INTERVIEW WITH AN INDIE - Heather from LOADED LACQUER

 

HELLO MY LOVELIES!! It's been WAAAAAYYY too long since I've done an INTERVIEW WITH AN INDIE!! (And, of course, a coinciding giveaway) And this is an interview that I've wanted to do for quite some time.... 

The brilliant Miss Heather from

LOADED LACQUER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!

 

Let's not waste any time and get down to it, shall we?

Why did you get into making nail polish? 

 

 

I have been obsessed with nail polish since 1997. I would change my nail polish every single day. Even when playing college basketball, I would always change my polish daily! It was fun for me because I wasn't into makeup and being very tall, nail polish always fit...unlike clothing!
 

Do you have another job? If so, What?
 

My second job is being a full time mom! My son is 4 and once he starts school this year, I will have more time to dedicate to Loaded Lacquer!
 

Tell me about your family/supporters:
 

My family is just my husband and son. We are a military family currently stationed in Texas and transferring to Kodiak, Alaska this summer!
 

What do you like to do in your free/spare time? 
 

In my space time I enjoy fitness (hiking, lifting weights), I love learning about anything survival related!
 

How many different colors have you made for LL in all?

 

Oh wow! I would guess at least 40-50 different polishes so far!
 

Did you expect such success?  
 

Yes and no.  I've always been the type to succeed at things that I work hard towards, so I'm not surprised I've done well.  What surprised me is how quickly Loaded Lacquer grew.  It went from a hobby to a full time job in just a few months! I'm so appreciative to my loyal customers! 
 

How often do you do NEW releases?
 

I try to do major holiday/seasonal collections and a few random duos and mystery polishes thrown in the mix.  

 

It’s gotta be exhausting, how do you keep up with all of it? The social media, the orders, the shipments, the new releases, the restocks.

 

It is a lot of hard work. I do everything myself, 100%.  There are times that I have to take a step back and focus more on family.  Also, I get in creative modes only a few times a year.  When I get in the mode, magic happens.  I don't try to force collections and release too of polishes just to make a profit.  Everything I release is because I put my heart and soul into it and want to share it with the world.
 

What’s going to be the next “thing” for polish? I don’t understand how you keep things so fresh, how do you know what will work?

 

I get inspiration from the most random places.  I really don't play much attention to other brands or trends.  In fact, I stay away from trends and I believe that helps me stand out more.
 

What’s the last movie you watched?
 

The new Sponge Bob movie.  It was my son's first time at the theatre!
 

What do you see for yourself long-term? Will you make polish for the next 10 years? 20?
 

I definitely see myself doing this for the long haul. It's something I'm very passionate about and I love every second of it!
 

How old are you? Do you have siblings?
 

I am 35 and I have two older sisters.
  

Where do you find inspiration?
 

My inspiration comes from my want to succeed and my passion to make unique polishes for my customers and friends

 

Favorite sport? Team?
 

I'm not a huge sports fan, but I am an Ohio State alumni and played basketball there. I'll cheer for them!

 

Now at this point you may be wondering the same as I was - ALASKA?! How will I get my Loaded Lacquer fix??! So, as a follow up, I asked. Her reply:

 

 As far as business in Alaska, there may be kinks with getting my supplies that I'll have to figure out, but I don't suspect much of an issue.  Shipping charges won't change.

 

So there you have it, now.....if you'd like a chance to win some of her amazing polishes please visit my IG page IG@aprilaura

 

If you'd love to get your hands on her polishes right away, visit

 

www.loadedlacquer.com

 

 

Sprinkling Stardust Everywhere

My very first Indie Polish... and one that I will always go back to,

STARDUST POLISH

Not only because the formula is great and the colors are inventive and make me drool, but because of Drema. She fits perfectly the description of any of the Indie Polish Makers I've interviewed; she's sweet and goes out of her way to make sure her customers are satisfied.

But I've done the interview, so now let's swoon over these colors.

Snazzy:

Saw it, wrote down the name and just knew I had to have it. A green-blueish gem with gold glitters. Yep, I love it.

