*Press Samples*
This my friends is the 2015 Literary Lacquers Community Collection. Amy, the wonderfully creative mastermind behind Literary Lacquers has worked with other wonderful ladies in the nail world to create a set of 8 polishes inspired by works of literature!
I of course have had a love of this brand for a long time because, being a book nerd myself, I just loved the fact that this brand connects two of my favorite things – books and nail polish!
Want more good news?! These polishes are available now with an awesome chance to get a free polish with purchase through the entire month of December! More details on that at the end of the post, along with a giveaway!!!
Why don't we start with my addition to the collection?
The BFG, which stands for Big Friendly Giant, is one of my favorites books from my childhood. Roald Dahl does something magical with language in this book that I think is part of what led me on the path to becoming a writer to this day. The book follows the story of Sophie, who awakens one evening to see the BFG delivering dreams to people in town. Upon being discovered, the BFG captures Sophie and takes her on a wild adventure to the land of the giants. Sophie discovers that the BFG is not to be feared, unlike the other giants who are “cannybully and murderful!” At one point in the story, Sophie is examining the dreams that the BFG catches, which he stores in jars.
“Sophie peered into the jar and there, sure enough, she saw the faint, translucent outline of something about the size of a hen’s egg. There was just a touch of colour in it, a pale sea-green, soft and shimmering and very beautiful. There it lay, this small oblong sea-green jellyfish thing, at the bottom of the jar, quite peaceful, but pulsing gently, the whole of it moving in and out ever so slightly, as though it were breathing.”
That is where I got the inspiration for my color. I’ve titled the polish, Phizzwizard. Phizzwizards (another fun made-up word from the BFG) are peaceful, happy, unmistakable and incredible dreams that everyone wants to have every day.
Sorry for the crazy lengthy intro to this polish, but as you can tell, it is extremely special to me! Amy captured the Phizzwizard perfectly in this polish. A lovely sea-green holo polish, this polish just glows like I imagine dreams in jars would! The application was lovely, the polish is on the sheerer side so it did take three coats for opacity but application was a dream like buttah!
Leaves of Grass is one of the great, iconic American poetry collections. Walt Whitman wrote about nature and exalted the material world, sensual pleasures and the human body. Each edition of the collection was different. When it was first published it only included 12 poems, but by the end of Whitman’s life it contained more than 400. Such an iconic work felt appropriate to lend its’ name to this gorgeous green polish. Leaves of Grass is a work that demonstrates the human condition, which resonated with me from the first time I picked up a copy. This iteration of the idea of “Leaves of Grass” is a sun-drenched meadow in a bottle.
This is a gorgeous emerald green linear holo polish with matching green microglitters throughout. Opaque in two coats, this is a formula and a polish that Amy had down pat! She does this finish so well. I love the inspiration for this polish and I also love that it is a green that spans the seasons, I would wear green everyday if I could. This polish is bright without being obnoxious, and just is a lovely stately shade of green!
This is Burning Slowly From the Inside Out created with Destany Pingle of Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom and is inspired by The Selection Series by Keira Cass. Let's see what Destany has to say about this polish.
My inspiration was my current literary obsession - The Selection novel series by Kiera Cass. The covers are just so amazing, and I've dreamed about the fiery red-orange of the cover of The Elite. Let me just say this - I'm not much of a romance reader. These books are fairly high in the romance department, but the dystopian drama fills it up, too. This series is kind of like The Hunger Games meets the Bachelor. The country has been torn apart by war, and from the ashes it has risen as a caste system, complete with a ruling monarch. When the ruling monarch's child is "of age," there's a competition of sorts. Girls from all over the land are chosen to compete to be the prince's wife. Let's just say I found myself wanting a Prince Maxon in my life! But the true star is the cover of these books. They are fabulous studies in gorgeous colors! My favorite is the cover of The Elite, which features a beautiful fiery red-orange gown (on our heroine) with a background of shimmery white holo-y goodness. And as for the name? It comes from this quote... “It wasn’t like I made his world better. It was like I was his world. It wasn’t some explosion; it wasn’t fireworks. It was a fire, burning slowly from the inside out.” - Kiera Cass, The Elite
I love this shade! One of my favorite warmer shades to wear, this is a lovely orange-red linear holo with with and orange red flakies, which you can really see more in indirect light. The flakies give this polish a bit of dimension and remind me a bit of the movement of flames when you watch the sparkle of the holo. Another great application on this one, opaque in two perfect coats.
This is Stinky Little Truck inspired by the Veronika Layne Hot Off the Press mysteries by Julia Park Tracey. This collaboration was the brainchild of blogger Michelle Chouinard of Lacquer or Leave Her who asked Literary Lacquers to create these colors in collaboration with Julia. Let's see what Michelle has to say about this polish.
In the Hot Off the Press books, Veronica Layne drives a biodiesel truck that runs off of vegetable oil; it’s an excellent alternative fuel, but can make your car smell like a vat of French fries. But really, that’s a small price to pay to keep the earth healthy, especially if you can look like this while you’re doing it. I love metallics and bling during the holidays, but have had difficulty finding a silver polish that has an elegant, sophisticated feel while still making my fingers sparkle and shine. The subtle linear holo and flecked finish in this polish satisfy my need for something that’s glamorous and special, without going way over the top.
