Polish Review: Literary Lacquers

Yet again, Amy over at Literary Lacquers has delivered another knockout collection. Her newest collection, The Ultimate Outlaw does not fail to impress and I have a few of the polishes from the collection for your viewing pleasure!

First up is The Ultimate Outlaw, inspired by Tom Robbins’ novel Still Life with Woodpecker. This gorgeous sapphire blue linear holo is every holo-lovers dream.

It surely doesn’t fail to impress, looking like liquid sapphires in the bottle.

Even in partial shade, it’s a stunner.

But it shines with brilliance in the direct sun. My sun today was kind of watery due to a weather system blowing in, so I wasn’t able to fully capture it’s wow factor, but this gives you a pretty good idea.

The formula, as always, is flawless. It does take three coats to reach full opacity, but it’s well worth the wait.

Next up is Ether Binge, influenced by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, this beauty is listed as an “aquamarine linear holographic”.

It’s a stunner, that’s for sure.

Even in indirect lighting, it’s still pretty.

But again, it burns with brilliance once you get a flash on it! Unfortunately by the time I got around to this polish the sun had hidden fully.

This is again a three coater.

The last one I have for you is my favorite (and the hardest to capture). This grey glitter crelly is Annabel Lee, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s last poem titled the same.

Like seriously, for some reason I couldn’t get a single good bottle shot of this polish. Amy lists Annabel as a “grey creme-jelly packed with holographic and iridescent microglitter and opalescent flakies.”

This is a beautiful polish and I love how it kind of reminds me of a tombstone. Morbid, I know, but it’s Poe we’re talking about.

It is a very light formula, but so worth the time it takes to build up its layers. It’s serenely understated and still so beautiful.

I have featured Amy’s polishes numerous times here on the blog and she never fails to amaze me with her beautiful creations. I am consistently stunned by the beauties she comes up with.

You can purchase these and many of her other beautiful polishes at her Etsy store. Be sure to keep an eye on her Facebook page for upcoming collections!

Polish Review: Literary Liquors

The newest offering from Literary Lacquer is a set of six gorgeous gems based on drinks from literary works of art. What Amy, the creator of Literary Lacquer has done is create works of art herself.

First up is Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Inspired by Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is a vibrant turquoise linear holo with fine holographic glitter.

How flippin’ gorgeous is that?

Two coats reaches decent opacity, but I’m an over achiever and had to add another coat for good measure.

The holo in this is magnificent and it sparkles like something other-worldly.

I excuse my crappy lens giving me crappy pictures. Next time I do swatches, I’m switching lenses.

Next up is Strawberry Ice Cream Soma. Inspired by Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Strawberry Ice Cream Soma is listed as a “warm pink crelly holo”.

Amy calls this her “office holo” as it is a very demure shade of pink indoors, but when you go outside it pops out in glorious rainbows of holo-y goodness. If it had been sunny when I did these swatches, I would have shown you… But alas, my artificial flash has to suffice for now.

It is a truly wonderful polish to work with. It reaches opacity at just two coats and goes on with nary a streak to be seen.

Next up is I’m Drinking Stars, inspired by Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. This beauty is a strong linear holographic polish which can be used to full opacity (like I show in 3 coats) or over a darker polish as a topper, which I am going to be trying out tomorrow (Will amend this post when pictures are available).

As I said, this is 3 coats of I’m Drinking Stars and some of the free edge is still visible, but not very bad. I love how it sparkles and shines. It’s a very delicate shade all by itself.

Would work very well for a wedding!

Last but not least, Jack Rose. A coppery, caramel linear holo, Jack Rose pays tribute to “the legacy of literary drinking left by Ernest Hemmingway”. I find it a very fitting tribute to Hemmingway (my favorite author of all time, btw).

Amy warns that Jack Rose will take 3 coats to become opaque. Which is what I figured it would. It translates very differently from bottle to nail.

But it sure is gorgeous. To me, the coppery aspect plays out a little more than the caramel aspect. I see more of an orange in mine, but colors like this tend to orange out on me anyways.

