Grenades and classified info

*I was not bribed, paid, or held as a P.O.W. in order to get me to make this post. All opinions are my own.*

Today I am bringing you a treat from a great little indie shop. This company is owned and operated by a dear friend of mine Candy. Some of you may know her already, she was formerly Candy's Sweet Treats. Due to some crappy circumstances that were not her fault, Candy decided to change the name of her shop. While doing so, she made some awesome changes to her packaging and improved her already great products as well. Might I add that Candy was doing alot of this while being deployed overseas serving our country! Her mind is always working on new products and just being an all around better company for her customers. In all honesty, I think the new name and direction of the company is so much more fitting for her. 

Photo courtesy of LGC.

LGC offers a nice variety of products including loose and pressed eye shadows, blushes, and face masks. Coming soon will be scents, multi tasking cuticle cream, and a mixing medium that can be used to apply shadows wet, make your own liners, and as a primer too. Her shadows are offered in sets or individual jars, you can even purchase samples too. The prices range from 5 samples for $3 to $5.50 for a 5gr jar to $12.50 for a 3 shade collection to $25 for a custom 4 shade pressed palette. 

Range of shadow colors offered. Photo courtesy of LGC

Spooky Missile Collection offered in 2 sizes. Photo courtesy of LGC.

There are 5 blushes available and come in a 10gr jar for $9.50. There are some gorgeous shades to pick from!

Rose Rocket blush $9.50. Photo courtesy of LGC.

I am really excited for the cuticle cream to be listed for sale in the shop. My cuticles are so finicky about the products I use on them. A product may work for a week or two and then it just stops working. Candy has made me some custom face creams in the past and they were amazing. I am sure that her cuticle cream wont disappoint me! 

Speaking of custom products... Candy is always open to help you out by creating custom products. Before her name change she created a customized collection for my girls. It was the perfect shades for little ladies. The girls and I couldn't have been happier with them! 

So I'm sure you want the links on where to find the shop and fan page right? Let me just tell you that you want to watch the fan page. There are lots of discount codes, giveaways and other surprises happening that you wont want to miss!

You can find the fan page by clicking here.

You can find the shop by clicking here.

Oh yeah I almost forgot to let you know, Candy is offering my readers a nice little discount code! If you use the code SpreadTheWord you will get 15% off of your order. This code is good for the month of April. Make sure you like her fan page, let her know I sent you and also thank her for the discount.

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Glitz'd 23 review and swatches

I have a review of a brand spankin new polish company for you today. I am going to warn you this post is going to be picture heavy, but please don't run away. I have 3 polishes to share with you, and some awesome packaging pics too. So let me get started.

Glitz'd 23 is a new indie shop on Etsy that just opened on January 16th of this year. TK, the owner, is a complete sweetie! Communication with her was great and shipping time was terrific. I grabbed Fuzzy Skies, Icie, and Juices N Berries in full sizes. Full sized bottles (15ml) sell for $7.50 and mini size (3.5ml) sell for $4, which are average prices for handmade polishes. My first though when looking through the shop was that the pictures for the listing looked really nice and clear. 

The packaging....oh my goodness, it is so cute and honestly, unexpected. It was really nice to open the padded envelope and find such cute and professional packaging from a brand new company.

Bubble wrap added to the top so that the polish didn't slip around during transit.

Back of polish box.

 I swatched all the polishes over a few different colors of polish so that you can see how versatile they are. I really like this polish alot, it went on great and no fishing for the glitters at all.The base is a bit thick. I gave TK my feedback of the base and she took it very professionally. She said she thought the base might need to be a little thinner and thanked me for confirming it for her. I think it dried rather quickly for a thicker based polish, I liked that since I was painting my nails at midnight.of Seche Vite just to have the super smooth finish.

The first polish that stood out to me was Fuzzy Skies. It is a great mix of blue and white glitters with tiny silver holographic sparkles in a clear base. 

The swatches are 1 coat of Fuzzy Skies over the color and 1 coat alone.

Over blue

Alone

Over yellow.

Over red.

 Next I used Icie, it is a mix of pink holographic and white hex glitter with tiny silver holographic sparkles in a clear base.

