Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: Nicole by OPI’s Love Your Life

Posted on by

Happy Sunday, reader! My swatch today is of a polish I’ve had for a long time. This was 2009 or so, long before indie polish came into my life. I had ten dollars to burn and I was at Ulta. I found a polish with heart glitter in it and the rest is history. This is Love Your Life from Nicole by OPI; I’m wearing one brushed coat over OPI’s Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around (taupe), Ciaté’s Sugar Plum (lavender), and Sally Hansen’s Kelp Yourself (green), as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

ssnbolyl

ssnbolyl2

ssnbolyl3

ssnbolyl4

Love Your Life is a clear-based glitter topper with matte pastel pink heart glitters and a mix of fine iridescent hex glitters. Application was okay; the base is thick — unsure of whether this is due to formula or to age — and the bigger glitters tended to sink and had to be fished after. The iridescent glitters distribute well, at least. The hearts are a bit difficult to control with the brush; I kind of just brushed them on and left them where they landed. Though the product consistency was thick, it dried quickly, and with a glossy finish. I added top coat for protection and shine.

ssnbolyl5

You probably already have some fun dainty pink heart glitter polishes already from an indie, and if you do, you don’t need this polish. If you don’t, though, I do recommend it. It’s pretty simple, it’s just hearts and iridescent glitter, but I think it works. It’s annoying that the hearts are a little hard to get out, but it’s actually a good thing because you can control how many you want. You can make a mani as wild or as demure as you like. It also goes well over most colors, because it’s so light and pink. I actually really like it over these pastel cremes; when I swatch, I like to use some constrasting colors to make the swatch visually appealing, as well as show it some colors it might not normally be used over. I had to go for pastels this time, though, because it’s got that perfect Valentine’s candy vibe.

ssnbolyl6

ssnbolyl7

Love Your Life and other Nicole by OPI polishes are available at Ulta and other stores nationwide.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s ‘Murica

Posted on by

Welcome back to Swatch Saturday, reader! My swatch today is a real oldie, but a fun polish nevertheless. This polish, ‘Murica, was a patriotic polish released alongside another polish called Glory. Unfortunately, I missed out on Glory, but here’s Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s ‘Murica. This is three coats of ‘Murica with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

ssbeglm

ssbeglm2

ssbeglm3

ssbeglm4

‘Murica is a clear-based deep blue microglitter polish with red and blue star glitters and red shimmers. Application was easy, though while the base was clear, it took me many coats to achieve full opacity. The first coat went on almost like a glitter topper; the coverage was very thin and lots of bare nail was still visible. Of course, coverage built with each additional coat, so it ended up not being a huge problem. It was actually kind of interesting to find out, since I learned it could be worn as a fine glitter topper pretty easily. The polish took some time to dry since I put it on a bit thick, and it dried with a fine gritty texture. I added top coat for shine and smoothness.

ssbeglm5

ssbeglm6

The glitter is super shiny, so there’s a lot of issues with focus and glare in these photos. I don’t think I did it a whole lot of justice. You’ll just have to take my word for it that this polish is beautiful. Even though it looks like it’s all one color, there’s so much going on in it; there’s enough variety in the glitter for the polish to have lots of dimension and depth. It’s not just blue, there’s cobalt blue, ocean blue, and navy blue, as well as the red glitters adding contrast. It’s a really cool look. I did mention that there are star glitters, but none of them made it into any of my photos; there were some, but they were covered by the final coat of polish. I like this polish because its inspiration are only obvious if one knows it. Otherwise, it’s a barely patriotic but totally wearable glitter. It’s beautifully done.

ssbeglm7

ssbeglm8

‘Murica has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Other BEGLs are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sunburned Siren

