#swatcher

[stellachroma]

#Repost @michellebeahnrose ・・・ PD/PR Stella Chroma has a brand new collection heading your way! The Winter Knits collection consists of 4 beautiful polishes and you are going to want every single one of these beauties! Up first is Cable Knits! A cable knit sweater is one of the warmest, coziest things on the planet. This polish is a delicate, candy pink with iridescent flakies that shift every color of the rainbow and a warm golden shimmer. (I actually wore this polish for a couple days hoping some sun would peak out so I could catch that rainbow of colors...gotta love Ohio in the fall - gray, gray and more gray lol). Shown here in 3 very thin coats, topped with glossy and matte top coats. Available Friday, November 11th at 12:00 noon EST at stellachroma.com $13.00 ea/Full collection available at a discounted rate Nov. 11th thru the 18th for $47.00 #indiepolishes #pinknails #flakienails #shimmernails #beautifulpolish #indienails #swatcher #iwanttoswatchforyou #winterpolish #winterfashion2022 #winternailpolish #ignailcommunity #nailspolished #nailpolishenthusiast #polishswatch #bombnails #nailie #nailedit #polishoftheday #stellachroma https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckmar1UMmCM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sergle]

Off topic from the current conversation about getting your titties to breast less boobily but ms sergle. I painted my nails myself for the first time in ages today and it went so bad. Absolutely woeful. How do you. Do this??? That is to say do you have any tips about being able to paint your nails less like how a five year old would. Like I know part of it is just practice but I’m dying in the trenches out here and would appreciate your Expertise please and thank you <3

AGHUYDHRYU it's hard out here... honestly I was a Never Nailpainter a few years ago and found it very difficult to get them to look Okay. but before my hands got less shaky and the muscle memory kicked in, this is - leaving a giant gap between the polish and the cuticle / the sides of my nail is, in fact, safer than trying to get as close as possible. bc flooding my cuticles is a bloodbath. - it's harder to tell if it's fucked up when you use a color that's not super different from your skin tone, like neutrals and dusty pinks, ORR shimmers and glitters that aren't very dark - a cleanup brush dipped in acetone can unfuck even the most egregious fucks - REST UR HAND/ARM ON A SURFACE... don't paint the nails w a hovering hand. absolute bloodbath

[validtrollnames]

the ceaseless watcher is a valid ancestor name if you go on ghb rules

blinky, wiggly, nibbly, hannah foster and wiggog ywrath are valid troll names

tnoy karaxis and time bastard are valid kid names

.

[ipaniceverywherenotjustthedisco]

are u a lighting aisle autistic or a paint swatch aisle autistic?

[coralei]

has anyone come up with the ship name Tasque Swatcher for Tasque Manager and Swatch

[sluttyminghao]

(7k sleepover :D) the entirety of hhu + joshua give me “bf who lets u do whatever u want with him” vibes. like you basically drag him around and he just follows u happily like a lil dog, or he just sits still in front of u as u practice putting on makeup on him (HEAVY on cheol) idk maybe i’m just craving a soft and pliant cute bf rn >:\

seungcheol: he would let you do whatever you want, to an extent? i think he's pretty lenient and isn't going to tell you what to do/not do, but he's going to give you stern advice if u know what I mean? but I totally agree that he'd be such a pliant bf and would let u do makeup and his nails and dress him in pretty clothes bc it makes you happy

joshua: he's a pretty boy who secretly loves when you put pink and purple eyeshadow on him and put all your cutest accessories on him. he probably looks like he came out of an anime with the amount of makeup and funky hairclips he has on but he doesn't car e because he loves seeing you happy and deep down he actually loves the look

wonwoo: he will follow you around your apartment like a lost puppy if he hasn't got his head stuck in a book. he just will melt over your body and you can manipulate him into any position you want. he may be long and lanky but that doesn't mean he isn't a useful portable heater. also loves when you snuggle deeper into him <3

mingyu: the puppy of all puppies. this man is putty in your hand and he will do anything and everything for you. he becomes your hand swatcher when you go to sephora or an equivalent store, lets you try new hairstyles on him, and lets you drag him everywhere bc he's so infatuated with you and doesn't want to leave your side

vernon: I feel like he's a little less hesitant to do some of the things mentioned above, but will do them anyway because he's a certified simp. he probably doesn't like the pink and purple eyeshadow, but would definitely let you try a bold red lip or blue highlighter on him. also seems like the type to secretly love being dragged everywhere because it gives him ideas for where to get you gifts for special occasions

[stunfiskz]

the swatcher in cheesecake perhaps? for the palette challenge game

straw deltarun 🩷

[dailyswatch]

to satiate their hungry, i will be posting old swatcher arts of mine.. fill up my queue silly little boys, come on now

tere is about 9 other post ready as i type...