Swatches are 1 coat of Icie over the colors and 1 coat alone.

Over a shimmery lilac.

Over a orangish yellow.

Alone

Over turquoise. 

 The last polish I have to share is Juices N Berries, it is a mix of a tealish blue and pink holographic glitter with fine red glitter in a clear base.

Swatches are 1 coat of Juices N Berries over the colors and 1 coat alone.

Over black, and horrible cuticle :o/

Alone

Over lime green.

Over a dusty gold.

Over orange.

I added this one because I love the shine off the holographic glitters, it makes me smile.

 I really like these polishes!!! I think they have the perfect amounts of glitters in them, great glitter mixes, no curling glitters, and they can be used in so many different way to create a variety of looks. Just changing the color of polish you put under it makes a huge difference in the look you get. All of her polishes are 3 free. In using Glitz'd 23's polishes I realized that I don't often wear polishes that are just glitters. These are polishes I would and have worn on their own, they made me find my love for not so busy and loud glitters that I had lost somewhere along the way. I really thought that Fuzzy Skies was going to be my favorite, and much to my surprise it wasn't. Though I do love it, my favorite and the one I have worn for 4 days now and will wear many times again is Icie. It is such a sweet girly polish, pretty princess perfection! I did, I felt pretty, and every time I look at it, it makes me think of a fairytale princess. Fuzzy Skies is my second favorite, it is so fun, it reminds me of playing out in the middle of a sun shower. Juices N Berries would be my number 3 pick, I definitely like this polish alot! I am going to layer it over China Glaze Running In Circles or maybe Frostbite, ohhh or maybe a nice chocolatey brown, or grey. Ahhhh the choices!

I give these polishes, shop, packaging, customer service, and shipping..... 5 cupcakes!

 

You can find Glitz'd 23's shop by clicking here.
If you stop by and pick up a polish or 3 let TK know that Christie sent ya over. Let's show a new shop some love!

Which of these polishes or polish combos do you like the best?

*Some products purchased by me, some sent for consideration. All opinions are my own.*

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Orange you glad it is Friday?

Yeah I know the title is a bit on the corny side, but I couldn't help myself! The title may be corny but the polish I have for you today is far from corny. So let's get to it.

Today I have a super fun polish to share with you from KBShimmer, it is called Orange-A-Peel. My sweet friend Lynn sent this to me for Christmas. (Thank you again!) She and I share a brain 90% of the time, only she is the nicer part. This polish is a glitter filled crelly. The base color reminds me of a sherbert orange and it is packed full of orange, pink and white glitters. It is part of their Neon Collection that was released last year. Here are a few shots of it for you.

I had a hard time getting my camera to pick up the true color of this polish. As you can see this polish isn't one of those typical bright as heck neon oranges, it is a nice subdued neon orange. You can use it on its own and get full coverage in 2 coats, or layer it over other colors to get a different shade of orange all together. Below on my index finger it is 2 coats layered over a coral color, the middle finger is 2 coats alone, ring finger is 2 coats over white, and the pinky is 1 coat over a primary orange polish, all topped with 2 coats of Seche Vite.

You can see in the pictures that over the white it takes on a more neon look. Alone and over the coral it seemed to be that almost sherbert orange color, and over the primary orange it went to a gorgeous almost pumpkiny color. With orange being my all time favorite color, I really loved that I could get such different shades out of this one polish. Now that I am looking at the pictures I wish I had done a nail with it over a bright yellow too.

The formula is wonderful, it went on with no fuss, and there was no fishing for any of the glitters. There was no curling to any of the glitters either. KBShimmer has one of the best crelly bases that I have used! I did have to use a topcoat with this polish. It wasn't really snaggy, but when it dried there was a medium amount of texture to it. I could see me sitting and picking at it if I hadn't put a topcoat on. It dries pretty quick and has a semi matte finish to it, which I expected it to have since most neons are matte. I personally like the semi matte finish that it has. I don't think they carry this particular polish anymore, but there are a few other orange crelly polishes that are just as fun as this one. 