Posted on by

It’s Saturday, and you know what that means: it’s time for a BEGL swatch! I’m excited about today’s swatch, because it’s an installment in Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Siren series. These limited edition polishes are some of the most-sought after BEGLs because they’re as scarce as they are gorgeous. This was also supposed to be swatched when my camera broke over the summer, so I’m happy to finally be wearing it! This is the second-ever Siren, Sunburned Siren. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

ssbeglssa

ssbeglssa2

ssbeglssa3

ssbeglssa6

Sunburned Siren is a creamy orange polish with gold shimmers. Application was really easy; the first coat was sheer, but even, without patches or streaks. I had full opacity in two coats. The golden shimmers appear in every lighting condition, though some do appear orange, given the sheer nature of the base. The polish dries quickly and with a glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

ssbeglssa4

ssbeglssa5

Sunburned Siren made her debut in September 2014, but she’s still very summery. The color itself is beautiful; I love orange and I think it doesn’t get enough play. The gold shimmer breathes life into it. The pigmentation is sheer enough that the shimmers from previous coats shine through, adding dimension. This polish is amazing. I’m always impressed when I remember the little details like this were planned, not created by accident.

ssbeglssa7

ssbeglssa8

I took some photos in the sunlight, just to see how to shimmers play in direct sunlight. The shimmer is pretty versatile in this regard; there are a few more shimmers than usual visible, but it’s not that big of a change. Also, I got an okay macro there. Sorry my pool is green.

ssbeglssa9

ssbeglssa10

ssbeglssa11

ssbeglssa12

Sunburned Siren is, unfortunately, no longer available, as it was a numbered limited edition. Other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: My True Love Creations’s Apple Crush

Posted on by

Swatch Sunday, at last! The polish I’m wearing this week is something new and interesting to me; I actually got this little mini as a gift-with-purchase from another blogger’s destash sale. After a little bit of homework, I found out that it’s from a new-to-me brand called My True Love Creations. I’m excited to learn about them! The polish I’m sharing today is called Apple Crush; I’m wearing three coats of Apple Crush with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos are taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

ssmtlac

You may also notice my nails took a trip to Chopsville this weekend. Yep. So sad.

ssmtlac2

ssmtlac3

Apple Crush is a orange-leaning red polish with holographic shimmer. Application was easy: the product consistency is good; it’s a little on the thin side, but doesn’t have any thin-polish problems like flooding or streaking. It is on the sheer side; it took me all three coats to achieve this opacity. It dries quickly and with a semi-glossy finish. I added top coat for extra shine and protection.

ssmtlac4

ssmtlac6

ssmtlac5

I’m pretty impressed with this little polish. I have to confess, I didn’t expect much since I didn’t know too much about it, but I’m really pleasantly surprised. The polish is gorgeous in its sparkly simplicity; while holos these days are these intense sparklers, this one takes a step back and offers just enough. It’s kind of refreshing actually.

ssmtlac7

ssmtlac8

Apple Crush and other My True Love Creations polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I did not buy this polish, but it was not sent by the maker for review.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Chlorine Light

Posted on by

Happy Saturday, reader! I feel like this weekend was a long time coming. My swatch this week is Chlorine Light from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. With this polish, we finish the 2014 Far From the Sun collection! I’m wearing three coats of Chlorine Light with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

ssbeglcl

ssbeglcl2

ssbeglcl3

ssbeglcl4

Chlorine Light is a deep blue linear holo polish with rainbow flakies. Application was smooth: the product consistency is just right, and the pigmentation is extraordinary. My first coat was nearly opaque. As you can see, the holo effect is strong in the sunlight, but this one is actually pretty strong indoors as well. It dried quickly. I used top coat to embellish the holo effect as well as to protect the color.

ssbeglcl5

ssbeglcl6

I can’t tell you how much I loved wearing this blue. I actually kept it on for a couple of days, even though I had other things I needed to swatch. I just could not bring myself to take it off. It’s such a vibrant and decadent blue, so perfect for this part of the year; it’s like a silent motivator to keep on keepin’ on until the summer, when everything in the world is the same gorgeous color. Until then, I must keep thinking summery thoughts. I also enjoyed this collection as a whole. These are BEGL holos at their finest.

ssbeglcl7

ssbeglcl8

Chlorine Light has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

 

 

