Friday, April 17, 2015

GelMoment One Step Gel Polish Review

Press Sample

GelMoment Gel Polish Swatches and Review

Hello Loves!  There is a new kid on the gel polish block called GelMoment, and I have a full review for you today.  You may have caught my post about this company a few weeks ago.  If you missed it, you can check it out here.  For today, I'll give you a quick recap and then we'll jump right into the review.  Sound good?

Ok, so how many of you have sat through a Tupperware, Mary Kay, Thirty-One, Avon, Jamberry, etc party and thought to yourself 'Gee, I wonder why no one has come up with a gel polish party yet'?  I know I've thought it and I can't be alone in that.  Well, now there IS a direct sales company for gel polish in Canada and the US.  GelMoment is a new, one step gel polish line with a direct sales platform.  They are also in the process of launching in Australia, so sales opportunities and products will be available there very soon.  If you would like to know more about that side of the company, I'll post some more info at the end of this post.  For now, let's take talk about the products.

GelMoment is a one step line - no base or top required - with easy application and a high shine finish.  There are currently 16 colors available and I suspect more colors will be added soon.  GelMoment offers everything you need for a gel polish manicure - a file/buffer, cuticle pusher that doubles as a remover tool, cleansing wipes (for prep), one step gel polish colors, an LED lamp, and the coolest remover packets I've ever seen.  Founding Gel Manager, Karma Kristufek, was kind enough to send me some samples of each of the products.  I'm going to focus on the gel polish and touch on the lamp and remover packets today.  I have the rest of the products that are offered as well, and there's nothing wrong with them.  They are simply your basic supplies that don't cause me much excitement.  lol

Sheesh...I can feel y'all thinking 'dang, is she going to shut up and show us the pictures or what?' so let's jump right into some swatches.  First up is a gorgeous, pinky peach coral shimmer called Flamingo Blossom.  Application was quite nice.  This is two coats.  The brushes are narrow and allow for great control of the product.  I was able to use a basic three stroke application on all of my nails except for my thumbs.
GelMoment Flamingo Blossom Swatch
GelMoment Flamingo Blossom Swatch

Edit:  By request, I'm adding a shot of the brush.  Note:  This photo is not color accurate.


The next color I have to show you is a deep, wine toned plum cream called Satin Princess.  Application is similar to Flamingo Blossom.  Actually, they all apply the same so I'll stop mentioning application with each color.  ;)
GelMoment Satin Princess Swatch
GelMoment Satin Princess Swatch

Midnight Walk is a super dark, almost black Navy Blue.  I have a few blues similar to this in my collection, but the depth on this one is unmatched so far.
GelMoment Midnight Walk Swatch
GelMoment Midnight Walk Swatch

Finally, Stroll in Paris is medium grey cream.  This is my least favorite of the four simply because I don't like it on my skin tone, but it is a beautiful color right out of the bottle.
GelMoment Stroll in Paris Swatch
GelMoment Stroll in Paris Swatch

Now that you've seen the swatches, scroll back up and take a close look at the light reflections.  That is the one step finish!  None of these swatches use a separate top coat.  They are simply two coats of color and done.  No cleansing needed either.

I want to show you one more swatchy style photo before we move on to wear test and removal.  Why?  Well, because these polishes are quite opaque and I can prove it.  In the photo below (you may remember it from my previous post), I applied two coats of Midnight Walk on my ring finger.  I then used a nail art brush and freehanded the chevrons and dots with Satin Princess.  Yep, you read that right.  The BASE is that super dark navy blue and the design is one coat of Satin Princess.  That's impressive, y'all. 
GelMoment Nail Art

GelMoment Nail Art

Ok, moving on...so how does it hold up?  I have no complaints.  I wore Satin Princess on my dominant hand (aka the hand I neglect and abuse the most) for two weeks.  During those two weeks, I was a student, a mother, and a blogger.  What exactly does that mean?  Simply stated, I put this polish through more than any other wear test I have ever done.  It was doused with acetone (polish removals at school), scuffed by files (and other random, abrasive objects in my kit), subjected to frequent hand washing, slathered in oils and lotions, the works.  Want to see how it held up?
GelMoment 2 Week Wear Test

Sure, there are scuff marks and the shine is dulled a little.  That's to be expected with my routine.  No polish ever stands up to 180 and 240 grit files.  You can see that I had a good bit of tip wear, but again, no polish ever stands up to 180 and 240 grit files.  Not to mention this is a one step polish that is lacking that extra protective barrier of a top coat.  So, keeping the abuse in mind, I'm giving it two thumbs up for wear.  On the average user, I suspect it would be flawless after 2 weeks.

Let's talk removal.  I started by buffing to remove the shine...sort of.  I admit, I didn't do a very good job with the buffing.  Then I slipped my fingers into the GelMoment Remover packs.  These little things are awesome.  Simply genius, really.  They are individual, foil lined packets with pre-moistened pads inside.  They look a little like individually wrapped alcohol wipes, except they have a little tab on the outside that you remove to reveal a sticky strip.
GelMoment Remover

So removal is as easy as buff the polish, rip the top off of the remover packet, slip your finger inside with the nail against the pad, remove the tab to expose the strip, fold the sides so they stick to the strip, fold the top down, and wait.  Are these not the coolest?
GelMoment Remover

Now that I've geeked out over the remover packets, how does the polish soak off?  Well, it IS a one step gel polish, so soak off heavily depends on application.  That first coat needs to be thicker than you would apply with a traditional three step gel.  Even so, one steps soak off weird.  After 10 minutes, I removed the wrap and found the gel was soft but still intact.  Pretty standard for a one step.  I then used the thumb nail on my other hand to push the gel off of the nail.  Not scrape, push.  It kind of disintegrates and flakes off like chalk.  If you've ever worn a one step gel, you know what I mean.  I should probably add a slight disclaimer - I have some damage going on from being my own guinea pig at school, so there are spots where the gel bonded a little too strongly to my nails (the damaged spots).  After lightly buffing those, the removal was clean.
GelMoment Removal Results

In case you're wondering what I mean by disintegrates and flakes off like chalk, I took an in progress shot while pushing the gel off of my thumb.