Either way you look at it, the application is flawless and absolutely beautiful. As with all of her polishes, it takes very little effort to apply a gorgeous mani. Dry time is next to nil. Slap a coat of Seche or OTD on it and it’s perfect.

These and the other beauties in the collection can be found at Literary Lacquer’s Etsy page. They sell for $10 a piece, or $55 for all six. If you haven’t tried her polishes yet, you really need to! They are excellent and the customer service is #1! Also, don’t forget to show her some love on her Facebook page!

Polish Review: Lacquer Queen Polish

Hey there everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Today I have a new review for ya! Tammi from Lacquer Queen Polish sent me three gorgeous little pretties and I’m here to share them with you today!

First up is You’re Violet, Violet! It’s a gorgeous jelly-based scattered holo in a wonderful shade of purple that I have like none of, so this was a real treat.

Isn’t it gorgeous? It also has some flecks of little glitter in there as well. She also claims that it’s self-smoothing and it’s true!

Soooo prettiful. The only problem I had with it is that it tends to get streaky a little, and stringy the longer you paint with it, but it was pretty minor. Dry time was next to nil once on the nail.

Next up is Radioactive, a gorgeous teal blue linear holo polish. It is…. SPECTACULAR.

This doesn’t even capture the prettiness a bit. The linear in this polish is totally strong and gorgeous. I kept flashing it in sunlight and just LOVING it.

Please note, I wore this polish for four days! Small amount of wear, no chips or blemishes to name. I am seriously impressed with the formula of this polish. I put it on because it went really well with the shirt I wore to a job interview and decided not to take it off!

And look at that holo! Soooooo pretty!

You can see where my nail had grown out, but the polish was still perfect as the day I put it on. I usually have rotten luck with holo polishes. They usually only last a day or so at the max and start flaking and chipping like mad. Not this one!

The last one is Earth Angel, a beautiful purple to blue scattered holo thermal. This polish has a special meaning to the creator as she donates $1.00 of every bottle sold out of the Angels Among Us collection to the American Diabetes Association.

Isn’t it a beauty? The thermal in this polish is really strong. It started changing on the BRUSH before I put it on. Needless to say, I was impressed! And the staying power was astronomical!

Here it is before I introduced the water to it. As you can tell, it’s already changing on the tips a little. And it’s not all that cold in my living room!

Here is the gorgeous purple color it turns when it’s cold.

And here it is when it’s hot. It’s a gorgeous soft periwinkle blue color.

All in all, all the polishes I received from Lacquer Queen were awesome! The formula is very smooth, fast drying and seamlessly gorgeous.

Ranging from $10.95 to $13.95, the price is a little bit on the high side, but with pretty much every polish containing spectraflair, it’s kind of a given. That crap is expensive and hard to come by these days. You can buy her polishes from her Etsy store. And make sure to like her Facebook page for an extra discount! I believe you get what you pay for and in this instance, you get a very superior product that will never fail to disappoint!

Product Review: Literary Lacquers Anne of Green Gables collection

 

Growing up my sister and I used PBS as our babysitter many times. Shows like Reading Rainbow, Shining Time Station and Ramona were our constant companions. Then we found Anne of Green Gables.

Set in the early 1900s, Anne of Green Gables follows the harrowing tale of Anne Shirley from the orphanage where she was “farmed out” to various families to the forever home she found with brother/sister duo Matthew and Marilla Cuthburt. Located and filmed in the picturesque Nova Scotia countryside Prince Edward Island has forever captured my fantasies as the worlds most romantic place. Forget Paris. They have nothing on Prince Edward Island.

My sister and I both lost ourselves in the stories that Lucy Maud Montgomery portrayed in her book. We delighted in Anne’s triumphs, when she slammed the slate on Gilbert’s head; we laughed with her and her bosom friend Diana when they found the Raspberry Cordial; we cried with her when Matthew became sick. We LIVED that story and still do to this day.

