Lacquer or Leave Her!: July 2014

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Review: ALIQUID The Two Pleasant Peninsulas polishes + a bonus from the Chorus of Cremes Collection

(Press Sample)

Hello!!

Today I have a bevy of sophisticated beauties to show you from ALIQUID Lacquer, from Alison's Two Pleasant Peninsulas Collection, and her Chorus of Cremes Collection...along with a little surprise at the end.

Let's start the journey with My Sharona, a chic terra cotta creme:

ALIQUID My Sharona

I'm wearing two coats in these pictures, but if you're careful, this is a one-coater. It glided on like silk, leveled perfectly, and didn't give me any of the guff cremes are sometimes inclined to give. This color makes me think of the butterscotch pudding my grandmother used to make, which I loved with all of my heart and soul--you know that kind that when you let it sit in the saucepan it gets that skin on the top--that skin was my favorite part. It also makes me think of a courtyard in a Tuscan villa, filled with relaxed people drinking wine. I love that it's bold without being bright, it's an elegant orange that will take you on into autumn and winter with no problem.

The rest of the polishes are from The Two Pleasant Peninsulas Collection, which Alison says is a love letter to the state of Michigan--I've never been there, but these polishes make it clear that I need to go.

First up is Lake Michigan Sunset, which is one of those rare polishes that lives up to what the name promises; it's a serene slate blue jelly with golden shimmer and just a hint of copper shimmer:

ALIQUID Lake Michigan Sunset

This polish truly does look like a serene lake at sunset, with the last rays of the day sparkling off of the surface. It makes me think of going camping, at the end of the day when you're eating a yummy dinner as the sun goes down and the chill starts to set in, and you're all happy because you've been swimming all day and everything is peaceful, and you know you're gonna get to make S'mores once the sun is all the way down. I guess all of that makes sense because she says the colors were inspired by a picture she took in the 'pinky' of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Just amazing.

This is three coats; you can see in the pictures that at some angles and lights I do still have some visible nail line, but in most lights this wasn't a problem. This polish is translucent enough that you could use it easily for glitter sammiches, and I plan to use it for some beautiful lead-lighting manicures. But there is still enough opacity to build it, and the application is wonderful, so building it is extremely easy. It goes on evenly and with excellent control.

Next is Petoskey Stone, which defies description. It's a soft, glowy taupe-gray with hints of mint and brown shimmer, teeeny specks of brown and yes--just enough holographic sparkle to make you think the bottle was topped off with a touch of magic:

ALIQUID Petoskey Stone

This polish was inspired by Michigan's official state stone, a 400-million-year-old coral fossil. Any polish that represents something that special had better be stunning, and this really is. It has a subtle elegance to it that I find just breathtaking. To call this polish a 'nude' or a 'neutral' doesn't do it justice--it's not just some polish you put on for some job interview. It will work for those purposes, but will bring a mystical glow to your fingertips at the same time. It's Grace Kelly in a bottle--sophisticated, subtle, beautiful, and classic.

Alison told me she recommends three coats for this, but I got perfect coverage in two coats, shown here. Again the formula and application were perfect, with no issues whatsoever.

And to end the collection with a bang, I give you Wolverine Loves Spartan, a milky glitter with cerulean, grass green, and bright yellow hexes:

ALIQUID Wolverine Loves Spartan

The inspiration behind this polish made me laugh--she took the colors of Michigan's two largest (and rival!) universities, Michigan State and University of Michigan, and combined them in one polish. As the product of two rival alma maters myself (my degrees are from UC Berkeley and Stanford--bitter rivals), I love the concept of combining them into a polish that comes together so beautifully. I love the way she put it: "They may be rivals in real life, but they work together in perfect harmony on your nails!" Absolutely true--the blue, green and yellow together are happy and bright. If only all rivalries could come together to create such fun things!

