Literary Lacquers Ocean at the End of the Lane Trio Swatches and Reviews

*press samples*

Hi guys! For some reason this week has been flying by. Things have been going fine here. We are watching our friend's two cats while they are away in Europe for ~6 weeks. Yeah, having 3 cats is enough. The ones we're watching (Jack and Molly) are very sweet, but it is so much more work. Well, my husband is only teaching online courses this summer, so he ends up doing most of the legwork when it comes to the cats (thanks, Mike!). Tonight I'm swatching a new brand on the blog. I've admired Amy from Literary Lacquers from afar for several years, so I'm extremely honored to be able to swatch these for you. Literary Lacquers is coming back after a little hiatus and will feature a brand new trio, as well as a relaunch of 24 fan favorites. And if that isn't sweet enough, there will be a gift-with-purchase during the relaunch which will get you a free mini polish with a $20 purchase, and a full-sized bottle with order over $50.

The relaunch will be happening this Friday, June, 23, noon MDT, so set your calendars. Tonight I'll be showing you the trio called Ocean at the End of the Lane which is inspired by the book by Neil Gaiman. Confession time: I've never read anything by Gaiman, but my husband is a big fan. For each polish I'll give my thoughts and description, as well as the passage for which each polish is inspired. Without further ado, let's get to it!

 Literary Lacquers Lettie's Ocean (3 coats)

Lettie's Ocean is a bright turquoise color with a linear holo finish and a sprinkling of silver holographic microglitter. I may be in the minority, but my favorite part of this polish is the added holo microglitter. Anything that adds just a bit more dimension can really take a polish to the next level. The formula was a bit thick, but was by no means unmanageable. It didn't warrant busting out any thinner or anything. 

According to Literary Lacquers:

Designed with Carolyn Chambers

Lettie is an eleven-year-old girl who just may have very well been eleven for a very long time. 

"Lettie Hempstock was made of silken sheets the color of ice, filled with tiny flickering candle flames, a hundred hundred candle flames. Could there be candle flames burning under the water? There could. I knew that, when I was in the ocean, and I even knew how. I understood it just as I understood Dark Matter, the material of the universe that makes up everything that must be there but we cannot find. I found myself thinking of an ocean running beneath the whole universe, like the dark seawater that laps beneath the wooden boards of an old pier: an ocean that stretches from forever to forever and is still small enough to fit inside a bucket, if you have Old Mrs. Hempstock to help you get it in there, and you ask nicely."

Literary Lacquers Miner's Gift (3 coats, lightbox)

Literary Lacquers Miner's Gift (3 coats, natural light-shade)

You're probably asking yourself, "Man, could she take any more pictures of this polish?" I get you, I really do. Duochromes are notoriously more difficult to photograph...especially when they're a bit more subtle. Miner's Gift is a blue/purple/gold multichrome polish with a bunch of holographic silver flakes. Again, Amy had me with the addition of the flakes. The shift is most apparent in low, indirect light which is basically the opposite of what you get with holo polishes. I was expecting to use 2 coats based on how dark it looks in the bottle, but I did a third for good measure. Again, it was ever-so-slightly thick for my taste, but that's always subjective, and I didn't really need any thinner. Multichromes are very on-trend, and I'm loving every moment of it. Get Miner's Gift if you're looking for something interesting with a bit of flair. 

Literary Lacquers says that:

Inspired by the character of the opal miner. The death of the miner is the catalyst for the awakening/actions of Skarthach. His offhandedly adult means of compensating for the loss of the one thing that gave the boy comfort is counter-balanced by Lettie’s selfless, childish (as in done by a child – not as in immature) and steadfast determination to make things right for her friends. As such, the Miner (and other adults – Hempstocks excluded) is the initial counter character to Lettie.

 “He was a South African, although he had made his money mining for opals in Australia. He gave my sister and me an opal each, a rough black rock with green-blue-red fire in it. My sister liked him for this, and treasured her opal stone. I could not forgive him for the death of my kitten.” p. 14

Literary Lacquers Swaying Grayly (3 coats, natural matte finish)

Literary Lacquers Swaying Grayly (3 coats, with topcoat)

Oh, did I fail to mention that this trio has a variety of finishes? Yes, Swaying Grayly dries to a matte finish which took me completely by surprise. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I like it better matte or shiny. I often opt for topcoat, but I think I'll stick to matte next time I wear it. Swaying Grayly is a matte silvery grey with tons of silver and gold flakes. It you look closely, you can see some flashes of holographic flakes as well. The first coat was a bit sheer, but it was fully opaque in 3 easy coats. You guys know my love for grey polishes, so it should come to no surprise that this is my favorite of the set. You probably need them all, but at least add this to your cart first. 

Let's see what Literary Lacquers has to say:

Designed with Adrienne Nguyen

Inspired by the persistent description of Ursula Monkton in her true form as Skarthach of the Keep as represented by tattered grey canvas.

“It was my old bedroom, but it wasn’t. Not anymore. There was the little yellow handbasin, just my size, and the walls were still robin’s-egg blue, as they had been when it was mine. But now strips of cloth hung from the ceiling, gray, ragged cloth strips, like bandages, some only a foot long, others dangling almost all the way to the floor. The window was open and the wind rustled and pushed them, so they swayed, grayly, and it seemed as if perhaps the room was moving, like a tent or a ship at sea."

These colors are not limited edition and will become part of the core collection. Also, there's no need to have your trigger finger ready at exactly noon because the store will remain open and stocked (those of us at work-rejoice!). The shimmers and creme polishes will be for sale at $10, while the multichromes/holos will be $12. I'm not done with Literary Lacquers just yet; I have 3 colors to show you later this week, so check back soon. To learn more about Literary Lacquers, check out their website, Facebook Group, Facebook page, and Instagram. 

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*