Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype Summer 1.1

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Happy Saturday! Swatch Saturday is upon us once again. I’m done swatching the 2014 Fan Favorites collection from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. I’ve got a few one-off prototypes to try out, and then we’ll get into the Far From the Sun collection from last summer. This first prototype, Summer 1.1, is a non-final version of a Far From the Sun polish. I’m wearing four coats of Summer 1.1 with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Prototype Summer 1.1 is a clear-based microglitter polish with glitters in red, orange, gold, green, pink, and violet. Application was all right; the lacquer-to-glitter distribution was fantastic, I got an even mix with each coat. This isn’t a polish where you get flooded with lacquer but only with a little glitter. At three coats, I didn’t have the full coverage I wanted; there were still some small holes through which I could see my bare nail. It dries quickly and with a textured glitter finish. I used top coat for smoothness and extra shine.

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Summer 1.1 is a fantastic polish. There’s just so much color in it. All of the different glitters complement each other well, and the many colors add dimension. In the sun, this is especially obvious; it’s almost difficult to look at, there’s so much sparkle. I don’t know if you’ve ever moved a ring or something with a gemstone in it to watch all the facets glint in the light, but this polish has that effect. This is definitely one that dances in the light when you move your fingers. I love it.

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Prototype Summer 1.1 is not available, but as of this writing, there’s one bottle of Sail Her Don’t Sink Her, a very similar polish, left in the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s One Gray-t Year

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Hello, reader! I’ve just gotten back from the spontaneous trip my boyfriend and I took this weekend to celebrate the holiday. If you’re American, I hope you had a fantastic July 4th, and if you’re not, I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Because I was out of town, I only have one weekend swatch for you. This is One Gray-t Year from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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One Gray-t Year is a deep gray creme with an assortment of rainbow flakies. The formula consistency is just right and was super-smooth to apply. The flakies are easily distributed as well. I had full opacity in two coats. My bottle did suffer some settling, but the color isn’t affected at all. Drying times were fast, and this polish dries with a matte finish. I used top coat to bring out the color in the flakies and add shine and protection.

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One Gray-t Year was made to commemorate the first anniversary of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer in 2014. It was a limited edition polish released with the first Fan Favorites collection. I’ve been a BEGL fan for a long time, even before the maker started selling polish to the public, so to be able to celebrate this milestone with her, albeit more than a year late, is really exciting. I love this polish; the contrast between the striking base color and the soft pastel flakies is gorgeous. It also wears like iron. I usually do my Swatch Saturday manicure on Wednesday; it’s now Sunday, I still have this polish on, and it’s barely showing any signs of wear. The tips are a little worn, but the color and shine are still going strong. It’s rare that I get this much mileage out of any one manicure. I’m really impressed.

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Here are some vacation photos! We spent Friday and Saturday in the Titusville, FL/Cape Canaveral area. I’m very interested in space travel and exploration, and Kennedy Space Center is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. It was the greatest! I got to drink a beer in the Rocket Garden.

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw this photo already. On the way home, we stopped a kitschy little wildlife park in Christmas, FL called Jungle Adventures. I never get tired of seeing alligators.

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One Gray-t Year was a limited edition and is no longer for sale, but other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Gothic Gala Lacquers’s Wop Bam Boom

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Welcome back! This week’s installment of Swatch Sunday is all about Gothic Gala Lacquers‘s Wop Bam Boom, another polish from June’s Beauty Quartet Box. It’s still weird wearing something so new, something that hasn’t had to sit in the Helmer for a year before I got to it. I’m wearing three coats of Wop Bam Boom with two coats of Seche Vite top coat. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Wop Bam Boom is a full-coverage microglitter polish with glitters in bronze, teal, dusty rose… There are so many colors and finishes of glitter in there that I can’t even pick them all out. Application was fine; the product consistency was very thick and goopy, and I had to thin it out quite a bit. After thinning, it went on easily. I got full coverage in two coats. The polish dries matte; the glitter still shines, but there’s no gloss at all, and it dries with a slightly gritty texture. I added top coat for smoothness and shine.

