Indie Spotlight: Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer's TMNT Collection (Photo Heavy)

*Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer products provided for honest and unbiased review.  All other products mentioned were purchased by me.*


Hello there!  I've got a fun collection to show you today from Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer.  One of the many things I love about indies are their fandom polishes.  If you've fallen in love with a T.V. show or a comic book series, chances are at least one indie has a polish line to go with it.  Today's collection was inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  If you're as old as me, you might remember watching the cartoon in the late 80's and early 90's.  I loved the Turtles and even went to the theater to see the live action movie in 1990.  So I was thrilled when Cherish asked me to swatch this collection.  Her TMNT collection consists of 5 glitter toppers and one shimmer.  Four of the glitter toppers are named after the Turtles themselves and are made up of their signature face mask colors. I knew I had to do a little extra outside of your run-of-the-mill swatches for these guys, so take a look see and let me know what you think ;)

Up first, we have Raphael.  Raphael is a clear base with red hexes in several sizes, red microglitter, and a sprinkling of holographic glitter.  I'm showing it here (and all the other polishes in this collection except April O'Neil) over a gradient created with O.P.I.'s My Vampire is Buff and Wet 'n' Wild's Get Lucky.  My accent nail was created with Essie's Mojito Madness, black striping polish, and Wet 'n' Wild's Red Red.  Innit he cute??  :)

As always, Cherish's formula was great.  The base is a perfect consistency and I had no trouble getting the glitters out of the bottle.  This is two coats of Raphael with a top coat of Seche Vite.

This collection is actually quite versatile, besides being named after a Ninja Turtle, there is nothing to stop you from using this as a Christmas polish or as a great red accent.

Leonardo is a blue glitter topper in a clear base.  The glitter mix in this one consists of bright blue squares, blue holographic hexes and baby blue microglitter. 

Leonardo was also a dream to apply, not gloppy or weird in any way.  Again, two coats of Leonardo with one coat of Seche for a topper.  None of the glitter toppers in the collection are exceptionally rough, but I do suggest a good top coat to smooth out any uncooperative bits.  Also, in my photo it looks like the squares might be curling, but I assure you that I had no issue with glitter curling at all and it's just some strange camera thing. 

Another winner in my book!

Next up is Michelangelo.  Another single color glitter topper, Michelangelo has matte and metallic orange hexes in a couple of sizes.  This actually turned out to be a favorite of mine.  I've noticed that with the long, drawn out winter we're having that I'm gravitating much more towards warm oranges and yellows in the hopes that spring and summer will finally arrive.

I'm afraid we're going to get a little broken-record-y when it comes to formulas on these polishes.  Cherish just has a great base for her glitter toppers and Michelangelo follows suit.  Again, two coats with one coat of SV.

If you like oranges (which I know not everyone does), Michelangelo is definitely worth adding to your collection!

The last Turtle-named polish is Donatello.  It's no surprise that this is another favorite for me with my affinity for purple.  Here we have bright purple squares and large lavender and fuchsia hexes suspended in a clear base...what's not to love?

Another great formula and another 2 coats shown with one coat of SV.  I guess I should copy and paste these descriptions at this point lol  

If you're a purple lover, Donatello is a great topper for you!  Radiant orchid is this year's Pantone Color of the Year after all ;)

April O'Neil was the Turtles' friend and sidekick on the show and that's certainly how she comes across here.  A cheery golden-toned yellow shimmer (the color of the character's signature jumpsuit), April O'Neil compliments the collection nicely.  

This was another good formula, especially for a shimmer as they can be streaky.  I didn't have any trouble with streaks, dragging, or anything else here.  I'm showing 3 thin coats with a coat of SV to top it.

I created April's face for my accent nail out of O.P.I.'s My Vampire is Buff, Sally Hansen's Copperhead, Wet 'n' Wild's Get Lucky and Temptation, black striping polish.  She was actually a lot easier to paint than those turtle faces, believe it or not...I had to redo those guys like three times before I was happy!  lol  

The final polish of the collection is fittingly called Turtle Power.  TP is the fifth glitter topper of the collection and consists of different sized hexes in green, yellow, and copper.  This was my favorite in the bottle and I love how it translate to the nail.  However, I can't say that I love my TMNT logo so much here lol  I tried my best, but fonts just aren't my thing! 

Again, no formula issues, though I did find the glitter a little sparser in this combination.  I am still wearing 2 coats, but I had to fish a bit for the larger hexes.  Not a big deal, but you may want to turn your bottle upside for a few minutes before application. 

*Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer products provided for honest and unbiased review.  All other products mentioned were purchased by me.*

Overall, I really love this collection!  Cherish's glitter toppers are always a treat to apply and she's got such fun combinations.  If you're interested in purchasing any of these fantastic polishes, you can find them over at Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer's Etsy store.  I'd also recommend following her on Facebook to keep updated on new releases, sales, and giveaways.

Thanks so much for reading!