WHAT ARE INDIE POLISHES?
Indie polishes are nail polishes made by people who love nail polish. Most of these brands are mixed in small batches in someone's kitchen/craft room/somewhere in their house. They're very small operations, usually just one or two people who have found ways to bribe people who love them to help label, twist on caps, box and mail orders.
Indie brands are usually launched out of the maker's desire to have unique colors, textures, finishes or qualities. These people are often nail techs who are tired of the same choices and the poor quality or coverage of what they have to work with. And when you know what you're looking for but can't find it? You make it.
3- FREE & 5-FREE
I used to see the terms "3-free" and "5-free" as a selling point and had no idea what it really meant. All these indie brands would bill their product as 3- or 5-free like it was a good thing, so I started googling. So first things first... what are the "3" and the "5"?
The 3 in question are: Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), & Formaldehyde
Add Formaldehyde Resin and Camphor and you've got all the things a 5-free polish does not.
What ARE these scary sounding words? Chemicals! Carcinogens, allergens, things linked to obesity and liver damage and birth defects and and and and... well... you get the gist. If you want to know more accurately what these particular chemicals are capable of follow the links and see for yourself. I remember opening a package of a dead frog preserved in formaldehyde in school and that's one of those things you just don't forget. If it'll keep a frog fresh forever, I probably shouldn't be putting it on my body.
In terms of personal experience with 5-free polishes... The smell of the nail polish is no where NEAR the stench of a standard chemical packed bottle of polish. It's still nail polish, but that "nail salon stink" doesn't take over your living room when you want to pretty your digits.
As for my nails and cuticles? Without those chemicals, I don't have the cracks, splits, hangnails and other pesky dry skin related issues I used to have. Granted, I change my nail color more often than 99% of the civilized population. But I can say with certainty that my cuticles aren't cracked (until I do housework without gloves... see my last blog...) and my nails are clean and clear, with minimal yellowing or cloudiness. Overall, I had no idea that my nails were in bad shape until I used nothing but indies for a few months. The general health of my nails visibly improved with no changes other than what type of polish I was using.
INDIES ARE SPECIAL
Okay, yeah, I know that concept is the overview of this whole thing. But seriously. Have you ever been talking to the girl taking your order at Chick-fil-a and said "I love your nails... that's *insert color name* by OPI, right?"? Well... if you had ever gotten to that point maybe you've already switched to indies because, ahem, you, too, are a polish addict. The point in that is this: Indies are limited. They're below the radar. They're obscure. And at the risk of being one of those hipster types, I LOVE when people ask me where I got my colors because then I get to tell them all about *this whole blog*.
Why do people ask about my nail polish? Well because it's awesome! Holos, duo chromes, multi chromes, crellies, glitters, thermals!!! Don't know what those are? I'll write another blog. Point blank, the colors indie makers produce are the colors they couldn't find at the drug store. They set the trend. You want a bold color that is packed with spectraflair and will catch everyone's attention on a sunny day? They make it. You want neons that water marble perfectly? They make it. And when you want a clear polish to marble with those amazing neons? They make that, too. Because they listen and they know what polish lovers want and need. Even cooler, if you want a specific polish that's only in your head, most of these chicks will whip it up for you and BAM! You have something super exclusive and fabulous.
To top it off, most of these indie makers (and definitely those on my top 5 list) add a little flair in the packaging to make you feel like you're in this special club of super cool nail polish chicks... which, let's face it - you are. From candies to ribbons and hand written notes to backstories and collection cards, indie makers want to make sure you love their products because it really is an extension of them! So with that little bit of "why you should try an indie today", here are some links you can follow to order from some of my absolute favorites. I've even given you a "you should try" hint for each. So go ahead... check them out. And if their shop is in maintenance mode, remember they're human and occasionally take a break to ship orders, work on restocks or just have a little time with family. Check back later. I promise you won't be disappointed.
This is far from a complete list but it'll point you in the right direction!
Colors By Llarowe - You can't go wrong. Her holos are the best on the market.
SquishyFace Polish - Snow White is my absolute favorite white. It covers easily, is crisp and stamps!
Bliss Polish - I love her Holobliss top coat
FairyTaleFinish Polish - Subscribe to her Neverending Fairytales. Seriously.
Lemming Lacquer - I love everything about LL. She's new on the indie scene but amazing. Hand painted mani bombs and the best packaging!
Painted Polish by Lexi - If you love glitter polishes this is the place. Everything is awesome but definitely my all time favorite glitter maker.
NvrEnuff Polish - If you want bold and one coat coverage they've got you. And Unicorn everything.
All Mixed Up Lacquers - Her Baby It's Cold Outside collection is fantastic! And she has whipped sugar scrubs (blog coming soon!)
Glisten & Glow - HKGirl Top Coat and Stuck On Blu Base Coat. And, like, everything else.
...and for good measure:
You can get your nail vinyls at TwinkledT, Vinyl Boutique or Polished Vino. I use vinyls from all three of these and they each have their own style and work great!
The liquid latex stuff to use for easy clean up can be purchased from Bliss Kiss or Glisten & Glow.
And a super bonus: Check out Aroma Rebel for the most amazing soaps, scrubs and bath bombs. She packs every box so it's like opening a gift.
Well, that's a wrap for this installment, but I've been reviewing some new stuff so I plan to have a new blog out soon with a detailed account of what I think. And you know you wanna know what I think. Thanks for reading! And go show some small businesses some love. You'll be hooked!
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