Golden Orchid:

Usually I don't choose pinks but as I do, had to try something I don't normally try - if I didn't my nail polish collection would be made up entirely of BLUES.
This was a nice option. Again, with gold glitter, a bubblegum pink. It's fun and flirty and I really like it. I tried to stamp a golden flower to highlight the gold glow but alas, my pictures just don't do this beauty justice.

 

 

Harlot:

Vampy vampy vampy. Black jelly with red glitter....gah!!!!!! Cleans up oh so nicely too - I have gotten pretty good at painting my nails with minimum clean up but whenever I use a dark polish I worry about my cuticles looking stained. Not with Harlot. She may be a vamp, but she she's a lady on your nails... wait, what? did that even make sense? Who cares.

 

My smister sent this to me - as usual, she has made another perfect choice! (Love you Ang!!)

Back Seat Bingo:

B to the I to the NG mutha-effin' OOOOOOOOOOO!!!  Blue blue blue!!! Did I mention how much I adore blue nail polish?! Well this is THE blue. Blue with blue glitter, yes please!!!

Yes Your Majesty:

Another color I avoid, but this is a red I couldn't pass up. When I first saw it, I thought, ' wow that's nice for a red', and (steams up nails and polishes them on lapel) I was right.....again.
Some of you LOVE your reds so don't miss this one!!! Another nice clean up. No staining...yes, very nice.

Royalty:

Now this isn't her latest Royalty 2.0, this is my year old original. The deep deep holo - that's what made it a MUST have when I saw it and converted to the dark side obsession that I now have. All the holo ALL for ME!!! It's easy to see why I converted.....what a stunner!!

Polar Ice:

I wasn't even going to bother talking about this polish, I had thought after a year of some heavy use, and it being a white...well it had to be no good after a year...right? WRONG!! I gave it a try and it surprised me pleasantly by just gliding onto my nails.....aaaaahhhhhh! You just can't go wrong with a delicate white nail polish - it suits any occasion, especially this one.

I'm giving away a bottle of Snazzy and a bottle of Giggle Water - Giggle Water was a tough one to part with because it's.....BLUE!!! But hey, gotta share the polish love right? It's not one I own, so whomever gets it better love it like I would!!! Go find my post on Instagram for rules on my giveaway - ending November 1st.

If you can't wait for a giveaway - go buy these lovelies !!www.stardustpolish.com

September INTERVIEW WITH AN INDIE - STARDUST POLISH

Going back in a time warp to my very FIRST indie polish purchase....

STARDUST POLISH

Stardust came into my life back in July of 2013. Royalty was just one I HAD to have, it was indeed, my breaking point. I still LOVE Royalty. She's reformulated it but my "old" bottle still serves me well. I also purchased Polar Ice - unfortunately I pretty much used that one to death.

When I began these blogs, I knew it was inevitable that I would be talking about STARDUST. When I began the interviews, Drema was definitely on my list! But that was before the arrival of adORable Logan. (My gosh, those cheeks!) So with everything a polish maker is already doing, planning new lines, ordering supplies, labeling, mailing, making, mixing.....how could I bother Drema?








Apparently not a bother. What a great girl Drema is - again, a common thread amongst successful indie polish makers. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

The question I always ask, but is a good one....why "Stardust"?
 

As all my friends know I am a HUGE science/space nerd & I love everything science/space related. It took me weeks to come up with my business name and I decided on Stardust while watching an episode of Nova on PBS and it was about space and I learned that 93% of the mass in our body is stardust. I found that fact so interesting and it seemed like a natural fit for a business name for me.

Royals was one of my first indie polishes, why have you decided to reformulate it and what is the difference?

Royalty 2.0 is made with a different color base than the original one, they are very similar but different enough where I can't say it is the same. 

How long have you been making polish?

I have been making polish now for a year & a half.

Tell me about your 'wifey' Rica, how did that marraige happen and when?

Hahaha I'm not quite sure how it happened, it just kind of did. She was the first blogger I used consistently (before she started Rica's Polish) and we started talking all the time & we are so much alike. I talk to her every single day...99% of the time it's all day! 
 

