Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: Literary Lacquers’s Grey Cat/Grey Fence

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Swatch Sunday is here again! Today I’m wearing one of the first indie polishes I ever bought, as well as one of my first Literary Lacquers. This is Grey Cat/Grey Fence; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Grey Cat/Grey Fence is a gray crelly with black, white, and iridescent glitters in squares and hexes. Application was easy; though sheer, the crelly goes on evenly and without streaks or patches. The glitters also spread evenly and show nicely through many layers of polish. I had no issues at all with it. The product consistency was perfect; it supports the glitters without being thick or blobby. It dries quickly and to a glossy, somewhat smooth finish. I added top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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Grey Cat/Grey Fence is inspired by a passage from O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi. As quoted by the maker:

“Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.”

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I’ve had this polish for two years now, and I’ve only worn it once before. Even though Literary Lacquers makes some breathtaking holo polishes, there’s a special place in my heart for this polish, and it might be my favorite LitLacq to date. It’s simple by today’s indie polish standards, but two years ago, when I was new to indie polish, this was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and the fact that someone was making polish inspired by books was pretty much the greatest thing I’d ever heard.

Grey Cat/Grey Fence has been discontinued, but other Literary Lacquers are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Get Too Close to the Flame

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Happy Saturday! We’re finally caught up on swatches from last week, so let’s look at some new ones! Today’s swatch is a special-edition glitter topper from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer called Get Too Close to the Flame. I’m wearing one coat over Revlon’s Bare Bones, Essie’s Good Morning Hope, and Sally Hansen’s Kelp Yourself, as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Get Too Close to the Flame is a clear-based topper with glitters in shades of pink and orange and various sizes (including stars), as well as a fine pink shimmer throughout. Application went well; the glitters spread evenly, though I did employ a bit of dabbing/placing to cover bare spots and spread out the glitters that clumped together. There was no extra cuticle-flooding lacquer, and the base was the right consistency to support the glitter without being too thick or goopy. Drying times were quick, and it dried with a smooth texture and glossy finish. I added top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

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This is a summer polish for sure. The color is bright and bold, even if it’s not that colorful, and the variety of shapes and sizes make it interesting to look at. I love the big dots and tiny stars, the hexes large and small. I love the pink shimmer and its perfect amount of sparkle. I love that it looks fantastic over any polish, soft or bright. This is the first BEGL topper I’ve worn in months, and I forgot how nice they are.

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Get Too Close to the Flame was a limited edition and is no longer for sale. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are for sale in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Weekday Swatch: Lavish Polish’s Mint to Be

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Happy Thursday, reader! Today’s post would have been this week’s Swatch Sunday if I hadn’t gone out of town. This is Lavish Polish‘s Mint to Be. I’m wearing three coats of Mint to Be with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Mint to Be is a mint green crelly with sky blue, fuchsia, white, and baby pink glitters, as well as hot pink and white heart glitters. Application was challenging; the product consistency is quite thin and didn’t really stay put on the nail. It also didn’t seem to be able to support the glitters, because they didn’t distribute well inside the bottle, no matter how much I rolled, shook, or stirred it. This is especially true for the large glitters; I just could not get them out on the brush and really had to dig for them. On a positive note, the crelly looks fabulous with the bright matte glitters; the translucence is perfect for the layered glitter effect. This polish dried pretty quickly, about five minutes per coat, and dried with a semi-glossy finish. I added top coat to smooth out the glitters and add shine.

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Even though I had a tough time applying it, I really like the look I got. This is part of a Valentine’s Day trio, but it’s not overtly, obviously lovey-dovey. It’s colorful and cheerful, it’s perfect for springtime, and it’s not mawkish or over the top romantic. It’s adorable. This is my first Lavish Polish, and I’m looking forward to trying some new ones.

