Tag Archives: swatch

Swatch Sunday: Tea Beauty’s Vanilla Petals

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Happy Sunday, reader! Today’s swatch is a scented polish from Tea Beauty! This is Vanilla Petals; I’m wearing three coats of Vanilla Petals without top coat.

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Vanilla Petals is a nude creme with a vanilla scent. Application was good; the first coat was a little streaky, which is not uncommon with light polishes like this. It evened out to full opacity on the second. The product consistency is pretty average, thick enough to carry color, not thin enough to flood cuticles. The polish dries with a glossy finish, but does take a while to do so; more than five minutes later, my nails were not smooth to the touch and still had some tack.

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As I mentioned, this is a scented polish, and I’m actually pretty impressed by how long the scent has lasted. It’s been about a day now since I applied it; I’ve washed my hands many times, I washed my face, I took a shower in the morning, and it still smells like vanilla. My experience with scented polishes — particularly the Crayola ones I got from Rite-Aid — is that the scent vanishes completely after one hand wash, and I’m really shocked this one still smells after putting it through so many washes.

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I don’t know much about this brand, other than they turned up at Walgreens one day, turned up in the sale bin on another, and all Google turns up are some blog posts from three years ago. The bottom label has a URL for a fragrance company, which does not list the polish on its site. Honestly, I don’t know if you can buy these anymore, which is kind of a shame.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Bound to the City Life

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Happy Saturday, reader! I don’t say this often, but I am in love with today’s polish. It’s just so glittery! This is Bound to the City Life from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Bound to the City Life is a deep indigo jelly with fine holographic glitters. Application was very easy; the product consistency is on the thinner side, but is still able to support the glitter well. The first coat was a deep blue, but still needed additional coats for opacity and deepened color. Though a jelly, it does eventually reach a squishy but opaque shade of blue. The glitter is very fine, leaving very little texture when dry. The polish does dry with a glossy finish; I still used top coat for extra smoothness and shine.

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Bound to the City Life is the blue cousin to Noticing Face, another polish I wore recently and loved a lot. I love how deep the color is; it’s dark and dramatic, but obviously still quite blue. Everything about it is pretty perfect. These are absolutely my favorite kinds of polishes, and BEGL always nails them (hah, because polish).

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Outdoors, the blueness and the jellyness is most apparent. You can see all the way through it. Every bit of glitter is visible and sparkling, but the things you don’t want to see — visible nail lines, for example — are not visible at all. These photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Bound to the City Life has been discontinued by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer; other BEGL polishes are available in their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Sweet Heart Polish’s Oh Look, A Firefly

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It’s Sunday!! For today’s swatch I’m excited to be wearing a new-to-me brand called Sweet Heart Polish. Based on Tinkerbell, this green jelly is packed with fairy dust. Let’s get started! I’m wearing three coats of Oh Look, A Firefly with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Oh Look, A Firefly is a lime green jelly filled with iridescent glitters and gold flakies. Application was good; the product consistency is perfect, being thick enough to suspend and distribute glitter without being goopy or sad. The green base is a very sheer jelly; nail lines are still visible even after three coats. The glitters are pretty fine and don’t leave a texture when dry, though it does dry with a satiny finish. I used top coat for shine and extra protection.

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This polish really is Tinkerbell in a bottle. It’s green, golden, and completely magical. I’m wearing it alone here, but it could be used as a topper over another green polish, maybe even a black one, and looks excellent with its original satin finish. It sounds like a really simple polish — it’s made with some pretty basic ingredients — but it’s a beautiful look and is a ton of fun to wear. Personally, I wanted more coverage, but that’s not a huge gripe at all, I can deal with the sheer.

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In the sunlight, the green looks a little washed out compared to the studio photos, but the glitter and sparkle is all there. These photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Oh Look, A Firefly is the second half of a sold-out Peter Pan collaboration with Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This duo is sold out in both stores. Other Sweet Heart Polishes are available in their etsy shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sirens Are Made For Water, Not Snow

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Happy Saturday, reader! Today’s swatch is another Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Siren, Sirens Are Made For Water, Not Snow. It’s a summery take on a winter theme. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Sirens Are Made For Water, Not Snow is a bright blue creme with a strong purple flash. Application was good; product consistency was on the thin side for a BEGL, but was still easy to use. The first coat was worryingly thin and streaky, but it did even out by the third coat. It’s still somewhat sheer; you can see a faint visible nail line in some photos. The purple flash shows up best in low lighting, but can be seen in any lighting condition, so long as the polish is facing the light. The polish dries with a smooth but satin finish; I used top coat for shine and protection.

