Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: MAC’s Neptune

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Happy Sunday! I’m excited to show you today’s polish; it’s a souvenir from one of the coolest vacations I’ve ever taken. This is MAC’s Neptune, and it was purchased from the Macy’s flagship store in New York City. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Neptune is a metallic burnished gold polish. Application was easy; coverage was buildable, and it took me all of three coats to achieve this level of opacity. The consistency was thin but smooth and cooperative. It dries quickly and to a semi-glossy finish. There’s a slight duochrome effect to this polish; it leans slightly green when in certain lighting conditions. I used top coat for shine and to accentuate the shimmery finish.

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I mentioned before that this polish is a souvenir, and it is. Last year, I had the opportunity to tag along on a road trip from Jacksonville, FL to Niagara Falls. We passed through New York City, and being sentimental and a shopaholic, I stopped in every flagship store and bought at least one thing, just so I could say “Yeah, I got this from the Herald Square Macy’s”. I almost wonder if that wasn’t the whole reason I wanted to go to New York.

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I really like this polish. Apart from its being a vacation buy, it was one of my first MAC polishes, and probably also one of my first makeup-brand polishes. I tend not to buy those since they’re so easily dupeable, but this had been a special occasion, and sometimes it feels good to overpay for something. It feels like a luxury.

Neptune was part of MAC’s long-gone Aquatic Allure collection and is discontinued. Other MAC polishes are sold at counters and stores nationwide.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: A Rhyming Dictionary Polish’s Heathendom

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Hi reader! This is the first new swatch I’ve done since I got the camera back. It feels so good to be doing this again! This Saturday, I’m wearing a new-to-me brand called A Rhyming Dictionary Polish. This is Heathendom; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Heathendom is a medium blue linear holo with silver flakies. Application was a breeze; my first coat was sheer, the second evened out the color, and the third achieved full opacity. The holo effect is most visible outdoors, though it does appear in any lighting condition. The silver flakes are more easily seen indoors. It also seems to have a purple shift in some lower lighting conditions. Drying times were very fast, and the polish dried with a satin finish. I used top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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Heathendom was released as an installment of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Destination Duo collaboration series. It and its sister polish, Foss Idols from BEGL, were inspired by the spectacular Goðafoss, or Waterfall of the Gods, in northern Iceland. Both polishes do a very nice job of evoking images of clear, deep, cool water, but I think this is my favorite of the two. The fact that it’s a holo helps a bit. I’m also really impressed with the formula and the presentation, so I’m also pretty likely to check out A Rhyming Dictionary’s other polishes.

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The Goðafoss Destination Duo is available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. Other A Rhyming Dictionary polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Brag Swatch: Enchanted Polish’s Lobster Roll

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Today is a momentous occasion. I have squashed my ultimate lemming: I now own a bottle ofEnchanted Polish‘s Lobster Roll. As soon as I got home, I tore open the envelope, took off my old mani, and put it on. I have looked forward to this day for so long, and I thought it would never come. Here is my brag-swatch of Lobster Roll; I’m wearing two coats with Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct light.

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Lobster Roll is a red linear holo with a strong pink flash. It’s got a gorgeous formula; I actually had full opacity on the first coat. The consistency is rich, smooth, and velvety. It dried quickly with a semi-glossy finish. I used top coat for shine, as well as to bring out the shimmery pink flash.

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I am so happy that I finally own this that I can’t even tell you. I don’t want to be the dramatic nail girl who says that finally finding her holy grail polish is the best thing that has ever happened, and I can’t remember a time when I was this happy, but it’s kind of true. I gushed to my boyfriend about it the day I bought it, and he’s like “Don’t you have enough polish? I don’t care that it’s hard to find, it’s not freakin’ Pokemon.” So this is why I’m writing a post about it. I know that you, dear reader, will understand my euphoria. This is, without a doubt, a very happy day.

