Hey, guys!!! I'm super excited about this particular collection of posts. I love indie polish so much and have become immersed in the community, that you know. What you may NOT know, is that there are TONS of nail and body care items made the same way! Hand made with love and a personal touch, using some of the finest ingredients and making their customers' wishes come true... what's not to love?!
Obviously I can't try them all (unless you love me and want to send me all the stuffs), but I feel like I have tried enough to be able to effectively write this blog without you walking away thinking "well, that was a waste of time"...
So with that said, I've decided to separate these amazing products into a few blogs. Mani bombs, oils, soaps and scrubs and eventually hair products. I haven't gotten to those yet but it's on my list!
Today I'm going to jump straight into mani bombs! In all honesty, this is the one I definitely know the most about because I've been using them for a while and started using indie mani bombs months ago. It's also the most "nail related" product on my list. I'm going to give you reviews of 3 makers worth trying and I sincerely hope you'll click those links.
First up: ALL MIXED UP LACQUERS
This brand will be brought up again in my "scrubs" blog, but for now I'll just touch on her mani bombs. My "I wanna try it all!" order consisted of mani (and a bath) bombs (top left), polishes, scrubs and cuticle balm. So here's a hint, she has all that stuff I just mentioned. Spoiler, I've really liked every single product (just in case you don't want to wait for the product review).
Presentation is clean and the box smelled AH-mazing. These mani bombs are big enough to use twice, which I did, but they're a little tough to break. Well, not all scents, so maybe it's hit or miss. I know with hand made mani bombs drying/curing time plays a part in how hard or soft they are so I'll just say that in general they were a little tough (but not impossible) to break. How hard or soft they are had no bearing on their actual use, though, as you can see here.
Some of her scents have micro glitter in them, and my train of thought went "oh, pretty... aw dammit... oh, that's cool... hmm, I don't know about this..." and finally "sweet. wipes right off..." It makes for a sparkly sheen on the bowl and while there's no real added benefit, there's no real harm in it, either. It felt a little funny while I was actively messing with it (rubbing my fingers together and trying to see how the glitter was going to stick or not stick) but if you aren't all weird like me and you just soak your freakin' hands, it's kinda pleasant. Who doesn't love a little burst of sparkles?
As for the end result? They did their job. My skin was soft, my nails clear and clean and from the wrist down I smelled fantastic. (The rest of me smells like sunshine and rainbows 100% of the time. *giggle* Except I'm a mom so that percentage is actually closer to 73.)
Best thing about these mani bombs over every other bomb I've used? Little to no residue in the bowl. I use a glass bowl anyway, but these bombs gave me the bubble and fizz and all the moisturizing without leaving a sediment in the bowl. I don't know if it means anything in the grand scheme of things but I just really like how they felt "clean" somehow.
As of right now, the scents available in her shop are:
Snowfall: a strong woodsy scent (kinda crisp and definitely musky)
Holiday Cheer: sweet orange cranberry scent
and these are usually available, so check back...
Grannie's Apple Pie: self explanatory... apples, cinnamon, sweet and delicious
Midnight Cocktail: this one smells like a margarita to me. Sweet, citrusy, light and juicy. It's the glittery one.
Rainbow Kitty: a flowery strawberry scent (this one is more floral than berry to me)
Next on my list is a brand I'm new to, but I think what she's doing in her circle of the indie world is awesome.
DOC LOODY'S
Doc Loody's has all sorts of stuff so Brandy may very well show up on one of these blogs again, but again, mani bombs.
I'll go ahead and tell you what I dislike about these right off the bat, so I can get on with what I do like about them. All these are different but I have no idea what scent they are. They all look the same and there's no labelling or coloration to help me tell which is which. (EDIT: New year, new labels... my "I order a crap ton of mani bombs at a time" scenario shouldn't be an issue if you head over an place an order! Test that theory by picking up a Mani-versary box and your goodies should have names on them. :) )
That being said, not a big deal overall. They all smell delightful and I kinda like the shape and style. Also, no extra colors means that the water has only the basics needed to nourish your digits. It's a little frustrating because I can't specifically tell you which is my favorite, but I can at least narrow it down since she has pretty decent descriptions on her website.
As far as these go, they're definitely intended to be used in one go, not to be broken or crushed. You COULD do that, I guess, but I really wouldn't and I'll tell you why. These are hard bombs, not easily squished or broken, but the real reason is that since they are harder than the usual mani bombs, they give you a longer lasting fizz while you soak. I'm diggin' it. If you do relatively short soaks like me (I do 4-6 minutes tops), this thing will fizz for the majority of your pampering. I like that because it's like a little massage while you soften. See it in action here.
