Tag Archives: microglitter

Manicure Tuesday: Fine-Apple

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Happy Tuesday, reader! Yesterday was a busy day, so I’m only getting to posting Manicure Monday today. It turned out to be a good thing, since yesterday was rainy. For this look, I used Revlon’s Parfumerie scented polish in Beachy over Chaotic Glitz‘s Gold Rush. The scaled design was done with Ribbits Stickits‘s Mermaid’s Tale vinyls.

Originally, I’d planned to wear Beachy alone. Since it is a scented polish, I didn’t want to interrupt the scent with top coat or anything else. The more I thought about it, though, the more I knew I had to get at least one more polish in here. I have too many to just use one at a time. It’s just as well; the scent always leaves my nails as soon as I wash my hands, anyway.

Gold Rush is stunning. It’s such a bright, dazzling golden glitter, and I wish I hadn’t covered so much of it up. At first, I worried there might not be enough contrast between Beachy and Gold Rush, and that the design wouldn’t be immediately visible, but I kind of like it. Beachy is a frosty polish and reflects differently than Gold Rush, so in different lighting conditions it does show up differently. I didn’t occur to me until I was finished that it was halfway to pineapple. I’m still thinking about going in with some green glitter to finish it up.

Revlon polishes are sold in stores. Gold Rush and other Chaotic Glitz polishes are sold in their etsy shop. Ribbits Stickits vinyls are sold on their website.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Might Not Recover

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Hey reader! It’s Swatch Saturday! Last week’s swatch saw us finish up Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2015 Spark in the Dark collection, and what a beautiful collection it was. Everything was wintry and icy and special. This week has us shifting into the collection that came after, the Crooked Hearts collection that was released for Valentine’s Day. I’ve talked before about my love for the BEGL Valentine’s collections because it’s rarely the pink and red shades you’re expecting; this collection is just plain gloomy and I love it. This first polish is called Might Not Recover; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Might Not Recover is a clear-based microglitter polish with glitters in holo lilac and silver, platinum flakes, and reflective beads. Application was good, and pretty standard for the BEGL microglitter; it’s easy to use, achieves opacity quickly, and needs top coat for smoothness. This one felt especially textured thanks to the reflective beads, but one coat of Seche Vite smoothed it out nicely.

So, another swatch, another great microglitter. I had so much fun wearing this that I kept it on for a couple of days after I did the swatch. BEGL microglitters are always fun to wear because there’s always something interesting going on; in this one, the color is my favorite thing. It’s not a color I see often in glitter, and having a polish that’s mostly made up of it makes me happy. The platinum flakes stand out without being seen; you can see something in there breaking up the purple glitter, but they blend in so well you can barely tell they’re there.

I only regret that the sun wasn’t out to show you how this polish really looks. It’s intense. It’s blinding. It’s what every microglitter should be.

Might Not Recover isn’t in stock in the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop, but a few polishes from this collection still are. Make sure you get them!

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Never Look Back

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Today’s swatch is all about a polish made to spread awareness about depression and raise money for charity. I’ve mentioned the Lighthouse of Hope box previously on the blog; it was a box curated by Julie of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer for her annual depression awareness fundraiser, and contained eight polishes, all from different makers. $60 of the $80 box went to the charity I Need a Lighthouse. You’ll notice I’m using the past tense; the boxes have all finally sold out! I guess it’s bad news if you wanted one, but the good news is that $1,200 has made its way to a fantastic charity. This polish is Julie’s own contribution to the box, Never Look Back. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Special Lighthouse label, too!

Special Lighthouse label, too!

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Never Look Back is a clear-based emerald green microglitter polish. While the emerald green is the main element, there are also pops of blue and purple. Application is easy; the glitters go on easily and build to opacity around two coats. The product consistency is thick but still nice to work with. It does dry with a slight bit of texture, so top coat is necessary for a smooth finish.

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Here’s a note from Julie about the polish:

“I’m constantly reminding myself to look to the future and not dwell on the past. It can be immensely difficult to do so, but it is completely necessary for my recovery. Remember that the future holds amazing things, so don’t dwell on the bad from the past!”

I admire Julie for being so open about her depression and for working so hard to break down the stigmas of mental illness. Even in today’s world, where being open and honest and forthcoming is encouraged, mental illness is still something people have a hard time opening up about, and it shouldn’t be that way. The more we talk about mental illnesses, the less power they have over us, and that’s definitely a good thing.