Finally, let's talk about the GelMoment two finger LED lamp.  I'm actually pretty impressed with this little lamp.  It's powered by USB, which makes it very portable.  It also has an open design so it can easily be used for pedicures too.  It has a one minute timer (the amount of time needed to cure GelMoment Gel Polish) and shuts off automatically when it is finished.  I tested it with a few other brands and it appears to cure them without issue - as long as you adjust your times accordingly.  The only drawback that I found is the placement of the LEDs.  They are side by side for a two finger cure, which works great for some of my fingers but not so great for others.  My instinct was to cure my index and middle nails together, then my ring and pinky nails together.  Yeah, that didn't work so well.  My pinkies stop a full fingertip below my ring fingers, which puts them at an odd placement inside the lamp.  No worries, though.  I found that all I needed was a little creativity.  I ended up curing my middle and ring fingers together, my two index fingers together, and then my pinkies with the opposite thumbs.  Worked out great.  :)  Of course, I figured that out AFTER I took the photo below.  lol  It is my opinion that this would be a great little travel lamp or even just one to have on hand for simple repairs.
GelMoment LED Gel Lamp

So, there you have it.  I am in love with the remover packets, the lamp passes my inspection for a travel lamp, and the gel polish held up really well even under my abuse.  The only drawback is the bottle size (8 ml), but that may not be a drawback to those who are more rational than I am.  I mean, really, do I NEED a full size bottle for personal use to add to my 400+ full sized bottles that have only been worn once or twice each?  lol

If you would like more information on GelMoment products or the direct sales opportunities, check out Karma's GelMoment facebook page here.  You can also visit Karma's GelMoment website or shoot her an email at gelnailgirl@gmail.com and she'll be happy to help you!  Be sure to sign up for Karma's GelMoment email updates as well for special offers and announcements.

~Michelle

*The GelMoment products featured in this post were provided by Karma Kristufek, Founding Gel Manager for GelMoment, for my honest, unbiased review.  All links within this post are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com. 

14 comments:

  1. wow! very interesting review! Honestly I didnt expect much from this brand, but the opaqueness and formula sounds awesome. Glad the company made sure to put out a good quality gel. Can you add a brush shot to the post? You say one minute in their lamp?? How long in a regular lamp?? 30 sec??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I added a brush shot under the Flamingo Blossom swatch. I cured them for 1 minute in my Gelish 18G. When having to choose between a cure time for a lamp vs a polish, I usually go with the higher time and adjust accordingly. 1 minute seemed to do the trick without evidence of overcuring.

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  2. While I appreciate the ease of these all-in-one polishes, I really need the thickness and hardness of several layers of gel to keep me from breaking nails. I never- in 4 decades - was able to grow my nails past fingertips before I discovered gel polish last year. So, how does this compare as far as thickness and hardness to 3 step gel polish? Is the polish thick enough that 2 coats= 4 thin coats of traditional gel? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. They are on the thick side, but two coats isn't quite the same as the standard 4 coats with a traditional 3 step polish. The strength of any gel polish will vary based on how you apply your coats and which brands you normally use, but I think three coats would provide comparable strength.

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  3. I am new to this. Do you have to remove the polish after two weeks or could you simply touch up if using the same color and only completely remove the polish occasionally?

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    Replies
    1. it all depends on how well the polish is wearing. If it hasn't chipped, you could add a fresh coat after cleaning the nail really well to extend the wear. But I wouldn't do it more than once as the longer wear will make the product more difficult to remove. It will also become quite thick on the nail with extra coats.

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    2. it all depends on how well the polish is wearing. If it hasn't chipped, you could add a fresh coat after cleaning the nail really well to extend the wear. But I wouldn't do it more than once as the longer wear will make the product more difficult to remove. It will also become quite thick on the nail with extra coats.

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  4. Hi Michelle! I'm an independent consultant with Jamberry Nails. We've recently launched TruShine gel polishes to complement our nail wraps. Have you tried and reviewed them? If not, I'd LOVE to send you some to try, for your honest feedback!

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  5. I'd love to know how GelMoment compares to Jamberry Gel.

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  6. Hi there! Can a different LED lamp be used instead of the one from gelmoment? I have a red carpet manicure kit and was wondering if I could just use that lamp. And could I replace the remover pads with acetone, foil, and cotton balls? I'm just trying to figure out how to cut costs since I have already invested so much into the red carpet manicure gel kit. Thank you!

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  7. Absolutely. I used my larger lamp for the swatches and the GelMoment lamp for the review. The remover packs are cool, but acetone and foil will certainly work.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Absolutely. I used my larger lamp for the swatches and the GelMoment lamp for the review. The remover packs are cool, but acetone and foil will certainly work.

    ReplyDelete

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