Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts

Friday, January 24, 2014

Nail Art Challenge #1

Nail Art Challenge





Do you do a little dabbling in Nail Art on yourself or friends?  I hope so.  I love doing nail art and I love seeing other peoples work.

When customers come in and have a little something on their nails they did at home they always apologize and put their work down.  That kills me.  Usually it's pretty cute and I love that they are trying it for themselves.  Some times it gives me inspiration.   I love it.  I want to be inspired by you and hopefully inspire you a little too, In Love and Lacquer's Nail Art Challenges. 

For my nail art challenges I will give a theme, and through the week post my interpretations of the theme in nail art designs.  The Challenge is for you, my lovely readers, to use the theme yourselves to create your own nail art designs on your hands or a friends, take a quick picture of the nails and message it to me on Facebook or email it to me at shihlove@gmail.com. I will post all the art on our Facebook page in an Album for our Challenges. I will then pick my 3 favorites and a Facebook follower favorite(chosen my our fans) and feature them in a blog post and on Facebook.* Pictures will be posted on Facebook starting Monday January 27th, 2014 and Follower Favorite will be voted on Until Midnight Friday January 31, 2014.

Everyone who excepts the Challenge and creates and sends me a picture will be eligible for a rafflecopter drawing at the end of the challenge for a nail art set. *

Without further ado, Our First In Love and Lacquer Nail Art Challenge Theme is............................





*This challenge is for original, and inspired interpretations. If you are consciously copying someone else nail art you must credit the original designer if at all possible. If some is found to be claiming another's work as their own, they will be disqualified. (I will contact your first to ask about the conflict) .
*I will have prizes up for drawing beginning on  Monday, and will have rafflecopter giveaway live at the same time.




Monday, January 13, 2014

Review and Interview of Indie Brand Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer maker

 Meet the Maker


The word "Indie" means an independently owned business/brand.  In the world of nail lacquer these brands are mostly developed, produced and marketed by an individual or small group of friends or family.  Other brands are still called Indie but are owned and operated by one person, but the polishes are made in a lab. Usually because they have become more successful a business then can be maintained in a basement, garage or extra bedroom. They are not mass marketed, mass produced outside of their founders control and design.
This week, my first of many I hope, I would like to spotlight a truly Independent Nail Lacquer brand/maker Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer.

Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer is owned and produced by 25 year old Cherish Furr, and named for her late mother. Cherish is supported in her passion by her Fiance with techie and marketing help and from her brother who she may call on to help develop names for polish and the like. Starting with name and creating the polish from there, Cherish produces her polish as an outlet for her creativity. While working a full time job and working to complete her business degree she has sold almost 300 bottle of polish in the first 11 months of Shirley Ann Polish. That's right an Anniversary is around the corner.

With School, Work, Dominick (a Queensland Heeler) and Molly Mae (a black Lab) underfoot and a least one new polish released each month this Small patch Indie nail polish maker was kind enough to take a moment and answer a few questions for me.......Not mention let me get a few early bottles of her New Valentines Day Duo, released TODAY, so that I can do an interview and review the day of it's release. XOXO

Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer started with it's first color Alaskan Tree Frog and currently has 25 nail lacquer colors and glitters available on Etsy at shirleyannnails, including Cherish's own favorite, Sea Glass.

It takes a lot of drive and desire to start, not just your own business, but your own business producing and selling your own creations. Like other artists Indie Polish makers are craftsmen who pour their heart and soul into each bottle the make. I am excited to try and review Shirley Ann Nail Lacquers and work with a quality hand made product. I definitely share in her ideals of supporting peoples dreams and not spending my money on million dollar corporations if I can help it.

                                                                                                                                        Sea Glass

ShirleyAnn Nail Lacquer's Valentine's Day Duo lacquer review

Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer released their 2014 Valentine's Day Nail Lacquer Duo TODAY, and I received a couple of sets in time to try them out on myself.  I swatched them alone and together.


                Forever Yours                                                                Icing on my Heart
 
Forever yours is a glitter topper with white, red, and pink tones of large glitter pieces, fine pink over all and a less common pink bow. There is really good coverage with the fine pink glitter even with one coat. Being that glitter polishes that need 3-4 coats for more then a few pieces of glitter is a pet peeve of mine, I was a happy girl.  The larger pieces were plentiful and easy to find a strategically place where I wanted.  It's a really pretty combination of colors shapes. I really liked this glitter.
Icing on my Heart is noted as a white with Red shift. I would describe it to the layman as ever very lightly opaque white with a pink and gold shimmer. It's not the all to common opal white everyone has, and it's beautiful. Which is just another reason to check out Indie brands like Shirley Ann. I swatched it alone with 2 coats and it still had a bit of sheer to it.


Together these to lacquers helped me create the perfect Valentine's Day manicure.
I used 3 coats of Icing on my Heart as the base which really made a solid white shimmer I loved. I topped it with the Forever Yours glitter for a clean fresh and delicately romantic look.  I didn't get a good picture but my Valentines' Day Duo came with a good amount of extra pink bow glitter that I used to perfectly place bows on the tips of my thumb nails.

The polish went of beautifully and was so glad to see they use a flat brush. I was very impressed with all aspects of these polishes. I am not a glitter fan for the most part and don't use many but even the glitter was impressive. I wish I could have had more of the larger pieces but honestly, usually I am the one saying they are too chunky.

I am just getting to know the Indie polish market and it's brand but I am already won over by Shirley Ann's Nail Lacquer. I highly recommend trying the colors and glitters. I plan to try more of her polish in the very near future for my own use.

In addition to the Valentine's Day Duo I  got to review for this post I also got myself another set to GIVEAWAY to one of my lucky readers!!! Keep a look out for the Giveaway to include the polish and a $20 paypal credit to shop Shirley Ann if you'd like.

 
Besides the Etsy Shop, you can find Shirley Ann Nail lacquer info on her Facebook page and Instagram @shirleyannnaillacquer. Follow hers and my Instagram @inloveandlacquer and  my Facebook pages for updates and my Shirley Ann Valentine's Day Duo/PayPal Giveaway!



Thank you so much, Cherish, for all your help and time given for this post to support my interest in Indie polish.

 This interview, review and future giveaway was self-sponsored  by In Love and Lacquer and in no way did I receive any payment or product to facilitate it. I did a little research, picked an Indie brand from that and recommendations purchased the product and discussed the brand and product with owner of my own choosing.