Bundle Monster Moroccan Mystique Matte Gel Polish Collection

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Hello Loves!  I have the BMC Moroccan Mystique Gel Polish Collection to show you today.  This one has been out for a little while.  Yeah, I know...I'm way behind on my reviews.  Anyway, this is another unique collection from Bundle Monster.  Moroccan Mystique consists of 6 two-step gel polishes.  By two step, I mean they don't need a top coat.  Just a base gel and two-three coats of color.  They cure to a beautiful, satin matte finish!  Let's take a look at the colors first, and I'll follow up with my thoughts on application, wear and removal.

The first color is called Casablanca.  Casablanca is a soft, pistachio green with a beautiful matte finish.  Unfortunately, it just looks like a cream color on me.  I promise, the hints of green are there.  This is three thin coats.

 

Next up is Jardin Bleu.  This is a slightly teal leaning blue cream with a satin matte finish.  My photos might look a little blue depending on your monitor.  On my phone (Galaxy) they are dead on accurate.  On my laptop, the green tone is missing.  I swatched two coats here.

Spellbound is a gorgeous purple cream with a satin matte finish.  I love the shade of purple on this one.  Not too light, not too dark.  Not too bright, red or blue.  It's just...purple.  :)  This is two coats.  I want you to take note of the index nail in these swatches.  I'll explain why in a few minutes, but take a look now.  ;)

Arabesque Ceramic is a slightly pink toned red cream with that same satin matte finish.  It is opaque in two coats.

Tangier-ine is a classic orange cream.  Again, with the satin matte finish.  This is also two coats.

Finally, Saffron Gold is a gorgeous gold toned yellow.  This one is a little more transparent than the others.  I swatched three coats here.  Four might be opaque for someone with weaker VNL, but I'm not sure.  I kind of like the sheer matte look, though.  There are tons of nail art possibilities here.

Now that you've seen them, let's talk a minute about application.  First things first, these need a good shake every time you use them.  The pigment or additive that makes them matte will settle fast.  I had one on its side and it settled around the neck of the bottle.  Freaked me out for a second.  lol A good shake restores them without issue.  One they are mixed well (and you've applied and cured a base gel), apply one thin coat.  Now pay attention.  This is important.  Don't go back and stroke over the nail too much before you cure.  The pigment/additive that makes them matte also allows them to dry a little on their own.  If you stroke over them, you end up with the drag marks like I pointed out in the swatch of Spellbound.  Here, let me show you that picture again so you don't have to scroll back up.

Got it?  Ok.  So let's talk about curing.  I don't know how to say this gracefully, so let's just go with "Holy Heat Spike!!!!".  Yeah, so the heat spike with these is super intense.  If you use a stronger lamp like the Gelish 18G or Cuccio Max Pro 5, you're going to have a spike.  I'm not sure about weaker lamps, but I suspect by the intensity I felt that they will spike in weaker lamps as well.  But that's no biggie.  You just have to know how to deal with heat spikes.  :)

If you're using a polish that is prone to heat spikes, you have to start the chemical reaction slowly.  There are a few ways to do that.

1. Hold your hand just inside the glow from the lamp, but not inside the lamp.  Pass your nails in and out of the glow a few times.  This allows the reaction to start slowly.  You can then place your hand into the lamp and cure as usual.
2. Turn the lamp on with your hand inside for 1 second and turn it back off.  Wait a few seconds and repeat but leave it on for 2 seconds.  Repeat one more time for 3 seconds.  Then you should be able to cure the full time as usual.

Just remember, if you feel a heat spike, TAKE YOUR HAND OUT OF THE LAMP!  Sorry for screaming, but there is so much misinformation out there about heat spikes.  They can be caused by a number of things ranging from personal sensitivity levels to product formula.  But regardless of the cause, if you feel heat, removing your hand from the lamp and angling your nails away from the glow (so they are in shadow) will stop the spike and slow the reaction.  When you place your hand back in the lamp, the hot feeling should be gone.  If it does spike again, take your hand out of the lamp again.  Remember, all products are different!

