Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s I Wished For You, Too

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Swatch Saturday is here again! It’s the first one for almost a month. My swatch today is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s I Wished For You, Too, the last polish in the Practical Magic Halloween collection. After this polish, we move onto the next phase of the BEGL Doctor Who collection! I’m wearing three coats of I Wished For You, Too with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

I Wished For You, Too is a deep purple with orange and green shimmers. Application was very good; the color is deep and well-pigmented from the first coat, and the shimmers are very well distributed. There was only some slight streaking on the first coat, and was completely opaque by the second. The polish dries quickly and with a satin finish.

Like the others in this collection, I Wished For You, Too is subtly Halloweeny. This polish may be the most subtle of them all. The base is vampy and dark; the purple looks navy in some lighting conditions, and the shimmers just whisper Halloween. You’d never know this was a holiday polish if you encountered it in, say, June. I’ve mentioned this in every post in this series, but every time, it’s true: BEGL makes the best holiday polishes because they do not resemble holiday polishes.

The following photos were taken in direct sunlight! This is where the purple is its purplest, and the shimmers stand out the best.

I Wished For You, Too has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Post-Vacation Drama

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Monday, dudes! It’s actually Tuesday where I am, and I’m just getting around to posting this because I spent my Monday partying for Memorial Day. I’m finally back from Hawaii, and this is the first mani I’ve done since I got back. It feels good to be back at my mani station; I’ve felt like half a person without having polish on for the past week. Do my hands look tanner? I shopped a lot in Hawaii, so I might do a Hawaiian beauty haul post in a bit, as well as some Island Girl polish swatches. Keep an eye out for those!

Anyway, this post-vacation look was done with Sonia Kashuk’s Smoke and Mirrors and Digital Nails‘s So Sparkle.

Smoke and Mirrors is a classic shimmer silver polish. This shade has been around forever and every brand has one. I even remember my mother rocking this silver back in the day. It’s shimmery, sparkly, and foil-like; it’s not as foily as something like Essie’s No Place Like Chrome, but it’s still very reflective. This polish is one that shows brush strokes pretty prominiently, and I can’t really see them in this one, which is really nice.

So Sparkly is amazing, and is easily the star of this manicure. Someone at my cookout today it looked like dreamy space glitter, and that’s the best way I can describe this polish. It’s got a teal to purple shift, red and blue glitters, silver flakies, and a holo effect throughout, though I can’t tell if it’s Spectraflair or fine holo glitters. I’ve been staring at my polish all day, and mostly the two with So Sparkle on. This polish is dramatic and gorgeous and everyone should have it.

mmpvdmc

I put the two together because I wanted a simple metallic look to help me ease back into my manicure and blogging routines. I thought about adding the usual 3D elements and opted not to. I didn’t want to do anything very complicated today, what with holiday barbecues and swimming, and I’m still pretty jet-lagged. I also have other things I need to do today. Like unpack.

Sonia Kashuk polishes are sold at Target. Digital Nails is sold on etsy.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Whack With Poo Brain

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Monday! I did a simple look with a fun polish this week. This is Whack With Poo Brain from Digital Nails; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite and the Infinity Loop Bow from Daily Charme.

When Whack With Poo Brain was released, it was one of a special edition polish duo. Poo Brain and its sister polish, Ellagee’s Chronic Badass. The duo was created to raise awareness for fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses. May 12 is actually Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, and I’ve been planning to wear this polish for like a year, so that’s kind of lucky.

I love this polish because it’s just quirky enough. The milky purple crelly is a beautiful color, and the glitter just adds personality. Of course, in true Digital Nails fasion, this polish was inspired in part by Adventure Time and its whimsical silliness, and I feel like that really comes through in the glitter. It’s not an ostentatious mix; the colors are basic, the iridescence gives it a little sparkle, and the circle and square shapes make it fun. It’s cute. That’s really the best word. Cute.