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Sorry this isn’t a proper review post. I really just needed to brag.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Lynnderella’s Chef Kitty

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Did I mention how happy I am to be swatching again? I have missed it so much. I know I’m out of practice, so please bear with me while I get back into the swing of it. This Sunday, I’m wearing my first Lynnderella polish, Chef Kitty; I’m wearing one coat over Mac’s Queen’s Honor (red), Essie’s Roarrrrrange (orange), OPI’s I Just Can’t Cope-acabana (yellow), Revlon’s Posh (green), and Nails Inc.’s Baker Street (blue) with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Chef Kitty is a shimmery glitter topper with mostly white glitters in various shapes and sizes, as well as accent glitters in various colors and finishes. The maker describes it as an “’everything but the kitchen sink’ approach to cuisine”, and I have to agree with that; the variety of glitters in this polish is staggering. Considering the amount of glitter in this bottle, it spread very well over the nail; I had no trouble getting even coverage at all. It dried pretty well, all things considered. I used to top coat to smooth everything down and really bring out the shimmer in the lacquer base.

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I know Lynnderella is old news for most people, but I had to see what the fuss was about and, last March, purchased Chef Kitty. I loved the mental image; I pictured my own fat fluff wearing a chef’s hat and knocking every herb and spice I own into a bowl. I was amazed by this polish and its quality, so impressed that I bought 24 more since then. They’re just so gorgeous! Lynnderella’s been in the indie polish game a long time, but everything they make is still creative and gorgeous.

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Chef Kitty is available from Lynnderella’s Storenvy; other Lynns can be purchased via eBay auction.

I bought this polish myself.

News: Wacie Nail Co. for Depression Awareness 2015

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Hey reader! For once, I have something really exciting to share with you. Julie, the owner of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, is getting ready to start her annual depression awareness fundraiser, and for the second time, Wacie Nail Company has made a special edition one-of-a-kind polish for the cause. This year’s offering is called Glow-Mo; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Glow-Mo is a pastel green polish with a green pearl flash, rose pearl flakies, and a slight holo effect. It also glows green in the dark. It’s on the sheer side; it took me all three coats to get to this opacity, and it dries with matte finish.

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These photos were taken in direct sunlight. This is where the holo effect is most visible.

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These photos were taken in complete darkness to demonstrate the glow-in-the-dark effect. If I may say so myself, the glow is really bright. I wore this to bed last night and I kept waking myself up with my nails. And, for funsies, I included a photo that’s not in complete darkness; it’s really just my hallway with the lights turned off. It glows even there. I feel I should mention that that photo is not altered in any way.

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Looks like an ’80s music video!

There is only one bottle of Glow-Mo (other than the one I used for swatching, of course), and it is being auctioned on eBay with tons of other special polishes from other makers. 100% of the proceeds goes to benefit the depression awareness and suicide prevention network I Need A Lighthouse. This is a cause that means a lot to me, so please check out the auction. Last year’s auction raised over 700 dollars, so let’s try to beat that number! The auction begins today, 10/31, at noon EDT; you can find the entire auction here.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Ocean Warmed by the Sun

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Guess what, reader! My camera is fixed, and Weekend Swatches are back in action! You may notice that this is actually my second post today; that post is important, so make sure you check it out! These photos were actually taken a couple months ago; it was the last Swatch Saturday post planned before the camera broke. The polish is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Ocean Warmed by the Sun; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Ocean Warmed by the Sun is a turquoise linear holo with hot pink shimmers. It went on pretty well; it was almost opaque in one coat, and two sealed it up. The color is bright, and the holo effect is pretty strong. it even kind of upstages the pink shimmers, because they’re a bit hard to see. It dried quickly and with a glossy finish; I used top coat to really bring out the holo effect and shimmers.

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This is a super-summery polish. It’s the color of the sky when I’m near the ocean; it’s bright and cheerful and flawless. I want to live in a universe where the sky is this blue a hundred percent of the time.

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If you follow me on Instagram, you know I used Ocean Warmed by the Sun in my birthday mani. It was just the right blue to match the Nails Inc. glitter I used. I know holos have been around a while, but I still get excited when I use one. It must be how a dog feels every time it gets a treat.