I adore this polish, and as you know, I am not a big fan of milky polishes, especially those with a white base. I love the blend of colors in this, and the proportion of the colors and sizes is very pleasing to the eye. And--and this is the amazing part--it has perfect application. I have never seen any other white-based milky polish that didn't give me some level of aneurysm when I tried to apply it. This went on evenly, no pulling, perfect settling, and the glitters were extremely cooperative. I did place two single glitters but that's it, the rest of the glitters are sitting where they lay. I didn't have to fish and place and adjust and tinker. And--the polish dried very quickly, unlike so many other milky polishes I've tried. The quality on this is top-top-notch.

As for my overall impressions--I was very impressed with all of these polishes, both the quality and the mood each one set. I tried to pick a favorite, I really did, but I just couldn't. Petoskey Stone is my new go-to when I want a soft, magical look; Lake Michigan Sunset is versatile and calming, while My Sharona has a bold retro presence and Wolverine Loves Spartan is laughter and smiles for your hands. They're all winners and I love them.

And I was delighted to find out that ALIQUID also now makes lip balms!:

Maple lip balm is da bomb (sorry, I couldn't resist)

She has maple and chocolate, and I thought I was being smart by getting the maple one--I figured the chocolate one would just make me want chocolate, but the maple one is just as yummy. It really does smell like maple, and the balm goes on and stays on through drinking, eating and kissing. I like that while it smells like maple, it is completely taste-free; Mr. LOLH hates it when he kisses me and my lip substances have taste to them, so this is perfect if your sweetie feels the same way. I definitely recommend trying these out as well; at 3 for $5, you can get several to stash around everywhere you need one.

You can find ALIQUID Lacquer's Etsy shop by clicking here.
You can find her Facebook page by clicking here.
You can also keep up with her on her Instagram account, or subscribe to her newsletter via e-mail.
So tell me--which is your favorite?

I hope you're having a wonderful week!
M.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Before & After: Color Club Foxy Mama + Do The Twist

Hello there!

Here's something bright and summery for you...

Let's start with a base of Color Club Foxy Mama, a very bright neon dreamsicle orange:

Color Club Foxy Mama

Next, I added Color Club Do The Twist, a fun glitter with yellow, orange, white, and neon pink; the pink made it extremely difficult to photograph!:

Color Club Do The Twist over Foxy Mama

And for my final step, I stamped a fancy French tip using Konad White and MoYou London Explorer collection 07:

Lacy French Tip Action

The stamping didn't come out perfectly, I was focused on getting the French Tip placement right, and I got a little smudgeyness...But I think it gives it a nice lacy feel. :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!
M.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Before & After: I Want Candy!

(Press Sample)

Hello there!

One of the cool things about working with independent polish makers is that every once in a while I get to test out a prototype. It makes me feel like I'm all important and have like research and development stuff going on! And yes, today is one of those days. I got to try out this cool prototype from InDecisive Nail Lacquer, it's Jawbreaker, and it's a sweet and sour melange of neon glitters in a milky base:

InDecisive Nail Lacquer Jawbreaker

That is pretty and fun and it makes me think of sweet tarts and the everlasting gobstoppers. Ooh, and that candy that came in the pouches, with a white stick that you would lick and then stick into the different powders and then lick it again and it would last forever until you got sick or lost all the feeling in your tongue? What was that called??? Anyway...all the fun and none of the calories or sugar, lol. :)

To decorate it, I first pulled out Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda and Sally Hansen Lightning to stamp with, and chose two patterns from MoYou London Fairytale Collection plate 03. However, the pink was a little too dark for the base polish, and the swirly design I chose competed too much with the pretty base (I do like the yellow nails, however):

InDecisive Nail Lacquer Jawbreaker with some questionable stamping

So I wiped off the stamping with a little acetone, and put on another coat of Jawbreaker because the acetone took off a little to much polish. Then I used the circle pattern from the same plate, but stamped instead with Sally Hansen Blue-Away, and then drew coordinating dot patterns with Sally Hansen Lightning and Lacey Lilac:

InDecisive Nail Lacquer Jawbreaker dotticure

InDecisive Nail Lacquer Jawbreaker with a subtle dotticure

I Like the second one a lot better--much more subtle and balanced. What do you think?