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I think this photo has the best flash capture.

I think this photo has the best flash capture.

I love when BEGL does a polish that’s seasonally unconventional. They do it pretty often and it’s one of my favorite things about the brand. Of course they’d do a super bright blue for January, right? I kind of relate to it. By the time January rolls around, I’m thinking about spring. I’m thinking about halter tops and swimming pools and green leaves on trees. I am not a winter person and every year I dread its arrival. I totally get what this Siren is about.

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The purple flash in this polish was really difficult to capture. It definitely looks best in lower lighting; in my office, it’s very strong. In the studio, it’s there, but kind of latent. In bright sunshine, it’s almost completely washed out. To me, though, the flash is just bonus; I’m completely in love with the blue creme itself. The following photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Sirens Are Made For Water, Not Snow was released in a numbered limited edition and has since sold out. Other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are sold in their online shop, though they are still on a break.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Superficially Colorful’s Breathe

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Happy Sunday! Today I’m trying out a new-to-me brand called Superficially Colorful. This polish, Breathe, is another entry in the Lighthouse of Hope box curated by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This is a charity box that benefits the depression awareness and education network I Need a Lighthouse. For this swatch, I’m wearing three coats of Breathe with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Breathe is matte-drying aqua linear holo. Application was good; the product consistency was spot-on, and I had no issues using it. The first coat was nearly opaque and everything evened out by the second. The polish does dry matte, so top coat is necessary for shine. Some matte holos don’t look fantastic because the holo flame just blends into the overall look, but that’s not true with this one. You could skip it if you’re a fan of the matte look.

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I’m pretty impressed with this polish. It’s got a great color and the holo flame, though a little subdued compared to others, is still visible. The aqua color is very vibrant. And, because it’s a polish for a cause, here’s what the maker had to say about it:

An aqua/turquoise holographic polish with a little silver and blue shimmer. I think it’s what we all need. To take a deep breath and go on. Everything is easier when you can breathe.

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I’ve written about the Lighthouse of Hope box a few times, and about some of the other polishes in the box. The box itself costs $80, and $60 of it is donated to I Need a Lighthouse. You get eight polishes from all your favorite indies and you give to charity, what’s not to love? The box is available from the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop, and though they’re currently on a break, do get this box when they get back. Other Superficially Colorful polishes are available from their website.

Here are links to the other polishes in this box I’ve worn so far:
Alter Ego’s Grows Hope
Peita’s Polish’s Serenity
Rica’s Alchemical Seas of Hope

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Mickey Smith, Defending the Earth

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Happy Saturday! Though we got into Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Spark in the Dark collection last week, there is still one more Doctor Who polish to share with you! This lovely is Mickey Smith, Defending the Earth; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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Mickey Smith, Defending the Earth is an emerald green holo with gunmetal flakies. Application was easy; the product is well-pigmented and smooth, meaning you could get away with one good coat if you really wanted to. However, the consistency is a bit on the runny side. The green color is very strong, and washes out the flakies; the only photo where I can see them is the macro. The holo effect is pretty strong despite the deep color. The polish dries with a satin finish; I used top coat for extra shine.

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Mickey Smith was my favorite polish in this collection; before this, I didn’t own a deep green holo like this one. I love green polish and I love jewel tones, so naturally this was going to be my favorite. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the most popular. It’s a deep, lovely shade that has a very nice holo. It’s a shame it was kind of unloved.

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Mickey Smith, Defending the Earth and other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers are available in their online shop, which is currently on a break.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday 2: Sula Beauty’s Paint and Peel in Haze

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Surprise!! There’s a bonus swatch for this week! Since I had an easy-peasy peel-off polish in the swatch queue, I decided I’d just get it out of the way this week. This is Sula Beauty’s Paint and Peel in Haze; I’m wearing three coats without base coat or top coat. Also, apologies for not delivering the cleanest swatch ever. Paint and Peel is water-based and didn’t work with the usual acetone clean up.

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Haze is a dusty blue creme. Application was okay; my bottle is old, and so the polish had a thickness that, due to the water-based formula, I wasn’t sure how to resolve. A few nuggets of dried product were also in the bottle, likely from being on the neck of the bottle and falling in when opened. Despite this, I still got a good clean-ish application. Coverage is good; I had a nearly opaque first coat that evened out with a second. It dries quickly and with a glossy finish.

