Northern Star Day Dream & Elevation Pic de Sotllo

Tonight's post is of a mani I did sometime last year.  I've been working on clearing out older photos while I go polish-free for a bit.  This is one that I was surprisingly pleased with as I wasn't sure that I would like such a bold combo.  Tonight's post features Northern Star Polish Day Dream, which I received in a swap from the maker, and Elevation Polish Pic de Sotllo, which has been my go-to klein blue for a while.  Let's take a closer look.

I purchased one and received the other in a swap.

Pic de Sotllo is a lovely bright blue creme that dries with a satin finish.  Application is easy as it has a nice consistency without pooling on my skin.  You do need to be a tad careful with application, though, because it may stain a bit if you accidentally get it on your skin.  Dry time was quick, but I used a coat of KBShimmer's Clearly on Top to get that glassy look I love.

Day Dream is a gorgeous fuchsia jelly packed with fuchsia and gold hexes and bright blue squares.  I had been wanting to wear it for a while, but I wasn't sure what color I wanted to pair it with.  As I sat down and started going through my stash for a good match for fuchsia undies, I started to think, hmmm, maybe I could try it as accents with a blue?  As soon as I put it on, I knew that this was a match made in heaven.  

Day Dream applies easily without the need to manipulate or dig for the glitter.  It is a jelly, so I ended up using three coats for full coverage.  It's not topcoat hungry, so I only needed one coat of KBShimmer's Clearly on Top to gloss it up.  Dry time was average, and cleanup was average for a glitter.

You can purchase Pic de Sotllo here.  Sadly, it appears that Day Dream has been discontinued, but you can purchase other Northern Star polishes here.

So, what do you think?  Do you like bold looks, or do you prefer something a little more dainty?  I think I'm definitely going to branch out and use brighter and bolder combos more often.

Comparison Thursday: Light Blue Cremes

Tonight's post will be a bit... spotty...  I took these photos forever ago, and I'm a bit fuzzy on all of the application details.  Also, the pics are a bit dark and my skin is a bit dry, soooo just keep in mind that these are from almost two years ago now.  Ok, let's get to it!

All polishes were purchased by me.

Tonight's post consists of a few of my light blue cremes and one shimmer (I'm not sure why I put it in this comparison).  None of them are or near the same shade, so I guess let's get to the differences.

Deborah Lippmann Let's Hear it for the Boy, Elevation Polish Alphubel, OPI What's With the Cattitude, BarryM Blueberry Ice Cream, and China Glaze Electric Beat

Let's Hear it For the Boy

Let's Hear it For the Boy is a super pale blue almost periwinkle creme.  As you can see, application isn't flawless and the formula isn't self-leveling.  It took three coats for full opacity, and the first coat or two are still quite streaky.  This was a limited edition, but you can purchase other Deborah Lippmann polishes at Sephora.

Alphubel

Alphubel is a light blue with a strong icy blue shimmer.  It's got a bit of a grey undertone, but the shimmer is prominent on the nail.  The application was relatively easy, like with most Elevations, and took three coats for full opacity.  You can purchase Elevation Polishes at her store here.

What's With the Cattitude

WWtC is probably the most difficult with application in the whole set.  No matter how many times I try to wear this polish, it goes on in a streaky mess that refuses to dry.  I use about four coats, and you can still see some balding and streaking.  I really want to love this polish because the color is just so pretty and unique (it's the most teal of the group), but the application leaves much to be desired.  Again, this one has been long since discontinued, but I found it dusty hunting, which is why my bottle is almost dead.

Blueberry Ice Cream

I kind of really love BarryM polishes.  Application on this guy was fantastic and has a bit of a squishy look to it even though it's not a jelly.  This is the most blue of the five polishes in this set.  This is three coats to hit full opacity.  I received this bottle from a friend in the UK, but you can purchase BarryM polishes at Color4Nails.

Electric Beat

This is another one that I'm not sure why I added into this comparison as it's the most periwinkle of the group.  It's also not very light, either.  Electric Beat has a great formula like most China Glaze cremes, and only needed two coats for full opacity.  This is a core line polish, so you can find it at most beauty supply shops.

I have more light blues I could add to this comparison now, but that'll have to wait for another week.  I'll definitely let you know when I have more to add to the comparison!  Which is your favorite?

All polishes were purchased by me.

