Press Sample
Hello Loves! I have a different type of review for you today. As you know, I'm currently in Nail School and learning to work with acrylic. I may have mentioned that we use OPI Absolute at school. I may not have mentioned that I've been exploring other brands for when I graduate. Absolute is ok, but there are things about it that frustrate me - mainly the white. It is chalky, it gunks your brush and it turns your monomer cloudy. Revel Nail recently released their Acrylic System, so I requested a sample to try. I was a little surprised when I opened the box to see that Keeli sent me the full line!
Like the soak of gel polish line, when Revel Nail created their acrylic line, they aimed for high quality products at an affordable price. The line is quite robust with several different packages ranging from trials to full salon sizes. They have you covered in terms of products too:
Of course, I gave the system a try, and I'm pleased with it so far. The polymers are quite fine and the white is a breeze to work with. I sculpted a set of pink and whites and had no issues at all with the white gunking my brush or clouding my monomer. I found that it sets at a medium speed, which gave me ample time to work with the product without having to chase it around on my nails. This is HUGE for a student like me. I tried to get a picture of the French Pink Sculpting Powder for you, but it's so fine my camera didn't want to focus. I had to use an orangewood stick so the camera could focus on it. It feels very silky between my fingers - definitely finer than the Absolute I've been working with. I noticed right off that the finer powder leads to less buffing on the final nail.
Here's a shot of my sculpted pink and whites before I added the 3D rose. I used French White and Revel Blush. Revel Blush is the perfect shade for my skin tone! It provides moderate cover while still looking natural. I love that! About that ring finger nail...you see, what happened was...my form slipped. Yeah, I know...newbie problems. I had to fight with it to get it back into place, so the smile line is a bit off on that nail. Oops. But hey, a cute 3D rose took care of the smile line. ;)
Ok, so Clear is clear. French White is bright white. Revel Blush is a nude pink. What about French Pink? French Pink is a transparent pink. I did a few quick overlays (and I do mean quick - don't judge lol) on a mannequin hand to show you the difference between Revel Blush and French Pink. I would call Revel Blush more of a French Manicure shade and French Pink more of an American Manicure shade, but both are quite natural. The first finger shows you the full cover tip I used to prep the hand so you can see the base under the acrylic. The French Pink appears more pink over a natural nail bed.
The overlays on the mannequin hand above are sealed with the Acrylic Sealer. The Acrylic Sealer provides a nice shine if you aren't lazy like me and actually buff the finished nail smooth. The sculpted manicure on my hand is sealed with the Tack-Free Gel Topcoat. The Gel Topcoat is UV only, so no LED cure, but that's pretty standard with UV sealers. Want to see another shot of my sculpts?
Allow me to share a few thoughts on the Revel Cuticle Oils. They are very simple oils - the Tea Tree oil has only two ingredients: mineral oil and tea tree oil. Tea Tree Oil is known for it's healing and anti-microbial characteristics. The Freesia oil has three ingredients: mineral oil, freesia refracta extract (known as a skin conditioner) and color. The Freesia oil smells amazing!
Ok, I know what you're thinking. Mineral Oil? Yep. Mineral Oil. Now, I know mineral oil has a bad reputation. A quick google search will return some results that will make you wonder how the stuff is legal. Let's take a minute to address the truth about mineral oil. Cosmetic grade mineral oil is highly refined and safe to use on your skin. Does it moisturize? Nope. Not exactly. Mineral oil sits on top of the skin to form a protective barrier against moisture loss. When combined with moisturizing ingredients like tea tree oil or freesia refracta extract, the result is a longer acting moisturizer. If you need some heavy duty moisturizing, try layering one of these oils over a moisturizing cuticle treatment. Trust me, you'll be amazed. Most of the moisturizing treatments out there lack ingredients that provide that barrier to lock the moisture in, so combining the two really amps up the effects.
By the way, have you ever had a paraffin treatment in a salon? It's usually considered a luxury add-on service and is known for providing deep moisturizing to the hands or feet. I personally love it. What you might not know is that paraffin is another name for mineral oil. Look it up if you don't believe me. ;)
Yes, I know I got a little off topic there, so lets get back to the Revel Nail Acrylic System. So far, I'm very impressed. I'll have to report back on wear and durability. I soaked this set off after a week. I had no issues with lifting and it was holding up quite well. I simply needed to remove it to swatch. I'll do a clear set soon on my Cinderella hand so I can show you two week results. Fair warning, though...it won't be pretty. I'm far from ambidextrous. I can polish my right hand without issue after years of practice, but my acrylic skills are certainly not to that level yet. lol
Here's another shot of my sculpted pink and whites. Other than that ring finger, I think my sculpting skills are improving. :)
If you're in the market for a new acrylic system, I strongly encourage you to check out the Revel Nail Acrylics. They are high quality for a great price, and as any tech or tech in training knows, reducing expenses means more money in your pocket! I'm seriously hating working with my Absolute now, and that's the honest truth. I'm also super excited to see the Hard Gel line they have coming out in a few months. If it's anything like the acrylic, I'm going to fall in love! :) Check out the Revel Nail Acrylic line here.
~Michelle
*The Revel Nail Acrylic System featured in this post was provided by Revel Nail for my honest review. All links in this post are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com.