[m4g0rtz]

Today's polish had to get on my nails before we got too much further into the fall. The base color is a neon green that's ALMOST a pastel neon, with a blue shimmer. Initially when I saw it, I wasn't going to get it. Then I heard SO MANY swatchers rave about it that I had to try it. It's a really pretty color and it's crazy how much it glows in the shade, but I'm not sure I like how it looks on my skin tone. It did make me look super tan though. 😂 This is Shake Your Shamrock from Dreamland Lacquer.

[bitterwaters]

Lacquer Brands

so one day I went to a fugue and wrote a 2000 word essay on nail polish brands

We got four tiers of nail polish brands: overpriced luxury bullshit, drugstore, boutique, and indie. 

Overpriced Luxury Bullshit

Don’t buy these! Just don’t! You’re paying for name, not quality. Chanel charges $32 for an 11 ml creme, the second cheapest polish type there is. That’s ludicrous. Every review I’ve seen of a “high-brand” from a real swatcher has been negative. Fuck ‘em all.

Drugstore

This is every other mainstream brand, whether it’s from CVS, Walmart, or Ulta. Wide range of price and quality. In general, you’ll probably get what you pay for. Sally Hensen Insta-Dry is classic and Acceptably Okay; if you don’t have the patience for a full manicure, just slap some of that on. Look for brands that are 3-free or 5-free--that means that won’t have a few nasty chemicals. Anything over 5 is fake and doesn’t matter.

My preferred drugstore brands:

Zoya: Jellies, glitters, shimmers. Tends to have a very thin formula--leave the cap off for a few minutes to thicken it up.

Orly: Cremes! The absolute best, well-pigmented, buttery smooth cremes. Persistent Memory is my perfect dark red. The bottles are generously sized, they have a nice paddle brush, and I love the big rubberized cap. They’re just really pleasant!

OPI: I only use their matte top coat but I use a lot of it. It’s the best! Get their matte top coat! I’ve seen recs to use their polishes over Essie’s, but I’ve never tried either.

Boutique

Now we’re getting into the Good Shit. There’s a price jump here, but there’s also a huge jump in quality. These are small- to medium-sized online-only businesses with semi-industrial production and ample stock. They’re big enough to ship within a few days. They use a LOT more pigment and glitter than drugstore brands, and have far more variety in finishes.

You might see them on Amazon or Etsy--skip it and go order from their sites instead. Shipping costs the same and you can save up reward points.

Charmed Lacquer: Brand new, recently announced, will open in a week or two. Started by a streamer named Janixa. I’m not familiar, but her followers seem excited enough to check it out.

Cirque Colors: CONTROVERSY! I like Cirque. I have a ton of their polishes. A little pricey, but they have frequent small sales and are high-quality. Best known for the jellies and some really stunning magnetics like Mood Ring and Black Swan (which have since been rampantly duped). So why the controversy?

Mystery bags: idk people get het up about ‘em. I kind of feel like if you gamble on a bunch of polishes you don’t choose, you risk pruglies.

Coronation: This is a purple polish with a red-green shift shimmer pigment called, I shit you not, Unicorn Pee. UP was made unavailable for public sale years ago (the suspicion is that it’s now used in some currency). Cirque keeps finding stashes and re-releasing Coronation. There have been complaints that it’s not the same shade as the original, that it’s over-priced ($18.50 is a LOT for a polish), and the FOMO marketing. It always sells out fast. I have a bottle. It’s okay.

Jaritos: The current teapot tempest. Cirque just put out a Jarito-themed line of jellies that’s FOURTEEN FUCKIN FIFTY a bottle. Their regular jellies are two bucks less because JELLIES ARE CHEAP. They have less pigment than other finishes. Cirque has also been caught editing pics from swatchers. Some of the Jaritos shades are outright dupes of existing Cirque colors--but when Cirque reposted swatcher pics that compared them, they changed things to make them look different. Little shady!