So when my good friend Amy at Literary Lacquers said she was creating an Anne of Green Gables themed line I was immediately smitten. I didn’t care what it looked like. The names alone would be enough for me. So imagine my surprise when she sent me my polishes to review and four gorgeous beauties stared back at me. I was THRILLED. 

First up is Carrots Carrots….

She lists this beauty as a peachy-orange crelly with tons of orange glitter. When I first looked at this polish, I immediately thought of Anne’s dreaded red locks…

Her one vanity, Anne hated her hair. My sister could attest as she had red hair as well. I always wanted red hair, so I didn’t see what all the fuss was all about.  But I definitely could with this polish…..

It seriously went awesomely with my pale complexion, which is usually why I stay away from oranges because they tend to make me look jaundiced. This shows three coats of Carrots Carrots (it could have used just two, but I’m anal and have to have three coats of every polish or I’m not happy) a coat of Gelous and then a top of Out the Door topcoat.

Here it is in all it’s macro glory.

I am not a huge fan of orange polishes. I maybe own like 2. Maybe 3. But this one? Ugh it’s timeless. Its not too orange, it’s not too peachy. It’s just the right mix.

Next up is Raspberry Cordial?

I cannot tell you how many times my sister and I laughed our ever-living asses off watching Diana get completely wasted on Raspberry Cordial.

Amy lists Raspberry Cordial? as a raspberry pink linear holo with added holo glitter. You honestly can’t say holo enough to describe this polish. I have been looking for a bright pink almost neon holo polish for what seems like EVER and failed attempt after failed attempt left me jaded and confused. Then I found Raspberry Cordial?.

It’s gorgeous in the shade as shown above….

And its even more gorgeous in the sun. This is two coats (didn’t go with my usual three coats because I know it didn’t need it) with a topper of Out the Door topcoat. The holo that this polish gives out is completely mindboggling.

I mean, look at it. *sigh* omg.

Next is Lake of Shining Waters, named after the lake on the Cuthburt’s land that Anne spies on her ride to the farm with Matthew.

How pretty is that??? Well… The polish is prettier…..

Lake of Shining Waters is listed as a murky teal linear holo. To me, this polish is anything but murky. It’s completely multifaceted and simply stunning.

In the shade it’s even gorgeous. But the sparkle comes out when you get it in the sunlight……

Or hit it with a flash…..

Doesn’t it just make you drool with it’s absolute holo gorgeousness? I mean… If it doesn’t… You have some serious problems.

Serisly… I die. I really haven’t been a huge fan of holo polishes because most indie holos just fall completely flat in my book. They lack the depth and sparkle that they purportedly represent. Raspberry Cordial? and Lake of Shining Waters are two examples that blow that myth out of the water. They’re both completely multifaceted and just plain stunning.

Last but not least is my sleeper favorite, Anne with an E. Named after Anne’s adamant refusal to stick with her original and boring Ann, she told everyone she came into contact with that her name was Anne with an E.

The first time I saw this polish I immediately thought of Anne and her puffy sleeved dress.

Anne with an E is listed as an opalescent glitter topcoat.

Gorgeous opalescent hex and square glitters swim in a shimmery silver base.

By itself it still looks awesome, but really shines when you use it as a topcoat, like well… It says to… LOL

Here it is on top of inm’s Bikini. The way it shimmers and sparkles is completely mindboggling.

This isn’t the best macro shot of it, but ugh. My camera has been acting really stupid lately, so I have to take what I can get.

I am completely enamored with this whole collection. I know for certain that I’m going to have to get more Raspberry Cordial? and Carrots Carrots. My sister isn’t much of a polish wearer, but I can’t go without getting these for her.

You can buy these polishes, and the other two at Amy’s Etsy shop. Each polish is $10 each, or you can buy the six piece set for a discount of $55. If you have never bought polish from Amy, you need to. You will not be disappointed. Her formula is spot on, her customer service is unrivaled and she’s just an awesome person all around. Also- don’t forget to show her some love on her Facebook page!