What's New

We are often asked how to make the Tkb Gloss Base (formerly known as Versagel) more resistant to being wiped off the lips.  The best ingredient to accoplish this is a wax and we are happy to recommend our new:  Citrine Clear Wax! Here is how we found that works best:  To 1 gram of TKB Gloss Base, you will want to add from 10%-20% (by weight) of the wax. The more you add, the stronger the fix on the lips. Add too much, and it may have somewhat of a heavy feel, so please experiment.  Instructions: To fill one Silver Rectangular Gloss Container:  Take 20 grams of TKB Gloss Base and add 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax Heat in the microwave for approximately 2 minute. Stir and allow to cool. Test to see if you like the results.  If you feel that it needs more "staying power", add an additional 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax.  Once you have decided what you like, we suggest you remelt it, and add your colors before di...

In its 20+ years in business, TKB has rarely raised its prices.    However, increasing material costs, tariffs against Chinese imports to the US, and increases to transportation and labor (you know the drill), well, they all combine to force a serious and complete assessment of the situation. After much analysis, we have decided to implement a company-wide price increase of 10% on all products, effectively immediately.   In the next few weeks and months, we our team will also ferret out any remaining products which we are selling at a loss, at cost, or at very slim margins.   Where we can re-source for a better price, we will.  Where we can find other creative solutions, we will as well.  However there will be price increases on these "Losing Lillies", some rather significant. We appreciate your understanding as we work to be a healthy supplier able to withstand the recent changes in trade and commerce. Should you have...

How often do you stumble on a cosmetic formulation which calls for waxes, and specifically calls for "beeswax"? Pretty often would be my guess as beeswax has been used for 1000's of years in all kinds of cosmetics and skin care products. Take a little break and... Close your eyes and imagine an ancient Egyptian sold perfume unguent of sweet smelling beeswax infused with cinnamon, rose and iris. Nice, right? But when do our poor little worker-bee-buddies get a break? The answer is when you switch to a vegan substitute for beeswax: In this blog post we are showcasing our Sunflower Wax and Rice Bran Wax! About Waxes in Cosmetics:  If you are a cosmetic formulator, you are going to eventually use waxes in your formulation. Waxes generally have these qualities (though there are some exceptions): Hydrophobic (they resist water) Solid at room temperature; liquid at their melt point They don't dissolve in water They can dissolve in other liquids...

This blog post offers a recipe and tutorial for a lightweight blendable and buildable blush with a semi-matte sheen. Features of the recipe: Vegan, uses Sunflower and Rice Bran Wax. Includes our K-24 Lauryl Laurate to give a nice slip and silky after-feel What you may learn from the recipe: How much color is really required to make a color cosmetic How much bulking powder is required to make a color cosmetic  How to incorporate pure pigments into a recipe with the least amount of speckles. Phase A Ingredient % by weight Function Sunflower Wax 6 Structure Rice Bran Wax 5 Gelling Polyester Castor Wax 6 Plasticizer Lauryl Laurate 4.5 Emollient Fractionated Coconut Oil 4.5 Emollient  Melt the Phase A ingredients together and set to the side. Phase B Ingredient % by weight Function Titanium Dioxide (oil dispersible) 7 Color Red Iron Oxide (Red Shade) 0.25 Color Ultramarine Pink 6 Color Fractionated Coconut Oil 14.75 Dispersant ...

When I was 8 years old and dressing up for my imagined day, I painted my nails with white out and colored them in with permanent markers only to end up desperately scrubbing the ink and paint off before my parents found out. Was your first experience with painted nails the same? My name is Kimberly Simon and I am the resident makeup artist and product designer here at TKB!  I’m so excited to announce one of our first projects: the sponsorship of a DIY Nail Polish Bar at David Tutera’s April 17 th “ Your Wedding Experience ” in Houston, Texas!  At the event, attendees will dabble in the adventure of mixing their own wedding day nail polish.  For the show, I created 12 unique recipes.  From the fairy tale inspired “Cinderella” blue to a rosy “Blushing Bride”, my favorite is a glittery, white polish recipe named “Bridal Party”.  I created these recipes based on this year’s wedding color trends! Making a custom polish for your wedding is fu...

It is shockingly easy and affordable to work with uncolored, bulk nail polish base to make your own unique creations. Our company started selling the material in early 2011.  I had noticed that there customers were talking about making "Frankenpolish" where they would blend together polishes from different manufacturers -- a half a bottle of an Essie green, a quarter bottle of an OPI gold, and top it off with some Sally Hansen! They were having such a blast but my immediate thought was:  Gee that looks expensive.  They should be working with the uncolored base and add our mica powders to it.  So, we made that happen. As with any DIY craft, it can be hard to scale up from making a few fun polishes with friends to actually running a business.  Among the many problems, concerns and tasks that crop up is coming to see yourself as a manufacturer.  That means understanding that you are working with a material which will have variations "batch to batch" ...