My take?! Hello blinging amazingness! This polish is not only holo in the sun, it is super platinum in indirect lighting it, making it a wonderful holiday polish in my opinion. It is a beautiful metallic silver polish with a scattered holo finish. Just enough holo to be interesting in the sun, but not too overwhelming. This polish was opaque in two coats, perfect formula, no metallic streaks at all!
This is Veronika, inspired by Veronika of the same Hot Off the Press mysteries by Julia Park Tracey. For this polish, we get to have some input from Julia, the author. How neat is that?!?!
I see this as the perfect choice for the character of Veronika Layne, who is a kind of goth-hippie. She’s a tree-hugger and an eco-warrior, who has tattoos, body piercings and loves her sexy lingerie and her black and white cat. Purple nails? Yes, please!
I just LOVED this purple. I haven't always loved purple but I've really come around to it this year. This polish is lovely violet linear holo with lovely tiny flakies that reflect an almost pinkish color, making a slight pink lean to this gorgeous violet color. Opaque in two coats, great formula to report!
Next up we have Free to Fly, designed with Jennifer Zakroff and inspired by the Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Jennifer shared this quote from Song of Solomon as part of the inspiration.
"Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." - Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
This is a lovely delicate lavender linear holo with iridescent flakies which give it a lovely blue-green glow. I love this color for winter, it reminds me of the grey days when you long for the pastel colors of spring. Looking down on this polish during a cold day would bring me such delight. It has a lovely holo finish in the sun and a beautiful flashes of green and blue from the flakies inside! I think I may have painted three coats for opacity here, but still very lovely polish and a great formula.
This next polish is called My Favorite Day and was designed with Jody Morris Feldman, a lovely super active lady in the nail polish community! She drew inspiration from her polish from Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne! Let's see what she has to share about it!
It's one of my favorite quotes from Winnie the Pooh, which the father of my grandson had me read to him over and over again when he was a little boy. Winnie asks Piglet what day it is and Piglet answers 'it's today' to which Winnie says 'my favorite day '. I told my son, every time I read it to him, that every day with him was my favorite day, so now I know that every day with his son is his favorite day. Mushy, I know, but that's what grandparenthood has done to me.
How absolutely sweet is that?! I just love this color, completely unique in my collection this is a lovely golden amber metallic linear holo that is great for the holidays, but also agrees with my love of warmer shades for the fall. I already incorporated this into my Thanksgiving nails (which I only posted on Facebook and Instagram sorry), and I totally see myself breaking this shade out for nail art many many more times in the future. Once again, a lovely two coat formula with no metallic streaks causing application issues!
The final polish in the Community Collection is A Sensible Rabbit designed with Cassandra Pio of Fierce Hearts Wildlife Rehabilitation and inspired by Watership Down by Richard Adams. Let's see what Cassandra says about this polish.
Watership Down is a story of brains over brawn, the power of the underdog, compassion, and most importantly: rabbits. A Sensible Rabbit is inspired by Hyzenthlay, whose name is translated in the book as “fur that shines like dew.” She’s a no-nonsense doe who rises to the occasion when it’s her time to shine. The book might focus on the boys, but it’s a lady of a rabbit who really saves the day. I wanted a polish that mimicked a rabbit’s surprisingly complex fur, with enough sparkle to get me through a slog of a day, and of course Amy delivered. It’s a testament to my character that I love the same books I did when I was 11 as well as work in a field my childhood self would think is pretty awesome. I’m blown away by the support that Amy and the indie polish community have offered me as I get Fierce Hearts Wildlife Rehabilitation off the ground. You can follow my exploits, rabbit related and otherwise, on my facebook page.
Let's just say that in addition to books and nail polish, I love animals, and I love the inspiration behind this polish. This is a lovely taupe holographic polish with amazing rainbow microflakies and black microglitter, perfectly mimicking rabbit fur in my opinion! Also kind of matches my kitty's fur too! This polish dries a tad textured, but a top coat will smooth that out no problem. Another great two coat formula.
What?! There's one more polish?! This is Amy's edition to the collection Give My Heart, not available for purchase, but free as a gift with purchase this holiday season. This polish was inspired by In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
I'm not the hugest pink fan, but this polish has won me over. It has a coral lean to it that reminds me of a lovely sunset and I just love it to death. In that fabulous linear holo microglitter finish, this was opaque in two perfect coats.
Give My Heart is a limited edition gift with purchase – purchases of $24 will get a free 5 mL bottle and purchases with $48 will get a free 15 mL full size bottle. Last year I gave Lit Laqs as Christmas gifts because who doesn't love a polish with extra special literary meaning and inspiration behind it?!
Also this holiday season, orders over $75 can use code 2015HOLIDAY for free domestic shipping or 2015INTERNATIONAL for $7 off international shipping. All promotions, including the chance to get Give My Heart are available through New Year's Day, so Amy gives you plenty of time to shop!!!
So what are you waiting for? Get your butt to the Literary Lacquers Etsy Shop now to grab some amazing polishes!!!
And now, if you'd like a chance to win my polish in this awesome collection, Phizzwizard (the lovely seafoam green) and a full size Give My Heart, enter at the Rafflecopter below!
Please no giveaway accounts, I will check, and please leave an email you can check within 24 hours, otherwise I will have to choose another winner! US Only, sorry.
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