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Mint to Be may be discontinued, as it’s no longer listed in their inventory. Other Lavish Polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Wacie Nail Company Release: Whitewash

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Surprise! There’s a Wacie Nail Company release today! I wanted to do it sooner; a couple of weeks ago, I showed you a manicure featuring Whitewash, a white jelly polish, as part of a jelly sandwich. I wanted to release it then, but as I’d just cut my nails back, I wanted to wait until I had a little more growth. Whitewash is being released on the Wacie Nail Company etsy shop when this blog goes live. I’m wearing two coats of Whitewash with one coat of Seche Vite.

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I’ve always loved the look of whitewash over wood; wood, especially when battered and weathered, has a wonderful amount of character. Whitewash emphasizes it; it covers yet highlights every splintery, grainy detail. I wanted to see if this applied to nails as well. I mixed a very small amount of white polish into clear lacquer base, and I got a result that was creamy and pleasantly sheer, just like a good whitewash. It covers the imperfections while highlighting what’s beautiful beneath.

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Whitewash and other Wacie Nail Company polishes are for sale in the Wacie Nail Company etsy shop.

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Also, just for fun, I’ve decided to give a bottle of Whitewash away to a lucky giveaway winner. Contest is open to US residents 18 years or older. No giveaway accounts, please. Entrants outside the US or under 18 years of age will be disqualified. Contest ends Saturday, August 8, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be notified on Sunday, August 9. Good luck, players!

Weekday Swatch: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s BEGLove

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I don’t normally post much during the week, but I spent my weekend out of town, so my weekend swatches didn’t get posted. I’m going to get those out this week. Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s BEGLove would have been my Swatch Saturday post. This is BEGLove at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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BEGLove is an dark indigo linear holo with deep purple shimmers. The purple shimmers give the polish a more purple appearance than indigo, I think. This was a dream to apply; I got strong color and full opaque coverage in one coat. It dried quickly — dry to the touch in under five minutes — and with a satin finish. I used top coat to emphasize the holo effect.

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BEGLove is also the name of the official Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer fan group on Facebook. This polish is a group exclusive; you have to be in the group to buy it and it’s not available to the general public. I’m torn by this: I wish everybody could wear this polish because it’s perfect, but I’m also kind of glad it’s exclusive. Like it makes us a real fan club.

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The BEGLove group is probably the reason I own so many BEGL polishes. I just really love the sense of community fostered by creator Julie and her mod team. I feel like I’m not just a customer, but a friend of the brand. Even though there are indie brands I like just as much or better than BEGL, I feel very loyal to BEGL because of that community. I always take my disposable income there first.

As I mentioned, BEGLove is only available to members of the BEGLove Facebook group. Other BEGL polishes are for sale in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Lancôme’s Etincelle D’argent

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Welcome to another Swatch Sunday! I’m really excited to bring you this post. I love department store polish because it’s so luxurious and overpriced; it really makes me feel like the fancy lady I’ve always wanted to be. My selection this week is Lancôme’s Etincelle D’argent; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Etincelle D’argent — or Silver Sparkle — is a dark silver metallic microglitter polish. In direct light, a purple-green shimmer is discernable. I can’t tell if the base is clear or gray, because the glitter is so dense. It applies a bit like a Liquid Sand or other texture polish; the glitter is dense enough that it’s easy to get a clean cuticle line, and very little got on my skin or cuticles. It dries quickly and with a textured glitter finish. I added top coat for smoothness, but the texture is still palpable through one coat.

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I really love wearing this. For a monochrome microglitter, it has a lot of dimension. The glitter is metallic and catches a ton of light. It’s a gorgeous polish for sure. Confession, though: this particular bottle cost me $15, and though I do acknowledge that this is a lot of money for 6ml of polish, I don’t feel bad about it at all. This is why it’s so fun for me to wear. Yeah, it’s frivolous. Yeah, I probably could have gotten a similar polish for a fraction of the price. Nah, I don’t feel bad about it in the slightest.

