Swatch Sunday: Color Club’s Wing Fling

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For this week’s Swatch Sunday, I’m wearing a brand I’m a little new to: Color Club! I scored a few collection sets in outlet stores, but I’ve worn all of two since then. I see this brand everywhere, so I’m excited to join the club. Pardon the pun. The beauty I’m wearing today is Wing Fling; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro.

None of the bottles in the set had name labels, so I had to improvise. Behold my terrible handwriting!

Wing Fling is a sheer and shimmery magenta. Some of the shimmers even shift from pink to orange, giving it just a hint of duochrome fun. Coverage is buildable; I got okay coverage by coat two and good coverage by three. Four might be necessary if you want full opacity. This polish did dry quickly, though, and though it dries with a nice gloss, a top coat is definitely required to bring out as much of the shimmers as is possible. It even looks a bit metallic/foil-like after top coat application. The lacquer consistency was thin, but left no streaks or holes in the coverage. Application was very easy.

I adore this color. It’s very deep and bright, but it’s not wildy bright or tawdry. I feel like this could be a polish for everyone; there’s just the right amount of sparkle, shine, and color to appeal to everyone and no more.

Wing Fling is part of the Take Wing collection from 2012, and is still available on Color Club’s website.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Prototype AG 1.1

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

Today’s Swatch Saturday polish is no stranger! We took a brief look at Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Prototype AG 1.1 on Manicure Monday, when I paired it with China Glaze’s Exotic Encounters. Today, it gets its own manicure! I’m wearing AG 1.1 over Raspberry Cordial from Ciate, and Black Out and Hard to Get, both from Sally Hansen. All nails are topped with one coat of Speed Coat Pro, also from Ciate.

Prototype AG 1.1, as we discussed before, is a glitter topper with blue-to-purple shifting pigment and white hexes, stars, moons, squares, rectangles, dots, and diamonds. As I mentioned before, the consistency is rather thick, but because there’s so much stuff in this bottle, it’s natural for it to be that way. Despite its viscosity, it does dry quickly, and with a satin finish. The glitter does spread well over the nail, but because the glitters are so large, they do tend to clump a little bit.

How gorgeous is this! I included a before shot of the black, white, and pink, just so you can see how this polish transforms a color. These are some pretty basic cremes in pretty bold shades. The shifting pigment comes along and softens them, making them pearly and delicate. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s probably the most beautiful the darker colors; on the black, you can see everything, like looking up at the sky on a dark night. You get the maximum shifting effect as well as glitter contrast.

You probably think I’m crazy to put a polish like this over white. Yeah, maybe I am, but I really love the way it turned out. The glitters are not immediately visible, but the shift looks incredible. I am a huge fan of this color-on-color combination. It’s intricate and dainty, like tatted lace. I think it’s astoundingly beautiful.

While this is a statement polish for sure, I also feel like it’s very simple as well. There aren’t a ton of colors competing for attention, there isn’t a crazy sparkly melange of glitter. Everything is consistent and and homogeneous, and I like that about it. It’s elegant without being over the top; it demands attention but isn’t loud or obnoxious. It is truly stunning. Unfortunately, this is a one-of-a-kind polish prototype and is currently unavailable. Sorry! In the BEGL shop, however, there is one OOAK prototype for sale. Grab it before it’s gone!

Swatch Sunday: Claire’s Mystery White

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For this edition of Swatch Sunday, I am bringing you a super oldie. This is a polish I’ve had since about 2008, and I almost thought this would be this bottle’s last mani. This is a mystery polish from Claire’s; there’s no indicator of the shade name anywhere. I’m wearing this at three coats with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

This mystery polish is a milky and frosty white with small iridescent glitters. Before I put this on, it was thick and goopy. I might have put too much thinner in it, because the application was quite streaky, and three coats was still pretty sheer. The white pigment is very chalky and dries matte, which doesn’t do any favors for the glitter. The finish is gritty and the glitter is covered up, leaving it to look like chunks and bubbles in the finished look. It’s not ideal, and probably wasn’t intended. This polish did dry quickly, so it has that going for it, which is nice.

Like I said, I’ve had this bottle for many years. It’s one of the oldest bottles in my collection. I remember I grabbed it because I just wanted a white polish, and this was the first one I saw. This wasn’t long after I’d finally stopped biting my nails, and is one of the first bottles of polish I owned as an adult. Even though the polish itself is kind of sucky, I’ll be sad when this runs out, just because I’ve had it forever. It’s like one of my oldest children. When it’s finally gone, it will be kind of sad. I might even feel the need to recreate it in the future.

If anyone reading this happens to know the same of the shade, I’d love to know what it is!

