Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Grandpa

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Happy Saturday! Today’s polish is Grandpa from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. I’m afraid I couldn’t do this polish any justice, because it is full of tiny magnificent flakies. I’m wearing three coats of Grandpa with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Grandpa is a white creme with pink and gold iridescent flakies. Application was easy, especially for a white polish; the first coat went on nicely without streaks or bald spots in the color, and was about halfway opaque. The second coat achieved perfect opacity. I hesitate to say “full opacity”, because even after the third coat, there was still slight squishiness left. However, it’s still opaque enough that the flakies aren’t readily apparent — in fact, I sometimes forgot they were there. It was only when the light hit them just right that they were noticeable. The polish dries quickly and with a smooth, semi-glossy finish; I added top coat for shine and extra flakie visibility.

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As I mentioned, because the flakies disappear so well into the creme, it was hard to get good photos of it. They’re much easier to see in person. In some of these photos, if you look where the glare is, that’s where you’ll see the flakies, but even then, they’re tough to spot. This reminds me of another BEGL polish, Purple Phlox, that had these teeny iridescent glitters blended in that often went undetected. They were like tiny little secrets on my nails.

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In direct sunlight is where I saw them best. The second photo in this set has the most flakie glow, I think. I love this polish, it’s the perfect base for nail art but with a tiny oft-hidden sparkle.

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Grandpa and other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Seche’s Collage Overlay

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It’s Swatch Sunday again! Today’s swatch is Seche’s Collage Overlay! This is a serious glitter topper. I’m wearing one brushed coat over China Glaze’s Pelican Gray, Essie’s Fiji, and Ciaté’s Sugar Plum, as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Collage Overlay is a clear-based glitter topper with holographic pink bar and hex glitters in various sizes, as well as large white hexes. Application was tricky with this; there’s so much glitter and it tends to clump together, making it a challenge to get even coverage. The bar glitters are pretty long in this polish and can be difficult to work with as well. You can see them sticking off the edges of the nail and into the cuticle. On the plus side, it does dry quickly with some chunky glitter texture. I used top coat for shine and smoothness.

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So I really wanted to love this look. I really loved it the first time I used it; I paired it with a hot pink jelly for a sandwich, and it made a really great look. I love the glitters in this mix; I love how it’s holo glitter, but it’s not much like any holo glitter I’ve ever seen. The color is unique. I love the white hexes as a monotony breaker. I just wished it brushed on a bit better. It’s a mess.

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I took some photos outside, and let me tell you, this is blinding in direct sunlight. Look how washed out these sunlight photos are. This will give you some indication of how shiny it is. It was kind of painful to look at.

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Collage Overlay might have been discontinued by Seche. Other Seche products are available in stores nationwide; I got mine from Sally Beauty Supply.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy

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Happy Saturday, reader! Today’s swatch is a gorgeous one! I know I said last week’s BEGL swatch was the best BEGL holo to date, but this one is in a close second for sure! This week we’re talking about Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy; I’m wearing it at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. The following photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy is a black linear holo with shifting shimmers. Application was great; it has the same velvety formula Void Stuff had; one that’s nearly opaque on the first coat, but isn’t thick or hard to control. This was very thin, almost drippy, but not quite, and went on very easily. It dried quickly with a satiny finish; I used top coat for shine and protection.

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This is the best black holo BEGL has ever made. It’s the blackest of the black; polishes like Don’t Worry, I Don’t Bite and Discontinued Limited Edition aimed for black, but were still a pretty silvery gray at the end result. This one has a great linear holo effect, but also manages to stay a rich, deep black. It’s the best black holo I’ve used so far.

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The shimmers get lost a bit in the holo, but it’s fine. Being one of the darkest black holos ever, I can forgive it.

Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy has been discotninued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Sally Hansen’s Magenta Moves

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Welcome back, reader! It’s Sunday, so it’s time for swatches! Today’s swatch is an oldie but a goodie, Sally Hansen’s Magenta Moves! I still remember the day I plucked this polish out of a Target sale bin. For this swatch, I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Magenta Moves is a bright pink creme polish. Application was a challenge due to the wide Insta-Dri brush. I love the product formula; the pigmentation is excellent, delivering an opaque first coat, but the brush was about as wide as my whole nail and made application somewhat of a mess. The polish itself, though, is very nice. It’s well-pigmented and opaque, and dries evenly and smoothly with a glossy finish. I used top coat for even more shine.