Hello Loves! I have a different type of review for you today. As you know, I'm currently in Nail School and learning to work with acrylic. I may have mentioned that we use OPI Absolute at school. I may not have mentioned that I've been exploring other brands for when I graduate. Absolute is ok, but there are things about it that frustrate me - mainly the white. It is chalky, it gunks your brush and it turns your monomer cloudy. Revel Nail recently released their Acrylic System, so I requested a sample to try. I was a little surprised when I opened the box to see that Keeli sent me the full line!
Like the soak of gel polish line, when Revel Nail created their acrylic line, they aimed for high quality products at an affordable price. The line is quite robust with several different packages ranging from trials to full salon sizes. They have you covered in terms of products too:
- 4 Sculpting Powder (polymer) options - Clear, French White, French Pink and Revel Blush
- Sculpting Monomer
- Antifungal Dehydrator
- Primer
- No Lines (to help eliminate fill lines)
- Acrylic Sealer (air dry)
- Tack-Free Gel Topcoat
- Cuticle Oil - Freesia or Tea Tree Oil
Of course, I gave the system a try, and I'm pleased with it so far. The polymers are quite fine and the white is a breeze to work with. I sculpted a set of pink and whites and had no issues at all with the white gunking my brush or clouding my monomer. I found that it sets at a medium speed, which gave me ample time to work with the product without having to chase it around on my nails. This is HUGE for a student like me. I tried to get a picture of the French Pink Sculpting Powder for you, but it's so fine my camera didn't want to focus. I had to use an orangewood stick so the camera could focus on it. It feels very silky between my fingers - definitely finer than the Absolute I've been working with. I noticed right off that the finer powder leads to less buffing on the final nail.
Here's a shot of my sculpted pink and whites before I added the 3D rose. I used French White and Revel Blush. Revel Blush is the perfect shade for my skin tone! It provides moderate cover while still looking natural. I love that! About that ring finger nail...you see, what happened was...my form slipped. Yeah, I know...newbie problems. I had to fight with it to get it back into place, so the smile line is a bit off on that nail. Oops. But hey, a cute 3D rose took care of the smile line. ;)
Ok, so Clear is clear. French White is bright white. Revel Blush is a nude pink. What about French Pink? French Pink is a transparent pink. I did a few quick overlays (and I do mean quick - don't judge lol) on a mannequin hand to show you the difference between Revel Blush and French Pink. I would call Revel Blush more of a French Manicure shade and French Pink more of an American Manicure shade, but both are quite natural. The first finger shows you the full cover tip I used to prep the hand so you can see the base under the acrylic. The French Pink appears more pink over a natural nail bed.
The overlays on the mannequin hand above are sealed with the Acrylic Sealer. The Acrylic Sealer provides a nice shine if you aren't lazy like me and actually buff the finished nail smooth. The sculpted manicure on my hand is sealed with the Tack-Free Gel Topcoat. The Gel Topcoat is UV only, so no LED cure, but that's pretty standard with UV sealers. Want to see another shot of my sculpts?
Allow me to share a few thoughts on the Revel Cuticle Oils. They are very simple oils - the Tea Tree oil has only two ingredients: mineral oil and tea tree oil. Tea Tree Oil is known for it's healing and anti-microbial characteristics. The Freesia oil has three ingredients: mineral oil, freesia refracta extract (known as a skin conditioner) and color. The Freesia oil smells amazing!
Ok, I know what you're thinking. Mineral Oil? Yep. Mineral Oil. Now, I know mineral oil has a bad reputation. A quick google search will return some results that will make you wonder how the stuff is legal. Let's take a minute to address the truth about mineral oil. Cosmetic grade mineral oil is highly refined and safe to use on your skin. Does it moisturize? Nope. Not exactly. Mineral oil sits on top of the skin to form a protective barrier against moisture loss. When combined with moisturizing ingredients like tea tree oil or freesia refracta extract, the result is a longer acting moisturizer. If you need some heavy duty moisturizing, try layering one of these oils over a moisturizing cuticle treatment. Trust me, you'll be amazed. Most of the moisturizing treatments out there lack ingredients that provide that barrier to lock the moisture in, so combining the two really amps up the effects.
By the way, have you ever had a paraffin treatment in a salon? It's usually considered a luxury add-on service and is known for providing deep moisturizing to the hands or feet. I personally love it. What you might not know is that paraffin is another name for mineral oil. Look it up if you don't believe me. ;)
Yes, I know I got a little off topic there, so lets get back to the Revel Nail Acrylic System. So far, I'm very impressed. I'll have to report back on wear and durability. I soaked this set off after a week. I had no issues with lifting and it was holding up quite well. I simply needed to remove it to swatch. I'll do a clear set soon on my Cinderella hand so I can show you two week results. Fair warning, though...it won't be pretty. I'm far from ambidextrous. I can polish my right hand without issue after years of practice, but my acrylic skills are certainly not to that level yet. lol
Here's another shot of my sculpted pink and whites. Other than that ring finger, I think my sculpting skills are improving. :)
If you're in the market for a new acrylic system, I strongly encourage you to check out the Revel Nail Acrylics. They are high quality for a great price, and as any tech or tech in training knows, reducing expenses means more money in your pocket! I'm seriously hating working with my Absolute now, and that's the honest truth. I'm also super excited to see the Hard Gel line they have coming out in a few months. If it's anything like the acrylic, I'm going to fall in love! :) Check out the Revel Nail Acrylic line here.
~Michelle
*The Revel Nail Acrylic System featured in this post was provided by Revel Nail for my honest review. All links in this post are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com.
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