The Nail School Chronicle: Week 8

Hello Loves!  Ready for another Nail School Chronicle update?  This past week was a short one thanks to MLK Day, but I have so much to share!  It turned out to be a very exciting week.  :)

Where do I even start?  Goodness.  Ok, so I had another test last week.  Aced it.  Perfect score.  It was the second hardest chapter in freshman theory.  Yeah, I know I should just let it go, but this makes me even more annoyed by the 95 on the easy chapter.  Grrr.

Oh yeah, and I'm officially a Senior now.  What does that mean?  I'm being booted out of the classroom and onto the floor where I'll work on clients.  I'm not going to lie, I'm both excited and scared to death.  I don't feel ready.  Don't get me wrong, I know the basic material backward and forward and I have no doubts about my abilities on mani/pedi or gel polish.  I'm even ok with acrylic at this point.  So why does it scare me?  Because I know I can handle my own nails but I'm not confident I can do as well on someone else's.  Oh well.  I guess we'll see how it goes.  I still have a lot more training to go and will have hands on training with my instructor as I tackle (lol) real clients.  :)

Speaking of acrylic, I have another update to show you.  Remember the post from Week 1 where I showed you my first blended tip with acrylic overlay?  This picture?

Well, here we are 8 weeks later and I have a comparison picture to show you.  I'd say I've improved.  Its hard to tell in this picture, but the tips are light blue acrylic.  I lost a little of the definition on the 3d flower when I top coated, so that needs a little work.  But what do you think?

Here they are side by side.  I would actually wear the newest set!  lol

Ok, so becoming a senior was only the beginning of my excitement for the week.  If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you might know what's coming next.  See, what happened was...

I was sitting there in class minding my own business when Mr. Wayne came around with a new student.  Usually he walks in and introduces the new student to the instructor.  This time, he walked in the door and said "And this is Michelle."  I looked up to find myself face to face with Nicole from Nail Polish Wars.  I instantly knew her.  Unlike me, Nicole isn't afraid to share a selfie now and then.  My jaw hit the table and I kind of sat there speechless.  I think she said something like "Manic Talons!  Nail Polish Wars!"  Of course I knew who she was and I certainly knew her blog, but my mouth wouldn't move.  I mean, total fan girl moment.  I'm not usually one to be star struck, but I was caught off guard.  Nail Polish Wars is one of the first nail blogs I started reading long before I started Manic Talons.  If you're not familiar with her blog, click that link above and check it out.  Her work is fantastic.  I knew she was local, but I never expected to run into her at Georgia Career Institute of all places!  What happened next was a mix of squeals, hugs and selfies.  lol  I'm super psyched that she's joining us.  I mean, I love my fellow classmates, but having someone in class who "gets" me as a blogger is going to be awesome.  Plus, she's super funny.  Oh, and this is why I don't do selfies.  I always end up looking a hot mess.  Would you believe I actually ran my hands through my hair before the picture?  I promise I didn't just climb out of bed and go straight to class.  lol

After she left, I marched over to Mr. Wayne's office and told him he is not allowed to do that to me.  He can't just walk in with a well known blogger like that with no warning!  He laughed and said "I didn't know!" so I had to school him.  Don't get me wrong, my little blog here has been successful but I'm always surprised to meet people who "know" me.  Still, I'm a small fish compared to Nicole.  Girl has mad skills and more than double the number of readers I have here.  I told Wayne I'll never win another mock nail art competition now that she's here.  lol  I know my art isn't too shabby, but she does all of her art with nail polish.  Nail polish!  I use gel polish and acrylic paints.  Those are soooo much easier to work with.  I'm always amazed by artists who use polish.

Moving on, I did something this week that I haven't done in over a year.  I sat down and did a mani on myself from start to finish without stopping to take photos of each step.  Crazy, right?  I actually wasn't planning to blog about this one at all, but I love how it turned out so much that I'm throwing it in here today.

So, what's going on in this one?  The base is Couture Little Black Dress.  I know I haven't blogged about Couture in a while.  Rest assured, I still love my Coutures.  I just have so much other stuff going on and Couture hasn't released new colors in a while.  Plus you can see my swatches of their entire line in the colors section of their website.  How much do I love my Coutures?  Well, this mani killed my second bottle of Little Black Dress.  I have a ton of other blacks to choose from, but LBD is still my favorite.  :)

The next layer is KBShimmer Rainbow Shield.  Rainbow Shield is on the of the LE Flakies that KBShimmer released on Etsy a few months back.  As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to have them and ordered them immediately.  The collection consists of 6 flakies and it looks like they are still available.  They never made it to the KBShimmer website due to limited quantities, but you can buy them here while they last.  Trust me, they are all amazing.  I'll do swatches as soon as I make it through all the other stuff on my calendar.

