Showing posts with label
shirley ann nail lacquer review.
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Showing posts with label
shirley ann nail lacquer review.
Show all posts
*All Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer products provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products mentioned were purchased by me*
Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week. I'm ready for the weekend! We're moving our studio space at work and I just can't wait for it to be done...not only is moving tedious, tiring, and time-consuming, the possibility of breaking a swatching nail is too much to bear!
I have a great collection from Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer to show you today! The Storms of Arendelle collection is a Frozen-themed set that launched this week. Now, I'm probably the only person (other than my boyfriend) in the U.S. who hasn't seen this movie but I've decided that's a good thing. It means I won't be prejudiced for or against certain polishes based on the names ;)
Let's start things off with the hit number, shall we? Let It Go is a clear-based glitter topper with small periwinkle hexes, blue holographic micro glitter, and blue flakies. It definitely gives off an icy vibe and I just love the iridescent shimmer from the flakies!
I was trying to go with the icy theme for these swatches, but I'm afraid I went a bit beachy with this one. However, I love it so much I can't be mad! Actually, I think it helps to see polishes in different ways...you might not look at Let It Go and think beach, even though it's a perfect topper to pull this sand and shore gradient together! I used Essie's Blanc, O.P.I.'s My Vampire is Buff, and Barielle's Magna Cum Laude Turquoise for the gradient and then 2 coats of Let It Go on top.
Let It Go is not a super chunky glitter mix, so I used one coat of Seche Vite to add some shine but didn't need any more than that to smooth things out. The formula was smooth and I didn't have to fish for any of the glitters. Is this polish worthy of an Oscar-winning song? I definitely think so!
Next up is Anna. This glitter topper is packed with large green squares, large lavender hexes, medium blue hexes, and tons of small pink glitters.
I'm showing Anna over a gradient of Sinful Colors Sugar Rush, Outrageous, and Truth Or Dare. I also did an accent nail inspired by Anna's dress in the movie...I may not have seen it, but I can Google with the best of 'em!
Again, the formula is great. I used 2 coats of Anna over the gradient with one coat of Seche Vite. You may have to do a little fishing for the larger glitters, but I didn't find it to be too much extra work to get the coverage I wanted. This is definitely a unique color combo with gorgeous results!
Elsa is the other leading lady of the film, I believe. This polish is one of my favorites of the collection. Elsa has bright purple squares, blue and silver holographic hexes, and itty bitty purple bars. I've mentioned before that I dislike bar glitter, but since it's so small here, I actually kind of love it!
When I looked up pictures of Elsa online, her icy blue dress and white blond braid jumped out at me so that's what I used for inspiration here. The base color of this mani is Essie's Absolutely Shore and the "braided" accent nail was created using Essie's Blanc, O.P.I.'s My Vampire is Buff, and Victoria Volainna Polish Designs' City of Gold with Kleancolor's Texan Cowboy to accentuate the lines.
Once again, I used 2 coats of Elsa with one coat of Seche Vite to smooth everything out. The formula is wonderful and again, a unique color/glitter combo seals the deal on a beautiful polish!
Prince Hans is the next polish in line. The darkest of the collection, this polish maybe reflects the character's true nature, despite his charming appearance. Like I said, I haven't seen the movie, but there are a lot of spoilers out there so it's not too hard to figure out who the bad guy is.
Prince Hans has large bright blue squares, large silver hexes, smaller blue hexes, and little black squares all in a clear base. I decided to show this over Barielle's Slate of Affairs because of its greyish tone...I thought a bit of murkiness was required ;) My accent nail is inspired by Hans' uniform-esque suit in the movie.
Again, great formula with easy application. This wasn't a favorite of mine because the color mix was a little tame for me, but I do think it reflects the character well with the shiny silver glitters hiding in among the darker bits. Two coats of Prince Hans with one coat of Seche Vite to top it. Ignore anything that looks like curling in my photos, it's a trick of the light or the camera as I observed no curling at all whilst wearing it.
