Showing posts with label glitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glitter. Show all posts

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.

Monday, December 9, 2013

I found a swatcher and a mini review of two OPI holiday colors!!

I am so excited to say that I found a beautiful swatcher this weekend.  I sort of lucked into her too. She has gorgeous nails.  She is a young, college student and is really open to try whatever I have.  Now, I can start doing swatches and taking pictures for reviews that can really showcase the lacquers and polish.  So there won't be as many of these bad cuticles and stubby things!


This by the way, is OPI's Teal me how chic I am, with one light coat of Glitterchic over it and Seche topcoat.  The Teal me how chic I am is really a pretty color that looks good with any skin tone.  It just wasn't as shiny as I liked even with the glitter polish over.  It has sort of a brushed chrome finish even after the second coat.  The Glitterchic is the most covering glitter polish I have ever seen with one coat.
I really liked this combination when I tried it on one nail.  After I did the full mani with it, I have been having second thoughts.  It really reminds me of a Christmas tree, and it's a bit much for me.  My pictures do not do the Glitterchic justice.
Both Teal me how chic I am and Glitterchic are OPI Holiday Polish sold exclusively at Beauty Brands.

Have you been wearing anyone holiday polish? What brand and color? I'd love to see some pictures on the Facebook page.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Polish other then CND, China Glaze or OPI?

Did you know there was Indie nail polish?  Yep, and we are going to file this under, things I am highly intrigued by.  And, not just because I'm thinking of the fumes in their homes, basements, and garages that I assume could get us high when they were starting out.

Indie nail polish isn't from India!  Well, maybe some are. Indie nail polish is generally a name for handmade, or craft, small batch nail polish and lacquer, or more literally independently own nail polish brands.  When someone is looking for an Indie brand they are usually expecting a unique handmade product, not from a manufacturer.

Indie polish caters to all sort of niche markets, but what seems to be the big draw are unique glitters, holo or multichrome polishes.  Although I am finding beautiful lacquer colors of all types, even my beloved cremes.

I plan to start doing a weekly post on Indie nail polish that will consist of either reviews and swatches of different brands or discussions on market itself.   I asked several makers if I can include there pictures in my initial post about this and I picked 4 very different makers.  In no particular order, they are Alter Ego Nail Enamel, Glitzy Glazes, Lacquer Lust (swatched here by Mucker Fusser), and Shirley Ann Nail Enamel.

 
Which of these amazing polish makers should I try first?
 I am going with what you pick so please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page.