Links checked 12/12/13
Updated 4/26/12- Don't forget to check Suspension Base Suppliers & Notes for all possible sources.
Amended 11/30/10
We all wanted it, we've all been waiting for it and TKB Trading has finally started selling their Franken Polish Bases but I said before that their not mentioning a price made me nervous- and with due cause because I was looking to purchase enough to fix 260+ bottles I'd already made. Updated 4/26/12- Don't forget to check Suspension Base Suppliers & Notes for all possible sources.
Amended 11/30/10
They have at this time 9 different bases available in 30ml/1oz. bottles: a clear top/basecoat for $3.95, a suspension base for mica, a different one for glitter, and a mattifying base, all $5.50 each and 5 different colored bases at $5.75 each. TKB states "Each bottle contains 30ml, enough to fill two regular-sized nail polish bottles." This means none of the bases are meant to be diluted, that they must be used from the start rather than added later.
What this means for me personally is that those bottles I've already made cannot be "fixed", that the settling issue cannot be resolved. Had it been a powder rather than a liquid base, there might be room in the bottle to add a little and ease the problem even if it couldn't be corrected entirely. I don't know that it could be made into a powder- even what Merck/EMD Chemicals manufactures, the way I understand it, is not in powder form.
This raises a few questions for me. Why is the price higher than that of some professionally manufactured polishes? Considering only the colored ones, what's the difference between me buying and using one of those or a colored store bought polish? Do they contain a different suspension agent? This is a hobby that will keep me hopelessly in the hole financially if I want to go about it "right". If I was making polish to sell or gift out, I wouldn't hesitate to spend that per bottle but that's a bit high to purchase for myself.
John Matarese closes his news segments by saying, "Doesn't that stink?" Well I'm saying, isn't that a bummer?
Isn't it a bummer that no one else sells a nail polish suspension agent? TKB Trading will do price matching but since there is no one else that sells it, there's no other price to match. Competition drives prices down, that's an unavoidable fact.
I decided that I'm going to buy Magnesium Stearate and try it in polish as a suspension agent. TKB Trading, Coastal Scents and The Conservatorie all sell it but only The Conservatorie includes the tempting line in the description, "and in the suspension of pigments." The company couldn't tell me if it might work but they didn't say it wouldn't either so I have nothing to lose in trying it.
I will still buy some of TKB's Franken Polish base- after all they are providing something no one else does- but I think I will experiment with diluting it in varying amounts because if it can be effectively diluted and still work, it would cut down on the expense. With the way it is priced currently, it costs $2.75 for a bottle of polish (before adding pigment and factoring in the cost of an empty bottle) and I can buy China Glaze for less than that. Why is it always China Glaze I use as a comparison? Because it seems like a quality "professional" polish at a fairly reasonable price and I actually own a few.
TKB Trading says they will be selling larger quantities in the future so, like buying most things in bulk, hopefully that will lower the price. -MK
Hi, we sell Magnesium Stearate, FYI. Also, we are working on offering larger qty's of base at better pricing. Don't worry, we'll be providing pints some day. We just had to start somewhere. Sorry its taking us so long, but please, feel free to give us as much feedback as you want! We're listening. We're new to this too. Kaila tkbtrading@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteMrs. Westerman, please don't misunderstand me, it was nothing against you, your company TKB Trading or your products. As I said, you offer a service and products which no one else has bothered to. This suspension issue has been annoying me from the very beginning and I can't help but search for a way around it- including trying Magnesium Stearate, contacting Merck or simply experimenting with other things. The more I know, the better the final product will be. I look forward to seeing what TKB Trading comes out with- I check every couple days. By the way, thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog, I'm honored.
ReplyDeleteYou were sent from heaven to blog to me about mass franken nail polish production. I have lots of strange ideas I'm just dying to try out. I did come across the site mentioned in this post. I have A LOT of questions for them. But I'm glad someone is trying to do sell these bases in mass. I dreaded the thought of buying mass quantities of bases from the store. And I knew there was something more to it than just mixing in glitter. I need to stop thinking about my ideas and just start making them. I'm killing my ideas with thoughts. If that makes any sense at all. But hey, I do have a 10 page business proposal put together if anyone would like to read that. LOL! I loved this post!
ReplyDeleteLol I have a few more pages I could add to that proposal. Mass production is about it and I have to keep track of it somewhere- I have more polish related paperwork than a lawyer.
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying, over-thinking it takes the fun out of it so quit, get in there and start playing!
TKB Trading is a good solid company and I think they make effort to find answers to our questions. Their forum is also a good resource.