Brag Post: Lynnderella’s Make a Mint in 2016

Posted on by

Welcome to a special wacie.com post! As you may know, I don’t usually wear polishes as soon as I get them; I like to try older ones before I get to the new ones. However, sometimes I just get so excited about a polish that I have to try it out right away. Today, that polish is Make a Mint in 2016 from Lynnderella. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

bslmami2016

My cuticles look dreadful! I swear they’re not dry, my hands are just really really cold.

bslmami20162

bslmami20163

Make a Mint in 2016 is a translucent mint green with shimmers in various colors. Application was easy; the product consistency was neither thick nor thin, and was easy to work with. The first coat is sheer and coverage builds with additional coats. The shimmers are very visible in every lightning condition. The polishes dries with a glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine.

bslmami20164

bslmami20165

Make a Mint in 2016 is a Lynnderella small-batch polish; only six bottles were made. After watching bottles of another small-batch polish, Bridal Beach Party, sell for hundreds of dollars per bottle, I was intimidated. I mean, I’ve spent some ridiculous money on polish, but I couldn’t justify getting my own bottle of that gorgeousness. I thought the same thing would happen with Make a Mint; the first bottle did sell for about a hundred dollars. When this one was still low and had a few minutes left, I decided I’d go for it. In the end, I paid 53 dollars for this polish. I can’t decide if I got it for a good price, or if I’m just really foolish.

bslmami20166

bslmami20167

As of the date this post was published, there are two bottles left of Make a Mint in 2016. If you’ve already got one, congrats! If you’re still watching auctions, good luck! Other Lynnderella polishes are available via their eBay store and their Storenvy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Monster Polish’s What’s Wrong With This Jumper?

Posted on by

Happy Sunday! I’m excited to show you today’s polish, because it’s from a new-to-me brand calledMonster Polish. This is one of the first two polishes I ever got from them, and I’m pretty floored by it. This is What’s Wrong With This Jumper?; I’m wearing three coats with and without top coat.

ssmpwwwtj

ssmpwwwtj2

ssmpwwwtj3

ssmpwwwtj4

What’s Wrong With This Jumper? is a black holo with blue and purple shimmers. Application was very smooth; the product consistency was thin, but not drippy or watery. It was sheer on the first coat, but even out by the second; I had full opacity in two coats. The polish dries with a satin finish reminiscent of leather. When top coat is used, the holo effect and shimmers really come out, making it look like a completely different polish.

ssmpwwwtj5

ssmpwwwtj6

I really struggled on whether to wear this polish with top coat or not. Usually, I put top coat on without question; I’m not a huge fan of satin and matte finishes, so I put on top coat because that’s how I would normally wear it. I’m actually shocked that I like this polish with its original finish. You can see the holo effect and shimmers and the dimension they create quite nicely with the satin finish. I was really impressed with it.

ssmpwwwtj7

ssmpwwwtj8

However that didn’t stop me from putting on the top coat. I had to see what it looked like, and holy cow, I couldn’t believe it. The shimmers and holo effect are so much more brilliant, the dimension even more intense, I couldn’t believe it was the same polish. Honestly, I do prefer it with the top coat, because after I put it on, it was like I breathed life into my manicure. I don’t want to say that the original finish looks dull or lifeless, because that’s absolutely not true. I’m saying that the top coat is like icing on the cake. It makes the polish way more appealing to me.

ssmpwwwtj10

ssmpwwwtj9

ssmpwwwtj11

ssmpwwwtj12

What’s Wrong With This Jumper and other pretties are currently in stock in the Monster Polish online store.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Dawn Breaks

Posted on by

It’s Saturday, and it’s time for swatches! The lovely polish we’re looking at today is the penultimate polish in Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Far From the Sun collection; it’s called Dawn Breaks, and I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Also, because it’s been cloudy for five days straight, I wasn’t able to use sunlight as my lighting source, and had to rely on indoor lighting to get the holo effect to really show up. I apologize for any color inconsistencies that might have resulted.

