Great Lakes Lacquer May 2024 Release Swatches and Review

Great Lakes Lacquer has a pre-order open for the new Let It Grow Collection, inspired by The Lorax, along with three polishes that are a tribute to Mariah's beloved mother, Jo, who passed away this spring. Two of those are new and one is a re-release of a small batch from 2022. The pre-order is open through June 3. The Let It Grow Collection will restock in July and at subsequent launches through Fall if you have to skip now, but the three special releases will not other than overpour, which tends to sell out fast. I meant to have my post and video up sooner but was working 12 hour days for two weeks straight in my day job, then promptly got sick on my last day of that stretch, then had my sewer back up into the basement the day after that. At least my nails were pretty! Let's check these beauties out.

*press sample*

The release is generally heavy on iridescent shimmers, which is a finish that has been really popular for Great Lakes Lacquer. These polishes can be tricky to shop for generally - they often look quite different in person than they do in any digital image or video, may be more or less sheer than expected, and can be prone to bubbling. 

This brands shimmers tend to be on the more opaque side, so if you are worried about that, they can be a good choice. I always do one more coat than needed with my polish for any type, to test if any additional coats make a difference, and can say for most people these polishes will cover reliably in two or three coats, depending on your preference. 

Some of them were a little prone to bubbling, but there was a counterintuitive trick posted in the Facebook group All the Polishes which is to actually not let the coats fully dry before painting the next one, then finishing with top coat. This did actually help for me, but I was more liable to damage the final mani due to clumsiness while drying, since it is a lot more wet polish on your nail at once. They didn't seem to dry slower though. I would recommend thin coats, however you do this.

As for the look in person vs. in images and video, I tend to gravitate toward the ones that have a super-iridescent glow to them, but they often all look the same level of shimmery in photos. I will note which ones have the ultra-glow so you can take that into account if you like. 

First, I'll start off with the three special releases. Each of this is priced at $13.50. 

Great Lakes Lacquer A Butterfly is a pale teal with strong red-gold-green multichrome iridescent shimmer and linear holo shimmer. I wore this in four thin coats, but two or three will cover. This pretty much looks like glowing abalone shell on your nails. It is not prone to bubbling, but does have a bit of a "chalky" or thicker, matte quality, so top coat will help it shine. 

Great Lakes Lacquer But What Is Grief If Not Love Preserving originally released at Polish and Beauty Expo in 2022 as a small batch polish and then re-released on the brand's site as a reformulation in October 2022. This release will be the same as the version sold on the brand's site. It is a deep plum purple with red-orange-gold multichrome iridescent large-particle shimmer and linear and scattered holo shimmer. I wore it in three thin coats, but two will cover. It dries quickly and has a good formula. This one is simply spectacular and has a lovely contrast between the cool base and warm shimmer. The holo has a sort of blue flash, due to bleeding from my top coat. If you prefer more of a metallic holo effect, you can use a water-based top coat before a regular one.

Great Lakes Lacquer Mother's Mauve V2 is a brown-mauve base with strong blue-indigo-violet duochrome shimmer and holo shimmer. I wore it in four thin coats, but two or three will cover. This also has a super-strong, glowing flash to it, with that ghostly blue shimmer. I wore this on Mother's Day in tribute to Jo.

Now we have the Let It Grow Collection. 

Great Lakes Lacquer Butterfly Milk is an African violet jelly with red-orange-gold multichrome iridescent shimmer. I wore this one in four thin coats, but two or three will cover. This has a pretty shimmer, and looks like a "normal" polish, not one of the hyper-glowing shimmers.

"Those are trees. Real ones. They used to grow all around here. And people said that the touch of their tufts was softer than anything, even silk. And they smelled like butterfly milk."

Great Lakes Lacquer I'm Frankenstein's Head On a Spider's Body is a dove gray with aqua-indigo duochrome iridescent shimmer. This was more opaque than the others, and I wore it in three thin coats, but one or two will cover. It is very shimmery, but not one of the most iridescent.

"You listen to me, boy. Don't go poking around in things you don't understand, or I'll be your worst nightmare. I'm Frankenstein's head on a spider's body!"

Great Lakes Lacquer I'm Going to Eat This, But I'm Highly Offended By It is a blue-magenta-orange-gold-green multichrome iridescent shimmer with a lightly green-tinged base look to it. I wore it in four thin coats, but two or three will cover. This one, like A Butterfly, has a somewhat chalky, matte, thicker drying characteristic, but is less shifty. It needs top coat for shine. It is pretty strongly iridescent.

"How dare you! Give me that! [He grabs the marshmallow. Sniffs it. It smells good] Mmm. I'm going to eat this, but I am highly offended by it."

Great Lakes Lacquer Let It Grow is a vibrant classic green with green-blue-purple iridescent multichrome shimmer. I wore this in four thin coats, but three cover. It is super iridescent and glowing in person, almost like your nails were touched up with CGI!

'You can't reap what you don't sow."

Great Lakes Lacquer Summer, Autumn, Winter, ... and Disco is a pale mint green with orange-gold-green multichrome iridescent shimmer and the very smallest gold holo microglitter. I wore it in four thin coats, but two or three will cover. The glitters don't make any texture on the nail when dry. This was nicely shimmery, but not knock-your-socks-off glowy.

"Why do you need a tree? It just... sticks out of the ground and it does what? I don't even know what it does. Look! We've GOT a tree! It's the Oak-a-matic! Three modes! Summer, Fall, Winter, and... Disco!"

Great Lakes Lacquer Unless Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot is a vibrant international orange with orange-gold-green multichrome iridescent shimmer. I wore this in four thin coats, but two or three will cover. This one is a mega-glowing shimmer, pretty much metallic, like Let It Grow. 

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

Great Lakes Lacquer You Greedy Little Dirtbag is a cola-brown jelly with aqua-indigo-purple multichrome iridescent shimmer. I wore it in four thin coats but two or three will cover. This one is super-iridescent on the nail. 

Now for live swatches!

Great Lakes Lacquer's May 2024 is available for pre-order through June 3. There will be overpour of the three shades dedicated to Mariah's mom in the next store opening but they will go quickly. The Let It Grow Collection will continue to be restocked through the Fall. My picks from the collection are the mega-iridescents A Butterfly, Mother's Mauve V2, Let It Grow, Unless Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot, and You Greedy Little Dirtbag. My absolute favorite is A Butterfly - it is like a pearl on your nails!

*press sample*

Great Lakes Lacquer is made in Michigan by Mariah. Find her at:

Shop: http://greatlakeslacquer.bigcartel.com/

Social media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatlakeslacquer/

Facebook group, Great Lakes Lacquer Lovers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/508394052649579/

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