Ok, so now that we've touched on heat spikes, let's go back to the gels themselves.  Before they cure, they all appear to have jelly finishes and will be less opaque.  Surprise!  Once they cure and the matte effect occurs, the opacity pops up.  :)  The color also changes due to the matte finish, so don't be surprised if the uncured gel in the bottle looks different than the color on your nails when you're finished.

So, how do they wear?  I found wear to be average.  Well, as average as it can be for me these days.  I destroy my gel polish while working on clients at the salon, so nothing still looks good after a week.  But based on that week, it held up as well as three step systems for me.

Finally, I have a nail art look to show you.  I decided to play with matte and glossy.  I needed a polish that doesn't need a top coat for the art so as not to wreck the matte finish.  Bundle Monster Speed Gel in Cocktail Dress was perfect!  So I added a few black french tips and random swirls with Cocktail dress.  I love how it turned out!  The glossy art makes the matte finish look almost velvety.  :)  Oh, the base is Arabesque Ceramic.  :)

If you want to give the Moroccan Mystique collection a try, you can order the individual colors or the full set on Bundle Monster's website here or on Amazon here. :)

~Michelle

*The Bundle Monster Gel Polishes featured in this post were provided by Bundle Monster for my honest review.  This post includes Amazon Affiliate Links.  Purchases through those links generate commissions that help fund this site.  All other links are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com
 

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Bundle Monster Triple: Jet Setter Matte Gel Polish, Shangri-La Stamping Plates and Mega Stamper Review (pic heavy)

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Hello Loves!  I have three Bundle Monster products to show you today:  The new Jet Setter Matte Gel Polish Collection, the new Mega Stamper, and the new Shangri-La Square Stamping Plate Collection.  Fair warning...this post is seriously picture heavy!  I guess I could have split it into two posts, but it all just seemed to fit together so well.  lol

Let's start with the Jet Setter Matte Gel Polish Collection.  I have to say that Bundle Monster is seriously killing it with these unique gel polish collections.  Jet Setter consists of three creams with velvet or matte finishes.  Unlike most gel polishes, these do require a base coat but do not require a top coat.  Ready to see them?

Weekends in Greece is a classic bright blue cream with a velvet finish.  I found this collection to be a little on the thicker side, but they need to be applied very thin.  When I say thin, I mean thin.  I swatched three super thin coats.  I could have gotten full coverage with two regular coats, but I found that when I tried that I got some serious heat spikes.  So three thin coats are better.  (Speaking of heat spikes, I want to talk about that too but I'll circle back to it.)  I really like the velvet effect of this collection!

Nights in Ibiza is a medium bright pink cream with a velvet finish.  Like Weekends in Greece, three super thin coats are best for full coverage.  I don't have a full report on wear yet, but so far these have held up nicely for 6 days and counting.

Finally, Brunch in Paris is a pastel purple cream with a velvet finish.  Again, three thin coats are best for full coverage.

Ok, let's talk about heat spikes for a second.  Heat spikes occasionally happen with gel and gel polish application.  There are several reasons you might feel a heat spike - higher viscosity gels, thick application, and/or damaged nail plates can be factors.  But what is a heat spike really?  It's simple.  When gels come in contact with UV light, they undergo a chemical reaction.  Heat is a bi-product of that reaction.  In most cases, you don't actually feel the heat or if you do it is not uncomfortable.  However, sometimes the reaction occurs rapidly and too much heat is produced, resulting in that burning sensation.  With that said, when you feel a heat spike or if you are working with a product that is known to heat up, there is a simple fix.  First things first, as soon as you feel the spike, REMOVE YOUR HAND FROM THE LAMP!  I apologize for screaming, but seriously, take your hand out and make sure your nails are completely away from the light.  Wait a few seconds and place your hand back into the lamp.  The heat should be gone.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say that you have to wait it out.  You do not have to wait it out and you should never suffer through a heat spike!  Ok, so if you know you are using a product that is prone to spikes, here's a simple fix.  Place your hand in the lamp and pull it right back out.  Wait a few seconds and repeat.  After three or four in and outs, you should be good to go for a full cure without pain.  :)  If you are using a CFL UV lamp, you can also avoid heat spikes by allowing your nails to rest in front of the lamp within the glow of the light for about 15 seconds before placing your hand in the lamp.

