ALIQUID's Second Bloggiversary (& GIVEAWAY!)

Hi everyone! Today I suddenly realized that this is my second bloggiversary! (Good thing I decided to check the date today!) Can you believe it? This is the definitely the longest I've ever kept up a blog. I've made it through 334 posts, the 31-Day Challenge, a marriage, an interstate move, and the start of my own indie brand!

I've really come a long way, especially in my swatching abilities. Just look at a swatch from my very first blog post (that's Indigo Bananas Anansi):

I really had no idea how to pose consistently back then (or how to crop photos!). For comparison, here's the mani I did today. I decided to try a blobbicure for the first time. I obviously need more practice!

The base polish is Femme Fatale Fatal Attraction, and the blobs are Sephora by OPI What Aura Gonna Wear? I thought this color combo would look nice and festive!


Thank you to everyone who reads and comments on this blog! I feel honored that anyone would want to read my ramblings. :-D

And of course I am giving something back to you with a giveaway! Obviously I was too disorganized to get multiple people to contribute, so I'm giving away a gift certificate to ALIQUID Lacquer. This giveaway is open internationally until 11:59 PM EST on April 21. Only the first entry is mandatory. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

An ode to brown polish

Hey there! Fall is almost here, and that means pumpkin pie, apple cider and brown nail polish!! I love brown polish of all shades, but I know that's a pretty unpopular opinion. I see a lot of comments like, "that's a nice color, but I never wear brown."

But I think brown gets a bad rap. Think about how many shades of brown there are; you are bound to find one that you like and that goes nicely with your skintone (don't forget that nude/off-white shades are technically brown too!). Brown polish can work as a great neutral/work-safe shade, or a super vampy shade that's a little less harsh than black.

I have over 30 brown polishes in my stash, and I picked out a range of them to show you how versatile brown can be. Join me, won't you??

(I apologize in advance for the yellow stains on my nails in some of these photos. I accidentally got Yellow #5 all over my fingers!)

FingerFood's Theme Buffet: Under the sea

Hi! Hope you're having a good weekend! Today I finally managed to get my FingerFood mani for the week done. The theme is under the sea. I decided to do jellyfish! (Apologies for the kinda ragged picture...I was in a rush.)

I started with a black base and used the watercolor method to make a watery background with several shades of blue polish, including Revlon Indigo Night and Plunge Pool, China Glaze Hanging in the Balance, and Sephora by OPI Ocean Love Potion. On top of that, I made white dots for the heads of the jellyfish and dabbed them with a Q-tip dipped in acetone to make them translucent. I added the tentacles and topped everything off with a coat of L'Oreal Miss Pixie, a blue jelly.

See ya tomorrow!

2014 Blogger Challenge #11: My polish stash...photographed!

Good morning! I'm finally returning to the 2014 Blogger Challenge. You might have noticed that I haven't done it for a couple months--there were some prompts I didn't have much to say about, then I kinda got distracted. But I thought today's topic would be a perfect place to get back on the horse. The prompt is collections. What do I have a giant collection of? Nail polish, of course! If you like to see pictures of organized stuff, you will like this post!

This will obviously be image-heavy, so click the jump to see it all!

The Neverending Pile Challenge: Two discontinued polishes

Good morning! Hope everyone's survived the week! Yesterday after I finished tutoring, my husband and I walked around Boston and got some really good burgers. We don't eat out very often so it was a special treat!

Today's Neverending Pile Challenge prompt is discontinued. I started with a base of a very old untried, Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous (a dark purple shimmer). I got this polish around Christmas 2012 in that Tinsel Town set of minis. I thought Sephora by OPI was completely gone, but apparently they still make gel polish!

Then I added a coat of Hot Mess Lacquers Fuego. If you've been familiar with indie brands for a while, you might remember Hot Mess--I think she was pretty popular, but she closed up shop suddenly about a year ago and vanished off the face of the earth. She was also a member of the forums I frequent, but I wasn't really into indies yet when she left. This winter, someone at the forums kindly gifted me a bottle of Hot Mess Fuego for a Secret Santa swap.