Outdoor photo time! You can see the dimension in the crelly pretty well out here, as well as some of the iridescent glitters.

mmdnwwpbmm

Whack With Poo Brain was a limited edition and is no longer for sale. Other Digital Nails polishes are available in their etsy shop. The infinity loop bow and other charms are sold at Daily Charme.

I bought these products myself.

HPB Presents Dusty Watermarble

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back, reader! Today’s post is a special Hobby Polish Bloggers link-up post! Every month a theme is selected by the group, and this month’s theme is dusty colors. The look itself is up to the blogger; as long as it adheres to the theme, it can be as simple or elaborate as the blogger wishes. I like to raise the difficulty a bit and use only untried polishes, but this month I couldn’t, because I have very few unused polishes that fit the theme. For this look, I used Essie’s Spin the Bottle, Sew Psyched, and Marathin, Zoya’s Bevin, Ciaté’s Pillow Fight, and China Glaze’s Fairy Dust.

As I mentioned, I don’t have a lot of colors in this dusty family, so I’m using a lot of polishes I’ve used in the past. I think Spin the Bottle and Sew Psyched were unused, but the others were probably only used once, so it’s not really a big deal. It took a lot of digging through the polish looking for the right colors; I have a lot of pastels and a lot of deep colors, but not too many in between. Marathin was actually the first polish that came to mind, and after a little bit of trial and error, I found a great combination, as well as the perfect way to wear them together.

Watermarbling is one of those things I want to do all the time, and yet, I rarely do. I’ve done a few marbled accent nails here and there, but it’s usually as an afterthought; when I’m planning a mani, I usually just pick a glitter topper that pairs well and that’s it. A lot of the time, I’m working with polishes that don’t seem conducive to marbling. I don’t want to use anything with fine glitters or shimmers because it may not spread well, I don’t want to use anything rare, discontinued, or expensive, and I don’t want to use anything with a really unique finish, like a holo. If I’m creating a look around a creme, I’m rarely thinking about other cremes. It’s a shame, because I love cremes; I think the glossy creme finish is the most underrated of them all, and yet I rarely take advantage of them. Even with all these beautiful creme shades and the marbling, I still had to top it with glitter. Fairy Dust counts as a dusty color, right?

The following photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight. The colors are a bit washed out here, making the dusty colors look lighter and more pastel. Fairy Dust looks overwhelmed as well. On the plus side, I was able to get macros of all my favorite swirls. My ever-elusive right hand even makes an appearance.

From left to right: Left thumb, left ring finger, left middle finger, right thumb

Essie, Zoya, Ciaté, and China Glaze are all sold in stores nationwide; mine are from Walgreens, Ulta, Sephora, and Sally Beauty Supply respectively.

Also, remember this is a group project, and there are links below to the other dusty manicures done by members of the group. Show them some love, too!

I bought these polishes myself.

Loading InLinkz ...

Swatch Sunday: The Polish Bar’s Midnight Kiss

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back! This Swatch Sunday is all about my first-ever polish from The Polish Bar, Midnight Kiss! Midnight Kiss was an Addicted to Holos box exclusive, and it’s the whole reason I became acquainted with this brand. In these photos, I’m wearing three coats of Midnight Kiss with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Photos were taken outdoors in mostly cloudy conditions.

The photo on the left was taken outdoors, the photo on the right indoors.

Midnight Kiss is a deep blue holo with blue-to-purple shifting pigment. Application was good; while the product consistency is a good thickness, the first coat went on a bit thin. Opacity and evenness improved with additional coats. The holo effect is subtle in this polish, taking a backseat to the shift. The holo shows up best in the sunlight, and the shift is most intense indoors. The polish dried quickly and with a semi-glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and sparkle.

As I mentioned, this is my introduction to The Polish Bar, and I’m super impressed with it. This polish is just so fun to wear. As with any shift, this one is perfect for circling my hands around to watch the colors change. The color is already deep and mysterious, and adding the holo effect just makes it even more stunning.

sstpbmkmc

The shift looks best indoors, so here are some photos taken under LED lights. This shift is GOOD.

