Lacquer or Leave Her!: Review: ALIQUID The Two Pleasant Peninsulas polishes + a bonus from the Chorus of Cremes Collection

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.