Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: Baroness X’s Sakura Skies

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Hey reader! I’m so excited about today’s swatch. This is the first of my Indie Shop Atlanta purchases to make it to the blog, and it’s from a new-to-me brand. It also just came out and I don’t usually wear things so soon after release. This is Sakura Skies from Baroness X, one of the collaboration polishes in the most recent installment of The Color Box. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Sakura Skies is a cornflower blue polish with flakies that shift from bright pink to gold. Application was easy; product consistency is a little thick due to all the flakies in the polish, but it wasn’t an issue. The flakies’ default setting is pink, and that’s the color I see on the nail most often; the gold pops up when directly facing the light source. The polish dries with a matte finish; I used top coat for shine.

If you’re unfamiliar with The Color Box, the box comes with five polishes that are all the same color family, which in this case is blue. Each polish is a collaboration between the polish maker and a blogger. The Sakura Skies concept came from xoxo, Jen. Jen and Baroness X made a great team, this is definitely my favorite polish in the box.

Outdoors, this polish is something else. The following photos were taken outside in direct sunlight. The shift is a little harder to get — it totally depends on the time of day — but it looks fantastic regardless.

Unfortunately, I just missed the pre-order cutoff for this box. The Color Box is a quarterly event; join the Facebook group to learn more about the box and to be able to vote on the color of future boxes. Watch the Baroness X website for overpour bottles of Sakura Skies and other products.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype JS 1.2

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Hello, reader! Now that the Indie Shop stuff is out of the way, we’re back to our regularly-scheduled weekend swatches. Today’s swatch is not an Indie Shop polish, but you will be seeing those in coming weeks. No, this is a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype! This is JS 1.2, and I’m wearing it at three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Prototype JS 1.2 is a white crelly with a colorful mix of glitters. Application was easy; the product consistency was just right, and the glitters brushed on evenly. It doesn’t look like it in photos, however. The white base is pretty opaque and obscures a lot of the glitters, so that classic translucent crelly look isn’t quite there. The polish dried with a glossy finish and was smooth to the touch. I used top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

I don’t think I will ever get tired of crellies like this. I know I say this every time I wear one, but seriously, I still remember when these were the new hotness and every maker had tons of them. Makers are doing these gorgeous shifters and shimmers now, but the glitter crelly will always be my fave.

I probably didn’t need to take sunlight photos of this polish, it basically looks the same in both situations. The following photos were taken outdoors.

Prototype JS 1.2 was a one-off and I’ve got the only bottle. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are sold in their online shop, though at publication time, they are taking a break.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Digital Nails’s Non-Corporeal Babysitter

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Hello, reader! Today’s swatch is all about Non-Corporeal Babysitter from Digital Nails. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive.

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Non-Corporeal Babysitter is a pink-tinted glitter topper with hot pink and white matte hexes and blue iridescent glitters. Even though it’s a topper, I chose to wear it alone at three coats because I wanted to see how opaque it would get. My bottle is old (from 2013!) and the product consistency is pretty thick; I know it’s meant to be thick since it’s loaded with glitter, but age may also be a factor. Long story short, I should have thinned it, because it was super thick at three coats and a little bit unmanageable. The polish tries quickly, though, and with a glossy finish. Top coat is necessary for smoothness because the glitter leaves texture.

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

I realize that by wearing it alone instead of layered over undies that I’m kind of doing it a disservice. I know it’s probably not meant to be worn this way, but I really just wanted to see what it looked like. Generally, I like the look. It’s a little messy, but I love the pink, I love the sheer quantity of glitter, and in general, it’s just fun. In the future, I think I’ll use it over a pink base.

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

For once, I think I prefer a polish in the studio rather than in the sunlight. Direct sunlight washed out a lot of the iridescent glitters, which are the best glitters in the polish. The bright-pinkness got washed out, too.

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Digital Nails's Non-Corporeal Babysitter

Non-Corporeal Babysitter isn’t in stock, but other Digital Nails polishes are availabe in their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sirène Fatale

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Hello, reader! Today’s polish is a stunner, but it was also very hard to photograph. Ever get a pink so hot the camera loses it? This is one of those. Say hello to Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Sirène Fatale; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

We’re number one!