KBShimmer is an indie company that carries a nice variety of products. They carry polish, handmade soaps, sugar scrubs, lotions, whipped body butter, lip balms, and bath bombs. They have their own site or you can also visit their shop on Etsy. Their prices are very reasonable, shipping prices are reasonable, and their TAT is currently 2-3 business days unless you buy bath bombs then it is 5-7 business days. For handmade products that is an excellent TAT. I personally haven't bought from them yet, so I can't really speak about the packaging for items being shipped. I have messaged a little with the owner and can tell you that their customer service is great. You can find their facebook page here to see what's new from them.

I have watched this shop for at least 6 months and now I am kicking myself in the tush for not buying before. They are a company that carries so many things that I love, polish, bath and body products, and lip balms. Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy all of those things to the point of almost hoarding LOL! I hope to make an order with them soon and grab a few things to share with you in the future. I am going to rate them today on just this polish alone. 
I give this polish... 5 cupcakes

Have you tried any products from KBShimmer? If so, what products/scents do you recommend? 

***Some products were purchased by me, others were a gift from a friend. All opinions are my own***

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Ruby White Tips Sugarbush

Hey all! I have been down with a migraine for a few days, but I am feeling better. I have a gorgeous polish from a newer indie polish maker that I think you will love. I won this polish in a giveaway on the Ruby White Tips fan page, it is my first polish from this company. 

This is Sugarbush...

Sugarbush is a beautiful violet polish with tiny holographic glitter, tiny holographic bar glitter and a sprinkling of small gold hex glitter. In the picture above you can see how tiny the holographic glitters are. This polish went on terrific, no problems at all. It was opaque with one coat, but I used 2 coats to get that rich violet color like in the bottle.

All pictures are 2 coats of polish with no topcoat. There is a very slight texture to the polish, but it wasn't enough to bother me. I have had this polish on for 2 days now and have had no chipping or tip wear even with all my mom duties. 

I really do love this shade of polish, it isn't too purple and it isn't too pink, it is the perfect violet shade. I also really like the color with my skin tone. Laura did a great job creating this polish! I look forward to trying more from her and sharing with you. She really loves what she does, it makes me want to spend my money with her to see her company grow. 

Prices are very reasonable at $7.50 for a full sized bottle. She has 2 polishes, Peekaboo and Poppy,  that 50% of the proceeds go toward helping bats. She also has a mystery box that contains at least 2 nail polishes and other surprises, it sells for $12.50. One thing you wont find many of is glitter topcoats, I think there is only one available and one flaky topcoat. I really enjoy seeing a company that is making polishes that aren't just glitter bombs. Though I do love my glitter bombs ;o) Laura is always up for the challenge of creating a custom color for you too. She and I tried this a few months back when I was wanting a true orange holographic polish. I still feel bad that I was being so picky, she tried her best though!

I'm not sure how to rate this polish since it was a prize. I have dealt with Laura as a customer previously though, and her shipping with my prize was great. So based on those factors I will give my experiences with Ruby Whit Tips...5 cupcakes!

You can find Ruby White Tips shop here.
You can find Ruby White Tips fan page here.

I have my eye on Man Eater, Peekaboo, and Hartnett. What colors do you have your eye on?

***This product was part of a prize I won, all opinions are my own.***

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Jindie Nails Candy Cane

I have a polish to share with you today from Jindie Nails called Candy Cane. It is a beautiful white based polish with different size and shaped glitters in red and green, it even has large matte red glitter as well. This polish is part of their Santa Claws Collection that has 9 different polishes.

Close up shot of Candy Cane in the bottle.

I was very selective with which polishes I grabbed from indie companies holiday collections, mainly due to a lack of funds. I browsed and browsed some more until I had a few picked out that I had to have, and Candy Cane was on top of that list. For me it was the perfect combo of red, green and white for the Christmas season. I set out on a mission to get it, luckily I caught a restock and grabbed it up. I bought a mini sized bottle, the price is great ($4.25) and I knew I would only need the smaller bottle since the colors are too Christmasy for me to wear throughout the year.

Close up of Candy Cane on my nail.

