#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.

WingDust Wednesday : Doomed From the Start

Whaaaaat?! I don't even remember the last #WingDustWednesday post I did. I'm the worst hashtag mama ever.

Guys, I gotta tell you, this no-buy is killing me. I want to buy all the WingDust's and just can't. *sob* Also, I seem to be in kind of a writing rut. I sit down to write a post and it's all, "ok, here's the swatch, the end." I can't seem to come up with anything interesting or witty to say in the moment. #imboring

Anywhozzles, let's get to the pretty, pretty polish.

Doomed From the Start
Blue base, filled with bright orange, watermelon, neon pink and random peach glitters. Finished off with a purple-blue shimmer. [D]ries to a matte finish.

You know that I love Wingdust's jelly glitters. Steph's "signature" is the addition of shimmer which adds such amazing depth and interest. As always, the formula was great - no glitter issues although I do wish there were more yellow triangles. Shown here is three coats and top coat.

Don't forget to post your #WingDustWednesday pics on Instagram or Facebook!

WingDust Collections

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First Blogiversary Giveaway!

Wow! I can't believe that a year has passed already! I started this blog so I could stop spamming my family with nail posts on Facebook. I've really enjoyed posting here and, while I may not be as consistent as some others, I hope that my readers have found something of interest in this little corner.

Strangely, one of the things I've enjoyed most has been the writing. I think you know when you've found your niche when you are able to be 100% yourself. Sometimes I'm boring. Sometimes I'm weird and crazy (ok, most of the time). Sometimes I'm grumpy. And I've NEVER felt the need to self-censor here. In past blogging lives I've always tried to "fit in" and the content never felt like me. But this here? It's good. It feels good. I've found my people. :)

So, in order to celebrate and thank you guys for sticking with me, I have a wee giveaway. It's not much, just some things I've been collecting over the last while, but it's a small material token to show my appreciation.

Just a few rules:

1. You must be 18 years of age or have a parent's permission to share your mailing address in the event that you are the winner.
2. Giveaway is open internationally! (Unless your country prohibits the import of nail polish)
3. Please, no giveaway only accounts - that's just dirty pool. All entries will be verified. Let a genuine follower win.
4. Giveaway runs from January 9-22, 2014. Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WingDust Wednesday : Perfect Little Satellite

When I was going through my WingDust drawer trying to decide what to wear this week, Perfect Little Satellite jumped in my hand and screamed, "ME! ME! ME!" Ok, not really, but I did feel the urge for SPAAARKLE! (sing with jazz hands)

Perfect Little Satellite is jam-packed with platinum flakes, purple shimmer and I don't know what else. Magic? Under direct light/sunlight it's crazy sparkly and holo-y. I posted a video on Instagram yesterday so you can check that out.

NB: Did Instagram get rid of the "embed" function? Or am I just blind/tech-challenged?

Now, we know that flakies can sometimes be difficult to handle as they can be on the thicker side. That was not the case with Perfect Little Satellite at all! I used three thin coats and easily got to the desired opacity and everything lies nice and smooth. I added a coat of top coat for extra shine.

WingDust Collections

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Wingdust Wednesday : Aurora Sky

Happy humpday, y'all! (Aside: does anyone else think "humpday" is the most ridiculous thing ever?) It's my favourite day of the week, Wingdust Wednesday, and this time I'm actually participating! Wahoo!

Oh! Steph also posted a wee giveaway on her Facebook page. Post your #wingdustwednesday mani on Facebook or Instagram and you will be entered for a chance to win a 4-pack of Wingies. Giveaway ends Saturday, November 22nd so get painting!

Today I am sharing Aurora Sky. This is an older polish that is a part of the Season of Change trio, three colour shifting top coats, along with Autumn Fire and April Showers. Aurora Sky presents mainly as teal but shifts to dark blue and purple in the right light. It also has small holo glitter which gives it more interest than the standard topper. The formula was good. It's on the thicker side but not goopy and was the perfect consistency for one good coat.

Shown here is one coat of Aurora Sky over two coats of Orly Liquid Vinyl along with top coat.

Also, Wingdust is currently holding a sale to clear out some stock. Use code BLUETUES for 30% off your order before shipping!

 

Wingdust Collections

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WingDust Wednesday : Olive Me Hearts Olive You

Say what?! A post?! That's actually on Wednesday?! Crazy times! I was feeling so unmotivated and had started picking my cuticles and they were so nasty I just couldn't bring myself to swatch and post. I suppose the only way to break out of that funk is to say "F it" and post anyway. :)

Today I'm sharing a lovely polish from WingDust Collections that I haven't seen a ton of swatches for, which confuses me because it's amazing!

