#itrustindienailpolish - Rainbow Honey and My Introduction to Indie Polish

I'm guessing most of you have already heard about The Mentality Thing... Long story short, thanks to one irresponsible independent nail polish brand, indie polish is being given a very bad name right now. And that's not quite fair. There are too many brands who consistently work hard, delivering above and beyond other businesses with far more resources. Many of them were born out of this very same nail blogging community. So... a handful of bloggers started this linkup to give a little love back to their favorite brands. It's a way to (figuratively) stand up and say...

#itrustindienailpolish

Let me just say upfront that I have only tried one indie brand so far. Rainbow Honey was a brand that I had seen on a lot of other blogs and was all over my Instagram. It took a long time for me to take the plunge and finally order. There was definitely a little trepidation there at first. But I ordered, fell in love, and ended up subscribing to their monthly Mystery Bag. 

And then I went back into my little mainstream shell. 

I've been hesitant to come back out. The thing is, I could blame not buying indie on a gazillion different things. I do have a mainstream fave. I like shopping in brick and mortar stores. Online re-stocks are frustrating. The price tag is a little intimidating. The polish might not look the same in person as it does in the pics.

But isn't that the sometimes truth behind most new nail polish... mainstream AND indie? 

Yes. It really, actually, 100% is. And if that's my way of thinking about it, than my actions should probably match that frame of thought, right? I mean, I try new things all the time. It happens all the time with new foods and fashion trends. I survived becoming a parent and all the crazy changes that go with that. I try new mainstream brands of nail polish. Why not indie nail polish brands? 

I'm not talking about going crazy and ordering all the polishes on my wishlist. I can't afford that at all. But I am going to try and branch out a little bit. My toes can definitely stand to get a little more wet! I placed an order yesterday for a couple of polishes and bath products from what will be my 2nd indie brand. I'm excited to give them a try, and I can't wait to share that with you! Let's be brave together, shall we? 

Now, getting back to the original point of this post. Rainbow Honey is the first independent polish brand I tried. They're based out of New Jersey, just a skip over the state line from the good old Keystone State. Their polishes are Big 3 Free and Vegan. They've got a decent spread of colors and finish types to choose from, with Limited Edition Collections coming out regularly. I tend to favor shimmers, glitter top coats, and jellies. 

Most of my Rainbow Honey polishes came from the Monthly Mystery Bag. I get the mini-size for $10.00/month+shipping, but there is a full size that's $25.00/month+shipping. Each bag typically has 2-3 polishes and various bath/body products. In addition to nail polish, Rainbow Honey makes ah-mazing cuticle balms, oils, perfumes, lotions, and soaps. Summer Juice and Royal Fruits are my favorite scents! 

Last year, my blue polish for the 31 Day Challenge was this incredible bright blue, 488nm with Best Friend on my accent nail. Both polishes are made by Rainbow Honey...

When I kicked off Fishbowl Friday, I did it with Rainbow Honey Tayabak. It's so bright and gorgeous, I just couldn't resist. I've used this in so many layerings. It just gloooows...

This one is the perfect amount of shimmer mixed with the perfect gray. Grayscale was a Mystery Bag treat from November 2014...

December of last year brought Woland in my Mystery Bag. It's a gorgeous glitter topper! I layered it over a muted lavender for Fishbowl Friday 007.

February brought three polishes that I layered together into a complete and total glitterbomb! That month was also the 3rd Anniversary for the independent brand...

April came and I learned about Seriotypes and began my quest to Seriotype all the things. It's actually really fun trying to use all the polishes from the Mystery Bag in the same manicure. Challenging, but fun! 

Last, but certainly not least, Laguna Grande was part of the May Mystery Bag. It's a gorgeous ocean blue jelly that's packed with gold shimmer... 

Rainbow Honey nail polishes are sold in their online store. The shop does go down for restocks around the end of the month, but be patient. They'll open back up, and there's usually a note listing the specific date, sometimes even the time. Mystery Bag subscriptions are almost always available, or you can buy the current month's mystery bag outright. Previous months are usually available for a limited time, too. Follow Rainbow Honey on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news and specials! 

Like I said above, I've already ordered from my 2nd indie brand. Any recommendations on what brands I should try next? Let me know in the comments! 

-S