Sirène Fatale is a neon pink polish with a fine blue shimmer throughout; unfortunately, the shimmer pulls purple in my photos. Application was very easy; the product consistency was excellent and I had no issues with coverage. It dries with a satin finish, as neons tend to do. I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

I love a good neon pink, and I’m really sorry I couldn’t do this one justice in photos. It’s so much brighter than it looks here, and the shimmer is so much more intense. It’s got all the hallmarks of a bright neon, otherwise; look how tan my fingers look. Sunlight photos were even worse, believe it or not. The color came out all washed out and completely unlike real life. It’s kind of fun how much of an enigma this polish is, like you have to see it in person to really see it.

Sirène Fatale was a limited edition polish and is no longer available. Other BEGL polishes are available from their online store.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Different Dimension’s Da Ba Dee

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Hello, reader! Welcome back to Swatch Sunday! I love today’s polish. It was one of my first-ever indies, and one of my first Different Dimension polishes (the other was Orion Nebula). Huge round glitters are still cool, right? This is Da Ba Dee; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive.

Da Ba Dee is a blue jelly with a variety of silver and blue holo glitters, the most prominent of which are the big round ones. Application was easy; the product consistency is on the thick side due to the glitter, but it still brushed on well. The larger glitters came out evenly; I didn’t have to fish around for them much. The drying time was a little slow, but I suppose that’s due to the thickness. I used top coat to speed up the drying time, as well as add extra shine and smoothness.

I love this polish. There’s so much in it. There’s not a lot of variety in the glitter, but that means there’s nothing unnecessary in it, too. It’s blue and silver and that’s all it needs to be. The blue jelly is deep, but not so deep it obscures the darker colors. This polish is a winner.

The jelly looks lighter in the sunlight, and you can see every bit of glitter. The following photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors.

Da Ba Dee isn’t in stock on the Different Dimension website, but there you can find other beauties.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype SPD 1.3

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Hello, reader! It’s Swatch Saturday again! I’ve got a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer prototype polish to share, and it’s the first one in a while. This is SPD 1.3; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Prototype SPD 1.3 is a jade green creme with orange and green shimmers. It looks like there are some larger iridescent flakies in the bottle, but those either got covered up or didn’t come out on the brush. Application was good; I had full opacity by the second coat, the product consistency was easy to use, and I had no issues with streaking or tugging. The polish dries quickly and with a glossy finish; I used extra top coat for protection.

I love BEGL greens. They’re always so striking. I’m fairly certain this polish is a prototype for BEGL Go Bragh, a St. Paddy’s-themed limited edition from a few years ago. The jade color, as well as the orange shimmer, are found in both polishes. It’s fun to see how polishes evolve. It’s like I’m part of the process.

The following photos were taken in direct sunlight outdoors. The green is especially jadelike out in the sun, but the shimmer is a little harder to see. I’m especially digging the macro this round, just because I didn’t think I’d get a good one. It was cloudy and sad outside the day I did this mani, but the day after was sunny and everything was awesome.

Prototype SPD 1.3 isn’t available, but other BEGL polishes are sold in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Del Sol’s Spike

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Hello, reader! Do you guys like solar polishes? I’m a ’90s kid, and I’m an easy sell for anything that changes color. I bought a few Del Sol polishes when I was on vacation a few years ago because I could not resist. I blame mood rings. This is Spike; I’m wearing three coats of Spike with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Spike is a frosty mint green polish that turns a cool mauve when exposed to direct sunlight. Application was good; the product consistency was on the thin side, but was still easy to apply. The first coat was sheer and I needed all three to achieve full opacity. Because it’s so frosty, brush-strokes are pretty apparent. It takes a while to effect the color change, probably a good five minutes or so. The polish dries with a glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

How fun is this polish! Honestly, I’d hoped the purple it changed to in the sun would have been a bit brighter; it’s a little too on the SFW side for me. The green it starts out as is very pretty; sometimes it seems more silver than green, but it’s always icy and shimmery and cool (pun?) to look at.

