Monday, September 15, 2014

There's Something New from Daisy Duo! (Review)

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Hello Loves!  Daisy Duo has made a few changes in addition to releasing a ton of new shades!  I have two of the new shades to show you today compliments of Esther's Nail Center as well as a wear test of their new optional base coat.
New Shades from Daisy Duo

Daisy Duo gels are designed for up to three weeks of wear without needing a separate base coat and come with a matching regular lacquer.  However, skipping the base coat does lead to a longer soak off with this brand so Daisy has released a base gel for those who desire faster soak off.  Yea! for options.  :)  As always, I have put the base to the test and will share my results in a moment.  First, how about a few swatches?

The first swatch I have for you today is a gorgeous, full coverage blue glitter called Sapphire Stone.  The result is what my husband refers to as "bass boat nails".  In other words, a ton of glittery goodness.  Sapphire Stone is made up of fine blue glitters in a blue jelly base.  I can't even begin to tell you how much this color speaks to me.  Blue...and glitter...be still my heart!  Application was average for Daisy Duo gels.  I did have a little bit of shrinking at the tips on the first coat, but it evened out nicely on the second coat.  As usual, I have swatched three coats below.
Daisy Duo Sapphire Stone Swatch

Daisy Duo Sapphire Stone Swatch

The second color I have to show you is the one I wore for my wear test with the new base.  Classical Violet is a soft, violet purple cream.  I found application to be a little tricky with this one as it wanted to streak on me at first.  I did apply this one over the new base gel, so having a slick surface may have been a factor.  I did find that it leveled well and any streaks disappeared as I finished the other nails.
Daisy Duo Classical Violet Swatch

Daisy Duo Classical Violet Swatch

You may notice that Daisy changed the packaging a little here too.  Rather than a small sticker on the front of the bottle and a larger sticker on the top of the lid, Daisy Duo gels now have a label that wraps around the cap.  I really like this change!  It is so much easier to find the color I want on my rack when I don't have to look at a dot or, as with some brands, a sticker on the bottom of a bottle.  The cap color has also changed from black to white.  Finally, the brushes are a little different too.  The previous design used a narrow but flat brush.  The new bottles use a round brush.  The brush also seems to be a bit softer, which eases application.

Andrea at Chickettes has a few swatches of the new Daisy Duo colors on her blog today too.  Be sure to swing by and check them out.  You can also see more photos of the new colors on Esther's Nail Center's website here.

Ready to talk about the optional Daisy Duo Base Gel?  The consistency of the new base gel is quite nice.  It is thin, which I find I really like but not so thin that it becomes runny.  I had no issues with application at all and it cured nicely in my Couture Espree LED lamp (my lamp of choice).  Using the base under the Daisy Duo gel did change the way it behaved a little, which may be part of the application differences I mentioned above for Classical Violet.

I put the base through my usual, abusive right hand wear test.  So, how does it stack up?  While I did have a small amount of tip wear and a microscopic chip on my index nail by the end of two weeks.  The tip wear started showing on the corner of my index nail around the one week mark and the teeny tiny chip happened on day 13.  Overall, I'm calling this one a win and I'm betting a touch of bonder would eliminate the tip wear.
Two Week Wear Test with Daisy Duo Base Coat

Removal is a huge factor in this base for me.  As noted in my previous Daisy Duo wear test without a separate base here, removal was a little difficult compared to other brands.  I called it a fair sacrifice for the wear in my review, but faster soak off is always a plus in my book.  So, how does the base impact soak off?  It changes the game completely!  While soaking off with the base, I felt the pop at around the 8 minute mark.  You know, that moment that the acetone causes the gel to crack and pop off of the nail.  Oh the glorious pop!  Without the base, I never felt the pop.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves at this point, though I should note that I didn't get quite enough acetone in my caps when I soaked off this time, so the tips were a little dry.  Totally my fault.  Photo was taken after 10 minutes of soaking.
Removal Results with Daisy Duo Base Coat

To correct my error, I added a touch more acetone and let them soak for a few more minutes and everything came off clean.  I'm confident that this would have been a simple 10 minute soak off if I wasn't so careless.  See, clean nails.  Ignore my damage.  Poor Cinderella nails get all the abuse from testing the good, the bad, and the horrendous.
Removal Results with Daisy Duo Base Coat

So, there you have it.  The new, optional Daisy Duo base is a winner in my book!  Average wear and delightful removal.  :)

Finally, many of you have asked where I get my Daisy Duo Gels.  Esther's Nail Center carries them for a great price.  :) 

~Michelle

*The products featured in this post were provided by Esther's Nail Center for my honest review.  This post uses affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.

11 comments:

  1. Hmm. I have had tough soak offs and have started to wonder if I should try a base that is not Gelish . . . I tried Bundle Monster's Revived Revelation last week and spent a couple of hours trying to get it off! I keep wondering if the DIY or Lechat thermals would be easier and flake off better. Or if my nails are just special in general. ;)

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    1. BMC and DIY were both longer soak offs for me. Gelish Foundation tends to be longer for me too. LeChat soaks off like a dream and their base is nice too. My regular base is Couture, though. :)

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  2. I'm hoping it's a language difference but spaz is pretty offensive over here in the UK. (My intentions with this comment are only to assist x).

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    1. Definitely a language difference. Here spaz is short of spastic and means aloof or forgetful. ;)

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    2. I looked up the UK meaning. I apologize that it offends. It does not have the same negative association here. I have a dear cousin who is severely autistic and would certainly never use the word if it had the same meaning in US slang.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. No problem Michelle, I read on WIki that the meaning is different in the US. No offence taken by me and no apology necessary.

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  5. Thanks for the thorough review. Adding base coat is optional but will make removal faster. Fyi, Daisy Duo comes with a free matching regular nail polish. Hence the name.:) Thanks Michelle.

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  6. I've bought some daisy duo gels however they aren't curing properly under my melody susie led 24W lamp and they chip after a few days. Could you recommend another lamp that I could get In the UK?
    Thanks

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    1. I'm not sure which lamps are avaliable in the UK, honestly. I have cured these in the Harmony 18G and the Cuccio Max Pro 5 with no issues. I would think the Melody Susie should cure them. Have you tried adjusting your cure times?

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    2. I'm not sure which lamps are avaliable in the UK, honestly. I have cured these in the Harmony 18G and the Cuccio Max Pro 5 with no issues. I would think the Melody Susie should cure them. Have you tried adjusting your cure times?

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