Manicure Monday: Brown and Color

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

Another week, another Manicure Monday! Today’s mani is interesting — to me — because both of the polishes I used are ones I’ve used before. Since I have well over 1,100 bottles of nail polish, it’s rare for me to go a Monday without using something new. LA Colors’s Twisted Affair and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Prototype PFCS 1.0 have been featured on the blog, but not together. I love how well they pair! I’m wearing two coats of Twisted Affair and one generous coat of PCFS 1.0 on my accent nails, all with one coat of Rica‘s Glossy Glam top coat. Also, to explain the exposed tip on my middle nail, an emergency occurred that required me to don a pair of gloves right after finishing the manicure. Thankfully all the other nails escaped unscathed.

So yes, the manicure. Twisted Affair is a color I like a lot, even though it’s a bit odd. In the bottle it looks like a cool milk chocolate, but in certain lighting conditions t looks bruised and sickly. I don’t mind that it’s occasionally ugly, but when it does, it needs a little help. This is why I chose PCFS 1.0 as the accent; it’s just so complex and colorful. I love looks that are colorful and neutral simultaneously.

Twisted Affair applies easily and with good color: I expected it to be streaky and thin until the third coat, but I got full opacity in just two. The drying times were nice as well; I definitely bumped a nail on my desk a couple of minutes after I finished painting it and it didn’t dent or smudge. PFCS 1.0 took a little more work; I had to let the bottle sit upside-down for a while to get all the sunken glitters out, and really went at it to get good coverage. This manicure looks exactly as I imagined it would, but I am a little upset by the one that got messed up.

Twisted Affair and other LA Colors polishes are available all over the place; I got mine from Dollar General. Prototype PCFS 1.0 was a one-off and is not available, but other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers can be purchased from their shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Prototype CTA 2.0

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

I have another prototype to show you this week! This is Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Prototype CTA 2.0. I’ve got on three coats with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

CTA 2.0 is a white creme with multicolored shimmers. There’s something iridescent in it, something that shines blue to purple. There also seems to be something that shifts from gold to lilac. The shimmer in the bottle is absolutely beautiful, but it does not transfer to the nail well at all. You can see a few subtle stray shimmers in photos and that’s about it. The shimmers are a little stronger in person, but even then they’re mostly covered up by the thick white creme. It’s still pretty, but likely not what the maker intended, which is why it never made it past the prototype stage. CTA 2.0 dries matte with a fine texture. The drying time was pretty nice. It’s still a good polish overall.

In my own records, I call this polish Snowshine, just because I tend to lump everything that’s white with snow and winter. Based on the one time I got to stomp around in some day-old bargain bin snow, this polish really does remind me of snow. It’s all white until you get up close to it, and then you can see it sparkling in the sunlight, melting delicately into the earth. This polish is exactly like that. You have to look a little harder for the sparkle, but you know it’s there.

As CTA 2.0 was a prototype, the bottle I have is the only bottle and no others were made. You can buy other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers from their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Skating French

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

For Manicure Monday, I wanted to do something different. I love Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Skating in the Snow alone, but since I’ve already worn that it way before on the blog, I felt like I should try something new with it. Enter the french tips. I’m wearing two thin coats of Skating in the Snow over tips painted with Sally Hansen’s Hard to Get, topped with Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat and Hard Candy’s Mattely in Love matte top coat.

When I swatched Skating in the Snow a few months ago, I really loved the way it looked at one coat, and I wanted a look like that, something sheer and delicate that still retained the glitter crelly spirit of the polish. One coat was too thin, but two are too thick, and the tips don’t show through as well as I’d have liked. You can see the differences, though; you can see how opaque the color is at the tips, and where the crelly is most obvious. It’s not too apparent in photos, but in person the distinction is much more noticeable. You can also see where my cuticles are STILL stained from Cruella de Vil, but that’s neither here nor there.

I don’t know why I chose a matte finish for this. It’s something I thought of at the last minute. I think it was an extra effort to make this manicure different from the swatch. That, and I rarely use matte top coats. I just kind of felt like it.

Skating in the Snow has sold out since the last time I featured it on the blog, but you can buy other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers from the BEGL shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Pottery-Inspired Gradient

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

For today’s Manicure Monday, I got my sponges out and did a gradient for the first time in months! This particular mani was inspired by a piece of pottery I saw in a museum. This is Sally Hansen’s Hard to Get with Disney’s Villain Varnish in Cruella de Vil, topped with one coat each of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat and Hard Candy’s Mattely in Love matte coat.

Hard to Get is a white creme. It’s my favorite of the white cremes I’ve tried so far, and I use it so often I’m on like my fourth bottle. I actually emptied my current bottle on this manicure, so maybe I’ll pour a little of something out for it. Or maybe I’ll just another bottle. My feelings on Cruella de Vil aren’t so firm. I love the way this polish looks, but I don’t like the formula. It smears when top coat touches it (exhibit A: the thumb smudge), and it stains cuticles (exhibit B: pinky). It is an absolutely gorgeous polish, but sometimes I hate using it.

As I mentioned, the gradient was inspired by a piece of pottery. I was in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia on my birthday a couple of years ago, and I saw this lovely vase that was a deep red at its curved bottom, then faded to white at its fluted tip. I immediately “I am going to do this on my nails” and took a surreptitious photo with my phone for reference. I’d planned to keep it around and show it on the blog once I finally did the mani, but then I lost my phone in Philadelphia (long story) and the photo is gone. I guess that means I have to go back and take another photo.

