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.

Guest Post: Color Me So Crazy and Northern Star with Femme Fatale

I have another fantastic blogger and good friend providing tonight's content.  There are a few people who I know I can always count on, and Brigitte from Color Me So Crazy is always up at the top of my list.  Check out her lovely swatches of Northern Star Polish and Femme Fatale!  [And can I just say how much I blushed about this first paragraph???  I die!]

Hello Wishes of a Blue Eyed Girl fans!! Today, I have a great combination to show you, but first let me talk a little about this blogger I am guest writing about. Julie has been one of my first nail polish friends. I actually met her when I won one of her very first giveaways on Instagram for her polish line. That was around 2 years ago!! I have gotten to know Julie pretty well and I absolutely adore her!! She works so hard in everything she does. Her real life job, her polish line, her blog, her friends. EVERYTHING! I really think Julie rocks! Anyway, thank you Julie for this opportunity and I am sure you will all be seeing me again soon!!

In the mean time, be sure to check out my little bloggy. I have nails, makeup, skincare products, and even sometimes toddler pictures!!  

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For this design, I wanted to do something bright and fun for the summer. I was recently given the Femme Fatale and the Northern Star as giveaway prizes and I thought they made a great combination.

The Northern Star polish is a bright pink linear holographic polish that is just stunning in the sun. The Femme Fatale polish is a lavender crelly with lots of pink, purple and black glitters in a variety of sizes.

The crelly was really nice to apply. Sometimes you get a heavily loaded glitter that just clumps together and doesn't want to apply the glitter nicely. This had a nice even glitter application. A few shakes of the bottle was all I needed to mix it up. This also happens to by my first Femme Fatale polish. I am really impressed and would not mind trying more in the future. 

Also, since I have a new captive audience I wanted to tell you ladies about 3 great services-ish I offer on my blog. I think you will be interested in at least one of them.
1. #RedCoatTuesday- We do a link up every Tuesday in honor of Pretty Little Liars. I know Julie participates. So, if you were wondering how to get involved just send me a message under the contact tab on my blog and I will get you hooked up.
2. Make Me Pretty Giveaways- A list of all of the giveaways I can find from around the beauty world. Check back often for a chance to win some goodies!! You can find that here.
3. NFL Link Up- This is for my football girls. Once the season starts, I do a weekly link up for you all to show your pride in your NFL team. If you want in on this one, just send me a message via my contact page on my blog and I will get you all the info.

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed looking at these pretties as well as learning some new, fun things to do around the nail and beauty world and I hope you check out some of my shenanigans in the future!

Colors Used:

Femme Fatale- Abracadaver

Norther Star Polish- Carnivale

UPDATED: Happy New Year's Giveaway!

This post is 10 days overdue.  I seriously need a life coach or a PA to help me get things done on time.  I'm NEVER late for stuff, so this is inexcusable!  I mean, hell, take a look at the issues I've had with shipping out the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer preorders!  It's shameful, and I will have humility and blame it all on myself.  Ugh.  Oh yeah, if you click on that link regarding the preorders, there's a question there about the free mini I'm giving to all preorders for their patience.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Next, I plan to post my progress pics for Naked November this week.  Specifically, I'm hoping to have it up tomorrow. 

Ok, now that the housekeeping is done, let's get to the main attraction, the Happy New Year's Giveaway!  I've teamed with some stellar makers and bloggers to put together this fantastic New Year's Celebration Giveaway!  There's still some time to get in on it, so let me know asap if you'd like to join in the fun!  Let's take a look at the prizes, shall we?  And because I'm vain, I'll start with my prizes, hah!

Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl | Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers

The entire core collection of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers since it's opening in the spring of 2013.  This will include LEs that are a part of core/publicly released collections but NOT one-off or LE collections.  The polishes in this prize include: Easy to Love, It's Smaller on the Outside, Operation Hennesy, Eleanor, Weary Traveler, Death by Restock, Sell Souls for ISOs (OBO), Cart Jacked by Witches, Discontinued Limited Edition (not pictured), MIL Induced Mimosas, Turkey Coma, Untrodden Snow, Electric Icicle, Tacky Winter Sweater, Snowfall at Dusk, glass heart with glitters, Toasty Warm, Frozen Ivy, Plum Tired of the Cold, Hypothermia, Skating in the Snow, First Frost, Morning Light, All I'll Ever Need, Deepest Inquisitions, Watch the Walls, Jiggery Pokery, Self Satisfied, Monster's Tea at Tiffany's, Birthday Wishes, Floppy Hoppy Bunnies, Tea is Soothing, Tact is Just Saying Not True Stuff, Dorkhead, Love Makes You do the Wacky, We Saved the World, I Don't Bite, Out for a Walk, I'm Going Through Some Changes, the Scoobies, Resolutions (not pictured), and 2014 (not pictured).

Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl | Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers

The entire Holiday LE collection: Ma'oz Tzur by Candlelight, St. Nick's Sweet Treats, Guided by Starlight, Newborn Solstice Sun, Matunda Ya Kwanza, Resolutions, and 2014.

Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl

This prize will consist of all of my nail and hand care holy grails as well as the New Year's Duo.  Included in this prize will be Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover, KBShimmer's Clearly on Top, 365 Days of Color Sunny's Hand Cream, Lush Lemony Flutter, a glass file from KBShimmer, Julep Pomegranate Body Scrub (not pictured), and BEGLs Resolution and 2014.

Alter Ego Nail Enamel

Two polishes of winner's choice.

Foxy Paws | WellNails

One polish of winner's choice from each brand's store.

Northern Star Polish

A bottle of a one of a kind polish called Pink Splendor.

Nailant

Three gorgeous handmade polishes.

Indigo Bananas

Four polishes of winner's choice.

Girly Bits Cosmetics

A bottle of A Stripper Has Been Sleeping in My Bed, Peel Here, and Frazzle Fixer Cuticle Oil.

Accio Lacquer

Orly Red Flame mini, Polish Addict Nail Color Punk Rock Chic, and China Glaze Agro.

Color Me So Crazy

$10 gift certificate of winner's choice to either Llarowe, Ninja Polish, or Femme Fatale.

Dreamy Lacquer Company

Three polishes of the winner's choice!

And here's where to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will end at midnight on 1/1/2014.  All entries will be subject to verification, so it's EXTREMELY important that you 1) fill out all of the information requested, and 2) make sure that all items are public (i.e. that you follow on Bloglovin publicly, that you post your shares publicly, etc).  Any entry that I can't verify will be disqualified.  I will announce the winners within a week of the giveaway ending, so I greatly appreciate your patience!  If you are interested in donating a prize to this giveaway, please contact me at wishesofablueeyedgirl@gmail.com so I can add your information to the post and Rafflecopter widget!  I will add new prizes until Christmas day 12/25/2013, so let me know as soon as you can!

So, are you excited for the new year?  I can't wait to read everyone's traditions!

Naked November

No, that title doesn't imply that I'm moving to a nudist colony.  Nope, not me.  Just my nails.  It makes me so sad to do it, but I'm going to be taking a month away from painting my nails.  Last summer, my nails were great.  They grew long and strong and had minimal breaks.  I attributed that to using Rejuvacote.  Unfortunately, something in my body chemistry has decided that it no longer wants to play well with Rejuvacote.  My C-curve was becoming less pronounced.  My nails were separating from the skin underneath.  My nails were peeling.  And worse yet, I started to develop bubbles in between the sheets of my nails, which then cause my nails to peel in the middle instead of at the edges.  You'll see what I'm talking about in the photos below.  Another problem I have is that I'm a notorious polish picker.  Apparently, bubbles in your nails + picking off polish = losing several sheets of nail when normally my picking doesn't take off any layers.  So my solution?  To try and go a month without wearing polish.  Please note that everyone's body chemistry is different.  What doesn't work for me may work great for you and vice versa.  My routine isn't the gospel, so do what's right for you!  

I do plan to swatch new stuff once they get in respectable shape, but I won't have any polish on my nails for longer than it takes to get photos.  In the meantime, I'll be dredging up some wicked old photos from last summer, so my reviews may not be that great as it's been a long time since I've applied these polishes.  I'll do my best to accurately portray them, though!  Ok, let's take a look at my routine for this month and then discuss a few giveaways.