Comparison Thursday: OPI Bright Pink Cremes

Today is my blog's birthday!!!!!!!!  Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl has turned 2!  I want to express a huge thank you to all of you lovely readers who follow my little blog.  I'm not a funny blogger, and my nails and skin aren't the bestest of the best, but I try hard to be informative so you know exactly what you'll get before you buy!  In honor of this auspicious occasion, I am hosting a giveaway of my favorite polishes!  

There will be twelve winners, and each person will receive one of the "favorites" plus the new Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Special Edition, Terrific Twos (thanks to Jessica, Sara, and MJ for the help naming it!).  To enter, fill out the prompts in the rafflecopter below.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO ACTUALLY DO THE THINGS YOU SAID YOU'VE DONE!  I do check, and I'd hate for you to be disqualified because you unliked someone or you didn't post something publicly!  If I can't see it, then it doesn't count!  All polishes in this giveaway were purchased by me (except for Maui Wowee which was an extra with my order).  Thank you again to everyone for all of your support!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Ok, now we can get back to our regularly scheduled program!  As soon as the Gwen Stefani collection by OPI came out, I wanted to know - how does Hey Baby compare to another popular OPI, Strawberry Margarita?  I didn't own Strawberry Margarita, but people were claiming that it and Hey Baby were exact dupes.  Clearly, that necessisitated me purchasing SM for my weekly comparisons!  So, let's get down to business!

[I purchased both of these myself.]

Because there's not really a whole lot to these polishes, there are really only two similarities between them - the base color and the creme finish.  There aren't that many differences, either, really, so this will be a bit of a shorter post.  However, I wanted to do a comparison of these two anyway because so many people claimed that they were exact duplicates.  I can definitively state that they are not exact duplicates, but they are very close!  Let's get to the differences.  In the bottle, they look almost indistinguishable, but you'll see that isn't the case on the nail.  

Hey Baby

Hey Baby was amazing to apply, and I didn't need much cleanup at all.  The formula was thicker thank SM, which means that it could have been a one coater.  I chose to do two coats, though, to ensure that there weren't any patches or bald spots in my photos.  It is slightly darker in hue than SM.  I didn't use topcoats on either of these because Hey Baby is touted as a "Creme Gloss," and I wanted to see what that meant.  As you can see from my photos, it has the exact same finish as SM, and neither of them are super glossy.  Without using a quick dry topcoat, it did take longer to dry than I'm used to.

Strawberry Margarita

SM is a bit more watery than Hey Baby.  You could still see my nail line with the first coat, and I needed three coats for full opacity.  The consistency could make it a little more prone to flooding my cuticles if I wasn't careful, but it wasn't so bad that I needed to be super careful.  SM is ever so slightly brighter in hue than Hey Baby.  Again, I wore this without topcoat, so dry time was on the long side.  It's also not very glossy without topcoat, so I definitely prefer it with a glossy topcoat.

So, which do you like better?  For me, I fell in love with the application of Hey Baby, which was the overarching factor in my decision to keep it over SM.  Honestly, they aren't exact duplicates, but they are so close in color that you truly don't need both of them.

[I purchased both of these myself.]

Pretty Little Liars: OPI Intl Date Line

Tonight's #RedCoatTuesday features a polish that I've had for years.  I can't remember when I got it, but it was either high school or early college, and I'm older than a lot of other bloggers, so that was a while ago.  So, first, let's check out the rules for Red Coat Tuesday!

(Source)

The rules are easy!

• Paint your nails red, do your lips red, do a shadow design in red, or do anything beauty related that is mostly red.
• Add your blog and photo to the inlinkz!  If you don't have a blog but do have an IG, you can check this link for directions on how to use your IG for inlinkz.  If you don't have a blog or IG, you can just add your photo to the linkup or send it to Color Me So Crazy, and she will get them up for you!
• Use the #RedCoatTuesday tag when you share your photos on IG, Twitter, or Facebook!

I purchased this polish myself.

Color:  deep burgundy red

Finish:  Crème – a flat polish that finishes smooth with full opacity.

Bottle / Brush:  OPI black label – a thinner brush used on the old OPI formula.  The wand for the brush is the standard OPI length.  This brush gives better control than the newer wide brushes.

Opacity:  High – opaque at two coats!

Glitter Application:  N/A

Consistency:  Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application:  Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability:  Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time:  Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes. 

Overall Thoughts:  While it's been a long time since I've worn this polish or took these photos, I do know that this polish is one that applies so easily and lasts for quite some time.  My body chemistry really likes OPI black label polishes, so Intl Date Line tended to last on me for up to 4 days or longer without much wear.  It's always refreshing to wear a creme by itself without anything else to mar the fresh and even finish.  While there's nothing uber remarkable about Intl Date Line, it's still a fairly nice polish if you like darker reds.  For me, while the application was nice, I just didn't love the color.  It was too ruddy for me, so I sold it.  Now, I'm sad that I did simply because of the nostalgia factor, but nostalgia is no reason to hold onto things you don't use anymore!  Especially when others would enjoy it more!