One thing you’ll notice is that this post has a ton of photos, and I apologize. I wanted to show the polish in both states, and to treat both states as two different polishes. They really could be; if I didn’t know it was a solar polish, I’d assume they were. The following set of photos were taken in direct sunlight.

Like I said, I wish the purple was brighter and/or darker. It’s a pretty unique shade as-is, but I just wanted more from it, especially when you see its actual color compared to the label.

One thing I wish I’d been able to capture was the polish in transition. As I mentioned, the change took some time to occur, and my camera takes such high-quality video that my computer can’t handle editing it. Also my phone camera doesn’t work. I think I got a decent shot of the bottle hovering between colors.

I don’t see Spike listed on Del Sol’s site, but other polishes are available there as well as in their stores.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Siren’s Lucky Shamrock

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Happy Saturday, reader! Remember last week‘s Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer swatch, and how I said it was part of a duo? This is its other half, Siren’s Lucky Shamrock. It is the St. Paddy’s Day-themed glitter topper you need. I’m wearing one brushed coat of Siren’s Lucky Shamrock over Zoya’s Chantal (nude) and Neely (green) and LA Colors’s Hottie (coral) with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Siren’s Lucky Shamrock is a clear-based glitter topper featuring a mix of green, orange, gold, and black glitters, iridescent glitters, and orange flakies. The official description also lists shamrock glitters, but I didn’t get any, and I don’t see them in the bottle, either. Application was good; the glitters brushed on easily and the product consistency performed well. The polish dries quickly and with some glitter texture, so top coat is necessary for smoothness.

Of the two polishes, this one is the obvious holiday polish. Personally, I don’t care much for polishes that are only useful one day a year, but if you’re big into holiday looks, this is one you want. It’s basically Ireland in a bottle. It makes for a very easy St. Paddy’s manicure.

The following photos were taken in direct sunlight. The flakies get a little washed out out here, but the glitters come alive.

As of this writing, Siren’s Lucky Shamrock is still available, and even better, on sale in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Deborah Lippmann’s She Bop

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It’s Swatch Sunday! My polish today is a sweet candy pink creme, She Bop from Deborah Lippmann. It’s adorable! I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

She Bop is, like I mentioned eariler, a pink creme polish. Application was good; the product consistency was easy to work with, and though the first couple coats seemed a bit thin, the third evened it out. The polish dries very glossy; I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

I have to say, this is the cutest pink polish I’ve worn in a while. I’ve had it on for a couple days now, and I keep looking at it and being pleased with it. It’s a very ladylike shade, very classic. It’s also one hundred percent appropriate for Valentine’s Day, if you’re into that. I’m a little sad about taking it off.

She Bop and other Deborah Lippmann polishes are sold in high-end stores; this one is from Sephora.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Luck o’ the Siren

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Happy Saturday, reader! I have a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Siren to show you today! This was a special holiday Siren made for St. Patrick’s Day 2015. This polish actually came in a duo; we’ll be seeing the companion polish to this one next week. This is Luck o’ the Siren; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vive top coat.

Luck o’ the Siren is a frosty emerald green polish with a blue shift. Application is good; since the polish is so shimmery, I got some brush-strokes in the final look, but I don’t consider that a huge issue. The product consistency was easy to work with; I had full coverage in two coats. The shift in this polish is easy to see but difficult to photograph; it turns a very bright and icy turquoise when facing the light. The product dried quickly and with a glossy finish.

I didn’t think much of this polish when I first got it. It looks like a standard mainstream green polish in the bottle. Once I had it on my nails, though, it stopped being boring. The shift in this polish is unexpected and unadulterated; there’s no holo or glitter to get in its way. It’s gorgeous.

It looks great in the sunlight, too! The emerald is warmer and richer out here than in the studio, and the blue shift is pretty vivid. I love this polish.

Luck o’ the Siren was a limited edition that has since sold out; her duo counterpart, Siren’s Lucky Shamrock, is still available in the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.