Fuego is a topper with beautiful orange-yellow-green color-shifting particles--I think it's the same color shift as in the famous Max Factor Fantasy Fire! Check out my photos!

Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous, two coats, plus Hot Mess Lacquers Fuego, one coat. Out the Door topcoat.

Beautiful, no? I'm really glad I have a bottle of this stuff! Must Fuego-ize everything!!

Total untrieds tried: 37


 

FingerFood's Theme Buffet / Neverending Pile Challenge: A cloud of untrieds

Happy Friday! I'm doing yet another multi-challenge post today! This week's FingerFood's Theme Buffet prompt is something new, and the Neverending Pile Challenge theme is use as many untrieds in one mani as you can. Well, I didn't go crazy trying to cram a million polishes into one mani, but I did manage to knock six polishes off my untried pile!

To satisfy the something new prompt, I decided to try a technique I had never used before: the cloud mani. This kind of nail art, like the fishtail I did recently, seems simple on the surface but requires a decent amount of motor control. Mine isn't perfect, but I really like how it looks! (Pardon the glare in the photo...it's the bane of my existence.)

On three nails, I used Zoya Dove, Zoya Wednesday and Essie Mind Your Mittens. On my accent nail I used Julep Eden, Sephora by OPI Break a Leg Warmer! and Julep Evelyn. I love the combo of greys with all sorts of colors!

Total untrieds tried: 28

FingerFood's Theme Buffet #8: Cute

Hey all! I can't believe we're eight weeks into FingerFood's Theme Buffet challenge already! Where did the time go??

This week's theme is "cute", and as everyone knows, the cutest thing in the universe is a pile of puppies. So here's my doggie manicure!

Hee hee, this makes me smile every time I look at it! I like how the dog on the far right looks kind of skeptical. I started with a base of Zoya Sweet, then added the dog heads, spots and ears with Revlon Stiletto, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, Revlon Stormy Night, Julep Otte and Sephora by OPI Leotard Optional. I added a layer of Revlon Matte topcoat and did the eyes and noses afterwards so they kept a little shine.

I asked Trudy if she approved of my mani, but she was still recovering from her busy day yesterday (busy =  going for a walk):

An InLinkz Link-up

Swatch: Anne Kathleen - Emma

The product in this post was sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Today I have another polish from Anne Kathleen to review. This is my favorite of the two I received!

Emma is a clear polish with small holographic pink glitter and gold flakes. To me, this polish has a very autumn-like feel, so I layered it over brown (Sephora by OPI Thyme for a Mani). Once again, I've worn it both glossy and matte below, although the matte topcoat takes away the holographic effect from the pink glitter.

Anne Kathleen Emma. One coat over Sephora by OPI Thyme for a Mani. Out the Door topcoat.

Anne Kathleen Emma. One coat over Sephora by OPI Thyme for a Mani. Revlon matte topcoat.

I think the gold flakes make Emma look so sophisticated! This would be a perfect party/holiday polish.

The formula was great--not too thick, and plenty of glitter to go around. I did have to dab a little bit to get the glitter to cover evenly, but it wasn't too much extra effort. The texture of the glitter is easily smoothed with one coat of topcoat.

Emma is available at annekathleen.com ($10 for 15 ml). It's 5-free, cruelty-free and vegan! You can also follow the brand on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!

The product in this post was sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Today's mani: Rudolph and friends

Good afternoon everyone! Today is my last post before we leave for our holiday vacation. I won't be able to paint my nails very much while we're away, but I'll try to post as often as I can! It's probably a good thing I won't be doing my nails a lot, since my skin is sooo dry from this weather (as you'll see soon enough...)!

Today I did some freehand nail art, and my left hand is making its first appearance since the beginning of November! My poor middle fingernail is still a little stubby. :-P Please ignore my gross dry skin!