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I really like this polish. I love the colors of the individual glitters; they pair together so well. There’s a ton of dimension. There’s something really summery about it, too, even though it’s not bright or cheerful. It pairs beautifully with sparkling swimming pools, deeply tanned skin, and mai tais in tiki mugs.

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Wop Bam Boom and the rest of the Beauty Quartex Box were pre-ordered limited editions and are now unavailable. Other Gothic Gala polishes are available from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Fire In Your Eyes

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Welcome back, reader! I trust you’re having a lovely Saturday. I’m taking a break from swimming and sunbathing to bring you this week’s Swatch Saturday. The polish I’m wearing this week is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Fire In Your Eyes; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Fire in Your Eyes is a red jelly polish with blue-to-pink shifting shimmers. I don’t feel like I need to tell you yet again how easy BEGL polishes are to apply and use, and this is no exception. This polish glides right on without any drag or fuss. I got nearly perfect coverage on the first coat, and full coverage by the second. Despite being a jelly, it’s quite opaque; I don’t see any hint of a visible nail line. It also dried pretty quickly and with a satin finish. I added top coat to add shine and really bring out the shimmers.

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I love this polish. Like Sordid End, it just seems to glow when the light touches the shimmer, all while maintaining a vibrant base color. It doesn’t sound like much when I describe it, and it does seem to lose something in photos, but this is a polish you have to see in person to really appreciate it. It’s just absolutely beautiful.

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Unfortunately, though, Fire in Your Eyes has been discontinued. Sorry! Other BEGL polishes are available from their shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Dollish Polish’s Beauty School Dropout

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Swatch Sunday is here again! Today I got to use a new-to-me brand, as well as a recent purchase. This is Beauty School Dropout from Dollish Polish, which was part of last month’s Grease-themed Beauty Quartet Box. It’s rare that I use a polish so soon after I get it, so this is super fun for me. I’m wearing Beauty School Dropout at three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Beauty School Dropout is a white crelly with glitters in various shapes and shades of pink, holographic silver, and white, as well as a fine pink shimmer throughout. The application process was pretty simple; the crelly goes on thin and translucent on the first coat, as crellies tend to do, then opacity increases with additional coats. It’s pretty typical in that regard. What I found unusual was how few glitters I got on each coat; there doesn’t seem to be much glitter in this polish. Drying times were good, and the polish dries with a semi-gloss finish. I added top coat for shine and protection.

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I love white crelly polishes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to wear one. This polish has a lot of things I love: the crisp white, the pink glitters, the occasional glint of holographic silver. I only wish there was more glitter. These are things I can never have enough of. It’s a little refreshing to see a crelly that’s not overwhelmed by glitter, but I kind of wish this one was. That’s my only complaint, though; that side, I like this polish quite a bit.

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Beauty School Dropout was a Beauty Quartet Box exclusive and is no longer available as part of the set. You may be able to find one from blogger sales or destashes. Other Dollish Polishes are available from their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sordid End

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Welcome to this week’s installment of Swatch Saturday! I’m excited to bring you one of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s most popular shades, Sordid End! I’m wearing three coats of Sordid End with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Sordid End is a periwinkle blue creme polish with blue-to-purple shifting shimmer. Application was smooth and flawless; the product consistency was a little on the thinner side, which is unusual for a BEGL polish, but it was still easy to use and control the color. It’s quite rich; I had almost-perfect opacity in one coat, and full opacity in two. The product dries with a satin finish; I used a top coat to brighten the shimmer. Even without the top coat, the shimmer is still pretty intense. Some white pigment settled on the bottom of the bottle, but it doesn’t affect the color or product at all.

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Released twice — it debuted with the My Indecisive Valentine collection, then returned with the Fan Favorites collection of 2014 — it sold out quickly and is still sought after by collectors and fans. It’s easy to see why Sordid End is such a popular shade. The periwinkle creme on its own is a deep and rich color, but the shimmer just makes it glow. It is incredible. I couldn’t capture that beauty on camera, I’m sorry to say. This is definitely a polish you have to see to believe.