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Let’s talk about the stained cuticle. I know you’re looking at it, I can’t stop looking at it, I’m kind of embarrassed about the whole thing. This is the unfortunate downside to the Insta-Dri formula. Because you get such fantastic one-coat coverage and strong color, you’ll also get some staining if you’re not careful. I figured this would happen, so I took all the precautions I could — I slathered my cuticules in oil before I started, and I tried my damnedest to keep the color off my skin to begin with, but because the brush was so wide and my nails are so little that it just happened anyway. And let me tell you, that pink stain was not easy to remove. I used a boatload of acetone and washed dishes, and the only thing that took it off was cuticle remover. It’s really my own fault for having neglected cuticles, but even so, let this be a warning.

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Magenta Moves has been discontinued by Sally Hansen; other Insta-Dri polishes and Sally Hansen products are available in stores nationwide.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Void Stuff

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Happy Saturday, reader! I’m so excited to share today’s swatch with you, because it’s an incredible polish, possibly even my favorite BEGL holo to date! This is Void Stuff from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Void Stuff is a deep turquoise linear holo with color-shifting shimmers. Sometimes the shimmers appear pink, sometimes they disappear into the green polish. Application was so easy because the consistency is so smooth and velvety; though it was a bit thin, it glided right on and gave me near opacity on the first coat. The linear holo effect was a bit stronger in Void Stuff than in previous BEGL holos. It dries quickly and with an almost glossy finish; I used top coat for shine and extra sparkle.

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Though it’s a deep color, it’s very appropriate for the season! It’s the color of the happiest ocean. In the shade, the turquoise is still very vibrant and has a metallic finish, and in the sunlight, the holo is very intense. I could seriously look at this polish all day. I think it might look even better on the nail than it does in the bottle! It is summer happiness.

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Void Stuff, unfortunately, has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Other BEGL polishes are available at their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Mystery Brand’s Glitter Glow in the Dark Polish

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Hello reader! This Sunday’s polish is one of those fun novelty ones from around the holidays. I don’t have a brand or a shade name, just this cute pumpkin face — looks strangely sinister in the dark — and a dainty, glowing look. I got this from Rite Aid in Atlanta a few years ago, and that’s really all I can tell you about it. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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This mystery polish is a translucent glow in the dark polish with a fine iridescent glitter mix. Application was good; the consistency was about what I expected, not too thick or thin. The glitter is well-distributed and evenly applies to the nail. It’s very sheer, so building to opacity is not what this polish was suited for; however, this doesn’t have a grainy appearance that some glowers have with multiple coats, making it a good polish for layering. It dries quickly and with a glossy finish, though there is still a bit of texture from the glitter.

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I bought these — I also have a pink equivalent — because I couldn’t turn down glow in the dark polishes with glitter. I’m not the kind of person who (usually) goes after novelty products, but these were so cute and not really something I expected to find, so I got them. I like how barely there it is; I forget I’m wearing polish at all. Even the glitter is inconspicuous unless the light is shining right on it. And, of course, the glow is pretty powerful if you’ve been holding it under the light. One thing I worry about is wear length and quality; a few hours after finishing the mani, I got a chip.

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I took some outdoor photos. The sun didn’t come out for me today, but it looks nice regardless. These photos were taken in mostly cloudy conditions.

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I have these polishes listed as Rite-Aid, since that’s where I got them, and there’s no branding or anything else on it. I’d love to learn more about who makes these!

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s The Innuendo Squad

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! I absolutely love today’s polish. This is The Innuendo Squad from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Al photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight (by the pool!).

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The Innuendo Squad is a powder blue linear holo polish with silver shimmer. Application was very good; the consistency was thin enough to glide on, but thick enough to be very pigmented. I had near-opacity on the first coat. I had no issues at all with this polish. It dries quickly and with a satin finish; I used top coat for shine and extra holo goodness.