Ocean Warmed By the Sun has been discontinued by BEGL, but other polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

 

Swatch Sunday: Love, Angeline’s Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

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Welcome to this week’s Swatch Sunday! I’m excited to show you a polish from a new-to-me brand called Love, Angeline. This polish, Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, was a Beauty Quartet Box exclusive, so it’s also not a common one. I’m wearing three coats of Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend is a deep emerald green holo with fine emerald glitter throughout. The holo effect is pretty subtle; indoors, it’s basically invisible, but outdoors it’s much more potent. The glitters are visible in any light and give the polish a jewel-like finish. Application was easy; the product consistency was on the thicker side, but I had no problems with it. It dried quickly and with a somewhat glossy but smooth finish. I added top coat to really bring out the glitter shine.

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This is a really lovely polish. The jeweltone effect is really cool. The holo isn’t the focus of this polish, and I think that’s really interesting; there’s just enough of it to be pretty, but the glitter is the real star of the show. It makes the polish.

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Emeralds Are a Girl’s Best Friend was a box exclusive polish and is no longer sold new. Other Love, Angeline polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Siren Seashore

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Happy Saturday! I’m excited to bring you today’s swatch, because it’s the first of a small-batch series by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Each month since August 2014, BEGL has released one Siren polish, and more often than not, they sell out in minutes. Siren Seashore, the oldest Siren, is the one I’m wearing today. I’m wearing three coats of Siren Seashore with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Siren Seashore is a sheer nude crelly with gold, copper and blue glitters in various sizes and finishes, as well as a fine shimmer throughout. The product consistency was really nice; the lacquer is thin, but supports the glitters well. The glitters spread easily and evenly over the nail. It’s quite sheer; even after three coats, my nail line is still visible. This also means it layers beautifully over the glitter. The polish dries with a glossy, smooth finish; I added top coat for extra shine.

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I think the Siren series polishes are among BEGL’s best work. Siren Seashore is my favorite of the recent BEGLs I’ve worn. I really love the nude crelly, because it blends right in with my nail. The glitter really stands out from it. It’s a soft neutral look with just a bit of color and lots of sparkle. It’s absolutely beautiful.

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Siren Seashore is no longer available from BEGL, and the BEGL shop is currently on hiatus.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: L’Oreal’s Target Red

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We’re seeing red this Swatch Sunday! L’Oreal’s Target Red is one of my favorite and most well-loved red cremes. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Target Red is a red creme. Application was easy; because this is an old bottle, it was actually pretty dried out and I was able to create my perfect consistency with thinner. I used three coats, but I had really nice opacity after two. Drying times were good, and it dried with a very glossy finish. I added top coat for even more shine and protection. I had no issues with this polish, but during cleanup I did notice it gets really smudgy with acetone. Seriously, I looked like a murderer.

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Target Red was a Target-exclusive shade way back in 2010. There was a liquid lipstick, a traditional cream lipstick, and this nail color. This really is an old polish, and it’s been used a lot; there was a time when I used this polish — together with the liquid lipstick and a pair of matching red glasses — almost exclusively. As a result, and you can’t really tell this from the photos, it’s only about a quarter full. It’s been good to me. I ran out of the lipstick years ago, but I’m glad there’s still some of the polish left.

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Target Red appears to have been discontinued, but other L’Oreal polishes are available in stores.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype SLE 1.1

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Happy weekend, reader! I’m excited to show today’s polish, a golden holo prototype from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. It’s the most summery polish I’ve worn this summer so far! This is Prototype SLE 1.1, and I’m wearing three coats of it with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. All photos are taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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SLE 1.1 is a yellow linear holo with a golden flash and blue shimmer. Application was easy; though the product consistency was on the thinner side, it still went on smoothly. It did leave some brush-strokes, which are most apparent in the shimmer. The holo effect is subtle, and I can’t tell if it’s being overpowered by the gold or if there just isn’t much to begin with. Because of this, the polish really comes to life outdoors; indoors, the holo effect doesn’t really happen at all, it’s just the golden shimmer, which gives it a metallic look and is actually pretty cool. The polish dries quickly; I used top coat for shine.

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So yeah. I like this a lot, and I’m kind of mad I didn’t wear it sooner. It’s like sunshine in a bottle. Summer is nearly over — though in Florida it’s unofficially summer pretty much all the time — and I’m just discovering another perfect summer polish. Of course.

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This polish is a prototype and there are no other bottles. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.