Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: China Glaze’s Cashmere Creme

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Happy new year, reader! My first post of 2017 is a swatch, and the polish is a vintage China Glaze. I’m not sure how vintage it is, but I do know that the label on the bottom is one I’ve ever seen before. I’m wearing three coats of Cashmere Creme with one coat of Seche Vite. Today’s post is very late due to NYE shenanigans.

Cashmere Creme is a cool frosty beige polish. Application was good; the polish was very easy to work with, the product consistency is spot on, and I had no issues. The polish dries quickly and with a smooth satin finish.

I found this polish in a thrift store, and I’ve been really curious about it ever since. It was about half-full when I got it, so it’s had quite the life before it came to live with me. I don’t know how old it is or anything else about it, and any identifying information that might have been on the bottle has long been rubbed away. It’s a mystery! I like this polish for that reason, but I also like it because it’s interesting. I don’t go for colors like this often, colors that are soft, neutral, SFW, because I tend to think they’re boring. The shimmer in this one is just so pretty; it gives the polish an allover coolness that makes it seem more silvery than it is. It’s gorgeous. I regret that it wasn’t sunny on the day I took these photos, I would have liked very much to see what it looked like in the sun.

I don’t know where to tell you to get Cashmere Creme. I know, I’m sorry! I bet you can find it on the internet. Other China Glaze polishes are sold in stores nationwide.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Together Dead and Lonely

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Hello, reader! It’s the last swatch of the year! I’m almost a little sad about that. wacie.com has grown tremendously in 2016, and I’ve tried some new things and I’m so happy that we’ve come so far together. I actually plan to do a 2016 retrospective, so I won’t get too far into the sappy stuff just yet. Let’s look at a swatch! Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Together Dead and Lonely is the polish of the day; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

Together Dead and Lonely is a black jelly polish with fine silver and red holographic microglitters. Application was easy; since the polish is a jelly, you can expect a little bit of streaking on the first coat, but it was pretty good compared to other, less pigmented black jellies I’ve used. The streaks, if any, are evened out by the second coat. Consistency was on the thicker side, but worked for me pretty well. The polish dries with a satin finish and some slight glitter texture, so top coat is necessary for smoothness and shine.

This polish is a cousin to Noticing Face and Bound to the City Life, a strong-colored jelly with microglitter that is just amazing. I love the red in this mix; it adds color and sets a mood, so to speak: it’s vampy, it’s melancholy, it’s even a little grunge. Let me remind you that it comes from a Valentine’s Day collection. I love it!

Here are some sunlight photos! The glitters are pretty well-defined out here. In the studio, you can see them, but there aren’t so many; you can see all of it in the sunlight.

Together Dead and Lonely and other BEGL polishes are available in their online shop.

Happy new year!

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Chanel’s Provocation

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It’s Sunday, and I have a swatch! My swatch today is Chanel’s Provocation; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat. I should note that I took these photos about a day after I put the polish on, so there is a slight bit of wear on the tips.

Provocation is a darkened plum creme. The product formula is very smooth and easy to work with. I had some opacity issues with the first coat, but additional coats evened it out. I think it still looks a little off in photos, but it’s opaque in real life. The polish dries with a glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine.

This is the second of my birthday Chanel polishes from Nordstrom. The Nordstrom in my city opened on my birthday weekend a couple years ago, which I took as a sign I had to go. I’d also always wanted a Chanel polish, so I got two, this one and Blue Satin. I love the color of this polish. In some of these photos the color on my nails looks a bit darker than what’s in the bottle, and I’m not sure why that is, but it’s exactly the color I wanted: vampy, dark, and sexy.

I think Provocation may have been discontinued, but it’s an easy color to dupe, and any plum polish is probably comparable. Chanel polishes are sold wherever Chanel cosmetics are sold; mine are from Nordstrom.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Believin’ Won’t Fly

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Swatch Saturday!! Today’s post is a little late due to Christmas parties, but it is still Saturday somewhere. For today’s post, I’m wearing Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Believin’ Won’t Fly. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Believin’ Won’t Fly is a deep blue creme with a strong bright blue flash. Application was a breeze; the product consistency was a little on the thin side, but it covers unbelievably well. I had an opaque first coat, if you can believe that. Of course, I added additional coats because I like the thickness of it, but I could have gotten away with that first coat if I wanted to. Drying times were good, and the polish dries with a satin finish.

Here’s a second polish in the Crooked Hearts collection. I love that there’s nothing about this polish that says Valentine’s Day; the deep color and sapphire flash make it seem more wintry than romantic, and I think that’s awesome. I was seriously impressed with the product quality, but the look itself is just so spot-on. It’s pretty simple for an indie, so much so that I kind of forgot it was an indie while I had it on, but it’s a nice change of pace.

The following photos were taken in direct sunlight. This almost looks like a different polish in the sun. In the studio, you can see how the polish is mostly dark, and the shimmer appears wherever the light hits it. OUtdoors, whrere the light is diffused and everywhere, the shimmer is activated all over the nail. It’s a very cool look.

