Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: Colors by Llarowe’s Genofeva of Brabant

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I’m excited about today’s Swatch Sunday. It’s another VIP polish from The Indie Shop Atlanta! Genofeva of Brabant is Colors by Llarowe‘s contribution to the VIP bag. It’s my first CbL, and I’m not sure I’ve ever worn a polish quite like this. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Genofeva of Brabant is a cool-toned rose polish with a strong rosy glow and holo glitter. Actually, this polish has a holo finish that I can’t quite describe. It clearly has glitter in it, but there’s a slight allover holo in it too, like a scattered holo. I’m not sure, but I love it. Application was great; even though there’s a lot happening in this polish, the product consistency is velvety smooth. I had a great first coat, and full opacity at the second. It dries to smooth satin finish. I don’t usually talk about how easy it is to remove a polish, but I was surprised at how easily this one came off. I expected to struggle with the glitter, but it just comes right off.

I failed to capture the holo effect in this polish. It just looks like silver.

This is one of my top five polishes from Indie Shop Atlanta. I was so excited to swatch this because it was probably the first polish that caught my eye, even before the event, and I don’t really have anything like it in my collection. I’m also excited to finally be trying Colors by Llarowe! I got a few others from the event but this is the best one.

Genofeva of Brabant was a VIP exclusive. Other Colors by Llarowe are available on their website.

I got this polish in a VIP bag at an event.

Swatch Saturday: Bliss Polish’s Secret Groves

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Happy Saturday! I’ve got one more Bliss Polish swatch for you! This is the second polish of an exclusive trio sold at The Indie Shop Atlanta. Last week’s Bliss, Fairy Castles, was the first one, and unfortunately, the third was sold out by the time I got there. This is the best of the three, though. This is Secret Groves. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

My nail is so long! It’s getting harder to get my thumb into this position.

Secret Groves is a deep green jelly with iridescent flakies. Application was great with this polish; the formula is very smooth and easy to work with. Coverage on the first coat is a little streaky, but it evens out very well. I had a good opacity at two coats. The polish dries with a smooth semi-glossy finish.

One thing I want to note is that when I took these photos, they really don’t do the polish any justice. You see, these flakies are golden in bright direct sunlight. Like, bright glaring golden. It was beautiful, and I’m so bummed the camera didn’t capture it. In fact, I was thinking I should take an indoor set of photos for accuracy. Looks like we’re good on that front. I love this polish, though. I felt super stylish when I was wearing it.

Secret Groves was an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive. Other Bliss Polishes are available from their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Chaotic Glitz’s The Dryad

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It’s Swatch Sunday!! Yes, it’s another Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive. I’m sorry. I feel so bad teasing polishes you can’t buy without hunting it down. I’m pretty excited about trying out a new-to-me brand, though! This is The Dryad from Chaotic Glitz. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

 

I’ll admit it, I have no idea what color The Dryad is. In the bottle, it looks like a blackened shimmery plum with holo glitter, but on the nail, it’s more of a gunmetal, or just a shimmery black. In any case, I am so into it. The product consistency was lovely; it was super easy to work with and I had complete opacity in two coats. It dries with a satin finish. The brush is also one that delivers a lot of polish on the nail, I’ll let you decide if that’s a plus or not.

There’s a brush-stroke there that didn’t quite level itself out.

The Dryad is a pretty great polish, and I’m happy it’s one of my first CGs. It’s a dark and sultry polish. It has an edge. Unfortunately, it was shady outside when I took these photos, and the glitter isn’t as shiny as it should be, but it’s definitely got some sparkle, too. It’s beautiful.

The Dryad was an Indie Polish Atlanta exclusive. Other Chaotic Glitz products are available from their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Bliss Polish’s Fairy Castles

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Today’s polish is another Indie Shop exclusive! It’s a stunner, too. This is Fairy Castles from Bliss Polish; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Fairy Castles is a dark purple holo. Application was very good; the polish is the perfect consistency, and my first coat was nearly opaque. I used three because I like the thickness. The polish dries to a smooth and glossy finish.

It has been a long time since I put on a purple this rich and velvety. I love it! I actually kept this on for a full day and it was so much fun to wear. The holo is so strong, even in indoor lighting, and I kind of hated taking it off. So happy I snagged this one!

Fairy Castles was an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive. Other Bliss Polishes are available on their website.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday Doubleheader, Part Two: Blush Lacquers’s Blue a Fuse

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Welcome back to Swatch Sunday! I have one more swatch for you this weekend. Remember earlier in the year, when The Color Box went blue? I got to buy one at the Indie Shop in Atlanta, and I’m so sad I can’t buy this box on the regular; every polish in the blue box was a masterpiece and I got to try a few new brands. Blush Lacquers is one of those brands. This is Blue a Fuse; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Blue a Fuse is a royal blue jelly with fine silver holo and matte black shard glitters. Actually, I’m unsure if this is technically a jelly; it gets really good coverage, I’m not seeing any visible nail lines or anything, but the glitters show through like it’s a jelly. Application was good; the consistency is on the thicker side, but is still smooth and easy to work with. It’s got that extra funk that some deep blue polishes tend to have. Probably the only downside is the shard glitters; this isn’t a problem a lot of the time, but if you’re not careful, you can get some that will stick up on the nail and are impossible to smooth out with top coat. The polish dries to a satin finish.

So, I like this. This is a pretty unique polish in my collection. The glitter mix is easy but exciting, and the color is a bold but popular choice. I am definitely looking into more Blush Lacquers, because this one is awesome.