Midnight Kiss was a box-exclusive polish and is no longer made by The Polish Bar. Other Polish Bar polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Review: Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche Lipsticks

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Today’s post is a huge departure from the usual wacie.com fare. I’ve never written about makeup on this blog, and I’ve never posted my face here, though I’m sure by now you know what I look like. I’m both excited and nervous to share it with you. Please do note that these are press samples, I received them for free from Bite Beauty and Influenster, and I wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions contained herein are my own and were not influenced in any way.

A little while ago, I was notified by Influenster that I would be receiving an Amuse Bouche Voxbox from Bite Beauty. Of course, I was ecstatic, because who doesn’t love lipstick? I am a huge fan of lip products, and though I own upwards of a hundred lipsticks, I don’t own any from Bite. I’ve heard great things from the makeup community, of course; I’ve had Sephora employees tell me about the great list of natural ingredients they use, and I’ve read about the custom lipstick creation process at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab, so I’m finally excited to try them out for myself.

These lipsticks made a great first impression on me, and I’m not exaggerating (much) when I say it was love at first swipe. The product just glides on effortlessly with tons of color and creamy, dewy shine. It has a very lightweight feel, so light I even forgot I was wearing it. The one concern I did have at first was the appearance of the lipstick bullet; in the photos below, you’ll see they have a bumpy and/or greasy look to them. They didn’t smell off — the scent was actually a pleasant citrus — so I just figured it was just sweaty from being in a mailbox in Florida. The product itself didn’t seem altered by it in any way.

The photo below shows each shade at one swipe, as well as an attempt at removal with makeup remover — Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, in this case — and as you can see, it left quite a lot of color behind. This may be remedied with a lip color primer underneath the color.

From top to bottom: Pepper, Gazpacho, Beetroot

This first shade is called Pepper. This is probably the most universally flattering shade of the three I received, as well as the most suited for everyday wear. I also think it’s the most flattering one for my skintone. Sephora’s website calls Pepper a dusty rose; for me, it’s a neutral my-lips-but-better shade.

Next is Beetroot, which is a deep, bold berry. I feel like this one is a bit harsh on me, but I like how it looks anyway. I think I’d like it better paired with a dramatic smoky eye.

I saved my favorite for last! I write about how much I love red on the blog all the time; it’s my favorite color for lips as well as nails. It makes my eyes look their greenest. Gazpacho is a true blue-red, and it’s probably the one of the three I’ll be reaching for the most.

I have to say, I love these lipsticks. The color payoff and product formula are just unbeatable. If you’re someone looking for an all-natural lipstick made with natural and organic ingredients that has excellent color and wear, Amuse Bouche is going to be your new best friend. This lipstick really is the whole package, but with one caveat: the price. Amuse Bouche retails for $26 each at Sephora, and I’m a bit conflicted. I love the product formula, but color is the biggest factor in whether I buy a lipstick, and I don’t feel like these colors are unique enough to warrant a $26 purchase; I’m more likely to get similar colors and finishes from MAC.

As I mentioned, Amuse Bouche and other Bite Beauty products are available at Sephora.

These products were press samples and were sent by Influenster on behalf of Bite Beauty. I wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions contained herein are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Swatch Sunday: Orly’s Space Cadet

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Sunday! It’s been a long day, and I’m excited to finally bring you today’s swatch! I’ve been dying to wear this polish, and I’m thrilled to be showing it to everyone. This is Orly’s Space Cadet; I’m wearing three coats of Space Cadet with one coat of Gelous top coat.

ssoscbss

Space Cadet is a purple, copper, gold, and olive multichrome polish. The polish is a deep indigo base; the mutlichrome effect comes from the larger pigment particles in the polish. If you look closely, you can see where they didn’t cover the nail all the way and the blue color of the base is more visible. Application was easy, and product consistency was good; the polish wasn’t too thick or thin, and the polish spreads well over the nail. I needed two coats for full opacity. The shifting effect is strong and occurs in any lighting condition. It dried quickly with a smooth and glossy finish. I added top coat for extra shine and protection.

