Sparkle and Wine 2014

Press Sample 
During Cosmoprof North America, indie brands KBShimmer and Girly Bits organized an after hours events for indie brands and media to come together AND IT WAS AMAZING. Representatives from NAILPRO Magazine, Nail It! Magazine and Nails Magazine were in attendance along with various bloggers from around the United States. There was so much to see and I hope I got most of it photographed accurately.

Pam from Girly Bits, me, Melissa from The Daily Nail
Photo by mackenzieheil

This event was truly amazing. My first year at Cosmoprof, indies were pretty much unheard of. My second year, we had a very impromptu dinner at the Tropicana where a few indies handed out some polishes. Last year there were two dinners (one at Tropicana again which I attended) where indies were able to hand out polishes but this?! This was a great concentrated area that was meticulously set up by KBShimmer and Girly Bits with displays and the most amazing gift bags but all that will be coming soon.

Girly Bits had a nice display of their polishes and rings of nail swatches for our viewing pleasure. Additionally, we received a bottle of her new What Happens In Vegas... Ends Up On Instagram polish. This will become a limited run polish on her website, so stay tuned for that. This was also the 2nd in her series - last year was "What Happens in Vegas... Ends Up On Facebook" which I have a mini bottle of in my stash.

KBShimmer also had a sweet set up including her new nail vinyls! I received some sheets from her that I'm excited to use - I hadn't tried nail vinyls yet so this is fun. She also had the nicest media kit I've received to date that included a branded USB with product information, press releases and high res photos; the Beach Themed 6th Anniversary Trio, nail vinyls, SOMETHING EMBARGOED THAT I'M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT, a bottle of her Clearly On Top quick dry top coat AND a 2 oz refill bottle (!), a 2 oz pink sugar scrub and the coolest 4 oz bottle of pink sugar moisturizing nail polish remover. Perfect items for Vegas but also just for a great starter kit into KBShimmer. I seriously hope she offers those kits on her website some day soon because they would be a fantastic gift for friends and family. I also got to see some photos of her warehouse and her wall of glitter containers which literally made me squeal like a 12 year old girl. It was fantastic looking. This husband and wife team are extremely sweet and have really helped change my mind on indies in general. They are doing everything right.

Victoria of Serum No 5 and myself
Photo by Victoria

Serum No 5 has GROWN since the last time I saw her polishes! Last year I received a bottle of Day Glow but then I misplaced it and it slipped my mind. This year, she had so many polishes that I literally did a jaw drop and double take! In addition to polishes, she is also coming out with nail vinyls. Victoria is so sweet as well - she hugged me and asked for a photo (which I was such a fan girl all night). She gave us this cute cube that included Flashing Lights, Another Year, Let's Cheer which just launched last week, another of her polishes, a cuticle serum pen and a sugar scrub cube (to be released later this year). 

I grabbed a photo of Alter Ego Nail Enamel before she had finished setting up her display - oops! Cynthia is a sweetheart and young at heart even though she has been doing her nails longer than I've been alive. She included two of her shades including best selling Penny Pincher in my bag.

Misfits on 8th is a supplier for those who want to start making their own polish. She included a starter kit for us to create our own colors, as well some extra glitter, her top coat, and 2 of her mini polishes to try. If you're looking into starting your own line, check her shop out!

Jaded Nail Co was also there with her line of unique polishes. I got to speak to her a bit the day prior and she's a blast.

Polish TBH is a girl after my own heart. Her polish line started out of an obsession for Britney Spears Fantasy line of perfumes and we all know that I'm a Britney fan forever. She included a few colors including a neat color changing glitter polish.

Linda from Nail Vinyls had a great station set up for us to play with. Her tagline is simple but perfect - Place. Polish. Peel. I had received a sample with my Cult Nails order earlier this year but hadn't used them yet but now I have LOTS to play with and that makes me happy. I'm going to step up my nail art game! Nail Vinyls are now available in a variety of shapes and have made its way into over 10,000 homes so far. She's also moved into decals for your every day life including ENOUGH HOLOGRAPHIC VINYL TO COVER A HELMER. Hello sparkles.

I knew Glisten & Glow made balms and top coat but did you know they also have creams, lotions, hand sanitizer and NOW POLISH?! She had goodies for us to play with and just for you! Take 10% off your order from now until 1 September 2014 using the code Cosmoprof14.

I literally squealed (again) when I saw Chaos & Crocodiles. I had preordered the entire "Secret Agent" collection (the 10 out of focus polishes in the back) last month on a whim and turns out it was the best decision ever. Then, like a real secret agent would, owner Sarey slipped me a bottle of Operation Vegas.

IT'S PURPLE. IT'S HOLOGRAPHIC. SHE KNOWS ME. SHE GETS ME. Ahem.  I feel really bad that we didn't get to hang out more - we had made semi-plans and then it just fell apart on me. Blah. But she is so sweet and her polish is SO awesome.