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I’m really enjoying this polish. The holo is on the softer side; there’s no crazy rainbow action here, but I’m okay with that. I feel like too much holo would spoil the beautiful color of this polish. The silver shimmer is really subtle as well, a soft addition you’ll miss if you don’t know it’s there. It’s very delicate, and very charming.

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Outdoors is where you’ll see the holo effect best, obviously. I think the shimmer might look best indoors, but the holo looks best out here for sure. Really, just the color of this polish is a huge win for me. The holo and shimmer are bonus.

The Innuendo Squad is discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Rica’s Alchemical Seas of Hope

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Welcome back! Today’s swatch is a fun one; it’s my first-ever Rica polish! This is also a charity polish from the Lighthouse of Hope box curated by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This is Alchemical Seas of Hope; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche vite top coat.

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Alchemical Seas of Hope is a green jelly with green and gold glitters, as well as a fine golden shimmer throughout. Application was good; even though there’s a lot of glitter in the bottle, there isn’t a lot that comes out on the brush. Additional coats deepen the jelly while only adding a few bits of glitter. I kind of like this look as is, but I wish there’d been more glitter. The green jelly is wonderfully squishy. The polish dries quickly enough and with a textured glitter finish. I used top coat for smoothness and extra shine.

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You might notice the edges on some nails to be ragged and chipped at the tips. I’m not completely sure what caused this. I can tell you that some nails have thicker coats of polish than others, and that might have led to easy chipping. Also, Seche Vite never seems to play nice with glitter jellies and crellies, shrinking the edges away from the tip of the nail. Either way, I do apologize for how terrible it looks. I didn’t really realize it was this bad until I took photos.

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As I mentioned, Alchemical Seas of Hope is a polish in a charity box called the Lighthouse of Hope. $60 from each box is donated to I Need a Lighthouse, a depression awareness network. Rica had this to say about their polish:

“I named it Alchemical Seas of Hope because sometimes depression can feel like you’re in turbulent seas. As hard things may seem to be, there is always a lighthouse of hope in the horizon. Don’t lose sight of that.”

The Lighthouse of Hope Box contains eight polishes from eight makers, including Rica’s Alchemical Seas of Hope. The box is $80; $60 of it goes to charity. It’s available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. Other Rica polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

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 Sunday: Revlon’s Sweet Revenge

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Happy Sunday! Today’s post is a little different from the usual Swatch Sunday business, because we’ve got a twofer as the polish this week. Revlon’s French Mix set comes with two colors and encourages you to do some nail art with them. This set is called Sweet Revenge. In the photos below, I’m wearing three coats of each polish with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Before I talk about the polishes, I want to talk about the packaging, because it directly affects the quality of the polish. While this double-ended polish brush seems really stylish and convenient, I’ve had nothing but problems with them. The brush caps break and stops fitting inside the brush cap, or the polish itself dries out. Either way, the polishes end up becoming unusable. When I took this one out to use it, the brush to the purple polish was broken, and the pink polish was totally dried out. If you have any of these polishes and you hate the packaging as much as I do, you may be pleased to know that the brushes and caps from mini polish bottles from TKB Trading are the same size and will fit very well. This is how I was able to separate mine and save the polish inside.

The pink in this set, as I mentioned, was totally dried out, but I saved it with polish thinner. Because of this, and because I had to use so much, I can’t speak for the consistency of this polish, or what it was like before I had to thin it out. When I applied it, it was on the thinner side, and required all three coats for full opacity.

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The purple polish is very opaque, and achieved full opacity by the second coat. The pink shimmer, though fine, appears best in lower light; the studio lights washed it out a bit. The purple polish was the best suited for nail art because of its opacity. Both polishes dried quickly with glossy finishes.

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I did a quick skittle mani just to see how well each one works for actual nail art. The pink, though it does work for some things, isn’t thick enough to fully cover the purple, which is opaque enough to cover anything. I’ll definitely be using the pink as the base color from now on. Photos were taken in both the studio and outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Sweet Revenge, the French Mix series, and the double-ended brushes in general seem to be discontinued by Revlon, because I don’t see them on their website (good). Other Revlon products are available nationwide.

I bought this product myself.