I love the G.N.O.M.E. boxes! Will those be monthly?

The G.N.O.M.E. boxes will indeed be monthly and always include a polish from me & one from Rica & a different extra thing every month.

How are you managing with new baby and polish? Do you find it hard to make time for polish now? (to make it and to wear?)

I am not going to lie, it is hard managing being a new mom, owning my own business & making time for my husband. I try my best, but my family will always come first. My husband is very supportive of my business so that makes it easier but sometimes he just wants to spend time with me (I am lucky to have a husband who still likes spending time with me :P) I rarely wear polish anymore, mostly I don't have the time to paint them and Logan likes to stick my hand in his mouth :)

 

Tell me about YOUR favorites? - favorite polishes, main stream and indie???

My favorite main stream is OPI, and the only main stream I will buy. My favorite indies are Rica's Polish, Powder Perfect (Aussie) and Black Cat Lacquer

 

How many tattoos do you have? Any great stories behind any of them? (pics?!)

I have 10 tattoos, the only story behind them is the one on my foot. 5 Years ago my husband bought me a star & named it after me. I got the coordinates tattooed on my foot, along with a Phoenix (that is what constellation my star is in) I do not have any pictures :(

(note from aprilaura: I found a few pics of her tattoos, and I'm using these with permission - I'm crafty like that! I particularly LOVE her Alice in Wonderland tatts, look at those colors!!!)

Football fan? Who is your team? Why?

Broncos! I was born in Colorado and that is who I grew up watching.  

Do you have "swatchers"? If so who?

I try to use many different swatchers & bloggers but I would have to say Cho @cherubim is my favorite, her swatches are always stunning, no matter what type of polish I send her.

What's the hardest part of being "mom"?

The hardest part of being a mom is there is never any down time or alone time which can be mentally exhausting always having worrying about everything.

Best date night?

My best date ever was actually my first date with my husband Mark. He wouldn't tell me where we were going so I had no idea what to wear so that was kind of strange. But, the date was a couples massage, he got me naked on the first date without anything sexual happening :P and then we went to a restaurant called Rock Bottom Brewery where I ordered BBQ chicken pizza and one of those small bottles of Korbel champagne. I clearly am not a salad on the first date type of lady.

Favorite CAUSE?

My favorite cause is the World Wildlife Fund. I think it is important to protect our environment and animals that we as humans are causing to go into extinction.

What does hubby do?

My husband works for an environmental company called Clean Harbors, he is currently is contracted through DOW Chemical. What he does is help companies dispose of their hazardous waste correctly and legally.

Will Logan have siblings someday?

As of right now we plan on Logan being our only child. When he is 1 we will be making the final decision if it's just him or maybe another...but I can say with 98% surety he will be an only child.

Where are you located?

I am located in Midland, MI. It is about 2 hours north of Detroit.

What does your future hold??

I honestly have no idea! I try not to make any plans because life happens & things don't always go as planned :)

 

I especially love that she allowed me to get personal with her, it's always an option to answer my questions and she obviously didn't hold back, and I appreciate that. While I too, am guilty of wanting MY polishes RIGHT NOW, we all need to realize that these indie polish makers have lives too - they have families, pets, sometimes they have day jobs, or all day all night jobs like Drema caring for little Logan.

 

Support your fellow polish lovers/makers - she has recently released a BUNCH of new polishes - and I'll be doing my usual giveaway on Instagram so keep your eyes open for that!!! If you can't wait and need her polishes sooner than later; visit www.stardustpolish.com or www.stardustpolish.etsy.com she can also be found at IG@stardustpolish and facebook: www.facebook.com/stardustpolishllc
 

my pipe dreams have been answered !

I love the latest nail trends. Some of them more than others. Neons, well....I didn't really get super excited about those. Several different brands came out with their version and some were a bit of a temptation but I knew I wanted to interview April, and I knew she was coming out with neons so I decided THOSE were the ones I'd try.

a night in vegas collection...

wow

I like to think that my gradients look pretty cool - well with these polishes they popped like never before! I had so much fun that I just had to try every possible combination of gradient. Each one just stunning....

