Guest Post From ALIQUID

Hello lovelies! As part of my one year blogiversary celebration I have a series of awesome guest posts for the next couple of weeks by some talented bloggers . Are you as stoked as I am? This first post by Alison from ALIQUID starts off the series with a bang! 

ALIQUID is a nail focused blog with an extra flair of linquistics and miscellany. I always feel a tad bit wiser after visiting. In addition to the blog, Alison makes her own nail polish! I asked if she would share a little about her brand and I was thrilled to see her introduce three polishes from her new collection. Let's take a look!
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Hi everyone! This is Alison from ALIQUID! I’m really honored that Emiline asked me to do a guest post for her blogiversary—I’ve admired her nail art for a long time!

I’ve been blogging about nail polish for over a year now, and last fall I decided to try my hand at making my own polish too. I now run the brand ALIQUID Lacquer. I think being a blogger has definitely given me an advantage at making indie polish, because I’ve already spent a lot of time thinking about polish finishes and color combinations! For today’s post, I decided to talk a little bit about how I created some of my newest polishes. I hope you’ll find it interesting!

Unlike a lot of indie makers, who start by creating a polish and then thinking of a name for it afterwards, I usually start with an inspiration and then try to figure out how to express it in polish. I think the reason for this is that I’m not extremely creative! I like to have a familiar idea in mind first, and then see what colors and images it leaves in my head (does that make sense?).

My latest collection takes its inspiration from my home state of Michigan, and especially from some of its most iconic spots. I’ll show you three polishes from this collection, first off in some nail art I did!

I painted Michigan using ALIQUID Lacquer I’m Heading Strait to Mackinac as a base color and Yooper for the shape of the land. I added a matte topcoat on top. My other two nails are wearing Motor City.

Here’s a swatch of I’m Heading Strait to Mackinac:

This polish is inspired by the straits that separate the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge, one of the world’s longest suspension bridges, connects the two sides of the state. My family’s vacationed in the area several times, so I have a lot of good memories associated with it. I knew when I made this polish that it had to be blue, of course, since it’s all about water! I Googled some pictures of the Straits of Mackinac, but the water can look so many different colors depending on the light. So I went for an “average” shade of blue, one that looked very peaceful to me. I added some holographic pigment to imitate the sun sparkling on the water, plus some tiny flecks of blue and green (the Mackinac Bridge is painted green!).

Here’s Yooper:

“Yooper” is an affectionate name for residents of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The U.P. is much less developed and more wild than the Lower Peninsula. I knew I had to start with a green base, because the U.P. is full of forests. I wanted this polish to look natural but kind of majestic at the same time, and I thought colored flecks would be the way to go. I added green and blue flecks for the trees and lakes, and gold and brown flecks for the mountains and cliffs. (Google “Pictured Rocks”—they are stunning!)

Finally, here’s Motor City:

Detroit is the home of the automobile, and also the city where I was born! It’s fallen on tough times lately, and always looks a little bleak to me. But it’s still got a lot of beauty too. I think this polish has the same feel. I went with metallic glitter to remind me of the industrial history of Detroit, and used dots because they look like little wheels!

Thanks for reading all that! There are five other polishes in the collection, so feel free to stop by my shop sometime. ;-) And thanks again to Emiline for inviting me here! Happy blogiversary!!
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Wow! I love the inspiration behind these polishes. I feel like I just got to know Michigan a lot more intimately with her wonderful descriptions. Which is your favorite? I am real partial to I'm Heading Strait to Mackinac. Both because it's a gorgeous color and because I love the name! I really encourage you all to check out the rest of her collection with additional photos and descriptions. Thank you so much Alison for putting together such an amazing post!