Like with the All Mixed Up bombs, there is very little residue in the bowl. They dissolve completely and evenly and leave your skin soft and feeling refreshed.
As of today, scents aren't available (she's got her Mani-versary!! Congrats!!) but from memory, she's got a little of everything. Minty, spicy, fruity, musky, sweet... stop by and grab a goody bag full of awesome and you'll see what I mean. There really is a wide variety and something for every taste.
Which brings me to my last but certainly not least indie mani bomb highlight:
LEMMING LACQUER
Cassie's mani bombs were the first indies I really fell in love with. The first time I ordered, like, 3 and now I order them 2 dozen at a time. I'm not kidding. They're that good.
This was my Halloween order:
Her scents are unparalleled and she hand paints every single mani bomb. Can you imagine?! I ordered a dozen sugar skulls (my go-to scent and perfectly sized) and every one is different. The sugar skulls are always in stock but she changes out her molds with the season and rolls out themed cuties for you to watch bubble away (go ahead, watch it).
As of my writing this, the scents in her shop are:
*All descriptions are hers (except parenthetical remarks) since I haven't gotten my order of these yet.
Vanilla pumpkin marshmallow - top notes of luscious buttercream over pumpkin blended with sweet vanilla and creamed marshmallow
Dancing sugar plums - a sweet, fruity blend of peaches, strawberries, apples, grapes, and cherries on a sweet vanilla base
Snow Fairy - notes of sugary cotton candy, apples, pears and vanilla
Gingerbread - notes of allspice, nutmeg, and warm vanilla over a cookie base
Frozen - snow and ozone top notes with juniper berry and rich forest woods
Pumpkin cheesecake - scented with yummy, rich pumpkin cheesecake fragrance oil and decorated with a marbled style with sprinkles to look like cinnamon
Pink Sugar skulls - a flirty and fresh fragrance smelling like sugared berries and cotton candy over a perfumey base (My take: it's a sweet scent, not overpowering and just perfumey enough to not smell like food)
Creeper Sex Ba-Bomb - An interpretation of the scent made popular by Lush, Sex Ba-bomb is a sensual, floral fragrance with notes of lily of the valley, lavender, and jasmine over a musky base of ylang ylang (My take: my least favorite but my neighbors absolute favorite. I like sweet smells and this one is a little too musky for my taste. It's still a pleasant scent, I just prefer her sugary/spicy scents!)
Personal favorite? OMG the cake bomb. If you can find her cake scents in stock, you've got to try one, even if you think "nah, I'll pass..." Don't pass. Everyone loves cake. You'll love the cake scented bombs.
A little downside mixed in with the "it's all good"... Lemming Lacquer is a brand new brand and has only been around since early 2015. Her site exploded with her amazing new collection and she got backlogged with getting the last round of orders out. (Like I've said before, these indies are small operations!) I personally don't mind waiting, I've got everything she's made so far (outside of the newest collection - yet) and I can personally assure you it's a really good brand. She's addressing how she can have quicker turnaround and I know that it's a short term issue attached to a much larger launch than anticipated, so don't let that scare you off!! Remember that hand painting thing? Yeah, her attention to detail and packaging flourishes are pretty amazing. (Although she's backing off on the cute extras a bit to speed up delivery for right now.)
Anyway, these pretty mani bombs work just as beautifully as they are crafted. The oils are top notch and I'd even venture to say that these pack a bigger "I have more oil than you" punch than the others I've talked about. Most of them can be broken into pieces for 2 or 3 uses and I've yet to use one I didn't absolutely love. They leave my hands, well, soft, moisturized, smelling awesome, yada yada yada... All that jazz.
My IG page has several videos of different shapes and colors in action if you'd like to see them. Because they have so much oil in them and they're colored, they're a little "heavier" than the others. Most of them do leave a sediment in the bottom of your bowl and there are a couple that leave a tinted residue on your hands (in the oils) that wipes right off - no staining. It doesn't bother me because they're such good quality but also because it doesn't stain your skin or nails at all. And all her dyes are skin safe, just in case you were wondering.
All things considered, these are my favorites. The oils are definitely top notch, but I'm a visual person and I'm a sucker for the artistry she puts into them.
SO IF YOU'RE STILL WITH ME...
As for cost? All of these are between $1-3 and you can look for sales of join their respective FB groups for exclusive discounts. Not only is it a great way to save and keep your finger on the pulse of what's new, you get the chance to interact with the people who make the goodies that keep all of our nails looking camera ready.
Well, that's a wrap! Thanks so much for stopping by and hopefully I've given you something you can use here. As always, thanks for reading! XOXO