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Sordid End is currently not in stock, but other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers can be purchased from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Kleancolor’s Neon Orange

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For today’s edition of Swatch Sunday, I’m wearing a new-to-me brand, Kleancolor. I grabbed a couple bottles of Kleancolor polishes during my last trip to Atlanta, and I’m finally trying one of them out. This is Neon Orange; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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was on the thicker side, but this didn’t hinder its quality much. It dried quickly and with a satin finish. My one complaint is that it’s still not fully opaque at three coats; it’s not obvious in photos, but my nail lines were still rather visible.

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Under a black light!

This isn’t a bad little polish. It’s pretty well-pigmented and the neon is as bright in person as it is in photos. It makes my hands tan, and it really lights up under a black light! Unfortunately, neon cremes are pretty easy to come by these days, especially within the indie polish community; this Neon Orange isn’t your only option, but it’s a good option if you can find it.

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I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Love Makes You Do The Wacky

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Happy Saturday, reader! I have one more Once More With Feeling holo to share with you before I get to the rest of the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer 2014 Fan Favorites collection. This beauty is Love Makes You Do The Wacky; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos are taken in direct midday sunlight.

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Love Makes You Do The Wacky is a dusty lilac linear holo with a dark pink flash. Application was super-easy with this one; I had near-perfect opacity in one coat, and it dried almost immediately. The product consistency was just right. The holo effect and the pink flash are visible in nearly every lighting condition. The product formula and quality are nearly perfect. The polish did dry with a somewhat matte finish, so I added the top coat for shine and protection.

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This is seriously a gorgeous polish. I actually put this on on Wednesday, and the whole time I wore it, I had no issues with chipping or tip wear. It seriously wore like iron. Something else I like about this polish is that it seems to flatter everyone while also looking completely different on everyone. I love how individual it is while still being quite beautiful.

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As of this writing, Love Makes You Do The Wacky is currently available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. This is one you don’t want to miss.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: Julep’s America

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Happy Sunday! My swatch today is a patrotic offering from Julep, simply called America. There’s a part of me weirded out by shows of patrotism like this, especially between holidays, but it’s so glittery and flashy that I almost don’t care. For the post today, I’m wearing three coats of America; the first six photos are taken without top coat. All photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors.

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America is a clear-based glitter topper that consists mostly of fine red metallic glitter, but also contains larger blue and silver glitters and silver stars. Application wasn’t bad; the product consistency was pretty thick, edging on goopy; three coats of goopy polish isn’t fun for anybody. After it dried, which was about five minutes after each coat, it left a finely-textured crust of glitter. I did add two coats of Rica‘s Glossy Glam to smooth it out, which looked fantastic, but added yet another thick layer of stuff to my nails. The tips shrank up right away.

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Patriotic or not, this is a gorgeous polish. The red glitters shine like ruby slippers, and the blues and silver stars are bonus. In fact, it’s entirely possible I bought this just because it has star glitter in it. With or without top coat, this polish is very shiny, especially in sunlight. It’s just a ton of fun to wear. The following photos were taken with top coat.

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America may be discontinued by Julep, as it’s out of stock on their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday Night: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, I’ll Pass

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Swatch Saturday!! Today’s post is late because I make bad choices (and I have really good parties). The polish I’m wearing today is Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, I’ll Pass from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat. Photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors.

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Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, I’ll Pass is a cool greige holo with a pearly green shimmer. Application was easy; the product consistency is smooth and easy to use. I had full coverage in two coats. I had no issues with flooded cuticles or goopy polish. The polish dried quickly, about five minutes until it was dry to the touch, and it dried with a satin/matte finish. The holo effect is subtle but still bright. Top coat really helps make it shine.

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Tact, as I’ll call it, is one of the more subdued polishes from the Once More With Feeling Collection. The companion polishes are made with brighter colors, stronger holos, and more intense shimmers and flashes, but that doesn’t mean Tact isn’t incomplete. It’s actually pretty refreshing. The color is neutral and work-friendly, but the holo effect and green flash make this polish pretty, fun, and unique.

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Tact and the rest of the Once More With Feeling Collection are currently available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop.

I bought this polish myself.