light Party and one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

On its own, Black Light Party isn’t that special on its own. It’s very translucent, and though it’s the perfect candidate for the jelly sandwich, I don’t feel like it gives enough coverage to make wearing it alone worthwhile. I put it on my toes without the glitter, and it just looks like a watery sad mess. The color is beautiful, though, and the pink-gold shimmers throughout really make it. It gives the holo glitters underneath just a tad more shine and fun.

I was a little uncomfortable using Dang! as the glitter in this mani, but I think it worked out well. Mostly I was unsure whether I should. Even though Wacie Nail Co. has been in the works now for at least a year, I feel a little weird seeing it in a manicure. I also feel a little like a jerk talking about a polish nobody can buy yet. I was also unsure of how well Dang! would work as a full-coverage glitter. I didn’t have to worry about that, though; two coats was enough to cover my nail completely.

In the sun, the blurple is much more on the purple side, and the glitters show really nicely through it. The heart glitters are a lot more obvious.

So I promised Wacie Nail Co. info, and here it is: The shop will (finally) open this month! wacie.com’s second anniversary is Wednesday, and I’d hoped to have a couple of special polishes in stock by then, and to have Dang! in stock today, but it’s taken a lot longer to get some supplies in than I expected. I’d also like to bring some swatchers on board so you don’t have to take my word for it. I think that, at the soonest, the end of March is when you’ll finally be able to buy your own Wacie Nail Company polishes.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Alter Ego’s Grows Hope

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

For today’s Swatch Saturday, I’m wearing a brand that’s very new to me. I had not heard of Alter Ego until Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer launched the Lighthouse of Hope Box last October. I didn’t have any of their polishes until I purchased said box. I’m wearing three coats of Grows Hope with two coats of Alter Ego’s She Shines top coat.

Grows Hope is a frosty metallic green polish. The formula is definitely on the thicker side, but I believe this is by design; to thin the consistency would be to change the intended foil effect. Despite the viscosity, I had no problems at all applying it. It dried quickly with a satin/matte finish, likely due to all of the pigments and magic that comprise the formula. Top coat went a long way in bringing out the metallic look. I ended up using two coats of top coat because the first one soaked right in and didn’t give me as much shine as I wanted. Despite that, I enjoyed working with this polish.

Grows Hope and the Lighthouse of Hope Box were created to raise awareness for depression. Each polish in the box was made in the spirit of perserverance, optimism, and support. The maker has this to say about it, taken from the BEGL Lighthouse of Hope Box item page:

“While this woman doesn’t suffer from depression she knows lots of people who do. She Grows Hope for those she know who suffer, trying to make others more aware of how personal these issues can be, and by standing quietly by the side of these people she loves so much, without judgement, to help in whatever way she can.”

Grows Hope is like nothing else in my collection. I can’t get over this finish. I don’t have a single polish like this one. I really am impressed with it.

Also, a quick word about the Alter Ego top coat. I’ve actually used it for a couple of manis so far, but I thought this would be the best time to talk about it. It’s really nice. After applying, my hands are bathroom-dry in five minutes. I have had no problems with shrinking or cracking, even with multiple coats. I didn’t know what to expect with it, but I’m really happy with it.

Grows Hope is a Lighthouse of Hope Box exclusive, which you can purchase from the BEGL shop. The box contains seven other polishes, as well as the She Shines top coat. The price is $80, $60 of which is donated to I Need a LightHouse, an organization that works with people who suffer from depression and their loved ones. Polish for a cause!

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Pink and Glitter Cutesy

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

It’s another dainty manicure today! Pink nail polish is the best. I’m wearing three coats of Julep’s Martha with three coats of Digital Nails‘s Bonnibel on my accent nails, as well as one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat.

I started with Martha, and believe it or not, I struggled to find a glitter to pair it with. I hear you, saying that it cannot be that hard to match something to a light pink. It’s really not. I have so many polishes, though, and so many possible combinations; I wanted something that was just right instead of good enough. Bonnibel turned out to be perfect; the pink crelly and Martha are about the same color. The glitter makes it sparkle just enough. This a soft, girly, and — here’s that word again — dainty look. I like it.

I like this week’s polishes. Martha is a typical Julep creme; to call it a crelly might be more accurate. I used three coats because the second coat was still streaky and uneven. The third coat gave me full opacity. Bonnibel was opaque in two coats, but I used three because I wanted more glitter, especially the big round pink dots. My first coat totally lacked these; I had to sit the bottle upside down to flush them out. I’m really surprised at how well they go together.

Martha is available from julep.com or wherever Julep polishes are sold. Bonnibel appears to be out of stock at Digital Nails (for now). You can shop the Digital Nails etsy shop here.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Enchanted Polish’s March 2014

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

What’s this? Two holos in a row? Yes! This is another swatch I am totally thrilled to bring you, because it’s a polish I thought I would never own. This is March 2014 from Enchanted Polish; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Alter Ego‘s She Shines top coat. All photos are taken outdoors in partly cloudy/overcast lighting.