Here's the comic relief! Much like its namesake, Olaf is a bright, light-hearted polish. A mix of white squares, orange, black, and white hexes, and a fun iridescent micro glitter with a green shimmer, Olaf is pretty darn cheery!
I chose to show Olaf over a subtle gradient of Barielle's Magna Cum Laude Turquoise and Sinful Colors Burning Bright with an accent nail of Olaf himself. He's such a cute, silly character (who I'm certain has a heart of gold and offers tons of support to our heroine) that I couldn't resist recreating him in polish!
Olaf is another favorite for me. Again I used 2 coats of Olaf with one coat of Seche Vite...sound familiar? ;) The formula is perfect and I love the color combo! It'll actually be a really great Halloween polish in the future...you all know how I love versatility in a polish!
Finally we come to Coronation Day, which I guess is a little backwards but whatever, it's my blog! This is a clear-based glitter topper with large icy blue flowers, large turquoise hexes, purple squares, baby pink hexes, and a silvery holographic shimmer throughout. Very celebratory, indeed!
I did my best to capture the holographic shimmer here, but you really need to see this one in person to get the full effect...it's gorgeous! I went simple with Coronation Day, just showing it over 3 coats of O.P.I.'s My Vampire is Buff, because there's already so much color and sparkle going here I didn't want to take away from it. You may have to fish for the larger flower glitter, but everything else was a breeze to apply. I used 2 coats of Coronation Day with one coat of Seche Vite in these photos.
*All
Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer products provided for honest and unbiased
review. All other products mentioned were purchased by me*
I really can't say enough nice things about Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer's polishes! I'm fortunate to be a swatcher for Cherish because her creations are always so beautiful and well-crafted. If you're interested in purchasing the Storms of Arendelle collection (or any other of her fabulous creations), they're currently available on Etsy for $6 for a full size bottle. She's got some of the most reasonably priced indie polish out there and she doesn't skimp on quality! Be sure to follow Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer on Facebook as well, to keep up with new products, sales, and other pertinent info!
Thanks so much for reading!
*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!
*Shirley Ann Nail Lacquers products provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products mentioned were purchased by me.*
Hello everyone! Are you all ready to check out some Golden Globes fashion this evening? I'll be hanging with my girlfriends, eating some turkey chili and flicking back and forth between the GG's and the NFL playoff game...should be a fun evening!
Today I have a brand new Valentine's Day duo to show you from Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer! Now I have to say, V-Day is my least favorite holiday. In fact, I usually refer to it as SAD, Single's Awareness Day. The fact that I actually have a boyfriend this year changes nothing. IMHO, V-Day is good for one thing and that's new nail polish collections! Thankfully, indie makers are stepping up to the plate in droves for it this year. Cherish from Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer is no exception!
Icing On My Heart is the first half of the duo. This is a pretty pink to gold shimmer polish in a sheer white base. I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would when seeing it in the bottle. On the nail it just comes to life!
For whatever reason and despite my best efforts, IOMH wanted to photograph a lot more of the gold than the pink shimmer. I tried a bunch of different lighting and camera settings but that pink, though I could see it in real life, just didn't want to show up. So just be aware, IOMH does have a bit more pink in it than is showing here.
The formula is sheer but very smooth. I'm showing 3 coats here with one coat of Seche Vite as a top coat. You could definitely layer this over white or any other color to get more of the shimmer to show and get a more opaque finish.
Forever Yours is the second half of the duo and it's a pretty glitter topper with a clear base and packed with grey and fuchsia holographic dots, adorable little pink bows, and pink micro glitters. Definitely Valentine's worthy! I also like that there aren't hearts in this glitter mix...it's nice to see something representative of the holiday without being in your face about it.
The formula was nice, I'm showing 1 coat with some extra placement for the glitters. You will have a to fish a bit for some of these, but Cherish is including a little extra bag of the bow glitters with each order to make placement easier. I did a quick gradient here to show the glitters over different colors. The gradient is Essie's Blanc with Deborah Lippmann's Edge of Glory and then I layered 2 coats of Icing On My Heart over top of it. I love the shimmer in IOMH and I think it just adds an extra pop to the glitter mix of Forever Yours.
