#itrustindiepolish

Hey guys. So, before we get back to our regularly scheduled swatch posts (I have a gooder from Pretty & Polished!), let's switch gears a bit and talk about why I love (and trust) indie polish.

Source: http://www.the-crumpet.com/2015/08/indies-i-trust-crumpets-top-10.html

You may be aware of the recent, incredibly scary issues that people are having with Mentality Polish - sensitivity, tingling, what looks like chemical burns, nails lifting from the nail beds, NECROSIS! It's a legit (and legal) shit-storm. I'm not going to get into the specifics and timelines because there are many awesome blog posts out there that contain lots of information - see Ashley Is Polish Addicted, Imperfectly Painted, Lab Muffin, and Betty's Beauty Bombs for a start. There is even a Facebook group dedicated to keeping people up-to-date.

Now, while bloggers have been doing their best to share information while still stressing that this is an ISOLATED INCIDENT, a few more mainstream outlets (Jezebel and Seventeen Magazine) have also picked up the story which, in my opinion, may be doing more harm to the indie community as a whole than good. Do I think that informing the masses is a bad idea? Never! I am a huge advocate of the freedom of information and I'm positive there are people who own some of the affected polish that aren't on Facebook or Instagram and are perhaps wondering what the hell is going on with their nails.

The problem I have is that several of the articles are using minimal sources and haven't spoken to other makers in the community. They aren't letting their readers know that this is a crazy one-off and that MOST makers do in-depth testing (and, uh, have liability insurance) to ensure the safety of their product. To the average, mainstream consumer these articles are painting the indie polish community with a "I mess around in my basement and have no idea what I'm doing" brush. Not a great perception for a community that we love and hold dear. A few outlets, like Refinery 29 and Nail It!, do have a more balanced approach rather than alarmist.

UPDATE: Consumerist also has a well-written article posted.

So, when I saw posts on The Crumpet and Phyrra listing indie brands they trust, I thought I'd follow suit with my own list. I am going to go with Debbie's criteria so these have to be brands that I have used (and worn, not just swatched) and have spoken with and have some sort of relationship with the maker.

#itrustindiepolish

KBShimmer

Wingdust Collections (on vacation)

Emerald & Ash (on vacation)

Elevation Polish

Literary Lacquers

Eat. Sleep. Polish.

Pretty & Polished

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer

Firecracker Lacquer

Glisten & Glow

There are TONS of other amazing brands, many of the makers I've met and spoken to in person, but I wanted to keep the list to ten that I use regularly, otherwise this list would be a mile long. ;)

Which indie brands do you trust? List them in the comments! Let's show our favourite makers some love.

Literary Lacquers : Magic & Mysteries collection

Ohhhhh, dude. These swatches are so late. Let's just consider this the norm around these parts - sporadic posting whenever I get my poop in a group. We good?

Today I have five polishes from the Magic & Mysteries collection by Literary Lacquers. Let me just say right off the bat, I have yet to have a bad thing to say about Amy's creations and these five are no exception. Her formula is on the thinner side which some may not like, but I prefer it because it allows me complete control with how many coats I want to use/how opaque I want it to be. That said, I've not had anything take more than three coats in order to be opaque and several take two.

Let's get to the pictures, shall we?

* Descriptions are taken from Literary Lacquers.

Avada Kedavra
Avada Kedavra is a eeevil black matte polish packed with green and gold holographic glitter. The polish will naturally dry matte, but topcoat can be added for a glossy effect to make the glitter really pop.

Avada Kedavra is the killing curse favored by Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. It is the most evil of the Unforgivable Curses. The only person known to survive this curse is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, who was protected by the sacrifice and love of his mother.

Shown here is two coats. I left it matte so you could see it in its "natural state."

Felix Felicis
Liquid gold glass fleck shimmer polish.

Felix Felicis is inspired by the potion in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling. Felix Felicis is Liquid Luck, the potion makes the user extra lucky for a period of time, ensuring the success of their endeavors. It is banned in organized sporting events....

Shown here is three coats.

Flickum Bicus
Orange red base filled with blue shimmer, flakies and glass fleck, best at three thin coats.

Flickum Bicus is inspired by the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. It's a spell used by Harry Dresden to light candles in his lab or any small flame, some tongue in cheek fake Latin in the vein of that old lighter slogan "Flick Your Bic" Harry Dresden is a modern day wizard for hire and the books are so much fun.

Shown here is three coats.

Mirror of Galadriel
Bright silver mega glitter linear holographic.

Mirror of Galadriel is inspired by Lord of the Rings by J. R.R. Tolkien.

Shown here is three coats.

Octarine
Soft mauvey-lilac linear holographic polish, best at three thin coats.

Octarine is inspired by Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Octarine is the color of magic, seen only by wizards. If you were magically inclined and could see magic, this polish is electric lime-purple. If you are a regular mortal, however, you will probably see it as a soft mauvey-lilac.

Shown here is three coats.

Literary Lacquers

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Literary Lacquers Some Glad Morning

Happy Friday! Has Spring arrived in your part of the world? I've been told it's coming but as for when, not looking like any time soon. :/ It was nice last week and we were lulled into a false sense of complacency. This week? Snow, wind, cold. Blah.

To combat the yucky weather I've been pulling out all of my teal nail polish so I can pretend it's a giant, warm sea. So, it was perfect timing when I opened the mail box the other day and saw that my bottle of Some Glad Morning had arrived from Amy of Literary Lacquers. This one started as an individual custom that was graciously shared in a Literary Lacquers Facebook group (so it's not available in her shop - sorry). It's teal and holo and special and of course I had to grab it.

The formula on this one is thin but not watery so it flowed well. It is a touch on the sheer side so I used three coats and one coat of HK Girl top coat.

Dude! I'm in love.

Oh! You may notice that my nail shape isn't super consistent. I go back and forth from nubs to semi-long, oval to squoval - it's all based on my mood and if I've had any recent breaks. Plus, I like seeing polish on a variety of nail lengths and shapes so why not try them all out on myself? :)

Have a great weekend, lovelies!

Literary Lacquers

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