For this look I started with Sally Hansen Insta Dry in Whirlwind White and then 2 coats of Jindie Nails Candy Cane. You could also just use 2-3 coats of Candy Cane by itself and have good opacity. I didn't use a top coat on this one because all the glitters went on nicely. I could barely feel the glitter when I ran my finger over it, so I knew there would be no snagging. I did have to fish for the larger matte glitter, but that is pretty typical of polishes with larger glitters. I really love all the teeny tiny sparkly green glitter in this polish, I think it adds to the Christmas magic feel of it.

I wore this polish for 3 days and had no chipping and really no tip wear to speak of, since I didn't use a topcoat with it. I had several compliments on it from people at my doctors office and then my moms doctors office. I even had to write the name and site down for 2 ladies. 

I had excellent customer service, though shipping was slower than usual Jen is keeping all of her customers updated regularly on her progress with orders. She included a letter with orders apologizing for the delay and also the changes she plans to make for faster shipping when she opens up again. Jen has graciously owned her mistake in doing pre orders on some of her polishes and is doing her very best to correct it. I applaud her character and her drive to make things right and keep her customers happy. This is a handmade business, people will make mistakes from time to time, just like any of us do. I think we should try to remember in our frustration that these women/men are usually a one person show, they are growing and learning. As frustrated as we can get, imagine their frustration and heartache when they know their customers are disappointed. For me, part of the great thing of buying indie/handmade is seeing a business learn and grow. So thank you Jen for being so loyal to your customers and doing your best to make things right!  


You can find the Jindie Nails fan page here.
You can find the Etsy shop here.
*The shop is closed at the moment due to an extreme number of sales. Jen is working very hard to get caught up and has even hired some help. She has been keeping customers updated often of her progress on her fan page and in her shop announcement on Etsy.*

Do you own any polishes from Jindie Nails? What holiday polish (any brand) is your favorite?

*Products purchased by me, all opinions are my own.*

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

My little piece of Whimsy Beading

Hi all, hope your week is fabulous so far! I am truckin through mine, can't say that it has been a great one so far, but it hasn't been terrible either. Boy do I have a treat for you today though. I am so excited that this package got here that I could wet myself, LOL. 

I have been lusting after Whimsy Beading jewelry for a long time now. Since I don't go out, don't have dates, or anywhere really to wear such gorgeous pieces I held off on buying anything. There are sales pretty often over at Whimsy Beading, but it seemed like every time there was a sale I was broke...until now. 

I decided that I didn't care if I had a place to wear a piece of jewelry or not, I was going to have a Whimsy piece if it killed me. So what if I am a stay at home work from home mom, why should that stop me from owning something so gorgeous? That's right, IT SHOULDN'T! Every woman deserves to be able to put a piece of jewelry on and feel beautiful. So I went looking through what Kelly offers in the Etsy shop, looking for the perfect necklace. As I was browsing I realized something...everything is so versatile. Her pieces can be worn with just about every type of outfit you can imagine. Maybe I had been blinded by their beauty before and hadn't even noticed? 

I contacted Kelly and asked her to make me a custom piece that would be inspired by cupcakes and left everything up to her. She did message me a few questions, like my favorite colors and style. I still left everything design wise in her very capable hands. A short time later I got a message telling me my package was on the way. I have never stalked the mailman like I have for the last 3 days!. So do you want to see what Kelly came up with for me? Ha! Of course you do.

Isn't it gorgeous? I am beyond thrilled with my necklace, it is perfect! See how cute it looks with just an everyday simple cotton shirt. I can totally see wearing this with a pair of jeans and a cute blouse, a nice little sweater dress, or even a fancy cocktail dress. You could wear this grocery shopping, a family function, church and even a wedding. So many ways to wear it! 

Kelly really is a master at what she does, her work is amazing, plus she is as sweet as pie too. I think she nailed exactly what I was looking for and my personality with my necklace. In her shop you can find necklaces, earrings, and bracelets in a number of price ranges. There is also a section for charity items that are for sale. If you ever have a chance to get a piece of Whimsy Beading jewelry, you should. I don't think you will regret it at all.

You can find Whimsy Beading's fan page here.
You can find the Whimsy Beading shop here.

Do you own a Whimsy piece yet? Is there a piece that you are dying to get your hands on?

*Products purchased by me, all opinions are my own*

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!