Manicure Monday: What Wizardry is This?

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

What’s this? A textured polish two weeks in a row? Yes! It’s crazy. This is What Wizardry is This? from OPI; I’m wearing three coats without top coat.

What Wizardry is This? is a warm brown textured polish with gold glitters. I found this application much easier than Solitaire‘s; Solitaire’s brush was spread wide with glitter, and even though this polish also contains a ton of glitter, the brush was not as wide, and I had a much cleaner application. Drying time was very fast, and full coverage was gained in two coats. The glitters are very potent, which is why it looks more brown in some photos and more gold in others. It’s a very pretty and interesting look.

I like when I end up wearing something seasonally relevant. Solitaire was wintry and peaceful, but What Wizardry is This? is very warm and autumnal. It’s the color of hot cocoa and firewood. This is absolutely perfect for fall.

I don’t have any brown nail charms, so I used a stud. Earlier in the year, I got a huge pack of nail accoutrements at an outlet store for super cheap, and this is the first time I’ve used any of it. Originally, I’d chosen a heart-shaped one, but it wouldn’t sit flat on my nail, so I went with this diamond/Sims plumbob shape instead. I like it. It takes up more of the nail than I wanted, but it’s a fun accent.

I wasn’t sure about this at first. When I got it, the Liquid Sand bandwagon was at full speed, and I just wanted all of them. I don’t own very many brown polishes, just because it’s not a very popular color. It’s also not very daring. This is more than just brown, though. It’s gorgeous.

Swatch Sunday: Ciaté’s Love Letter

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For today’s Swatch Sunday, we’re looking at more delicious shifty goodness. This is Ciaté’s Love Letter. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Speed Coat Pro top coat, also from Ciaté.

Love Letter is a clear polish — I think it’s a clear base, it’s either clear or very, very lightly tinted — with a boatload of gold to pink-shifting shimmer and pink glitters. I think maybe this was meant to be a glitter topper, but I tried it at three coats to see what I would get. At three coats, I have full and even coverage. Application was easy. Drying time was very quick, and the finish is smooth and unexpectedly, delightfully metallic.

Yeah, I was not expecting this at all. I didn’t think the coverage would be so full, and I didn’t think the shift would be so pronounced. I am completely gobsmacked. Seriously. I don’t think I have anything else to say, except that I don’t think I ever want to wear this as just a topper. That would be cheating it.

You can find Ciaté’s Love Letter online at CiatéLondon.com. I happened to get my bottle from Sephora, but I longer see this particular polish on their site. They do still carry Ciaté, though.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s 2014

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

For today’s Swatch Saturday, I’m wearing a polish made to commemorate the new year. Here I am, wearing it in November. This is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2014, shown at three coats with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

2014 is a blurple polish with a blue-to-purple shift and iridescent glitters. The shift here is very strong, and pops out just about everywhere. The glitters are scarce, and are probably unnecessary with all the shimmer and shift. I like them in there, but I can take or leave them. 2014 dries with a satin finish, and with a very quick drying time. Consistency was ideal and application was very easy.

So let me tell you about this shift. Good lord, this shift. When I say it’s strong, I mean it’s strong, like a stiff drink strong. I can’t stop looking at my nails because they’re a different color every time I look at them. Sometimes they’re emitting this icy blue shimmer, sometimes it’s a vibrant violet. I never know which I’m going to get, but I know it’s always going to be gorgeous.

2014 was released on its own, but also had a companion polish called Resolutions that we’ll see next week.Unfortunately, both are discontinued. Keep your eyes peeled in blog sales, though; this isn’t one you want to let slip by again. If you liked 2014, you might like a currently-available BEGL called Just Admiring Your Skills, Sweetie. It’s more purple than blue, but it also has an unbelievable shift. You should grab that one, too.

Manicure Monday: Solitaire

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

Hey, guys! I’m super excited about Manicure Monday this week because I get to wear a textured polish. I’ve only featured one other on the blog, so it feels a little like a special occasion. I’m wearing three coats of OPI’s Solitaire without top coat.

Solitaire is a ton of silver glitter in a sheer white base that dries with a matte texture. It goes on pretty frosty at first, but when the lacquer dries away the frost disappears, leaving behind silvery sparkles. I felt like three coats were necessary with this, because the white base is very sheer, and I wanted full opacity and lots of texture. It dries pretty quickly, since there’s so little lacquer. The consistency is thick, naturally, since there’s so much glitter. Application isn’t too bad, but when the brush has polish in it, it fans out and is wider than some of my nails, and makes a little bit of a mess.