Elevation Polish had this cute set up on the end table and I was taking photos when she put up a sign that said "Take One." Due to the sun setting, I decided to use my iPhone light to check out the polishes when I found out that she has some amazing holos in her collection! I snuck up and asked her how many could I "REALLY" take because I fell in love and she held up some fingers and I ran away like a little kid. And now I have some awesome polishes to wear for you later to come.

Sweet Heart Polish had the most adorable thrones for her polish set up! I hadn't tried her polish before but she included a couple of bottles inside a cute packaged box with cut out window that made me smile.

Llarowe started as an e-tailer in the United States that offered amazing indie brands and international brands that were hard for us to obtain otherwise. Now she has her own line - Colors by Llarowe that has over 60 colors! She debuted her Show Me and Emily's Imagination collections and gave us several shades to try. Even more amazing, she will be opening a brick and mortar store in Colorado later this year and will be offering things like "Polish Making Parties!"

Now, Leah Ann had recently announced a new logo change which was not well received. I asked her what her final decision was and she surprised me with her answer. "We are keeping our original logo for now and will be going back to the drawing board for a new logo. If my customers don't like it, I'm not going to do it." That was awesome to hear - a company actually listening to her customers. I look forward to the new design to come.

Glitter Daze is another company that has grown quite a bit! A fellow Texan, she has all new packaging now and a new website! Apparently there was a Cosmoprof exclusive polish given out but somehow I missed it and I'm kicking myself for it. She has also gotten rid of her mini bottles, which I had reviewed previously.

Cupcake Polish was another new-to-me company with a sweet showing. Sadly, the USPS didn't deliver her boxes in time for the event so all she had was what she carried on the plane with her but it was still a sweet showing!

We also received information and samples from Emerald & Ash (who now has my favorite polish name ever - see Instagram AND probably the best bottle of cuticle oil I own - photos to come); Model City Polish whom I've been wanting to try and now get to; Pahlish's own Cosmoprof exclusive and I THINK that is all!

Again, tremendous thanks to all the indies that made this event possible. I wish every single one of you the best of luck and I'm so honored to have been apart of this event!

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

KBShimmer Summer Collection

KBSHIMMER ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF TWELEVE NEW POLISH SHADES
KBShimmer Summer Collection Set For Release June 20th, 2014

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 12 new colors to their 3-Free polish line. The Summer 2014 Collection includes 10 glittery shades, and two bold creams. “When designing our summer collection, glitter was on our mind. We were inspired by summer treats, bold colors, and summer flowers. We translated those into 10 glitter packed polishes and 2 fun creams,” KBShimmer Owner, Christy Rose, says.

KBShimmer Early Summer Collection

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 12 new colors to their 3-Free polish line. The Early Summer 2014 Collection includes six holographic shades, three bright textured polishes, and three bold creams. “When designing our early summer collection, we decided to celebrate sunshine, bright colors, and exciting finishes,” KBShimmer Owner, Christy Rose, says.
 

KBShimmer Quick And Flirty

 Nothing To Disclose
If you know me, you know how much I love purple. Add holographic? I'm sold. So when KBShimmer came out with Quick And Flirty in their Spring 2014 collection, I had to buy it (with a few others). 

I used a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and topped it with KBShimmer's top coat Clearly On Top. This was also my first time using Clearly On Top and I was happy that it didn't dull the holographic properties of the polish.

Full on sun. Hello beautiful. So you can see there is a nice glow on this polish - easy to apply, no flooding in the cuticles.

Even in the shade you can see this lovely scattered/linear holographic all in one. And it's all mine. Muahaha. I need to check this against a few older polishes of mine (that are now discontinued) to see how close they are.

KBShimmer [website] can be purchased through their website for those in the United States and through Harlow and Co for international sales. Prices range from $7.50 to $8.75. Connect with KBShimmer through their social media networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection

So last week, KBShimmer released her Spring 2014 collection. I quickly bought Quick & Flirty and Prism Break and they are already here! Talk about great customer service.
Please enjoy the following release - all images courtesy of KBShimmer.

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 16 new colors to their 3-Free polish line.  Owner Christy Rose says “Spring has inspired the KBShimmer staff to create two collections filled with fun, vibrant color.  For the first time, we will also be offering cream polishes.  These polishes pair wonderfully with many existing KBShimmer polishes, but are also wonderful alone.”

KBShimmer Winter 2013 Collection

When I first heard that KBShimmer was going to release twenty-two new polishes last winter, I think my brain went into overdrive. It's really 2 collections to me in one because one was a blogger collaboration and the other was new multichromes and multichrome holographics. My biggest regret is not picking these up when they went on sale - some are sold out. (If anyone is selling I Only Have Ice For You, I am lemming it!) <- Squee - it's mine!!! <3 Thank you dear friend!