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So this polish is perfect for the upcoming holidays! I will probably end up breaking it out again for that. There’s so much shine and sparkle to it. I kinda failed to do it justice; I have a hard time focusing on all those tiny magical glitters.

As I mentioned, this box has sold out. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their online shop, including this year’s fundraiser polish, My Head’s Above the Rain, of which all $15 of the purchase price goes to the I Need a Lighthouse organization.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Decadent Sands

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Hey! It’s Manicure Monday! Today’s look is all about a microglitter polish I made for myself, a little something I call Decadence. I also wanted to do a nail art look with only one polish and some negative space, so here we are. All I used for this look is Decadence and Seche Vite.

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Decadence is a microglitter with silver, red, and blue holographic glitters. To achieve the look, I used some French tip guides along the base of my cuticle, making a half moon shape, and applying two coats of Decadence. I peeled off the guide, added a third coat of polish, and sealed it with top coat. The result is a little lopsided; the glitter is very dense on most of the nail and quite sparse on the half-moon, but it’s kind of cool, like sands through the hourglass.

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I’m kind surprised the negative space turned out so well. One of the nude polishes I wore a few weeks ago stained my nails an ugly yellow, and since then, I’ve wanted to do nothing but negative space manis. Of course, I had to wait for my nails to grow out a little. There’s nothing like growing out stained nails.

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The following photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight. I love microglitters so much. They’re the best way to pack everything you want — color, glitter, whatever you like — into one bottle.

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Decadence is not available for purchase (yet). Lemme know if it’s something you like.

I made this polish.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Counting Down Until I See You

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Happy Swatch Saturday! Today I’m trying out my favorite polish from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Spark in the Dark collection. This is Counting Down Until I See You; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. Also, one thing I want to mention: I published my 500th blog post this week! Yay!

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Counting Down Until I See You is a clear-based microglitter polish with gray and pink glitters in various shapes and sizes. Application was easy; the glitter is very easy to distribute on the nail. The product consistency is very easy to work with. The first coat leaves some bare spots, so you could wear this as a dense topper if you wanted to. The second coat fills up the bare spots. The glitter leaves some texture behind, so add a third coat for extra texture if that’s the look you’re going for. I used top coat for smoothness and shine.

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There are some great polishes in this collection, but for me, none of them tops this one. When the collection launched, I expected She’s Electricity to be my fave, because bright pink holos usually are my favorites. However, this polish knocks it out of the park. It’s pink, it’s blingy, and the various shapes and colors add so much nuance. It’s mostly hexes, but there are some squares, and perhaps the most obvious shape is the diamond-shaped glitter hanging out in there. The peppered-in grays are just enough to break up the monotony. I love this polish so much.

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Unfortunately, since it’s been cloudy outside all this week, I don’t get to show you what this looks like in bright direct sunlight. I bet it would be blinding, though.

Counting Down Until I See You is — you guessed — discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Unforunately. Other BEGLs are available in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype NEB 1.0

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Happy Saturday, reader! I’m wearing a BEGL prototype for this week’s swatch! This is NEB 1.0; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Prototype NEB 1.0 is a clear-based microglitter with black, silver, and blue holographic glitters. There are some larger dot and moon glitters floating around in the bottle as you can see from the bottle shots, but I didn’t get any of them on my nails. Application was very good; there was more glitter in this bottle than in a released polish, so I got full opacity in fewer coats than normal. I still used three, so my nails look a bit thick. However, it dried very quickly and didn’t leave a lot of texture behind. I still used top coat for shine and smoothness.

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Are you tired of me talking about how great BEGL microglitters are? Because even though this one is only a prototype, it still has all the qualities I love in a microglitter. The colors, though varied, all complement each other. There are no holes in the coverage. The only real letdown was that I couldn’t get any of those larger glitters. I’ll get them someday!

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In direct sunlight, this polish comes alive. It really does. The holographic effect is much stronger and the sparkle is legendary as a result. Today wasn’t the sunniest day, but if it was, I’d probably be blind from glitter exposure.