The background color is Sally Hansen Blue Me Away. I did the reindeer heads with Sephora by OPI Leotard Optional (I used the polish brush for the heads and a nail art brush for the ears). The antlers and noses (except Rudolph's) are Revlon Stormy Night. Rudolph's nose is Revlon Red Carpet.

My reindeer look a little doofy (kinda like pigs with antlers actually!) but I still think they're cute. :-D

Anyone else getting really excited for Christmas?? My only regret is that Trudy will be in a kennel in another state instead of celebrating with us. I'll have to get her a nice present...

31-Day Challenge #31: honor nails you love

Well, I made it...the final day of the 31-Day Challenge! I almost can't believe I managed to do 31 manis in a row. There were definitely some days when I really didn't feel like painting my nails, but in the end I'm glad I stuck it out. This month I tried several techniques for the first time and expanded my repertoire of nail art by quite a lot; I also discovered many great blogs to follow! I'm looking forward to doing the challenge again next year (but not before, heh!).

The final prompt is "honor nails you love". I think my favorite nail art blogger has to be Chalkboard Nails; she has impeccable technique, her nails always look fantastic, plus she takes perfect photos! I decided to reproduce her metallic mani from Day 8 of this challenge. When I saw her pictures, I thought, "whoa, how did she do that??" but it turned out to be very simple! (The best kind of nail art!)

Instead of a gradient, I randomly sponged on several metallic polishes for the base color. (I think it turned out a little too subtle.) I used China Glaze Swing Baby, Sephora by OPI I Only Shop Vintage, Revlon Enthrall, Hard Candy Crush on Tin, and OPI The World is Not Enough. For the "distressed" effect I applied Revlon Stiletto after wiping most of the polish off the brush.

I made another collage for the final third of the challenge. Click to see my previous manis!




I also thought I'd be slightly vain for a moment and pick the challenge manis I'm most proud of. I think my top three would have to be:

#21 Inspired by a Color--my version of a waterfall mani. I just think it turned out really pretty, and apparently it's my #1 challenge mani among visitors to the blog!

#23 Inspired by a Movie--probably my best freehand effort so far. It's not perfect, but it makes me smile!

#30 Inspired by a tutorial--one-stroke flowers. The one-stroke technique is one I've been interested in for a long time, but never managed to get right until this time.








OK, that's all, folks. Now I'm off to give my nails a break for a few days. :-D Don't forget to check out the final challenge posts from all these other lovely ladies! (And thanks again to More Nail Polish for organizing the linkup!)

31-Day Challenge #30: inspired by a tutorial

Second to last challenge! Can't believe I'm almost done! It was hard to choose what to do for today's prompt, since there are so many awesome tutorials out there. I settled on this "one stroke abstract petals" tutorial at Lucy's Stash--she is really talented!

This is my first successful attempt at the one-stroke technique! The background color is Sephora by OPI Merry Me, and the flowers are all acrylic paint.

And here's your cute Trudy pic of the day:

Is everyone else pumped for the final challenge tomorrow?? Here are the rest of today's manis:

31-Day Challenge #27: inspired by artwork

I was initially nervous about this challenge, because I didn't think I had the talent to reproduce any works of art (except for maybe some really minimalist abstract art). I hope you like the inspiration I eventually came up with...

It's Lascaux Cave art--the original artwork (over 17,000 years old)! I love the style of the animals. Here are the pictures I used for inspiration:

 Here are the polishes I used:

• Julep Otte
• L'Oreal Creme Puffs
• Sephora by OPI Thyme for a Mani
• Revlon Stormy Night
• Revlon Timeless
• Sinful Colors Snow Me White
• OPI My Vampire is Buff
• Revlon Stiletto
• L'Oreal Spice Things Up
• L'Oreal L'Orange

I sponged several colors on the background to get a "rocky" look. At the end I used Revlon's matte topcoat.