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Etincelle D’argent was actually a holiday limited edition and isn’t sold anymore. Other Lancôme polishes are sold in department stores. I got mine at Belk.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype FOJ 1.0

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Happy Saturday, reader! I have another fun Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype to show you. This is FOJ 1.0; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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FOJ 1.0 is a white crelly polish with glitters in white, blue, and holographic silver, as well as some fine red glitters throughout. Application was easy; the crelly went on evenly and the glitters spread well. Drying times were good. It dried evenly and with a glossy finish. I still used top coat for extra shine and smoothness.

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I like this polish, even though it’s not terribly exciting. The white glitters blend into the crelly pretty well, avoiding detection. The same is true for the holographic glitters; they’re pretty when they’re not too obscured. The blues and the tiny reds stand out pretty well and add a small touch of color. As it said, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s still pretty fun to wear.

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FOJ 1.0 was a one-off prototype and is not for sale. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: LA Colors’s Animated

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Welcome back! I’m excited to be wearing a red polish for this week’s Swatch Sunday. This is Animated from LA Colors, worn at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Also, unfortunately, I had a break and now my nails are awkwardly short. Please bear with me for the next few weeks while they grow back out.

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Animated is a red polish with a matching shimmer. Application was good; the product consistency was thin but well-pigmented. After three coats, though, I never really achieved full opacity. I can still see the moon of my thumbnail through the polish. The shimmer effect is very subtle, but does stand out more in certain lighting conditions. The polish dries quickly and with a glossy finish.

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I paid a dollar for this polish, and I’m really impressed with it. I had no issues at all with it. The color is vibrant, and the polish wears well; I’m actually on my third day of this manicure and it looks exactly the same as in the photos. I cannot believe this only cost me a dollar. It’s definitely one of the best dollars I’ve ever spent.

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LA Colors is sold at drugstores and other shops. I got mine from Dollar General.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Prototype MW 1.8

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Another Saturday, another swatch! Today I’m wearing Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype MW 1.8; this is three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Let’s have a look!

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Prototype MW 1.8 is a nude creme with fine holographic gold glitter. It applies like a French pink might; the first coat is very sheer, but builds in opacity with additional coats. The glitter is deposited easily and evenly; the sheer polish covers the glitter, but not enough to remove its holographic effect. At three coats, the glitter looks like cinnamon sugar in my polish. The consistency is fantastic and applies well. It dries quickly and with a glossy, smooth finish.

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I am having a blast wearing this. Nude polishes always make me think my nails look longer and expertly manicured, so I get excited when I have the chance to wear one. This polish is a fun take on a dainty and classic look.

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Prototype MW 1.8 is a one-off bottle and there aren’t any others like it. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Kunimitsu’s Lucky Goldfish

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Happy Sunday! I’m so excited to bring you this Sunday’s swatch. I bought this polish ages ago and I’m just getting to try it out. I’ve been looking forward to it for so long! This is Lucky Goldfish from Kunimitsu; I’m wearing four coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Lucky Goldfish is a royal blue jelly with metallic orange glitters. Application was easy; as a jelly, the first coat was expectedly thin, but coverage built with added layers. The product consistency is good; the lacquer is just the right thickness and distributes the glitter well. The jelly is thin enough to show the glitter from previous layers, giving it a proper jelly-sandwich look. Drying times were good, and the polish dries with a glossy finish and smooth touch. I used top coat for extra shine and to bring out the shine from the glitters.

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When I saw this polish had orange glitter in a blue base, I knew I had to have it. You may know that I’m a huge fan of complementary colors, and when I saw two in one bottle, I fell in love. The colors are bright and gorgeous; the blue absolutely glows, and that’s thanks in part to the orange glitters. This is also why the orange glitter stands out so strongly. Both parts work together to create a fun and colorful look.

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Lucky Goldfish and other Kunimitsu polishes are available from Kunimitsu’s etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.