I still got Mxcn Cola

Holo Taco: I don’t go to this school. It seems fine. Owned by a YouTuber with a pretty big following, Simply Nailogical. The brand has devoted followers, but I’ve never been real impressed. I feel like I can get everything they do somewhere else for a buck or two cheaper. Lots of limited-time bundles.

ILNP: MY LOVE! Shimmers, glitters, holos. Their formulas are just fantastic. If you follow lacquer reddits you’ll see a TON of posts featuring Flower Child and Fairy Dust; they aren’t for me but I see why people love them. They’re really good with shimmers--Flicker glows like a candle in a dark window. I also like their flakie toppers and magnetics. You really can’t go wrong with anything from ILNP. 

One of the rare lacquer companies that doesn’t do FOMO. They never remove anything from their line-up. New collections get a 10% discount for a week at release, and they have an annual Black Friday sale.

KBShimmer: They’re pretty good! They don’t get as much love as I think they deserve--probably because they aren’t quite as flashy and highly-marketed as other brands. They also aren’t as heavily pigmented/glittered. Still pretty good though! I really love All Fired Up. They have big 15 ml bottles for only $12, no matter what finish. KBShimmer is a great place to start if you’re just dipping your toe beyond drugstore brands. Pick up their polish thinner (suitable for every brand except Orly) and glitter smoothing top coat. 

Lights Lacquer: Don’t. They have some nice shades, though they tend to be as subdued as drugstore polishes. I was really disappointed by their cremes--the formula isn’t at all self-leveling. That’s just weird in this day and age. And then I found out that black swatchers refuse to work with them because the owner has been openly racist. Her non-apologies did not improve relations. Skip it.

Mooncat: CONTROVERSY! I have over a dozen Mooncat polishes and do love most of them, but it's getting harder to recommend the brand. They specialize in intense shimmer/glitter/holo/flakie/magnetics--all the fancy stuff. They have a few unique polishes that I haven’t seen duped elsewhere. Their formula can be gloopy, especially their flakies; easily fixed by a few drops of thinner. Why controversy?

they’re fukkin expensive bro. Like $15 a bottle. I do feel that you get what you pay for--it’s good stuff. I’ve never been disappointed by a Mooncat. But part of what you’re paying for is brand aesthetic.

they’re fukkin annoying bro. Their site, marketing, and even customer service emails are all lower-case dramatic gothy stuff. Never “nails,” always “claws.”

Their bottles keep shattering. This has happened occasionally in the past, then become more frequent starting in April. Seems like there was some supply change that thinned the glass. Mooncat was also filling about 14 ml instead of the promised 12 ml. Temperature and air pressure changes during shipping started to cause a lot of bottles to break. One person ended up in urgent care to get her hand stitched. Mooncat has promised to make changes and has been quick to refund/replace broken bottles, but there’s still a lot of ill-will simmering in the community. I think we’re past the tipping point--I’m no longer seeing broken bottle posts, just love for their new Power Puff Girls collab--but if you like something, I would wish list and wait another month. That should be enough time to make sure the bottles are safe and the weather has cooled.

Indies

Every single indie nail polish company is one or two people working out of their basement. That is not a joke. They hand-makes every small batch, fill the bottles, pack, and ship by themselves. That’s in addition to designing and testing polishes, and just living their lives. 

That means that if you order from an indie, expect to wait. Most list a turn-around time of up to a month (they usually say 7-21 business days--people read three weeks but it’s a month). That’s padded to give them safety--nearly all will ship within a week, maybe two. But if they get hit with life stuff or a ton of orders, it really can take a while. My longest order took over a month arrive. It was entirely worth it.

Indies tend to have a big focus on fancy finishes. The biggest trend right now is sheer lacquers that are loaded with aurora shimmer. They’re color-shifty and glowy, and a lot of fun. That’s starting to stagnate a bit--every base color/shimmer combination has been done, so a lot of dupes are emerging--but it’s also starting to evolve. I’m seeing more and more shimmers that also have holo, flakes, or reflective glitter. I’m betting we’ll get some thermal shimmers as fall rolls in and temperatures drop.