Hope you're having a great weekend,
M.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Review: Barielle Summer Keys Collection

(Press Sample)

Hello!

Today I'm gonna show you a bright, fun, happy summer collection from Barielle, their Summer Keys 2014 summer collection. I love this collection, and I think you're gonna, too. :)

Let's take a look at the polishes, and then I have a surprise for you nail art fans at the end...

I'm going to start with my favorite from the collection, Hawaiian Sunset. This is a rich mandarin-orange-tangerine shade with a lighter, more yellow-orange shimmer:

Barielle Hawaiian Sunset

This shade had a depth and saturation to it that feels fun but adult at the same time; the shimmer adds a sparkle of light over the surface. In a season of neons, this is an orange that will get and keep attention not for blinding you, but for sheer beauty. This is two coats, and the application was perfect.

Next we have Miami Heat, a salsa-licious red creme that will take you from beach pin-up babe in the day to sexy dance floor sizzle at night:

Barielle Miami Heat

No summer is complete without a red creme, and this one is gorgeous. Two coats of perfect application, and you're on your way to classic hotness, in Miami or anywhere else. :)

Next we have Panama Pina Colada, a banana-yellow creme:

Barielle Panama Pina Colada

Okay, now I want a Pina Colada. Or, ooo, one of those frozen bananas covered in chocolate! Mmm...

I have yet to find a yellow creme that doesn't give me an aneurysm when I try to apply it. The application on this wasn't perfect--I did have to watch myself--but this is by far the easiest yellow creme I've ever applied, with only a small amount of pulling. The outcome is gorgeous, and I don't break out in a cold sweat when I think of wearing it again. Give this one a try if you've shied away from this color in the past because of application issues.

I also like that while this is a soft type of yellow, it's not just a blah pastel. It has a citrus kick to it that definitely classifies it as summer rather than spring, I think.

Next up we have Topless In St. Tropez, and you're never going to believe this but...this is my second favorite in the collection. I know, I know--a pink! Yes, it's true, this is a pink creme. But there is something about the way this plays with the edge of coral that makes me love it:

Barielle Topless In St. Tropez

This is like the glow on a sweet little girl's cheeks. It's subtle and elegant. It's the kind of neutral I can get behind, and it's the perfect polish for a job interview.

Moving on from the soft neutral to the jazzy juice, we have Barefoot In Bermuda, a hot hot HOT pink creme that stops just short of going into a magenta:

Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda

As with all the others, this is two coats, and there were no problems with this application. If you're looking for a match for that punk-pink micro-mini, look no further, my friend. :)

And finally we have Paradise in the Tropics, which takes us full on over into the land of magic magenta creme:

Barielle Paradise In The Tropics

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes. This feels sassy and sexy and flowery and fun. Two coats again, perfect application, and your fingertips have a dose of daring. (Was that enough alliteration for you?)

Overall, I love the concept of 'Summer Keys' for a polish collection. Of the places in the polish names, I've only been to Hawaii, but I can say that the colors in this collection represent it perfectly. I see beautiful tropical flowers, refreshing tropical drinks, teeny bikinis, and fun summer beach paraphernalia. This will go beautifully for whatever summer or vacation wardrobe you have, so your fingers are kickin' it just as tropical as your clothes and your spirit. :)

I promised the nail art lovers a surprise...These stamp beautifully, even the yellow! The only one that didn't really work was Topless In St. Tropez, but I was stamping on darker colors. Take a look:

Please ignore the fur from my long-hair and focus on the Panama Pina Colada Stamping...

Barielle Miami Heat

Barielle Paradise In The Tropics

Barielle Barefoot In Bermuda--yes, over that darkness!!

If they'll work for stamping, you'll also get good color from them for nail art. So if you want to save a little money and buy some polishes that are great for wearing and for stamping, these will work wonders for you. :)

You can find this collection on Barielle's website, or anywhere else that sells Barielle. And of course, Barielle products are Big-5 free. :)

So what do you think? Do you love the tropical focus of this collection?

Hope your week is off to a great start!