Thursday, September 25, 2014

ALIQUID Lacquer Angel in Hell collection and GIVEAWAY!

Hello gentle readers! I've just released a brand new ALIQUID Lacquer collection that's perfect for Halloween! Bear with me while I talk about it, because there's a giveaway at the bottom of the post. (Or I guess you can just scroll down there immediately.)


The Phantom of the Opera has been my favorite musical for around 20 years, and the 1911 novel is one of my favorites too (I even wrote about it on this very blog). So it was the natural choice for me to base a Halloween collection on!




Rather than just naming polishes after songs in the musical (somewhat sketchy from a copyright point of view), I decided to make shades that emphasize the gothic/romantic themes in the story, as well as the contrasts between beauty/ugliness and light/dark. Take a look and tell me if I succeeded. :-)



Corpse de Ballet is a terrible pun and was inspired by the ballet girls, of course. In the book they are constantly scaring each other by spreading stories about Opera Ghost sightings. I was particularly thinking of the scene from the musical where Joseph Buquet is hanged directly above the ballerinas in the middle of a performance.







Forever and a Day represents the spiritual hold the Phantom has over Christine. I took the name from this passage in the book, where Christine passes through the mirror:

"And nothing could describe the passion with which the voice sang:

'Fate links thee to me for ever and a day!'

...Christine walked towards her image in the glass and the image came towards her. The two Christines - the real one and the reflection - ended by touching; and Raoul put out his arms to clasp the two in one embrace. But, by a sort of dazzling miracle that sent him staggering, Raoul was suddenly flung back, while an icy blast swept across his face; he saw not two, but four, eight, twenty Christines spinning round him, laughing at him and fleeing so swiftly that he could not touch one of them. At last, everything stood still again; and he saw himself in the glass. But Christine had disappeared.

He rushed up to the glass. He struck at the walls. Nobody! And meanwhile the room still echoed with a distant passionate singing:

'Fate links thee to me for ever and a day!'"






This is Maze of Mirrors. Mirrors are of course a major motif in the story and are linked to the theme of inner vs. outer beauty. In the book, the Phantom builds an elaborate torture chamber using mirrors to make Raoul and the Persian believe they're in the middle of a desert. They didn't include this in the musical, but the movie version does have a nod to it:








I had to make a polish called Red Death because, seriously, check out the Phantom's amazing outfit! I drew this probably 100 times as a kid.






 
This one is The Skeleton's Ring. In the musical, we don't learn the Phantom's ultimate fate, but in the book we are told explicitly that he died of a broken heart. This passage is from the last page of the book (the narrator is a journalist investigating the Phantom story):


"Yes, I am certain, quite certain that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was Erik's skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae must have slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise.

The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the Opera-house."







Finally, here is Unending Night. Night and darkness in Phantom are moral as well as physical; the Phantom chooses to live in darkness because he's been rejected by the "normal" world of daylight.







If you're interested in picking any of these up, they're on sale for the next week at my shop! I also have a new pumpkin cheesecake lip balm scent and nail polish magnets!


OK, now on to the giveaway!!


I'm giving away the entire Angel in Hell collection to one lucky US resident! Here are the rules!
  • Winner must be over 18 and be able to provide a US shipping address.
  • The only mandatory entry is to provide your email address. All other entries are optional but increase your chance of winning!
  • Winning entries will be verified, so no cheating!
  • The giveaway will run until 11:59 PM EST on October 9, 2014.
  • The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.


Good luck!!


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

54 comments:

  1. The Phantom, of course. Who needs a boring romantic lead? :) Love the collection--Forever and a Day is a gorgeous color! :)

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  2. I can't actually answer the question as I've never seen The Phantom, but I sure want to now! Gorgeous collection!

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  3. *confesses* I've never seen Phantom of the Opera either. But I'd go with the Phantom.

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  4. meh. I can't decide which one. The Phantom. I guess it's better to be crazy in love..LOL

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  5. Raoul because as much of a ponce as he is...he's substantially less murderous.

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  6. This collection is so gorgeous! And Raoul but I haven't seen the musical.in forever so I can be swayed.

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  7. Raoul. Phantom is more interesting, but he does an awful lot of killing and also only has like half a face. Call me vain, but I like my man to have a nose. (and also not kill people)

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  8. I have to be honest, I have never seen PotO. I know, you want to smack me. :p

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  9. Raoul. The Phantom reminds me of an bad ex

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  10. Fantastic job! Reading through this post made me feel emotional. Is that strange?

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  11. Oh, I LOVE The Skeleton Ring. And a reference to the masquerade- yay! Great inspiration for this collection!

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  12. These polishes are gorgeous! I especially like Forever and a Day. I've only seen the movie, but based on that I'd say the Phantom, despite the whole murderer thing. :P

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  13. Phantom!! these polishes look amazing!!

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  14. I actually can't answer the question either : /

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  15. The Phantom!

    Cathy E

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  16. The Phantom...I'm a sucker for a tragedy. :)

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  17. The Phantom! Thanks for the chance! :D

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  18. Raoul, I've had a crazy guy fall in love with me before, it's not romantic and sexy, it's scary. Plus the Phantom is a murderer.

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  19. The Phantom, yes indeed!

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  20. Raoul because he's so much less likely to murder me in order to keep me forever.

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  21. I will TOTALLY admit that I SQUEALED like a teenage fan girl over this collection. The answer is The Phantom always...Have you read Phantom by Susan Kay?

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    1. Not yet, but I've heard about it! I think my sister read it actually. (My whole family likes Phantom!)

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    2. I love that book! Now that I'm finally reading the original, I can see how well the two fit together.

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  22. The Phantom. Every performance I've seen of this operetta, Raoul comes off rather douchy. The Phantom, though he's controlling and emotionally immature, is motivated by the kind of love that I think gentles him. Plus, I have a soft spot for underdogs. ;)

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    1. You should read the book--Raoul is constantly being described as "boyish" and bursting into tears. ;-D

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  23. Phantom...who wants a boy, when you can have a man? :)

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  24. The Phantom, just cuz he's more interesting!

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  25. Sorry if I double post. My phone's being weird. Sadly I have not seen it! But I want to! 💜 Tyvm!

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  26. Thank You So Much for this Amazing Giveaway; I Just Love this Unique & Fabulous Nail Collection! I Love Colors that are Different that Stand Apart from Others & These do Just that! I Love Every Single one of the Polishes, especially Red Death which is My Favorite! As for your Question, I am going with Phantom of the Opera b/c I Know I Really Enjoy it but Also b/c I have Never Seen the Other! Thanks Again for the Chance to Give these Sweet Polishes a Good Home! Have a Blessed Day! Jana

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  27. Raoul. He and Christine had the prior connection, and the Phantom is more than a little psychotic...Thanks for the giveaway!

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  28. The Phantom! TY for the giveaway!!

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  29. Phantom! Poor Erik needs someone to love him.

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  30. Hard to choose, since either relationship would be disfunctional because of a women's position in society back then. The Phantom, I guess.

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  31. Phantom for sure. In real life it wouldn't end well... but hey, that won't stop a girl!

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  32. The Phantom, at least until he gets too unbearably creepy.

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  33. I've never seen it but these are pretty polishes. Thanks.

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