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No other bottles of Prototype NEB 1.0 were made. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are sold in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Siren’s Quarter-Life Crisis

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Happy Saturday! My swatch today is of a super-small-batch gift-with-purchase from a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer holiday sale. Only 15 bottles of this were made, and I have one! This is Siren’s Quarter-Life Crisis; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Siren’s Quarter-Life Crisis is a clear-based microglitter polish with shades of periwinkle, lavender, and teal holographic glitters. Application was good; the first coat has just a smattering of glitter, but coverage builds with additional coats. The polish has a lot of glitter in it, but doesn’t affect product consistency; it’s still very easy to apply. It dries quickly and with a slightly-textured glitter finish; I used top coat for smoothness and shine.

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I feel really fortunate to have this polish. These small-release BEGL polishes go fast, and this one is from 2014, before they got really popular. Look at the label, I have #11 out of 15; I nearly missed it! These are my favorite polishes to own: the ones that would be highly sought-after if more people knew they existed.

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This glitter takes off in the sunlight. It got a little washed out, but the shine and sparkle is legendary. There’s a red shimmer that’s not as apparent indoors. There’s so much going on! I love BEGL microglitters, always and forever.

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Siren’s Quarter-Life Crisis is no longer available; other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are sold in their online shop.

This polish was a gift with purchase. It was not sent for review.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Deathwatch Beetle

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Welcome to Swatch Saturday! For this week’s swatch, we’re looking at Deathwatch Beetle, the second of five polishes from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s What Wouldn’t I Do Halloween collection. I’m wearing three coats of Deathwatch Beetle with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Deathwatch Beetle is a clear-based microglitter polish; the glitter is primarily black, but also contains orange, green, and purple glitters. Application was easy; the product formula, laden with glitter, was thick enough to fan out the brush, but still thin enough to apply smoothly. The first coat went on well; the glitter covered about half the nail, and the second coat brought it to full opacity. Drying times were fast, and the polish dried with a fine textured glitter finish. I added top coat for smoothness and shine.

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This polish is the only microglitter in this collection, and easily the most Halloweeny of them all. The hallmark colors are all there, but it’s something I think you’d only notice if you knew it was a Halloween polish. Black is a classic color and works for any part of the year, and the other colors add more sparkle than color, especially from a distance. I feel like I should also mention that I love this collection because there’s as much variety as there is versatility. In addition to the holo and microglitter polishes featured so far, there’s a glitter jelly, a shimmer, and a neon glitter topper, and all of them are Halloween polishes in disguise. I love it.

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Here are the outdoor photos! The glitter just lights up out here, and it almost kind of hurt to look at it. You can see the colored glitters best in these photos.

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Deathwatch Beetle has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Fun With Microglitter

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Happy Tuesday, reader! It’s still Monday somewhere, so let’s have a look at this week’s mani. For this mani, I used Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype Summer 1.1, Wacie Nail Company‘s Opulence, and Digital Nails‘s Tauping Mechanism. All nails are topped with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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I ended up pairing red and gold again. I can’t help it, they just go so well together! At first I wasn’t going to pair Summer 1.1 with anything, just because it already has so much going on. The colors are so vibrant and varied that it looks excellent on its own. When I started thinking about what nail art I would do, if any, I started looking at other options. I found Opulence in the polish box and went for it.

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The dotting was something I explored later on. I was pleased to discover microglitters actually do dot. In these photos, because of the macro, it looks weird because you can see the individual pieces of glitter and it makes it look less like a dot. My dots didn’t really line up the way I wanted them; they’re more linear than scattered on one nail, and that kind of bugs me. Overall, though, I’m happy with how uniform and neat they are. I try to avoid dotting because I can never keep my hands steady enough, but this came out really well, all things considered.

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Here are some sunlight photos! You’ll see how the glitter is brighter and shines better than in the studio. Opulence looks best here, too; you can see that’s actually a gold and silver mix and not just gold alone. The glitter really comes to life in this set.

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Tauping Mechanism was the last selection I made for this look. When I decided to do the dots, I knew I needed a nude as the base, something that would fade gently into the background and not detract from the dotting, and Tauping Mechanism does exactly that. It’s amazing for undies! It’s opaque in one coat and levels itself nicely. It’s also the only polish in this mani I hadn’t used before.

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Macrooo

Macrooo

BEGL Prototype Summer 1.1 was a one-off and no others were for sale; other BEGLs are for sale in their shop. Opulence will be available in the Wacie Nail Company shop shortly. Tauping Mechanism is for sale in the Digital Nails shop.

I bought these polishes myself, except for the one I made.