 Then maybe add my favorite holo top coat and viola!

















Then I had a little more fun with some nail art - stripes and polka-dots are about the best I can do..

 

 

....or maybe a glitter gradient accented with some

@teismom nailvinyls (I LOVE those things!!)

Everything I tried to do, this polish cooperated completely.

Just glided on my fingers - in some cases I probably even could have gone with one coat.

 

wow.

I've stated before that watermarble is my kryptonite. I totally gave up on it for a while, I was so frustrated. With these polishes, the formula was just so smooth and perfect, I just had to give it a try. Now try not to laugh this is actually a good job for me. I'm no Yasmeen (sloteazzy) but I was pretty darn proud of myself, I gotta tell ya.

Maybe it's become evident that I'm crazy about her polishes.
I tend to stay away from glitter polishes - don't really know why but it's just me. I do try to go out of my 'comfort zone' once in a while and give things like that a try. My first original order from pipedream was mas fina - and it's a stunner let me tell you. I knew I'd like it just because of the color combinations, but while I ordered that; I also threw in a mini of flip fantasia and I just kind of let that one sit untried. As I was preparing for this interview I pulled out these polishes to revisit my pipedream experience. I put on flip fantasia and flipped. Now I'm kicking myself left and right because I only have a mini. All jokes aside, if anyone knows where I can nab a full size of this polish I WANT IT!!! April cannot get the glitter she needs to recreate it so I'm SOL!! I have the perfect description of that polish - (start humming the "Happy" song by Ferrell) because it's HAPPY!!!.... It's bright, it's fun, the glitters lay perfectly, and it just plays that song to you all day long. I adore it and now I'm savoring each drop, saving it for emergency - when I need some happy.

I got this, it's called 'hanging on like a yo yo' because it reminds me of 'flip fantasia' but it just doesn't sing to me as nicely. I explain this one like this: Neony orange fun glittery to wrap up summer but pumpkin organgey to easily transcend into fall....as if that is an easy change - I go kicking and screaming into it while everyone else is like oooh pumpkin this and leaves and candles. I have 6 million acres of leaves around me....beautiful but....brrrr...it's coming....sigh.

So go buy these, and check out all the other lovelies I didn't even mention like cha-ching, and it's a mystery....and on and on....

www.pipedreampolish.com

My Not-So-Secret Love Affair

So, it may have become a bit apparent that I have begun a love affair with ShopEighty4 polishes, and I can seriously see myself easily being sucked into her skin/beauty products as well. Let me tell you my little story (I promise, it's little)....

I had purchased from ShopEighty4 in the past - 2 microglitters and a creme. To be completely honest, I'm just not good with microglitters! I buy them from everyone because c'mon - they're glittery, and beautiful...why WOULDN'T I buy them right? But every single one I buy is a disappointment, I make a clumpy mess and it makes me sad. So, I was disappointed as usual with the microglitters, but the creme...well, that was a different story. I loved the pigment and the coverage so I blogged. I know, shocker.

Enter Fefe, makes some nice comments prompting my request for an interview. Knowing I'd be doing the interview and wanting to purchase some lovelies for a giveaway (my normal practice), I placed an order. This and that and oh yeah that looks nice, and that one will be good for a give away and so on...honestly thinking one or two I'd keep and the others would just be give aways.
So they come...


And then I try Sea Goddess...

And I die.

And then Barbie Ride...and Say What? and Tropical Rain Forest....and Enchantment, and Barney on Drugs....

Instantly hooked. Done. Immediately placed reorder for everything (for the give away) PLUS her new beach collection...yes....even though I still haven't finished trying the ones I have already purchased I am just SO anxious to be getting more.

Normally, I'd feel some guilt because as we know, indie polish shopping CAN get pricey but seriously her prices are unbelievably reasonable. I can afford to go a little nuts and that makes me happy. My collection is growing fast.

So, there are a few of my new lovelies here - and you know I'll be bragging about the new ones when they arrive. Do yourself a favor and check her site out, and do ME a favor and read my INTERVIEW WITH AN INDIE SHOP EIGHTY4.

www.shopeighty4.com