Let's get to know: Literary Lacquers, part 1!

I got my first Blogger review pack - take a look inside!

I am so excited to bring you a review of 2 lovely polishes today, from one of my new favorite creators! Amy from Literary Lacquers sent me four minis with the understanding I would give an honest, in depth review of her product. Lucky for me, the craftsmanship behind these polishes is fantastic, and I had a great time swatching them! She had offered me my choice of any 3 of her polishes, and thoughtfully included an extra as well! I did not think to take a picture before opening them (silly me!), but the packaging was beautiful and unique. Each polish was wrapped in a thick brown paper that was waffle cut, with colorful wrapping tissue cradling the bottle. I had a conversation with her and some other ladies on Facebook in which she explained it is called "Greenwrap", and it's not just cute, but also environmentally friendly. Pretty cool!

Pink is Amy from Literary Lacquers!

First up is "Love-in-idleness". This is a lovely purple glitter based on Western wild pansy, the little flower that causes a lot of trouble in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

 Act II, Scene I

"Oberon: Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell.

It fell upon a little western flower,

Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound.

And maidens call it “love-in-idleness.”

Fetch me that flower. The herb I showed thee once.

The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid

Will make or man or woman madly dote

Upon the next live creature that it sees."

This is going to be awkward in the morning.

                                      

Amy describes it as "... a very complex polish, with a light purple base; jam packed with fairy magic and iridescent glitters of many shapes and size and purple square glitter." What a great way to put it! I used 3 coats of it on my right hand without anything underneath, and while it is sheer the coverage is fantastic! There is some visible nail line, but if you are looking for a lightweight feeling polish that still packs a mean punch, this one is perfect! I don't normally like bar glitter but these are so tiny and well balanced I ended up really digging the way they give depth. 

I wanted to show off what was in this beautiful blend, so I threw on an undercoat of OPI "Bizarre blurple" and 2 coats of "Love-in-idleness". I am trying to practice with more nail art, so I also used clear gemstones. I love the way this turned out! I think this is my favorite way to wear this polish. It really makes the different glitters pop! I also really like the lighter gemstone on a dark base. 

Next up we have "Midsummer Night's Dream", a vibrant blue interspersed with hex glitter of various sizes and colors that stack to create a truly stunning jelly sandwich. "This polish was created to evoke the starry midnight sky as seen through the eyes of a fairy." What a beautiful inspiration! I think she did a pretty great job - I was also reminded of fireflies at dusk in a dark wood. Having just moved North last year, fireflies are still new and magical to me! I love watching them flash in and out, and I can easily see how people in the past thought they were something of a more mystical variety.

"What the hell are these things?"

This one I had some trouble with, but I am chalking it up to user error rather than formula - I usually use the dab then stroke method for glitter application, but I ended up applying one coat too many and had a thick mess towards the end. I managed to tidy it up and throw some seche on top to tame it, but I was still a little sad at how much of the mini I ended up using. Regardless, once it dried it was very eye catching! In the sun it positively glows. Even though I was liberal with application I found it dried fast with a coat of seche vite, and removal was not a pain. Despite my initial issues I think it's beautiful, and not nearly as tricky as some glitter sandwiches I have wrestled with before!

I have many fond memories of watching Shakespeare at an outdoor theater as a child, Midsummer night's dream of course being one of them. These two polishes are well crafted and I can definitely feel the inspiration behind them! If you are interested in picking up either of these two polishes ( and maybe a few others!), you can check out her Etsy store here. I am happy to tell you that Literary Lacquers is also now available on Overallbeauty.com as well! You can also follow her on Facebook here, she updates often and is quick to restock. 

I am almost done writing part two, with the remaining two polishes - plus a guest appearance from another literary lacquer color I have! So check back soon or follow me so you won't miss it. Thanks for reading, I am off to watch Bram Stoker's Dracula - it's sort of like homework for part 2! 

Link to part 2!