Don't forget to admire today's other artsy manis!

Today's mani: polka dot "spirals"

Hey all! I haven't posted in a few days because I've been working on a proceedings paper for a conference I presented at in March. But now my paper's submitted, so I can (momentarily) kick back and post my nails!

As the post title suggests, these dots are supposed to make spirals, which you can kind of see on my index finger, but I think I put the dots too far apart. Oh well, live and learn! I do like the color scheme though--the base color is OPI My Vampire is Buff, and the dots are L'Oreal L'Orange and Sephora by OPI Ocean Love Potion. One day I'll redo this pattern but BETTER!

BTW, anyone else thinking of preordering any of the I Love Nail Polish Ultra Chromes? They look pretty fricking amazing, I must say!

Polish Days: The number 5

I'm excited--this is my first time participating in the Polish Days blogger event! The theme for this month is "the number 5". This is a pretty broad prompt, so I thought for a while about what I should do. Then it hit me: the five wizards!

If you're at all familiar with The Lord of the Rings, you know about the wizards Gandalf and Saruman. But did you know there were actually five wizards? They were angelic beings incarnated in mortal bodies, sent to help the people of Middle-Earth fight Sauron.

Gandalf the Grey/White gets place of honor on my thumb. (Did you know his real name is Olorin?) The base is Maybelline Porcelain Party, and I painted his G rune in acrylic paint. (I love acrylic! So great for nail art!)

Saruman is on my index finger. I used Revlon Carbonite as the base because it reminds me of the war machines he built at Isengard. Then I painted the White Hand (the symbol his orc soldiers wear) with acrylic paint.

On my middle finger is Radagast the Brown. He's mentioned a few times in Lord of the Rings. He was the one who sent the Eagle to rescue Gandalf from the top of Orthanc (no magic moths in the book!). He was mostly interested in animals and plants, and didn't do much to help fight Sauron. Radagast's real name is Aiwendil, 'bird-friend', so I gave him a blackbird.  The base color is Sephora by OPI Leotard Optional, and the bird is done in acrylic (I think it turned out really well!).

Finally, we don't know much about the last two wizards, except that they were friends and wore blue. They traveled far to the east, off the known maps of Middle-Earth, to fight Sauron's influence there, and were never heard from again. Their names were Alatar and Pallando, or Morinehtar and Romestamo ('darkness-slayer' and 'East-helper').

Since we don't really know about their personalities, I chose to give them a kind of wizardly-looking sweep of dots. :-D The base color is China Glaze Hanging in the Balance, and the dots are Julep Millie, Orly Royal Navy, Wet 'n' Wild I Need a Refresh-Mint, and Wet 'n' Wild Shameless. I'm a little mad that I blurred the dots on my ring finger, even though I waited an hour before putting on topcoat!

Well, am I a geek or what? How did I do? I had fun doing this mani, and I'm hoping to participate in future Polish Days!

Today's mani: bridal shower chevrons

What's up all? This weekend my lovely future mother- and sister-in-law are throwing me a bridal shower, which means one thing: NAIL TIME! I wanted a mani to match the dress I'm wearing, which is here. I decided to do a chevron pattern using some of the colors in the dress:

This is the usual tape mani. I started yesterday by painting my nails in Maybelline Porcelain Party (the white) and letting it dry overnight. Today I stuck on pieces of tape to get the outline of the chevrons and painted my tips (Sephora by OPI Thyme for a Mani and Zoya Ziv).

Then the black stripes...I originally intended to use a Sally Hansen nail art pen to do the stripes, but it ended up bleeding a lot and making blotches everywhere. :-/ Kinda disappointed about that purchase. So I resorted to using acrylic paint and a striper brush. The lines came out a little wiggly but they look good from a distance anyway!

I also painted my toes to match the dress, using L'Oreal Orange You Jealous? Now I'm all set for the weekend!

What's your weekend mani going to be ?