Believin’ Won’t Fly is available in the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Butter London’s Tea & Toast

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!! Here’s a swatch! This is Butter London’s Tea & Toast; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Tea & Toast is a toffee brown creme. Application was very nice; the product consistency was pretty typical for a creme, and is such that I had an almost-opaque first coat, though I tend to do pretty thick coats. Drying times were good, and the polish dries with a glossy finish. I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

I love this shade! I think it’s a pretty unique color in my collection; despite having so many bottles of polish, I don’t own a whole lot of cremes, and especially not many warm caramel ones. It’s elegant and stylish, and I love the look. I thought it was going to be boring!

I think Tea & Toast is discontinued, unfortunately; other Butter London polishes are sold at Ulta and Nordstrom; I got mine at Nordstrom Rack!

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Might Not Recover

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Hey reader! It’s Swatch Saturday! Last week’s swatch saw us finish up Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s 2015 Spark in the Dark collection, and what a beautiful collection it was. Everything was wintry and icy and special. This week has us shifting into the collection that came after, the Crooked Hearts collection that was released for Valentine’s Day. I’ve talked before about my love for the BEGL Valentine’s collections because it’s rarely the pink and red shades you’re expecting; this collection is just plain gloomy and I love it. This first polish is called Might Not Recover; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Might Not Recover is a clear-based microglitter polish with glitters in holo lilac and silver, platinum flakes, and reflective beads. Application was good, and pretty standard for the BEGL microglitter; it’s easy to use, achieves opacity quickly, and needs top coat for smoothness. This one felt especially textured thanks to the reflective beads, but one coat of Seche Vite smoothed it out nicely.

So, another swatch, another great microglitter. I had so much fun wearing this that I kept it on for a couple of days after I did the swatch. BEGL microglitters are always fun to wear because there’s always something interesting going on; in this one, the color is my favorite thing. It’s not a color I see often in glitter, and having a polish that’s mostly made up of it makes me happy. The platinum flakes stand out without being seen; you can see something in there breaking up the purple glitter, but they blend in so well you can barely tell they’re there.

I only regret that the sun wasn’t out to show you how this polish really looks. It’s intense. It’s blinding. It’s what every microglitter should be.

Might Not Recover isn’t in stock in the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop, but a few polishes from this collection still are. Make sure you get them!

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Zoya’s Envy

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Welcome to Swatch Sunday! I’m excited about today’s post. I don’t know if you know this, but I list all the polishes I own in my polish list, and this is what helps me decide what I’m going to swatch. Swatch Saturday goes down the list from the top, which it’s always a Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer polish. Swatch Sunday is the first polish from each brand, and the brands are in alphabetical order. So, since today’s swatch is a Zoya polish, next week we’ll loop back around to Butter London, and I’m excited about that. So, to celebrate one go-around of the Swatch Sunday polish list, here’s Zoya’s Envy. I’m wearing three coats of Envy with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Not sure why the tips look worn.

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Envy is a blackened green creme. Application is good; the product consistency is on the thin side but is still easy to use. The polish dries with a glossy finish before top coat.

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So I’m just going to say this. This stains. It stains bad. This polish has given me the worst yellow nails I’ve ever had. In fact, I used two coats of Seche Base for this swatch in order to avoid — I hope — the staining. It’s a shame, too, because I really love this shade. It’s not as harsh as black, and it’s an unexpected alternative to blackened burgundies and browns. A similar polish might be Essie’s Stylenomics; it looks similar, but I can’t vouch whether or not it stains the same way. I almost went for another Zoya instead, but I’m a blogger, and it’s kind of my job to wreck my nails so you don’t have to.

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Envy and other Zoya polishes are sold at Ulta, though I don’t recommend you buy it. It’s funny, after all these years, I don’t think I’ve ever discouraged anyone from buying anything until now.

I got Envy in a friend’s grab bag, likely because it stained her nails.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Never Look Back

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Today’s swatch is all about a polish made to spread awareness about depression and raise money for charity. I’ve mentioned the Lighthouse of Hope box previously on the blog; it was a box curated by Julie of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer for her annual depression awareness fundraiser, and contained eight polishes, all from different makers. $60 of the $80 box went to the charity I Need a Lighthouse. You’ll notice I’m using the past tense; the boxes have all finally sold out! I guess it’s bad news if you wanted one, but the good news is that $1,200 has made its way to a fantastic charity. This polish is Julie’s own contribution to the box, Never Look Back. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Special Lighthouse label, too!

Special Lighthouse label, too!

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Never Look Back is a clear-based emerald green microglitter polish. While the emerald green is the main element, there are also pops of blue and purple. Application is easy; the glitters go on easily and build to opacity around two coats. The product consistency is thick but still nice to work with. It does dry with a slight bit of texture, so top coat is necessary for a smooth finish.