Indies have some phenomenal variety and creativity. They’re doing the coolest stuff with the most love. Many also rely heavily on FOMO, and some are just plain not open much of the time. Instead, they have monthly or seasonal release windows. They usually drop a new collection and may retire old ones.

How do you keep track? The Reddit Laquerists (sic) Nail Polish Release Calendar. You can also subscribe to brand newsletters--most give a small coupon on your first order. A lot are on Instagram and Facebook.

There are at least two dozen indie brands, and it’s hard to know where to start. I highly recommend Lyn B. Designs. I love her lacquers, absolutely flawless formula. She has big bottles, fast turn-around, and lots of variety. Get her top coat! It’s the best. But most importantly, she has a 50% off code for ALL products every time she launches a new collection. You can get top-quality lacquers for $6 each, and the big top coat refill for $12.50. No brand of any size can match that value. You can either follow her on Facebook for the code or check the calendar on launch day.

Others I like, in no particular order:

Bee’s Knees, Dam, Polished for Days, Great Lakes Lacquers for fantastic shimmers and reflectives. Garden Path and Rogue Lacquers have great flakies. Lurid Lacquer is pretty new, and she’s doing some really interesting things with intense shimmers and color-shifty chromes. Sassy Sauce keeps a small, tidy line-up, but it’s all quality and creative stuff. She’ll also have some nice thermals once October hits--she doesn’t ship them during summer, which I respect. 

Cupcake is kind of a workhorse brand like KBShimmer: nothing too spectacular, but everything is solid and reasonably priced. Likewise, Glisten & Glow isn't too exciting but IS cheap and high-quality. Emily de Molly is Just Good. Drunk Fairy has really nice jellies and cremes. Wildflower Lacquers is closed for rebranding, back 09/06; I don’t have any from her yet but I gotta give props for big bottles, a fan brush, and surviving in Oklahoma. 

Death Valley Nails is a little pricey but they’re doing the weirdest, most absolutely unique shit out there. They’re making polish out of rocks and wildflowers. One looks like the sink after your boyfriend shaves. It’s great.

Clionadh gets some hype but IMO they’re overpriced and overrated. They definitely up the saturation on swatch pics. I’m unimpressed by Femme Fatale’s formula and teeny 9 ml size. Shleee polishes don’t self level at all. Stella Chroma still sells Harry Potter themed polishes and I'm very over that.

But really, the best way to check out indie brands is…

Indie Preorders

There are two big indie collabs every month that work on a pre-order basis: Polish Pickup and Hella Handmade Creations. They open for a week each month and feature unique, one-time only products from a ton of indie brands. They can cause major FOMO. If you feel that might not be healthy for you, stay away! But if you’re okay with the possibility that you may never be able to replace a bottle you finish off, you’ll find some great stuff. They’re an excellent way to explore new brands, and creators get to be a little experimental. PPU has fun monthly themes; HHC doesn’t have a general theme, but many creators do a series of fandom-themed designed. Indie polish creators tend to be pretty nerdy.

If you want to try non-US brands, go to Color4Nails.They’re a stockist that carries several brands, drugstore, boutique, and indie. They also have monthly pre-orders for a few Brazilian brands like Phoenix Indie Polish and Penelope Luz. I find the Brazilian brands to be a little pricey, with smallish bottles and fairly thin consistency, but they’re doing some interesting stuff. I’m pretty consistently impressed with Phoenix; PL less so.

[cosmicstarshineart]

january is always a crap month for me doing anything more than surviving. but i’ve been working on some things lately!!

paint swatchers for the Citadel paints. these are super handy!! my only complaint is that resin shrinks as it’s cured, so whether or not they fit is sort of a crap shoot. but i love these. they just snap onto the raised dome on the lids. when you finish a pot of paint, just pop it off and snap onto the new pot.

strawberry macarons, mini strawberries, and whipped cream decos. planning on turning these into a necklace!

tiny doll sized strawberry macaron and taiyaki ice cream sandwich.

happy january is almost over to all who celebrate!!