Here are my nails currently.  The damage is mostly prominent on my thumb and pinkie on my left hand and my index, middle, ring, and pinkie on my right hand.  There is an example of the bubbles I mentioned above on my thumb of my left hand.  I've INTENTIONALLY left them dry without adding lotion or cuticle oil so you guys can see exactly what they look like in real non-blog life.  I am embarrassed about the state of my nails, so please don't leave any not-so-nice comments, mkay?  I'm well aware that they are a hot freaking mess.

Until the damage grows out, I'll be keeping them cropped low.  The longer I allow them to get while this damaged, the more chance of getting really bad breaks below the quick.  To help curb peeling issues, I'll be using my glass files and sealing the free edge with the shine part of my three-way buffer.  For more information on that, check out Loodie Loodie Loodie's tutorials on how to correctly file your nails.

Glass file for home from Sephora; mini glass file for purse from Model City Polish; three-way buffer from Sally's.

Next up, I'm going to be moisturizing the crap out of my hands and nails.  They are so dry and brittle that they are in desperate need of some TLC, especially now that winter has finally arrived.  Below are some of the items I'll use to help keep my hands moisturized.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser; 365 Days of Color Sunny's Hand Cream, Sunny's Cuticle Balm, and Sunny's Cuticle Oil; Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter; Northern Star Polish Tangerine Honeysuckle Cuticle Oil; Model City Polish Candy Corn Cuticle Oil.

I've also got some random things I'm using to try and boost growth and help with moisture and strength.  Check them out below.

CVS 5000 mcg Biotin (two pills in the morning); plenty of water throughout the day; 365 Days of Color Sunny's Sugar Scrub; Julep Pomegranate Body Scrub; Sally Hansen Gel Cuticle Remover.

So, there you have it!  I'll be showing you guys my progress every Monday through November.  In order to help me get through this month without going crazy, I'm going to hold a giveaway.  This giveaway is a participation giveaway not a like this like that one.  I'm asking that you guys take a photo of your naked nails every day, starting tomorrow, until the end of the month.  I want you to post those photos publicly every night on either Facebook or Instagram and tag it #nopolishnovember #nakednovember @blueeyedlawyer.  If you do it every day starting tomorrow, 11/5/2013, for this month, you'll be in the running to win a very special prize that will be a secret until I announce the winner at the end of the month!  You will be on the honor system.  Please don't disappoint me by cheating.  As Mr. Darcy says, "My good opinion once lost is lost forever."  I know I can't make sure you're all going naked all the time, but that is the goal and spirit of this giveaway.  Be honest and be honorable!  And good luck to everyone as we embark on this scary world that is naked nails.

Second giveaway information - yes, the Depression Awareness giveaway has ended.  HOWEVER, I am currently waiting for confirmation from I Need a Lighthouse on who has donated.  Tomorrow, I will be submitting the donations that were sent to my paypal account.  I'll have photos of that up on my Facebook page.  I appreciate your patience while I wait to get that confirmation in.  Trust me, you guys will be the first to know who the winners are as soon as they're announced!

Northern Star Enigmatic Doctors!

I'm finally getting back to some Northern Star Polishes that I received earlier this summer for review.  Tonight, we're going to take a look at another one of Kristin's X-Files inspired polishes, Enigmatic Doctors.  One of my best friends was a huge X-Files fan, so I know a bit about the show from her.  Otherwise, I'm a bit out of the loop on the series.

(Source)

Um.  Yeah, I know, I know...

(Source)

So yeah, anyway, let's take a look at this gorgeous glitter topper, shall we?

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Color: Clear base with blue, teal, orange, purple, and wine hexes and squares in varying sizes.

Finish: Glitter Top Coat – glitter in a clear base to be worn as a top coat.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.  Although, it appears that Northern Star has moved to a new bottle and brush, so I'll have to get a few more to get you updated info on her new brushes.  Who am I kidding, I don't need a thinly veiled excuse to buy more, hah!  Just, you know, buy more!