Please enjoy the following release - all photos courtesy of KBShimmer.

KBSHIMMER ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF TWENTY-TWO NEW POLISHES

KBShimmer Winter Polish Line Set For Release November 1st, 2013

KBShimmer Fall 2013 Press Release

All images provided by KBShimmer

Last year, I fell off the blogging wagon. Surgeries, sickness, my mom's passing... there was a lot. But now I'm determined to make 2014 my year so to start, I'm going to work on this backlog of emails that I have and share the wealth. I'm waiting for daylight savings time to start again so I have more hours of daylight but I will work on swatches when I can.

A good place to start would be talking about the KBShimmer Fall polishes. I do have two of these in my stash that I will be able to show you.

CPNALV 2013: Indie & Blogger Dinner

Press Sample

To kick off Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas 2013, the ninjas at Ninja Polish set up a nice dinner for indie polish makers and bloggers Saturday night. Despite oversleeping and missing my flight, I was able to make it and boy, am I glad I did!  We had so many wonderful bloggers, e-tailers and nail polish creators and it was fantastic putting faces to names. I'm waiting for someone to post group photos so I can share but until then I have something equally fantastic.

So the ninjas really went ALL out this year in giving us gift bags. And I'm not kidding - we're talking little tote bags with a pocket that have the brand logo on the front. I will seriously be using this bag over and over again and not just for nail polish stuff!

This was all inside my "blogger survival kit"

I snuck away with a shirt too (I'm part ninja) but the bags included some amazing essentials like nail polish remover and candy (seriously, thank you so much) but also lip gloss for the dry Vegas heat, face wipes, REJUVACOTE AND SECHE VITE (since I forgot ALL my nail polish stuff at home this was a Godsend), and some amazing pretties from various brands!

From Dandy Nails [Etsy | Facebook] I received Bound to Fall from the Valentine's Day collection. While this polish is currently out of stock for international buyers, you can sign up for the "in stock emails" on the Ninja Polish website here. If you live domestically in the US, you can buy Bound to Fall directly from Dandy Nail's Etsy page here. [Thanks Sandy!]

Red Dog Designs [Big Cartel | Ninja Polish | Facebook] is a new brand to Ninja Polish and she included a wheel of her Neon Summer Sands collection. I originally received Sunny Shores, which you may have seen on Instagram.

 But I was sitting next Romy Raves and she was eying my bottle (we thought it was more green in the light we were in), so we swapped because Romy is a green fiend.  So now I have Coral Beach, which is a pretty orange.

Also included in the bag was a bottle of Serum No. 5 in Day Glow. This is a super bright yellow glow that you may have seen on the lovely Chalkboard Nails. I'm excited to try this out when I get home.

Finally in the Ninja Polish bags were five freaking amazing Ninja Polishes.  First, from the Enigma collection is Shillelagh, a color shifting green with golden shimmer.

From the upcoming Gemstone collection is Rubellite Dreams - a cherry red with red microglitter that just makes it look like a gorgeous ruby.

From the Spectrum collection, I received the amazing Glamorous, which is a rival to OPI DS Glamour (which I don't own but love).

And I also received Passion Shift - soon to be released. (Spectrum collection)

That's what I'm wearing on my top two nails in the photo - it's a crazy duochrome holographic.

Finally from the upcoming Dragon collection, I received Enter The Dragon which is this ridiculous glitter bomb with color-shifting glitter in a clear base.

But that's not all! KBShimmer was also on hand and gave us little gift bags that included two upcoming fall release polishes, scrubs and lip balm. I will be able to talk about them next month as they are currently embargoed.

Sea Lore Polish was also there and I purchased two of her polishes from the Spring Seas collection - 

That's Popping Parrotfish on the left and Springing Seahorse on the right.

And finally, Girly Bits Cosmetics brought two adorable minis. Pam, the owner, lives in the same city I do - except we're in different countries. This may not be cool to you but I am fascinated by it every time. Our cities even did like a sister-city program which is cute. We had never met before Saturday, so it was fun to say hi.

At press time, What Happens in Vegas .... Ends up on Facebook is only available in mini form for the ladies at the dinner but who knows!

Look at that beauty!

The other bottle is Visions of Sugar Plums, which is available in full size here for $10.00.

Whew. So I have my work cut out for me to show you lots of beautiful indies. I am very thankful for the opportunity to meet these ladies and grateful that they gave me gift bags. I also got to meet Llarowe and keep missing Harlow and Co but we're here together in spirit.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

KBShimmer Summer 2013 Collection

I have yet to try KBShimmer myself, but I feel like it's going to be in my next Indie purchase. Please enjoy the following release.