[stellachroma]

#Repost @michellebeahnrose ・・・ Something beautiful is coming November 11th from Stella Chroma...can you guess from the names of the polish what the inspiration is behind this winter collection? (Swatches coming soon)! #indienailpolishes #stellachroma #beautifulpolish #winterpolish #swatcher #polishswatch #nailpolishswatches #indiepolishswatch #indiepolishlovers https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj5jA8vM8P0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[doom-dreaming]

Cirque Colors - Halcyon

You know what I love about Tumblr over Instagram? I mean, a lot of things, but in this case the fact that I can put as many words along with these pictures as I want and there's a chance people will actually read them. (As usual, enlarge the pictures to escape whatever compression Tumblr may inflict on them.)

Halcyon is one of those colors that had a lot of buzz around it (I think? I'm pretty sure it was a sought-after polish in the nail art/swatcher community for a while) and it was praised as being the perfect rose gold foil...and I dunno about you guys, but rose gold is not what I see when I look at these photos. I see copper. Not that there's anything wrong with copper, I love copper, this just isn't the color I'd expect when I hear "rose gold."

It's very pretty and it is a great foil (which also means it's a pain in the ass to remove) and it reminded me so much of the crunchy brown leaves that my oak trees drop that I had to make it leaf-themed. Tbh, even though these photos are several years old by now, this is still one of my favorite manicures. It looks crisp and professional and it's just interesting enough without being too crazy, I love it. Negative-space stamping my beloved.

And look how sparkly it is. These photos do the sparkle very little justice, but I captured what I could.

Little note about all these nail posts that I may have mentioned before, I'm not gonna do product breakdowns or anything, but if anyone wants to know what stamps, etc. I used, I will gladly share.

[rgr-pop]

i made an insta story (reaching out to the community) about hunting for a hot pink holo. here are some of my finalists, if you're interested: a england dracula. i think this is too dark and muted for what i'm looking for, but i may have convinced myself that because i didn't think i'd be able to get it but now i see they have it at beautometry... f.u.n has some incredible glitters which are not what i want but enticing me. the magenta one is too dark, the lighter pink one isn't what i want for this prompt but wheeeeeew opi teenage dream!!

ilnp has several options that don't feel right--bouquet toss and paige are too light, play date is too warm, bikini bottoms is too dark and not holo enough, too many options over there, high risk

kbshimmer might be my second choice but it seems more pale in some swatches, which is just a problem i have with holos anyway

i scream holorama is MAGNIFICENT but i know a neon can't really accomplish the holo i'm looking for. i'm gonna do a true neon mani to quench this urge. would love to buy from them!

I was drawn into starrily because I also need a holo glitter topcoat and theirs (a collab with a swatcher I like) is the one that I think I want most. (though the more i look at it--i think i want something chunky!) their gamma ray is straight perfect but I'm worried about not having seen enough swatches to really judge. also, they are one of the most expensive. their chunky pink holo glitter is like a combination of all of my all time favorite polishes and their opaque teenage dream thing is so good.. which leaves me with holo taco. hot wire pink is the safest bet, widely swatched, good reviews, i think exactly the color i want. but i wanted to do a true indie... i don't really like any of her holo topcoats for what i'm looking for but i could use the opportunity to get a new glass file. plus the prices have come down...

[swashbucklery]

How about Diamine Writer's Blood? Or Private Reserve Vampire Red?

asldkfja; BEST ANON. I haven't had the pleasure of writing with either of those, but looking at swatches online the Diamine Writer's Blood is a lot pinker and more fuschia-y, it's a beautiful colour but not quite right. I wish mountainofink had swatched the other two; I prefer comparing the same swatcher to get a feel but looking at this sample I'd say the Private Reserve seems like it's pretty close to the Oster Blood Moon? The PR seems like it's got more rust notes in it while the Oster has more red notes and I'd say more burgundy when wet.

I like a ~wet ink~ so I don't have a ton of love for PR inks when I've written with them, but YMMV!

[pinezoe]

Rose Metals @anastasiabeverlyhills 😍 Il faut vraiment la swatcher en magasin pour voir à quel point elle est superbe!Vraiment en photo elle ne le disait absolument rien! Si vous aimiez un peu les look grunge des années 90 elle est pour vous! ➡️ Je vous en est fait un post sur le blog ! #anastasiabeverlyhills #eyeshadowpalette #makeup #makeuplovers #makeupjunkie #sephora #blogpost (à Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClEi0h2rt0y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=