It’s so worth it, though! I was a little unsure about this polish at first, because I remember being a teensy bit less-than-impressed with the Bond Girls collection, especially in comparison to Mariah Carey’s collection. It just seemed like the Bond Girls collection focused more on matte texture than glitter, and the glitters were the reason I bought them in the first place. This one is nice, though. There’s a nice balance between texture and glitter. It’s also season-appropriate; my nails look like tiny snow-covered driveways. It’s adorable.

Final word: Solitaire is textured and sparkly, but is still delicate. It’s a perfect match for the cooler temperatures and the upcoming winter season.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Electric Icicle

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

It’s another wintry delight this Swatch Saturday! Today we’re looking at the second half of the winter duo Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer released last year. We saw and loved Untrodden Snow; let’s have a look at Electric Icicle. I’m wearing two coats of Electric Icicle over Sally Hansen’s Hard to Get, Essie’s Marathin, and Julep’s Dianna, as well as one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro.

Electric Icicle is a clear glitter topper made with “bright blue holo hexes, rainbow iridecent hexes and squares, silver holo hexes and tiny diamonds, and blue holo stars”. I wore two coats because the all the good shape glitters were hanging around toward the bottom of the bottle, and my first coat was a bit thin on the glitter. Application was pretty easy apart from that; the glitters spread well and didn’t clump. The base dried quickly. I had no problems with it.

I gotta say, this might be the best winter glitter topper I have. I’ve got a few that have icy blue glitters with silver, and even though they’re very pretty and they shine a great deal, they don’t have a whole lot of color. Electric Icicle is the best of both worlds. The metallic and holo textures of the glitters — especially the silvers — give the look some iciness, but the blue and iridescent glitters give it a lot of color as well. This is a mix that is all about winter, but doesn’t let winter bring it down. It’s amazing.

I nearly swatched this on the pink and blue I used on Wednesday, Mint Candy Apple from Essie and Martha from Julep. They’re really soft but bright colors that make the perfect base for any glitter topper. I was afraid that it would look like the same mani two days in a row, so I went with Marathin from Essie and Dianna from Julep. I chose Dianna because I wanted the blues to be kind of homogeneous, and since Dianna is a dusty color, obviously a dusty rose would complement it. I almost feel like I should have chosen gray over white, but the glitter looks so perfect over white that I’m glad I didn’t.

Wacie Wednesday: Wintrella

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

The last Wacie Nail Co. (for now) prototype I’ll be showing you is Wintrella, a glitter topper made up of silver and blue holo glitters. I’m wearing one coat of Wintrella over China Glaze’s Pelican Gray, Essie’s Mint Candy Apple, and Julep’s Martha. I’m also wearing one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

Wintrella has a lot of glitter in it. There’s very fine holo silver dust, tiny hexes, slightly bigger but still somewhat tiny squares, big silver hexes, bigger silver hexes, silver dots, blue dots, and silver hearts, but I couldn’t manage to get those out of the bottle. Again, they just sat in the bottle, mocking me. I couldn’t get too many of the dots, either, but at least I can prove they were in there.

Maybe I’m glad I didn’t get so many. The smaller glitters give a minimal look that’s already quite pretty. The big glitters look out of place. Maybe they’re not right for this mix.

Overall, I think it’s nice. I definitely want to take it back to the drawing board, but I think I’m onto something.

Wacie Nail Company news: I hope to have something in the store before the month ends. I have a couple of limited editions in the works, as well as a New Year’s Eve-themed collection next month. I’m so excited to be working on it, and I hope you’ll like it a lot.

Swatch Sunday: China Glaze’s Rare and Radiant

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

China Glaze’s Rare and Radiant is our Swatch Sunday polish. Great way to start the week, right? I’m wearing three coats of Rare and Radiant with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

Rare and Radiant is a duochrome that shifts from gold to emerald green. It’s very shimmery and almost somewhat metallic. The shift occurs very easily and in just about all lighting conditions. Application was pretty nice, but the consistency is on the thinner side, so three coats was necessary to achieve full opacity. Visible brush strokes do occur in fewer coats. Drying time was pretty quick. The dried finish was semi-glossy. It’s very nice to apply and wear.

I love wearing shifters and multichromes even more now that I know how to actually capture the effect. It used to be like “Oh, there’s a shift, you can’t see it, but it’s there, I wouldn’t lie to you”. I am so glad to be past that bit of amateur nail photography. The shift in Rare and Radiant is so beautiful. They never quite look the same any time I look at them. They go from bronze to green patina anywhere you are. It is magnificent.

I know there’s a series of these duochromes from China Glaze, and I’m sorry to say I don’t have any of the others. I really want the rest, and I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for them.

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