Unfortunately, Blue a Fuse is no longer in stock, but other Blush Lacquers are available in their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday Doubleheader, Part One: Bluebird Lacquer’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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It’s Swatch Sunday! Same rules as last time, we get two today because we had none last week. Lucky for you, they’re two of my acquisitions from The Indie Shop Atlanta! This first swatch is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil from Bluebird Lacquer. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a dark polish — I can’t tell if it’s a black or a navy — with blue-to-purple shifting shimmer, holo, and flakies. This polish has everything. Application was good; as you might expect, it was a little thin and streaky on the first coat, but everything evened out nicely. It dries with a somewhat glossy finish; I added top coat for shine and protection.

This is a polish I cannot help but love because there’s so much going on in it. Dark and moody? Check. Icy blue shimmer? Check? Holo? Yes! Flakies? Okay sure! It’s like a buffet of everything that makes nail polish amazing. I loved wearing this and cannot wait to put it on again.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was an Indie Shop Atlanta exclusive and may not be for sale. Lucky for you, though, I happen to have an extra bottle! There was a mini in my VIP bag but I knew I wanted a full-size when I saw it, so I’ve got one of both. I’m thinking of doing a giveaway with it and some of the other dupes I got; should I give them away one bottle at a time, or do the whole lot?

Other Bluebird Lacquers are sold on their website, though as of this writing, their shop is temporarily closed.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday Doubleheader, Part Two: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Queen Lime Rose Zinnia

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Here comes part two of the Swatch Saturday Doubleheader! It’s another BEGL, of course. This one is Queen Lime Rose Zinnia; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Queen Lime Rose Zinnia is a lime green polish with a strong pink shimmer. Application was good; the consistency was a little thinner than I expect from a BEGL, but I still got good coverage with only two coats. It dries with a satiny finish; I added top coat because the polish improves with shine.

So it was difficult to capture the shimmer in midday sun. It’s definitely a stronger pink than the photos show here, and the green is a darker, more sherbety color. The macro here is probably the most color-accurate of them all. This is probably one of my all-time favorite BEGLs because of the shimmer; it’s complementary without clashing and being over the top. The shimmer is strong but doesn’t take over the polish. It’s beautiful.

Queen Lime Rose Zinnia has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes can be found in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday Doubleheader, Part One: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Kaffir Lily

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You lucked out this weekend, Reader! Because I was super busy this weekend, I didn’t have time to post my weekend swatches. That means this weekend will have four swatches instead of just two! The first of these swatches is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Kaffir Lily; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Kaffir Lily is a dusty pink holo with pink shimmers. Application was easy; the polish has the typical velvety BEGL consistency while also being pretty well-pigmented. I had nearly opaque coverage on the first coat, which was wonderful. It needed a top coat for shine, but other than that, this polish is pretty much perfect.

I had so much fun wearing this. I kept it on for a day or so, only taking it off to do another swatch. Besides this swatch, I wore it a couple weekends ago with a watermarble, and it just felt so ladylike and so chic. I absolutely love it.

Kaffir Lily is discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. Other BEGLs can be purchased from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Bliss Polish’s VIP in Atlanta

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Swatch Sunday!! This is a polish I’m very excited about. It’s my first-ever Bliss Polish, and it’s the first of the VIP exclusive polishes I got when I attended The Indie Shop Atlanta in March. TIS was so long ago; it was shortly after that when my lens died, and I only got to review one of my scores before going on hiatus. I had this fantasy that I was going to swatch everything I bought and get a lot of hits for VIP swatches, but alas. This is VIP in Atlanta; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Full disclosure: I thought this polish was called Up in Atlanta for months. I mean, Atlanta is up from Florida, after all.

VIP in Atlanta is a cool pinkish-taupe holo. Application was good; the consistency is silky and easy to work with, but I think I’d like it if it was just a tad thicker. I had no problems with it at all. Coverage builds very gently with complete opacity in two coats. The polish dries to a glossy holo finish.

I am so excited about this polish and I feel so guilty writing about it today because I wish it wasn’t an LE so everyone could have it. I love nude polishes when my nails are this length, because it makes them look even longer and more elegant. The holo is bonus.

VIP in Atlanta was a VIP-exclusive shade for The Indie Shop Atlanta. Other Bliss Polishes can be found on their website.

I bought the VIP ticket that netted me this polish.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype W14 7.0

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Man, I’m excited to say that again. Swatching is what I missed the most during my hiatus. I’ve missed the excuse to go through my stash and try on polishes. I’d originally planned to bring you this swatch in March, but as you know, things happen. Anyway, this is a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype called W14 7.0; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

There’s just a little bit of ugly bottle syndrome, it’s still good

Protoype W14 7.0 is a gray creme with a faint smattering of blue-to-purple shifting shimmer. Application was very nice; the polish has a smooth consistency and was lovely to work with. Coverage was also good, with only two coats necessary for complete opacity, or even just one if you like to apply thicker coats. The downside to the polish, and likely the reason this isn’t the final formula, is that the creme is too opaque for the shimmer and hides it. You can just barely see it in these photos. The polish dries to a smooth, shiny finish.

I’ve got to say, gray has been one of the most fashionable colors for polish, and I’m so grateful. I’ve been into gray as a go-to for a while now; black goes with everything but is often too severe, and whites and nudes get dirty and sometimes don’t have enough impact. Gray falls perfectly in the middle, goes with everything, and is very stylish. I love it.

W14 7.0 is a one-off and I have the only bottle. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their BigCartel shop.

I bought this polish myself.