Hi everyone! Aliquid Lacquer is a new-to-me indie polish brand. The owner Alison is a PhD student like myself, and is based out of the US (Massachusetts to be exact). Please do check out her Etsy shop, she's got some gorgeous shimmers and glitter/shimmer combos, and she sells her polishes in mini and full sizes. She also sells lip balms - I was able to try one, so I've included my thoughts on that as well.
Aliquid Lacquer Silmarillion Collection
If you are interested in trying the brand, I have a coupon code for you! All the details are at the end of the post.
About the collection: The Silmarillion collection is based on a J.R.R. Tolkien book of the same name. Although he worked on it for many years, it wasn't published until after his death. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest Tolkien fan, I've only seen some of the more recent blockbuster films, but I don't think you have to be a fan of the book in order to appreciate the collection. However, I've included quotes from the book if you are interested in the references.
Nightingale's Song
"There came a time near dawn on the eve of spring, and Luthien danced upon a green hill; and suddenly she began to sing. Keen, heart-piercing was her song as the song of the lark that rises from the gates of night and pours its voice among the dying stars, seeing the sun behind the walls of the world; and the song of Luthien released the bonds of winter, and the frozen waters spoke, and flowers sprang from the cold earth where her feet had passed. Then the spell of silence fell from Beren, and he called to her, crying Tinuviel [which means 'nightingale']; and the woods echoed the name. Then she halted in wonder, and fled no more, and Beren came to her. But as she looked on him, doom fell upon her, and she loved him..."
Aliquid Lacquer Nightingale's Song
Aliquid Lacquer Nightingale's Song
A dusty light grey with an aqua/fuchsia shimmer, tiny iridescent glitter, and a scattered holo effect. This was a standout for me, and I love the ethereal effect. Formula was a bit thick but very manageable. 3 coats.
Shores of Paradise
"...They sailed in their swift ships on the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or walked in the waves upon the shore with their hair gleaming in the light beyond the hill. Many jewels the Noldor gave them, opals and diamonds and pale crystals, which they strewed upon the shores and scattered in the pools; marvellous were the beaches of Elende in those days."
Aliquid Lacquer Shores of Paradise
Aliquid Lacquer Shores of Paradise
Shores of Paradise is a glitter topper with a slight sand tinted base and a mix of tiny gold, brown, and copper glitter, with slightly larger blue, purple, and red hexes. It can be built up to full coverage, but I chose to layer it. Formula was great and very easy to work with. 1 coat over OPI My Vampire is Buff.
Day Shall Come Again
"Last of all Hurin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew Hurin cried: 'Aure entuluva! Day shall come again!' Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive, by the command of Morgoth, for the Orcs grappled him with their hands, which clung to him still though he hewed off their arms; and ever their numbers were renewed, until at last he fell buried beneath them."
Aliquid Lacquer Day Shall Come Again
Aliquid Lacquer Day Shall Come Again
This is another favourite of mine. I'm such a sucker for moody shimmers! Day Shall Come Again is a red/brown duochrome shimmer with flashes of copper and green. It can be a tad thick but can be easily adjusted with a few drops of thinner. 3 coats.
Dragonspell
"...Looking westward she stared straight into the eyes of Glaurung, whose head lay upon the hill-top. Her will strove with him for a while, but he put forth his power, and having learned who she was he constrained her to gaze into his eyes, and he laid a spell of utter darkness and forgetfulness upon her, so that she could remember nothing that had ever befallen her, nor her own name, nor the name of any other thing; and for many days she could neither hear, nor see, nor stir by her own will."
Aliquid Lacquer Dragonspell
Aliquid Lacquer Dragonspell
An amber jelly with gold flakes and a subtle green shimmer. I'll admit, I'm not really attracted to colours like this, but the polish is very unique. The application was very good. 3 coats.
Divine Curse
"'Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the House of Feanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them it shall be laid also. Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass. The Dispossessed shall they be for ever.'"
Aliquid Lacquer Divine Curse
Aliquid Lacquer Divine Curse
Aliquid Lacquer Divine Curse
Divine Curse is a dusty mauve with a purple/copper shimmer and iridescent and darker purple flakes. Wow, this one is so beautiful! I love the colour, shimmer, everything! Application was great. 3 coats.
Devouring Wave
"...There came a mighty wind and a tumult of the earth, and the sky reeled, and the hills slid, and Numenor went down into the sea, with all its children and its wives and its maidens and its ladies proud; and all its gardens and its halls and its towers, its tombs and its riches, and its jewels and its webs and its things painted and carven, and its laughter and its mirth and its music, its wisdom and its lore: they vanished for ever. And last of all the mounting wave, green and cold and plumed with foam, climbing over the land, took to its bosom Tar-Miriel the Queen, fairer than silver or ivory or pearls. Too late she strove to ascend the steep ways of the Meneltarma to the holy place; for the waters overtook her, and her cry was lost in the roaring of the wind."
Aliquid Lacquer Devouring Wave
Aliquid Lacquer Devouring Wave
This is a royal blue jelly with silver, red, and blue hex glitter, some of which is holographic. I found this one slightly challenging to use, it seems to go on thick, but if I didn't fuss too much it would level on its own. There is some bumpiness, so I recommend something like Gelous to smooth it out. I used 2 coats, topped with 2 layers of topcoat.
Hidden City
"...There was a deep way under the mountains delved in the darkness of the world by waters that flowed out to join the streams of Sirion; and this way Turgon found, and so came to the green plain amid the mountains, and saw the island-hill that stood there of hard smooth stone...then Turgon knew that he had found the place of his desire, and he resolved to build there a fair city...high and white were its walls, and smooth its stairs, and tall and strong was the Tower of the King."
Aliquid Lacquer Hidden City
Aliquid Lacquer Hidden City
Hidden City is a forest green linear holo with a gold shimmer. It's such a stunner and I ended up wearing this for a few days after swatching. Application was effortless, although I forget how many coats I used - it was probably 2-3. According to Aliquid, it's opaque in 2 coats.
Lip balms: I had the pleasure to try one of Alison's lip balms. They are very inexpensive and retail for $2 for one and $5 for 3 (US dollars of course). If you like natural products you will like these, they are made from mango butter, beeswax, apricot kernel oil, olive oil and fragrance. No extra ingredients. I tried the lavender honey and I love the scent. Plus it does a good job of moisturizing my lips. One thing I noticed is a slight tingling when I put it on, not irritating, just different, and it goes away after less than a minute. It may be the scent I tried, so I'd be interested in trying others just to compare.
As mentioned, if you are interested in trying Aliquid, Alison has graciously offered a coupon code to my readers. Use coupon code WILLPAINTNAILS10 for 10% off orders of $10 or more. It's good for a week and expires one week from today - April 29, 2014.
Overall: Like I said earlier, Aliquid has some gorgeous polishes, and the shimmers are definitely my favourite. Out of this collection my favourites are Nightingale's Song, Divine Curse, and Day Shall Come Again, in that order. In fact I may need to get full bottles of these, plus there's a few others in the shop I've been eyeing.
Aliquid is available from their Etsy store. You can also stay updated on Facebook.
What do you think of this collection? Are you a Tolkein fan?
*Products provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details.*