This is not my best gradient, not by a long shot. It’s pretty tough doing a gradient with a bright color and white, and when you use a smudgy red like this one, it’s even tougher. I was really looking forward to this mani, and I’m disappointed it didn’t turn out so well. I will definitely try this again.

Swatch Sunday: Del Sol’s Pretty in Pink

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Stacie Wacie

I am so excited about today’s Swatch Sunday! When I was on vacation last year, I happened upon the Del Sol store in Savannah, Georgia, and I bought a few of these fun polishes that change color in the sunlight. I’m so excited to finally feature one of them on the blog. This one is called Pretty in Pink; I’m wearing three coats of it with one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

Pretty in Pink is a pearly white polish with a strong pink flash. In the sun, it turns a deep rose. It’s rather sheer; you can easily still see my nail line, and you can see some brush strokes, but I really like this at three coats. Application was okay; the consistency of the lacquer was pretty nice, but the square brush cap didn’t sit well in my hand and was hard to use some of the time. Drying time was about average, and was glossy when dried. The photochromic change did take a little while to occur, but it does occur, even with a top coat.

I love this polish! Indoors, it’s demure and soft, but in the sunlight, it’s bold and summery. Wearing this polish in the middle of January is a ton of fun. I mean, I’m already dying for summer to be here right now; thinking about how much fun this polish will be to wear by the pool or at the beach is making me even more impatient.

Here are the sunlight photos! These were actually taken the day after the first set, because there wasn’t enough sunlight the same day to get these photos. Unfortunately, there is some tip wear because of that, and I do apologize. As I mentioned, it takes a couple of seconds for the UV light to effect the change, but it does happen. I admit I was skeptical at first when it didn’t change immediately like a thermal might, but I was surprised when it did. It’s such a subtle change that I didn’t notice it happening until it was finished.

I have a few more Del Sol polishes, and I can’t wait to try them out! I only got four because I was “exercising restraint”, but they had a ton of different colors and glitter toppers. I really want to buy a few new bottles, because I don’t know if my summer will be complete without them.

So, yeah. Can it be summer now?

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!

Manicure Monday: Green and Galaxy Glitter

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

Thanksgiving is over, and we’re back on schedule! I missed you guys! For this week’s Manicure Monday, we’re sticking with the usual glitter accent nails, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I’m wearing three coats of China Glaze’s Exotic Encounters, with one coat of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Prototype AG 1.1 on my accent nails. All nails are topped Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

Exotic Encounters is a deep jungle green creme. It’s rather dramatic; it dries so smoothly and with such a high gloss that it makes top coat nearly unnecessary. It does dry quickly, and achieves opacity in two coats. The consistency is just right, and application was perfectly easy. This polish was a total win for me. It’s an absolutely gorgeous shade of green, and it’s so shiny!

Prototype AG 1.1 kind of steals the spotlight. It guess it kind of deserves it. AG 1.1 is an icy blue-to-warm violet shifting polish with white glitters in various shapes and sizes. Each fun shape is in here: moons, stars, diamonds, rectangles, dots, and squares, along with some smallers dots and hexes. There are no hearts, but I’ll let it slide. It’s a bit thick, but it’s so loaded up with glitter and pigment that it’s expected. It goes on easily and is so much fun to wear. I’m very surprised by how it transforms a creme polish. It doesn’t even look like the same color with this shifty glitter madness on top of it. It’s amazing. I actually call it SPACELINGERIE in my own personal files, because it’s celestial, sultry, and leaves just enough to the imagination.

I almost feel like this look is a bit dull, since it looks like all the accent nails are having all the fun. That might be true. I love it, though. I simply cannot get enough of AG 1.1. It’s also my Swatch Saturday this week — surprise! — so look forward to it. It’s amazing.

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!

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Resolutions

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Stacie Wacie

It’s Swatch Saturday again! Today, I’m bringing you the second part of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s new year’s duo. Released early this year, 2014 and Resolutions were released alongside their winter collection. We saw 2014 last week, so today we’re looking at Resolutions. I’m wearing one light coat of Resolutions over Sally Hansen’s Hard to Get, Julep’s Martha, and China Glaze’s Pelican Gray, as well as one coat of Ciate’s Speed Coat Pro top coat.

Resolutions is a glitter topper with primarily black and blue dots and hexes, as well as icy blue shimmer. There are a few colorful surprises: lime green diamonds, white blocks, black stars, purples, yellows, corals. I put on a very light coat, and I didn’t get a lot of the big colorful glitters. They’re kind of hard to fish out, and tend to hang out at the bottom of the bottle. A second coat would definitely have helped me out, and probably would have helped me get those big pink dots and hexes. Those are my favorites.

As always, this is a dream to wear and apply. I could have used a little more glitter on the brush, but that’s not too much of a worry. The base dries fast, and surprisingly, the glitter is flat and smooth on the nail, which rarely happens with polishes like this. Even the big glitters are glassy smooth. It’s nice.

Unfortunately, this is long discontinued, but a few of my favoritest BEGL glitter toppers are actually on sale in the BEGL store. If you liked this one, I think you’ll love those.

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.

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Tag Archives: white

Manicure Monday: Brown and Color

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Prototype CTA 2.0

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Skating French

Manicure Monday: Pottery-Inspired Gradient

Swatch Sunday: Del Sol’s Pretty in Pink

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

Manicure Monday: Green and Galaxy Glitter

Swatch Sunday: Claire’s Mystery White

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Resolutions

Manicure Monday: Solitaire