*Shirley
Ann Nail Lacquers products provided for honest and unbiased review.
All other products mentioned were purchased by me.*
This duo will be available starting tomorrow (Monday, Jan. 13th) on Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer's Etsy shop. They will be sold as a duo and retail for $10 for the set, you'll also get the little bag of bow glitters I mentioned earlier. Cherish has some other great polishes listed on Etsy as well and her prices are so reasonable, you should definitely check them out! You can follow her on Facebook to keep up with new releases, naming contests, and other fun stuff as well.
Thanks so much for reading!
*All Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer products provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products purchased by me*
Happy Thanksgiving! As this post will end up going out after midnight CST, it's technically the day of thanks here in the States. I hope everyone has a fantastic time with family and friends today :) I've got a few more lovely polishes from Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer to show you this evening. Each of these polishes are from Cherish's holiday collection and they are certainly festive.
When the Ball Drops is a glitter topper chock full of pink and blue micro glitters, gold hexes, and a colorful holographic sparkle. I've layered WtBD over 2 coats of Deborah Lippman's Edge of Glory. I did a glitter gradient on all but my accent nail, which is showing 3 coats of WtBD. This polish is nearly full-coverage at 3 coats because the glitter is so densely packed in. Even with that, the formula was great! Not too thick and no gloppiness or pooling weirdness.
I did use a coat of Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri to smooth out the glitters, but it probably wasn't necessary as this topper is pretty smooth all on its own.
WtBD definitely speaks of late night fireworks, kisses at midnight and champagne toasts...a perfect party polish!
Fluffy Stuff is a clear based topper with silver holographic and bright blue micro glitters, icy silver hexes and snow white bar glitters. This is another one of those holiday polishes that will serve you long after Christmas has come and gone. The combination of glitters and the color do lean toward the winter season, but definitely don't scream "Happy Holidays!"
I've layered 2 coats of FS over 3 coats of Essie's Bouncer, It's Me. This turned out to be a pretty pairing, I was worried the blue glitters in FS would get lost in the blue of the Essie, but it actually made them pop right out.
I love the colors and the formula is great on this topper (again, you'll possibly want a top coat; Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in one coat shown here). My only issue is the bar glitter. I just don't like bars. They never want to play nice with me for some reason...most likely operator error lol Overall though, FS is a pretty topper and has so much sparkle, I can look past the bars.
Not Your Mama's Cranberry Sauce is my favorite of this bunch. A glitter jelly sandwich in a bottle! NYMCS has a deep red (cranberry, if you will) jelly base packed with gold and holographic hexes in several sizes. Definitely nothing ordinary here...squishy and yummy!
I've used 3 coats of NYMCS all by its lonesome, this lady does not need anything but herself to shine! You could use a base polish if you like a more opaque look, but she's definitely opaque enough for me at 3 coats. NYMCS is super shiny on its own, but I did top it with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri for extra durability.
I love everything about this polish, from the name to the squishiness to the finish! Gorgeous and a must have as far as I'm concerned!
Finally we come to Rudolph Ralphed (feel free to giggle, I did!). RR is another glitter topper, this time with bright red and gold hexes in various sizes and Christmas tree green squares. I'm not sure you could wear this without thinking of the holiday season, but it's very festive for that occassion.
I've layered one coat of RR over 2 coats of Julep's Rebel...I thought the silver would add a little more holiday cheer, as if that was necessary! I had no issues with fishing and the formula was fantastic! I did use a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, but everything was pretty flat on my nails without it.
All of these polishes are listed on Etsy for $6 for a full size bottle. If you have not tried out Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer, this Black Friday weekend is a perfect time to do so! Cherish is having an awesome sale, BOGO on up to 3 polishes with free shipping on orders over $15! I *think* she's also planning some flash sales and other fun stuff, so be sure to like her Facebook page to keep updated.
Thanks so much for reading!