This is an older polish that's pretty hard to find, but you can occasionally find it on blog sales or on dusty hunts.  Otherwise, you can purchase OPI products at beauty supply stores, like Ulta or Sally's, or Salons.

I purchased this polish myself.

(Source)

Pretty Little Liars: Orly Bus Stop Red

It's been a while, hasn't it?  I'm soooo sorry for abandoning the blog!  I've been really missing it and you guys, so I'm going to work hard to get myself back on track!  Especially because we're quickly approaching my 2 year birthday!  So, what better way to kick off the restart of my blog than to dive right into some #RedCoatTuesday!  

(Source)

The rules are easy!

• Paint your nails red, do your lips red, do a shadow design in red, or do anything beauty related that is mostly red.
• Add your blog and photo to the inlinkz!  If you don't have a blog but do have an IG, you can check this link for directions on how to use your IG for inlinkz.  If you don't have a blog or IG, you can just add your photo to the linkup or send it to Color Me So Crazy, and she will get them up for you!
• Use the #RedCoatTuesday tag when you share your photos on IG, Twitter, or Facebook!

So, last season, I missed the first 5 or 6 episodes of Pretty Little Liars when it first came back, and by the time I wanted to catch up, they weren't online anymore.  Womp womp!  So I was pretty much a season behind when I participated in previous Red Coat Tuesdays.  However, Netflix finally added in season 4, so I was able to catch up just before this season started!  Now, I've got it safely scheduled on my DVR, so I won't be behind again!  It's definitely a guilty pleasure show and not something that I ever thought I'd watch religiously.  I actually find myself screaming at the television more often than not because those girls are just so dumb!  Hah!  My friend Rachael of Polished for Reals pointed me in the direction of this hilarious Buzzfeed called 41 Thoughts Everyone Has While Watching "Pretty Little Liars," and it's pretty dead on. Don't read that, though, if you're not caught up.  It's not super spoilery, but it may not make as much sense.  Ok, so let's get onto the review!  (Please be prepared for some not so awesome lighting as well as some right-handage!)

I purchased this polish myself.

Color: Deep red creme.

Finish: Crème – a flat polish that finishes smooth with full opacity.

Bottle / Brush: Orly (old) round - large round bottle that is easy to hold onto.  The handle is rubber, which makes it easier to hold onto when you’re painting.  Wand and brush length are average.

Opacity: High – opaque at two coats!

Glitter Application: N/A

Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application: Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: I wore this polish a long time ago, so my recollection of it isn't as awesome as I would have hoped. However, I do remember that it was super easy to apply, and it wore well with Ninja Polish Divinity on top for several days without chips. It didn't stain my nails, but it did slightly stain my skin when I took it off as you can see on my thumb. It doesn't help that this is my non-dominant hand, so my application wasn't exactly tip top! Although, I'm super proud of my hand poses! They usually look so horrible with my righty, but these only look slightly awkward! Hah! Anyway, Bus Stop Red is a lovely creme, but it's not super unique. I have others in my collection similar, so I ended up selling it. If you're looking for a blood red creme, though, this would be a great option!

You can purchase Orly at Sally Beauty, Ulta, and other beauty supply shops.

I purchased this polish myself.

Oldie but Goodie: Old Swatch Roundup China Glaze and Dollish Polish

It's time for the next installment of the Old Swatch Roundup!  I've got a MILLION photos of gorgeous polishes that need to be reviewed, but I've taken so long to actually do anything with these photos that I don't remember anything about the actual polish!  D'oh!  My solution?  I'll just toss a bunch of older swatches into one post a month without an actual review!  By the way, I've been keeping notes on application for all of the recent swatches I've done to ensure that I don't forget when it's time for the review.  I can't let my laziness deter from proper reviews!  Ok, let's take a look!

China Glaze Fast Track

China Glaze Dorothy Who

Dollish Polish Rolling on the River over CG Dorothy Who

China Glaze Merry Berry

Dollish Polish I Wanna Do Bad Things to You over CG Merry Berry

China Glaze No Plain Jane

China Glaze It's A Trap-eze! (layered over itself with middle finger sandwiched with OPI Don't Touch my Tutu)

Have a great Wednesday!