So I’m really, really impressed with this polish. I know it’s been out a while, I know how late I am to the party, but man this polish is awesome. It’s probably the strongest shifter from a mainstream polish I’ve used yet. You can see the pieces in the polish and how large they are; it’s basically a fine glitter in there, so those it’s not as smooth as a multichrome from I Love Nail Polish might be, this one performs about as well as those do. The color shift requires very little effort to see — all one has to do is move their hands a bit and their nails will look completely different. There’s such a wide variety of colors between the shift, too, that one rarely sees the same color twice. It’s absolutely stunning. I tried so hard to capture the shift, but I did not do it justice. The shift is pretty intense, and I guess the camera couldn’t handle it.

This is my favorite. I got all the colors!

I got some sunlight photos. The colors are warmer in natural light, and you can see the tinted base out here. Again, the shift occurs pretty easily.

Space Cadet and other Orly polishes are available where salon-quality polish is sold; I got mine from Sally Beauty Supply.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie!

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! We’re breezing through the first part of the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s huge Doctor Who collection! After this, there’s only one more polish before we move on to the next phase. I can’t believe it! This penultimate purple polish is called Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Gelous as a top coat.

ssbegljayssbsc

Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie is a dusky lilac polish with blue-to-purple shifting shimmers. Application was good; the product consistency was on the thicker side, but was easy to work with. This is more of a creme-style polish than the usual BEGL shimmers, so though it was thick, it was intended to be. This was nearly opaque on the first coat, and I could have stopped at two coats. The shimmer shift occurs in any lighting condition. The polish dries with a satiny finish; it’s not fully glossy, but not very matte. I used top coat for shine and protection.

There are a lot of shifters in this part of the collection, and what sets this one apart from them is the creme base. The creamy purple base shade is a unique one on its own, and though the shift isn’t as strong as the others in this collection, it’s enough to set this one off. The jellier polishes like A Long Time Ago Tomorrow and Doctor Martha Jones have the benefit of being sheer and having the shimmers and/or flakies from previous coats come and overwhelm the look, but Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie is creamy color first and shimmer second. I think it’s pretty awesome.

I did my best to capture the shift in the studio. Even though the shimmer isn’t all that strong, the shift really transforms the look. It’s a much cooler purple when the blue is active, and the purple shift makes it warm and exciting.

These photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors. Natural light didn’t bring a big change, but the purple looks a bit lighter and creamier.

Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Neon Satisfaction

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Manicure Monday is here again! I kind of can’t believe how fun my manicure is today. It’s adorable and obnoxious, but I think it’s a great combo, if I may say so. For this look, I used American Apparel’s Neon Violet with Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Self-Satisfied, along with Seche Vite top coat and Ciaté’s Mattenificent matte top coat.

mmns

mmns2

So I’ve swatched a bunch of American Apparel neon polishes, and I have to say, they’re some of the best I’ve ever used. They have great coverage and they don’t require a white base for their neon-ness. The only downside is that they’re not always 3-free; this one contains formaldehyde. It’s a great polish, though. I love the color, brightness, and product formula. When I picked this for Manicure Monday, I knew I needed something equally as fun and bright to balance it out.

mmns3

mmns4

Self-Satisfied is one of my most-used glitter toppers. I’ve used it in three different manicures now and it’s about half-empty. It looks fantastic over everything, though I love it best over bright colors, especially orange. I love to pair complementary colors, so I knew this would be best for the Neon Violet. Not all of the colors in the glitter work well over the base; it’s hard to see the red hearts and dark pink hexes, but I still like the match. I really love the way this turned out.

