Of Life and Lacquer

Were you as excited as I was when you first heard about the KBShimmer Birthstone Collection? I’m sure that by now you have seen plenty of swatches and have already purchased the polish that corresponds to your birthstone…amirite? Well, I decided to do something a little special with these beauties. When things aren’t going your way, it’s very easy to forget the myriad of ways that you really are blessed in so many ways.  I think that in the last few years I have learned how bad things can get, but I also realized how important it is to have people around you that love and support you. Through this blog, I have made an amazing group of friends. We are a crazy bunch and we basically talk all freaking day long about everything and anything. This post is obviously to show you how gorgeous the KBShimmer Birthstone Collection, but it is also a thank you to a group of girls that have become an important part of my life.

KBShimmer Diamond (April)

Diamond is the birthstone of our resident snark queen Nicole. Nicole is the blogger behind Polish Me, Please! and probably the first fellow blogger I became friends with when my blog was a itty bitty. When she’s not crotcheing awesome pieces for her shop, FauxFarmhouse, she is running behind her adorable daughter (whom I share a birthday with!) or delighting us with pictures of her precious dogs Minnie and Bubba. Nicole is the kind of friend who is always there to listen and offer no-nonsense advice. Even though she is not blogging much these days, I feel like we both grew our blogs together and I’ll always remember our back and forth blog commenting when it felt like we were the only ones reading each other’s blogs!

KBShimmer Emerald (May)

Emerald belongs to our gorgeous red-head with the killer bangs and cheekbones: Jessica. Jessica is the lovely (former?) blogger behind Once Upon A Polish. There are days when I still hope that she will blog, but I know that her life has gone a different way. Fortunately, the power of nail polish and make up is strong and we still talk about these things regularly. When I first met Jessica, way back in the day, she was going through a lot of personal things that at times got her down. I am so happy to see how the many twists and turns of life have brought her to a wonderful place now. Jessica is funny, so smart and incredibly warm. She is one of the three other ladies that live out west so it’s just a matter of time before I get to meet her. In fact, I might be going to her baby shower. Yep, a little baby unicorn is on its way! We’re all so happy for Jessica and can’t wait to see her become a mom.

KBShimmer Black Pearl (June)

Black Pearl is the birthstone of my favorite NYC’er: Amy. Amy is the super deluxe dedicated blogger behind The Fancy Side. If you don’t follow her yet, you are crazy–so do it now. Here, here and here. I always love hearing about Amy’s adventures in the city and she seriously cracks me up. Amy is like our own personal cheerleader: we can always count on her for encouragement and positivity. I admire Amy’s dedication to her blog and wish I could have the same energy she has for swatching and blogging. And did I mention that we share a boyfriend? Yep. The Rock. He’s mine. Errr…ours.

KBShimmer Peridot (August)

Peridot is the birthstone of our resident Hello Kitty fanatic: Lesley! While Lesley never went as far as starting a blog, she does post adorable pictures of her smoosh-face Leelo and of her manis on her Instagram so you can always find her there. Lesley is the only one of the girls that I have actually met in person since we both live in California. She is also the only one that has seen me in one of my “buy all the things” trances and survived. I could say a million things about Lesley, but what I see in her is strength, kindness and loyalty. She is my life-twin in just about every imaginable way, and I am so glad to count her as a friend.

KBShimmer Sapphire (September)

Shapphire is MY birthstone, but it is also the birthstone of the one non-American of the group: Siobhan, aka V aka The Gold Masta who hails from South Africa. Sib is the awesome blogger over at For The Love of Nail Art where you can get your fill or swatches, nail art and videos! Thanks so Sib, the words “lekker” and “kak” have become part of my every day vocabulary. Most people don’t know what I’m talking about when I use those words, but that just makes me extra cool, right?!? When I think of Sib, I think of her love for her zoo of pets and what a caring and lovely person she is. She always finds a way to make us laugh even when she is going through rough times. I’m so fortunate to have found such a lovely friend in her.

KBShimmer Blue Topaz (December)

Last, but certainly not least, we have the beautiful Blue Topaz which is the birthstone of both Fross and Amanda.

Frosso is the blogger behind Lacquer Me Silly. Nowadays she calls herself  a “former blogger,” but you can still find her posting nail stuff on instagram. To tell you the truth, my theory is that she is going to eventually start blogging again…at least that is what I hope. I thoroughly blame Frosso for my now out of control obsession with Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks. Today I threatened Fross with ending our friendship over some disagreements about Mexican food, but it’s all in jest. I do think that Frosso is probably the pickiest eater that I have ever known, but I’ll forgive her cause her nails are so fabulous. Fabulous nails fix everything.  I can always count on Frosso for advice and a healthy dose of sarcasm. When she’s not working, you can find Frosso enabling others with her make up or nail polish purchases or spending time with her adorable dog, Margo.

Amanda, or as her friends call her, Mae, is the sweet blogger behind Mae’s Beauty. Mae has one of the kindest hearts of anyone I have ever met. She is always there to listen, give advice or just offer moral support when you need it. Mae is also one of the OG nail bloggers I met when I started my blog, so we went through all of our growing pains together. Through all of the ups and downs, Mae remains positive. Even though she is going through some rough times, I know that good things are coming right around the corner because she deserves the best.

These ladies mean the world to me and I can’t say enough how grateful I am for every single one of them. If I stopped blogging tomorrow, I would leave this hobby with a group of life-long friends and nothing is worth more than that. So, while I spent most of this blog post talking about a group of lovely ladies, I want to leave you with my thought on these polishes: PERFECTION. The formulation on each is rather spectacular and they all apply like a dream with no clean-up needed. These babies really come alive in the sun. If you want to get an idea of how they sparkle, take a look at this short Instagram video I shot a while back:

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So what are you waiting for? Get them all! You won’t regret it. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.