ssbegldb

ssbegldb2

ssbegldb3

ssbegldb4

Dawn Breaks is a rose holo with pink and gold shimmers. Application was super smooth; the product consistency was like velvet, and the first coat was nearly opaque, with full opacity in two coats. It was on the thinner side of what BEGL usually produces, but was still very easy to control and apply. The holo effect is most powerful in sunlight, obviously, but still looks pretty good under the LED lights in my kitchen. In other conditions, the polish seems to have a metallic finish, due in part to the Spectraflair as well as the colored shimmers. The product dries quickly. I added top coat for extra shine and to embellish the holo effect.

ssbegldb5

ssbegldb6

This polish is fantastic. The deep rose color is just magnificent, and the way it’s so well-pigmented without being goopy or sticky is just wonderful. The holo effect and shimmers are bonus; I would love this polish even without those things. It’s bright without being garish, so it’s kind of like a grown up hot pink. I love it to bits.

ssbegldb7

ssbegldb8

Dawn Breaks is discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes can be found in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Darling Diva Polish’s The Pumpkin Queen

Posted on by

Happy Sunday, reader! 2016 is off to a great start, isn’t it? I hope you’re all having a fantasic weekend. Yesterday, we looked a summer polish, and today we’re looking at an autumn polish. From a destash mystery bag, the same one that yielded this beauty, this is Darling Diva Polish‘s The Pumpkin Queen. I’m wearing one coat of The Pumpkin Queen over Nails Inc.’s Eaton Terrace and Baker Street and OPI’s I Just Can’t Cope-acabana, as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

ssddptpq

ssddptpq2

ssddptpq3

The Pumpkin Queen is a clear-based glitter topper with a mix of glitter that is predominantly matte and metallic orange hexes and metallic green hexes and squares. Though these colors are the focus of the polish, it’s actually quite colorful; there are glitters in red, yellow, and blue, as well as very large purple hexes. The glitters brushed on easily, though sparsely at first. The base consistency is good; it carries the glitter without goop. It dries quickly and with a smooth finish, though the purple hexes don’t lie flat on the nail.

ssddptpq4

ssddptpq5

Though the glitter mix is inherently autumnal, wearing this polish in January doesn’t feel completely out of place. Because there aren’t any seasonally-shaped glitters, and because the mix is so colorful, it’s not strictly a fall polish, even though it’s intended as one. I like the blue glitters best; they stand out from the rest of the glitters, but they also make the orange bolder. I really love the purple hexes too, but they feel just a tad out of place. Overall though, I like this polish, even though it’s not something I would have bought myself.

ssddptpq6

ssddptpq7

I did a little bit of homework on this polish; it’s a polish from 2012. I don’t even know if I have any others that old, because I didn’t get into indie polish until 2013. How cool, it’s vintage! I also love the printed label, it’s like a bootleg.

The Pumpkin Queen is no longer sold by Darling Diva Polish; other polishes are available from their shop.

I got this polish in a grab bag.

 

 

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Born of the Sea

Posted on by

Happy new year, reader! We’re ringing in 2016 the same way we did 2015 — with a swatch from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer! I’m looking forward to a new year full of beautiful polishes to try. From the Far From the Sun collection, this is Born of the Sea; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in partly cloudy conditions.

mmbeglbots

mmbeglbots2

mmbeglbots3

mmbeglbots4

Born of the Sea is a grassy green linear holo. Application was smooth; the product consistency was thick but workable. Coverage was good; I had full opacity in two coats. The linear holo effect was more subtle than some of the other polishes in the collection; of course, it’s most powerful in the sunlight. The polish dried with a matte finish. I added top coat for shine and protection.

mmbeglbots5

mmbeglbots6

mmbeglbots7

Of all the BEGLs I own, which is a lot, the greens are consistently some of my favorites. I originally overlooked this one in favor of some other polishes in this collection, but I really love the way this one looks on me. I usually don’t equate greens with summer, but there is something really tropical about this green; it reminds me of the bountiful foliage of summer, of long grass, fresh limes, full trees, the Florida backyard in general.

mmbeglbots8

mmbeglbots9

Born of the Sea has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.