March 2014 is a spring green linear holo with baby blue shimmers. I loved putting this on; the holo effect is very powerful right from the first coat. I reached perfect opacity in two coats. The formula was a little thin for me, but it went on evenly. Drying time was good. I’m really impressed by the holo effect in this polish; the rainbow really pops out in nearly every kind of lighting. Only when a room is really dim does it fail to show up.

I mentioned that I never thought I’d have my own bottle of March 2014. I hadn’t heard of Enchanted Polish until about March 2014, when I started seeing this exact color all over the nail blogosphere. It was beautiful, and when I found out it wasn’t for sale for very long, I just admired it from afar. I forget when exactly it was, probably the summer or early autumn, I happened to see it for sale in another blogger’s destash sale. I bought it for 24 dollars. At that time, it was the most money I’d ever spent on a bottle of nail polish. I felt guilty for days after.

I had really hoped for more sunshine, because I wanted to see just how big and crazy these linear rainbows get. I feel like this is a really good show for just overcast skies. I bet this is crazy stunning on a clear day.

Like I said, March 2014 is only available if you’re lucky enough to find someone selling their bottle. Subscribe to the Enchanted Polish newsletter to find out when the next restock is, so you don’t miss this year’s March polish.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Dawn

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

I really love today’s swatch! Dawn is a special small batch polish from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer, and I only have this mini bottle of it because someone was nice enough to decant it for me. I feel super-lucky to have it, and I’m excited to feature it on my blog. I am wearing three coats of Dawn with one coat of Digital Nails‘s Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

Dawn is described by BEGL as a “pale pink linear holo with strong pink flash”. It applies evenly from the first coat, even though the first coat is on the sheer side; I got good opacity in two coats. The drying times were also quick. The formula is very easy to use; it’s not too thin or too thick. I was able to apply with lots of control. I didn’t take any indoor photos, but the holo effect doesn’t show up as well with indoor lighting. However, the pink flash is still quite potent. Outdoors is where I get the best of both.

My tastes have changed, I think. If you’d asked me a year ago if I’d ever write the words “I sure do love this dainty pink holo”, I’d probably scoff. Two years ago, before I even started this blog or even knew about indie polishes, I definitely would. It wasn’t that long ago I was dismissive of light pinks or nudes, and I wasn’t always a fan of holo polishes. This polish, though, is so sweet and dainty. It’s so ladylike. I keep looking down at my nails and thinking “Man, I’m so glad I came around to polishes like this.” I really do love this dainty pink holo.

As I mentioned, this is a decant from a full-size bottle. Once upon a time, I cart-jacked a BEGL prototype from Angela at Older Ladies Like Color Too. I felt bad, so I offered her a decant of it. She gave me this in return. It was a good trade. Dawn isn’t a currently available polish; I believe the last time it was for sale, there was one bottle up for auction during BEGL’s Depression Awareness charity auction in October. You can purchase other BEGL polishes from their shop.

Swatch Sunday: Ellagee’s Chronic Badass

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

For this Swatch Sunday, I’m wearing my first-ever polish from Ellagee! This is Chronic Badass; I have on one brushed coat over China Glaze’s Pelican Gray, Essie’s Pilates Hottie, and LA Colors’s Daisy, topped with Digital Nails‘s Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That top coat.

Chronic Badass is a clear glitter topper with black matte and holo glitters, metallic pink dots, black holo stars, and purple and holo silver butterflies. It was really easy to put on; the glitters brushed right on, and I didn’t have to fish for the stars or butterflies. All the glitters lay flat on the nail — even the butterflies — and are perfectly smooth with one coat of top coat. Drying times were good; I had no issues with prolonged tackiness. It has a really great formula.

Chronic Badass was part of a fibromyalgia-themed duo collaboration with Digital Nails. Both polishes were made with purple, the color for fibromyalgia awareness. Chronic Badass also makes use of the butterfly, a symbol embraced by fibro patients. Both polish makers have fibromyalgia and made this cool little polish box to raise awareness of this and other invisible illnesses. I admit I didn’t know a whole lot about it until this box went for sale last spring. It was an awesome thing for them to do; it makes me so happy to see polish makers use their time and materials (and glitter) to educate people and make the world just a little better.

I have some sunlight photos! The holo glitters love the sunshine, and shine a lot brighter than they do indoors. I really love this look; it’s so colorful and cheerful.

Originally, both polish makers had this duo box in their shops; Digital Nails no longer carries it, but it looks like Ellagee still has it in stock.

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Tag Archives: indie

Manicure Monday: Serenity Gray

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Toasty Warm

This polish was a gift. It was not sent by the maker, nor was it sent for review or evaluation.

Swatch Sunday: Emerald & Ash’s California Stop

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Snowfall at Dusk

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Blurple Jelly Sandwich

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Alter Ego’s Grows Hope

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Pink and Glitter Cutesy

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Enchanted Polish’s March 2014

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Dawn

Swatch Sunday: Ellagee’s Chronic Badass

I bought these polishes myself.