Moving on...Bundle Monster recently came out with their Mega Stamper.  My contact sent me one to play with, and I'm pleasantly surprised.  This thing is HUGE!  I'm talking about 4.5 cm in diameter huge.  For comparison, a standard XL Squishy Stamper is 2.5 cm in diameter and the top surface of the Chelle Lee Stamper (same size as the Creative Stamper) is 3.5 cm.  Here's a comparison shot.  (Clockwise from the top:  Chelle Lee Stamper, Bundle Monster Mega Stamper, XL Squishy Stamper)

The Mega Stamper comes with two stamping heads.  The white one that is pictured in this post is a medium/firm squishy and slightly sticky.  The red stamping head (not pictured) is slightly firmer than the white and is also slightly sticky.  Here's a shot that shows the amount of squish in the white stamping head.  It is a little firmer than I am used to working with, but I really like it! 

The Mega Stamper did need a little priming to get crisp images.  I primed mine by washing it with dish soap, then buffing it gently with a 240 grit file.  A quick swipe of alcohol cleaned it right up and it picks up great.  Just how great?  Well, I used it for all of the swatches of the Shangri-la Square Plate Collection below so you can see for yourself.  :)

Speaking of the Shangri-la Square Stamping Plates, let's talk about the set for a second.  The 10 plates in the collection each measure 2 inches by 2 inches and include buffet style images.  The designs range from fun geometrics to florals and swirls.  Details range from super fine to super chunky.  As with almost all of my Bundle Monster plates, they stamp beautifully!  Ready to take a look?

I didn't get a complete roll on the stamper with this one, but I was too lazy to redo it.  You can see from the other images that it is not the stamper's fault.  lol

BM-S105 has the most delicate images of the collection.  The fine lines and dots are seriously intricate!  I was surprised at how well they transferred here.

BM-S108 is the only plate that I felt didn't transfer as crisply as I like.  There are a few spots in the center of the image that just didn't come through completely.  I'll go back and play with it more and see if I can get them to pick up better by scraping in a different direction.

Now that you've seen the plates and my test stamps, how about a few manicures that pair the Mega Stamper with the Shangri-la Plates and the Jet Setter Matte Gel Polishes?

For the first mani, I used Weekends in Greece as my base.  I then stamped with the left hand center of the image from BM-S109 in Maybelline Bold Gold.  I top coated the stamping with the BMC Matte Top Gel to preserve the velvet look.  The matte top coat isn't quite as matte as the Jet Setter Gel Polishes, but I think it's close enough.  ;)  Finally, I added a few gold studs to tie it all together.

For my next mani, I started with a base of Brunch in Paris.  I then stamped with Mundo de Unas White using the top left portion of the image from BM-S104.  I finished with the BMC Matte Gel Top Coat again.  This one is so simple, but I love how it turned out!  

My final mani uses that super delicate image from the center of BM-S105 on the middle and ring fingers.  Just look at that detail!  Even the little dots transferred!  The stamping polish is Mundo de Unas black.  The dots on the other nails are also with MdU Black.  I finished this one with the regular BMC Gel Top Coat.  I couldn't resist seeing how these velvet polishes perform with a shine.  ;)

So, are you on total overload yet?  Velvet gels, ginormous stampers and buffet style plates all in one post!  Whew! Do you love them?  Do you need them?  If so, you can find them at the links below.  :)

• The Jet Setter Matte Gel Polish Collection is available as a set or individually on Bundle Monster's website here or on Amazon here.  
• The Mega Stamper set with two stamping heads and two card scrapers is available on Bundle Monster's website here or on Amazon here. 
• The Shangri-la Square Stamping Plates are available as a set on Bundle Monster's Website here or on Amazon here.

~Michelle

* The Bundle Monster Products featured in this post were provided by Bundle Monster for my honest review.  This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.  All other links are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com.  

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