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 9 new colors to their 3-Free glitter polish line and an expansion to their nail prep line.  Owner Christy Rose says “With warm weather and sandals popping up, June is the perfect time for bright, bold colors and patriotic themes to celebrate a fun and exciting summer.”

The summer lineup includes one glitter top coat, two glitter crellys in a white base and six bright, bold polishes, two in a matte finish.  KBShimmer will also be expanding their nail care line to include two scented cuticle oils and liquid nail prep. “Our new line was created to play off the bolder palette of summer, some inspired by the 80’s and 90s, but also to celebrate the patriotic season. One of our polishes plays off the color of the year, Emerald Green, and will ease people into the summer while two others were inspired by the fall 2013 Pantone colors Koi and Vivacious. Both will make for an easy transition through the summer and into the fall.  We are also excited to unveil two scented cuticle oils in an easy-applicator pen.  We hope to inspire and motivate people to go out in the sun and show off their nails!” says Rose.

KBShimmer– SUMMER 2013 COLLECTION

What’s Your Damage? – White crelly polish with neon green, neon pink, and black glitters.

Don’t Pink Twice – Bright near magenta pink with subtle blue shimmer - matte

24 Carrot Bold – Orange red polish with gold shimmer - matte

Blinded By The Bright – Neon yellow polish with a scattering of hex glitters in the 6 primary and secondary colors

The Dancing Green – A almost neon green with blue undertones, accented by fuchsia, sapphire,  green and chartreuse glitters in different shapes and sizes

Totally Tubular – A blue-green crelly polish with fuchsia circle glitters in two sizes and fuchsia micro slices, aqua circle glitters and sapphire hex glitters.

Totally Razzical – A red-violet shade leaning towards the purple side of raspberry. Loaded with holographic hex glitters in magenta, silver and pink.

Grayscale – Black, White, and Gray glitters are suspended in a clear base. Circles, hexes, rectangles, and squares in so many sizes complete this glitter top coat.

Pimp My Pride – This white based polish features metallic red and blue glitters. Best worn in three coats, or 1-2 coats over your favorite white.

Shipping June 1, 2013

KBShimmer products can be found at Http://www.KBShimmer.com.  For sales outside of the US visit http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose.  KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).  KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter grabbing brush for easy application.  KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish top coat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps and other skin care products.

KBShimmer Spring Collection

So KBShimmer is one of those "indie" lines that I haven't had a chance to wear yet. I've been pretty iffy on indie sellers, but am willing to try every once in awhile.  KBShimmer announced their spring line almost two months ago, but they are still available for sale.  Images courtesy of KBShimmer.

KBSHIMMER ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF NINE NEW POLISHES

KBShimmer Spring Polish Line Set For Release February 15^th, 2013

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 9 new colors to their 3-Free glitter polish line.  Owner Christy Rose says "With Easter, warmer weather, and Spring Break fast approaching February is the ideal time to introduce softer pastels to our lineup, but also to add a splash of bold color." 

The spring lineup includes three glitter top coats, two bold jellies, and four creamy pastels, one of which is scented.  "Our new line was created to play off the softer palette of spring, but also to accent unique glitters like small black dots and spring 2013 Pantone colors like the color of the year, Emerald Green.  We are also excited to debut this collection in our new printed bottles.  With the printed bottles, and our glitter grabbing flat brush, we feel our polish is a solid addition to any collection" says Rose. 

KBSHimmer - spRING 2013 COLLECTION

 A Dot Mess - Fuchsia and black dots, hexes, and micro slices in a clear base - Top Coat

Pastel Me More - Pastel colored glitters in a rainbow of colors and range of sizes - Top Coat

Squared Away - Square glitters in a variety of sizes, colors and finishes including metallic and holographic in a clear base - Top Coat

Spring Training - Soft green crelly full of pink, purple, blue and green floral toned glitters, scented with a floral freesia note - Full coverage in 2-3 coats

Where My Peeps At - Soft yellow crelly with circle and tiny hex glitter in fun jelly bean like shades - Full coverage in 2-3 coats

Lottie Dottie - Turquoise and fuchsia dots and coordinating glitters micro slices in a soft white base - Full coverage in 2-3 coats

Iris My Case - Violet pastel crelly with glitters in purple, pink, silver and blue - Full coverage in 2-3 coats

Get Clover It - Emerald green jelly with micro shimmer and circle glitter in shades of green, gold and turquoise- Best in 3 coats or layered over coordinating polish to cover nail line

I Got A Crush On Blue - Royal blue jelly with holographic silver glitters ranging from micro to extra large- Best in 3 coats or layered over coordinating polish to cover nail line

Shipping February 15, 2013

KBShimmer products can be found at http://www.KBShimmer.com.  For sales outside of the US visit http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose.  KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). 

KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter grabbing brush for easy application.  KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish top coat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps and other skin care products.