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Here’s a note from Julie about the polish:

“I’m constantly reminding myself to look to the future and not dwell on the past. It can be immensely difficult to do so, but it is completely necessary for my recovery. Remember that the future holds amazing things, so don’t dwell on the bad from the past!”

I admire Julie for being so open about her depression and for working so hard to break down the stigmas of mental illness. Even in today’s world, where being open and honest and forthcoming is encouraged, mental illness is still something people have a hard time opening up about, and it shouldn’t be that way. The more we talk about mental illnesses, the less power they have over us, and that’s definitely a good thing.

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So this polish is perfect for the upcoming holidays! I will probably end up breaking it out again for that. There’s so much shine and sparkle to it. I kinda failed to do it justice; I have a hard time focusing on all those tiny magical glitters.

As I mentioned, this box has sold out. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their online shop, including this year’s fundraiser polish, My Head’s Above the Rain, of which all $15 of the purchase price goes to the I Need a Lighthouse organization.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Nvr Enuff Polish’s Cieux Romantiques

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Welcome back! Swatch Sunday is exciting today, because the polish I’m wearing is a giveaway prize! Kristi from BeginNails went to the Indie Shop event in California earlier this month and had a giveaway for some nail decals that weren’t for her, as well as a little jar of Ever After cuticle crelly. I won! And when I got the package, there was a polish and some scented base and top coats from Dream Polish. How fun! The polish I got is an event exclusive called Cieux Romantiques from Nvr Enuff Polish; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Dream Polish’s Gem Glam top coat in the Melon Baller scent.

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Cieux Romantiques is a shimmery rose polish with a slight holo effect, holo glitters, and a pink to gold shift. Application was good; the product consistency is thin, but doesn’t drip or flood the cuticle. The first coat was even but still sheer, and the second coat evened everything out. The polish dries with a mostly glossy finish; I used top coat for shine and protection. The only thing I really disliked about using it was the wide brush; the brush reminds me of the wide and flat brushes used in the Wet ‘n Wild Megalast line, or Sally Hanse’s Insta-Dri line. I have small nails and I find wide brushes are usually more trouble than they’re worth.

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Nvr Enuff is a new to me brand; I’d heard of them, of course, but had yet to try anything. I really love this polish, even though I have to admit I didn’t think much of it in the bottle. The rose is a lovely color and intensity, the holo sparkle is just the right amount, and the shift sends it right over the edge. It’s glorious.

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I got some sun shots. It’s been overcast here for days, and this is the first time in a while we’ve had some sun. These are day-after photos, so there is a bit of wear from having washed dishes the night before.

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A few things about the other things I won in this giveaway: I used the Gem Stick and Gem Glam base and top coats and liked them a lot. The scents, Grammy’s Treats and Melon Baller, lasted a pretty long time, and they were nice, fresh, not overpowering scents. Gem Glam is something I’ve heard a lot about and I’m happy it lives up to the hype. The Ever After cuticle crelly is awesome. It holds together like a cream, but feels and applies like a lotion. The pumpkin spice scent makes it smell good enough to eat. I’ve got ideas for the holo decals, so you’ll get a better look at those next week.

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Cieux Romantiques was an Indie Shop exclusive and is no longer for sale. Other Nvr Enuff polishes are sold in their online shop.

I won these products in a giveaway.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s It’s Almost After Midnight

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Happy Saturday! Thanksgiving just happened in America, and I am so wiped from cooking. This was the first year I made the dinner myself, and I did my best to express myself through food; I used a lot of fruits from my own fruit trees and nearly every dessert had some kind of alcoholic ingredient. I wanted my dinner to reflect on me as a person. Unfortunately, the only thing it said about me is that I’m incredibly disorganized, because nothing got finished on time. At least Swatch Saturday is on time! I’m wearing It’s Almost After Midnight from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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There’s a teensy bit of ugly bottle syndrome on the bottom.

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It’s Almost After Midnight is a gray polish with blue shimmer and blue flash. Application was very nice; the product consistency, though on the thin side, was very smooth and easy to work with. The first coat was on the sheer side, but it evened out to full opacity at two. It dries down to a satiny finish. The polish isn’t described by the maker as a shifter, but the blue shimmer does appear to shift purple at some angles. I used top coat for extra shine.

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This is the last polish in the Spark in the Dark collection, and it’s a great wintry addition. The blue shimmer is icy, and it’s intense enough to fool one into thinking the polish itself is blue. It’s a very cool (pun) look. I like that it’s a gray base and not black; I love grays for not being as severe as black, which makes it a little more stylish.

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I didn’t get any outdoor photos, because it’s been overcast for days. I bet this is a stunner in the sun, though. The shimmer is really intense in bright lighting.

It’s Almost After Midnight has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. The BEGL shop is closed for the moment, but there will be Cyber Monday sales this Monday the 28th. Get you some!

I bought this polish myself.