Olive Me <3s Olive You is an olive (you don't say!) green with larger gold flakes, wee dark gray and purple flakes, a smattering of purple shimmer and some iridescent flakes. The combination results in the PERFECT fall polish.

For the swatches I used two coats of Olive. I thought for sure it would take three coats but the magic always happens with the second it seems. :) After taking my regular top-coated pictures I decided that this polish would lend itself well to being matted and hooooooBOY! I love it even more this way. The matte macro pic is especially great - it shows off all the little flakes perfectly.

What are you wearing for #WingDustWednesday? Any tips for getting over the blogging blues?

WingDust Collections

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WingDust Wednesday : Night Fury

Happy WingDust Wednesday, y'all! My city is right in the middle of the famous Calgary Stampede so I'm feeling the cowgirl spirit. ;)

Today I'm showing you the very first WingDust I ever bought, Night Fury. Not only is it a totally gorgeous polish, but my daughter was obsessed with How To Train Your Dragon when I first came across WingDust. Now, with the second installation recently being released, I thought it was perfect timing. Plus, who doesn't love Toothless? He's just the most adorable dragon ever.

Night Fury is a "deep purple/blue jelly polish loaded with blue and purple iridescent glitters and shimmers" and has such depth and sparkle. My pictures seriously do not do this polish justice. Shown here is three coats of Night Fury (I like the extra sparkle) and one coat of HK Girl top coat.

 

WingDust Collections

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WingDust Wednesday : Bean Me Up

Happy WingDust Wednesday! What are you wearing? (That sounds dirty. heh)

 

Today I'm showing you Bean Me Up which has a holo brown jelly base and blue, copper, and gold glitter. I'm not a coffee drinker so I can't commiserate on that aspect, but I totally dig brown polish and this one is no exception. Once upon a time, brown and blue was my favourite colour combo and this polish pairs them wonderfully.

 

Application was great as always but I did have some difficulty fishing the large glitter out. Shown here is two thicker coats and one coat of HK Girl top coat.

 

WingDust Collections

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WingDust Whenever : I Ain't No Angel

I know, I know, I'm late again. I have no excuse aside from work being stupid busy - we are in the midst of moving office buildings. I'm a terrible hashtag creator; one of these days I will get my poop in a group. ;)

Today I'm sharing I Ain't No Angel, which I thought was terribly fitting. I so love the blue base of this one - it would look amazing with any skin tone. Also, as always, the glitter combo is spot on and makes for a gorgeous final product.

Shown here is two coats and one coat of HK Girl top coat.

 

WingDust Collections

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WingDust Wednesday : Deep, Deep Trouble

* Guys, I'm the worst. I had this ready for last night and forgot to publish. Oops. Blame it on the cold meds.*

Can we all take a minute and say "hooray" for the Spring cold? Ugh... I've been sick since Saturday and it's really taking it out of me. Nothing like six hour naps in the middle of the day. ;)

Today I'm sharing Deep, Deep Trouble for WingDust Wednesday. This is a polish that kind of snuck up on me. I ordered it because I like blue and I dug the glitter combo. And then I put it on.... I don't know why I am continually amazing with WingDust, because they are all amazing, but I am. This time it was the subtle shimmer that did me in. Did I even know that was in there? Not sure, but it's super pretty. Deep, Deep Trouble may well be one of my new favourites!

Shown here is two coats and a coat of HK Girl top coat.

WingDust Collections

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WingDust Wednesday : Plum Outta Ideas

Welcome to WingDust Wednesday! I'm almost out of swatch pictures to share but, fear not, an order with new colours is on it's way to me! Plus, I still have several untried in my drawer so, hopefully, we can continue this feature for a while. Are you enjoying it? Have any of the WingDust Wednesday posts caused you to go and make a purchase?

Today I'm sharing Plum Outta Ideas which is a lovely, rich purple (dare I say plum? ;) ) with gold shimmer and gold, purple and fuchsia glitter. The formula on this was great - because it doesn't have as much glitter as some of Stephanie's other creations it's not as thick - and shown here is two coats and one coat of HK Girl top coat.

I'm always a big fan of purple and this one is certainly no exception. :)

Share your Wednesday mani in the comments!

WingDust Collections

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