Opacity: Glitter topcoat – not designed for full opacity.  Although, it's a pretty dense topcoat, so you could probably layer this baby over itself a few times for full opacity.

Glitter Application: Medium – requires the dab method, but glitters are easy to extract and spread evenly.

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 designed for stamping.

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

Overall Thoughts: Enigmatic Doctors is a fantastic glitter topper that, in my opinion, is perfect for fall.  The colors are rich and deep giving it a very warm feel.  Here, I've layered it over another of Northern Star's X-Files Polishes, Trust No. 1, one of my all time favorite blues whose review is located here.  Enigmatic Doctors is a dense glitter, but it's not so dense that it dries gritty.  Here, I've only used one coat of Nubar Diamont on top.  Luckily, it played nicely with Nubar without any wrinkling, shrinking, or bubbling.  Again, application is super easy and didn't bubble up or slide around on my nail.  While this polish has been out for a few months, I really think that it will shine as the perfect fall topper.  I'm also looking forward to wearing it matte over a rust red or dusty orange!  What do you think would be the perfect undies for Enigmatic Doctors?

You can purchase Enigmatic Doctors at the Northern Star Polish store on Etsy. Follow Kristin on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Northern Star Polish Part 2

I have two more Northern Star Polishes that will be in the Friday restock for you today.  So far, I've been in love with pretty much all of the polishes Kristin has sent me for review.  I have three more to show you, but they aren't new for Friday's restock, so that will happen a little later.  Let's take a look at Hey Big Spender and Trust No 1.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received samples of Hey Big Spender and Trust No. 1 for review purposes.  All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Hey Big Spender

Color: Clear base with a greyish tint, blue/purple/green iridescent shimmers, white squares, white, grey, periwinkle, and light green hexes.

Finish: Glitter Top Coat – glitter in a clear base to be worn as a top coat.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: Glitter topcoat – not designed for full opacity.

Glitter Application: Medium – spreads evenly, but I suggest flipping the bottle over for a few minutes before you use it to make sure you can get the big hexes out easily.

Consistency: Fluid – thin but flows easily from the brush. This had the perfect consistency for my finicky butt.

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

Stampability: Not designed for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: I chose to wear Hey Big Spender over a newly acquired Dior, Graphic Berry, to showcase both the shimmer in the topper and the blue leanings in the base color. I'm super happy with this combo. They work well together without being over the top or competing for attention. Application was super easy, but I did have to flip the bottle over for a minute to get the larger hexes out. It wasn't super difficult, but I did dig a little to make sure I got a good smattering of the different types of glitters on each nail. Definitely a very pretty topper that could be combined with so many different types of base color that you'd get something unique each time you wore it.

Trust No. 1

Color: Electric blue jelly with blue flakies.

Finish: Shimmer – a polish that shimmers in the light from flakies.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: High – opaque at two coats!  I used three to ensure that my photos wouldn't show any patchiness.

Glitter Application: Easy – Spreads evenly without much manipulation.  These are flakies, so they're very easy to get out of the bottle and spread.

Consistency: Fluid – thin but flows easily from the brush.

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

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: Yeah, this is my favorite Northern Star Polish... Application was FLAWLESS. Do you hear me, people?! FLAWLESS. PERFECT. AMAZING. The first layer is a bit streaky, but as soon as you add the second coat, BAM. Perfection. I also only had minimal cleanup, which is never the case with me. I have shaky hands, so I tend to make a little bit of a mess when I polish. But Trust No. 1 was amazingly easy to work with. Plus, just look at that color. So unique and so pretty. It's the perfect vivid polish that you need to have in your collection for summer. I just love how the base is actually purple, but it leans blue because of the blue flakies. It's so complex and yet so simple at the same time. It's love, people. Love, I tell you.

Both of these polishes will be available this Friday, noon cst, at the Northern Star Polish store on Etsy. Follow Kristin on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates. And if you haven't planned to buy any from this week's restock, you should. I'm serious. All of these polishes are well made, well thought out, and very unique. I can't wait to show you the three I have left for review!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received samples of Hey Big Spender and Trust No. 1 for review purposes.  All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*