The Indie Nail Polish Brand I Keep Forgetting to Tell You About
Cast your ballot for KB Shimmer
Hello, Gorgeous!
It seems like no one in NYC is talking about anything but our mayoral election tomorrow. And as a lifelong New Yorker living through... gestures at everything I can tell you that I’d rather discuss nail polish.
KB Shimmer Turns 18
I’ve quietly loved KB Shimmer for years and while I’ve mentioned them in some of my other outlets, I should be sharing more about them here. They’re one of those under-the-radar indie brands that just gets it. The brand launched in 2008 by husband-and-wife team Christy and Jason Rose, with bath bombs and lip balms. They added nail polish in 2012 and never looked back.
What makes them special? KB Shimmer is for people who want a 152-crayon box, not the sad 12-pack of generic colors. Since I love anything that glitters or shimmers, I especially appreciate their flat brush that actually grabs the sparkle (genius). All products are cruelty-free and vegan, which adds to that self-care-in-a-bottle feeling.
Case in point: Last night after 11pm (because that’s when the urge strikes), I did my nails with their new shade/nail filler Fillin’ Groovy. It’s one of those “your nails but better, I’m sure Princess Kate would dig this color” kind of shades—sheer pink that builds from barely-there with one coat to soft milky with two, near-opaque with three. But here’s the genius part: it doubles as a ridge-filling base coat and prevents staining when you inevitably go dark later. I went dark immediately, of course.
I finished around midnight, drifted off, and woke up with perfect nails. No smudges. No bubbles. Just glossy, grown-up manicure realness for $7.50.
This is why I keep meaning to feature KB Shimmer and then keep forgetting to actually tell you about them. They’re just quietly excellent, the kind of brand that doesn’t scream for attention but absolutely deserves it.
Incidentally, Oh Splat! —a party-in-a-bottle color explosion from their Winter 2012 collection— is still a bestseller. That’s staying power, literally and figuratively.
You can find KB Shimmer on Etsy.
Do you have any indie or unexpected brands you love? Let’s meet in the comments section to discuss.
💋 Rachel, Your beauty concierge