mmns5

mmns6

The only real downer to this manicure is the matte top coat. I’ve used Ciaté’s Mattenificent matte coat a couple times now, and I don’t know if it’s user error or not, but it kind of sucks. I mean, it does a great job being matte; look at how velvety the color is. What’s not cool, though, is how it splits. It makes these lines like crackle polish. Also, for some unknown reason, it created these white marks on my nails. Look at my pinky nail. Where did those come from? There was no white polish used in this manicure, so why there are there white spots? I actually had white brush strokes on my thumb. Here’s the kicker: the super glue I used to secure the studs left a bit of shine, so I put down another coat of Mattenificent; the white spots and lines went away. Seriously? They didn’t all go away, obviously, but the unsightly white brush strokes on my thumb are gone, as well as some other marks on other fingers. I am just so confused. At least the mani looks fine, that’s what counts! Here are some outdoor photos, taken in direct sunlight:

mmns7

mmns9

mmns8

American Apparel doesn’t seem to sell nail polish anymore, at least not on their website, because I couldn’t find it there. Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer has discontinued Self-Satisfied; other BEGL polishes are available in their shop. Ciaté is available at Sephora. My bow charm is from Claire’s, and I forget where my studs are from. Sorry.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s I’m Doctor Martha Jones, Who the Hell Are You?

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Stacie Wacie

Happy Saturday, reader! This week’s Swatch Saturday finds us beginning a new (new for me at least) Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer collection called It Got Away From Me, Yeah…, which is all about Doctor Who. What was once planned as a small collection ultimately grew into a huge collection that was released in three phases throughout 2014; one based on the lady companions, one on the male companions, and one based on the Doctors themselves, which was also a collaboration with Monster Polish. (If you remember the Monster Polish swatch I did a couple of weeks ago, that polish is part of this collection as well.) To call it collection might be too light. It’s very aptly named.

Anyway, the first polish from this first phase is I’m Doctor Martha Jones, Who the Hell Are You?; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

ssbeglidmswthay

ssbeglidmswthay2

ssbeglidmswthay3

ssbeglidmswthay4

I’m Doctor Martha Jones, Who the Hell Are You? is a magenta jelly polish with flakies that shift from gold to green to blue. Application was very easy; though the polish is loaded with these flakies, they’re very fine and don’t impact the polish consistency at all. The consistency is pretty middle-of-the-road; it has a bit of stuff in it, but it is, after all, a jelly. Because it’s a jelly, the flakies from previous coats shine through the final coat, and because it’s a jelly, a slight bit of visible nail line does come through. The polish dries with a matte finish; I used top coat for shine and protection.

ssbeglidmswthay5

ssbeglidmswthay6

ssbeglidmswthay9

ssbeglidmswthay8

So on this blog, especially when reviewing a polish, I try not to get hyperbolic or silly in my writing; I’m very much a fan of the just-the-facts-ma’am review. I’m going to throw that completely out the window for this review, because HOLY CRAP LOOK AT IT. I have never enjoyed photographing a polish this much, because it just could not take a bad photo. In every position, from every angle, in every lighting condition, it just looks flawlessly gorgeous and gorgeously flawless.And the flakie shift, HOLY CRAP. This is easily the best part. It goes from gold to green pretty easily; the blue is harder to get but is the prettiest. There is nothing I don’t like about this. I hate that I have to take it off so I can swatch other stuff. I did not expect to like this so much.

ssbeglidmswthay10

ssbeglidmswthay11

In direct sunlight, it’s a bit brighter and pinker, but is still freakin’ beautiful.

ssbeglidmswthay12

ssbeglidmswthay13

ssbeglidmswthay14

Macrooo

I’m Doctor Martha Jones, Who the Hell Are You? has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Other BEGL polishes are sold in their online shop.

Wacie.com

Home of Wacie Nail Company

Tag Archives: purple

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s I Wished For You, Too

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Post-Vacation Drama

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Whack With Poo Brain

I bought these products myself.

HPB Presents Dusty Watermarble

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: The Polish Bar’s Midnight Kiss

I bought this polish myself.

Review: Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche Lipsticks

These products were press samples and were sent by Influenster on behalf of Bite Beauty. I wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions contained herein are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Swatch Sunday: Orly’s Space Cadet

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie!

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Neon Satisfaction

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s I’m Doctor Martha Jones, Who the Hell Are You?

I bought this polish myself.