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Paint and Peel is pretty cool stuff. It’s the least nail-polish-like polish I’ve ever used. It’s water-based, as I mentioned earlier, so it lacks that harsh solvent smell that a typical polish would have. It does have a smell, but it’s a different smell, sort of like clay. It peels off very easily by pushing the edge of the color away with an orange stick. It reminds me a lot of the peel-off Tinkerbell nail polish I had as a child.

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Of course, if lasting color is something you’re after, base coat and top coat will add to the life of this polish. Me? I’ve never been able to keep this polish on. As soon as I’m done applying it, I’m already looking forward to peeling it off because peeling is fun.

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Now, here’s the sad part. I don’t know that Sula Beauty as a whole exists anymore. Their website is a logo and an email link, and their Facebook page hasn’t been updated since 2012. If they’re really gone, that’s a huge shame. I would love to have more of these peel-off polishes, and they made some other good stuff as well. Hopefully they’re still out there somewhere.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: Sonia Kashuk’s Two Cent

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Swatch Sunday time! I love this swatch. This is Sonia Kashuk’s Two Cent, and it’s probably the prettiest copper polish I’ve ever worn. I’m wearing it here at three coats with Seche Vite.

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Two Cent is a shimmery golden copper brown polish. Application was good; the product consistency is a little on the thin side, but was still easy to work with. The first coat went on a bit light; the nail was covered, though the coverage was streaky. Additional coats were necessary to even it out. It dried quickly and with a smooth, glossy finish. I still used top coat for extra shine and protection.

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I love how shimmery this is. It’s such a warm and dimensional shade. When you look really closely, you can see all the different colors that make up the big-picture shade; there’s red, gold, copper, and brown, and that’s just to begin with. I’ve always loved these warm copper shades; it was always one of my favorite lipstick shades when I was growing up, and wearing it on my nails now is pretty cool.

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In the sun, the colors warm up big-time. In the studio, it looks way more brown than copper, but in direct sunlight, it looks like liquid pennies.

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Two Cent appears to have been discontinued; other Sonia Kashuk polishes are available at Target.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s She’s Electricity

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Welcome back to Swatch Saturday! Yep, it’s another BEGL polish! I’m getting into a new collection with this week’s polish, the Spark in the Dark collection from winter 2015. I’m really excited to be getting into some newer BEGLs. And by newer, I mean it’s only a year old. This is She’s Electricity; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken in direct sunlight.

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She’s Electricity is a bright pink holo with pink shimmers. The maker’s description lists aqua shimmers and iridescent microglitters as well, but I didn’t pick up on those. Application was good; the product consistency is pretty great with this polish. It’s easy to work with but there’s a lot of pigment to get full coverage right away. Get this — one coat gave me all the coverage I needed. I didn’t stop there, of course, but I definitely could have gotten away with one if I wanted. Because it’s so pigmented, it dries with a matte finish. Top coat was definitely necessary for the shine and holo effect.

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This pink holo is so much fun to wear. I didn’t really do it justice in these photos. The holo effect is pretty subtle here, but it was a lot more vivid in person, though still subdued. I don’t know if using fewer coats would have meant a bigger rainbow or not. Fewer coats might have helped me find those iridescent glitters. In any case, I love this polish. It’s so pink and I love it.

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She’s Electricity has been re-released as part of the Fan Favorites 2016 collection, however, as of this writing, the BEGL shop is closed and will reopen later this month.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Monday: SpaRitual’s Intention

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Hope you had an awesome Labor Day weekend, reader! The very long weekend — in addition to today’s holiday, we all had a hurricane day on Friday — has shifted my posting schedule a bit. Here’s the swatch I intended for Sunday, but is going up on Monday instead; here is SpaRitual’s Intention. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Intention is a sheer red with red, pink, and gold glass flecks. Application was easy; the product consistency is on the thinner side, and as you may have guessed, the first coat was a bit thin, but still had good color and coverage. All three coats were necessary for good opacity. The polish dries with a satin finish, and with the glass flecks, it creates an almost metallic look. I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

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I love Intention, and I’m happy to be using it so soon after trying out Intuition a few weeks ago. I bought these at the same time and think of them as sister polishes. I really love the glass flecks in them; admittedly, I didn’t even realize they were glass until I was doing the shoot for this swatch and saw the label — “infused with recycled glass” — and thought it was really cool. I even checked my other bottle and it says the same thing. I had no idea! I mean, the effect is a bit different from a regular shimmer polish, but now I know why.

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In the sun, the red really warms up, and the shimmers glow really nicely. I love reds, and this is a new favorite for sure!

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Intention and other SpaRitual polishes are available on sparitual.com.

I bought this polish myself.