Here's a swatch of Rainbow Shield over Couture Little Black Dress.  I can't help but love it!

Funny thing about this mani.  I decided to sponge on the flakies for better coverage without the added bulk.  It was genius and I love the result.  Except for one little thing...I wasn't smart enough to put down a layer of glue around my nails before I started sponging.  Whoops.  Turns out flakies stick like super glue and will not come off of your skin.  I waited 24 hours and scrubbed with polish remover, a nail brush, sugar scrub, and washed my hair before taking these photos.  I still have flakies stuck to my cuticles.  I've decided to just give up on removing them.  Anyway, for a final touch, I added some freehand flowers and swooshes with Bundle Monster Photo Op from the Metallic Red Carpet Collection.  Here's a better shot of the final mani.  See all the light reflections around my nails?  Those are the flakies that wouldn't let go. lol

That wraps up this week's edition of The Nail School Chronicle.  Be sure to check back later in the week for more swatches and reviews.  I'm not sure what I'm going to show you yet, but I'm certain it will be fun.  :)

Oh yeah, I still haven't had a chance to update my Swatch Galleries.  I did update the Nail Art Gallery though.  Check it out to see all of my nail art creations in one place.  :)  I'll try my best to get to the Swatch Galleries this week!

~Michelle

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Swirly Sweethearts with Bundle Monster Berry Fizz

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Hello Loves!  It's been a crazy week!  I'll go into the details in the next Nail School Chronicle entry on Monday, but I have a quick little stamping mani for you today compliments of Bundle Monster.  I'm still struggling to break out of my usual nail art style, so I'll call this a gateway mani.  It's not floral (whoo hoo!), but it is swirly which is typical for me. Want to see it?  Of course you do.

You want details, right?  The base is the last thermal from the Bundle Monster Fruit Cocktails Collection.  Yep, I finally made it through them.  Considering how it long it has taken me, one might think it is a huge collection.  Nope, just three thermal gel polishes.  lol  This one is called Berry Fizz.  Berry Fizz is a pink to purple thermal base with a scattering of multi-sized silver glitter.  I remembered to take a swatch photo of the base this time.  Go me!

Not only did I remember the swatch photo, but I also remembered the photos of the phases.  I'm on a roll!  

Berry Fizz is slightly thick due to the glitter, but it applies nicely and I didn't have any trouble getting even glitter distribution and full coverage in just two coats.  What do you think of this one?  Are you a fan of pink and purple?  To be completely honest, it is a little too girly for me on its own, but a little stamping fixed it right up!  For this mani, I used image BM-612 from the Bundle Monster Create Your Own 2014 Collection.  I don't know about y'all, but I can't resist the Bundle Monster plate collections.  I have purchased them all so far!  The main nails are stamped with Mundo de Unas Black and the ring finger is Mundo de Unas Mexican Pink.  I adore the nails that are stamped in Black.  The pink one, meh.  I should have stuck with black.  lol

Here's another shot of the final mani.  What do you think?  Love it?  Hate it?

By the way, I'm sure most of you know this trick, but you can use school glue to help make stamping cleanup easier.  Brush the glue over the skin around your nails, let it dry, stamp, then peel off the glue.  It's fabulous and minimizes cleanup...if you do it right.  I did NOT do it right this time.  I completely forgot to moisturize before putting the glue around my nails and it wouldn't come off.  Oops.  It took me a good 10 minutes with a scrub brush to get the glue off of my skin.  Only I can mess up something as simple as peeling off glue.  Talent, I tell you.  Talent.  lol

If you would like to pick up a bottle of Berry Fizz of your very own, you can find it on Bundle Monster's Website here or on Amazon Here.  Oh, and in case you missed the other two gel polishes in the Fruit Cocktail collection, I swatched Raspberry Rush here and Mulberry Surprise here.  :)

~Michelle

*Berry Fizz was provided by Bundle Monster for my honest review.  All other products featured in this post were purchased by me.  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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Press Release: Le Mini Macaron Kickstarter

Press Release

Le Mini Macaron to Launch on Kickstarter January 9
Birmingham, AL and Shanghai, China

Beauty start-up Camelia Beauty announces the launch of a brand new nail product to debut this Friday, January 9 on Kickstarter.

Le Mini Macaron is an all-in-one gel manicure kit, inspired by the colorful French macaron. This adorable, affordable kit gives girls all the tools needed to create beautiful and shiny gel manicures by themselves at home.

Background
Gel manicures started to become popular 4-5 years ago as an alternative to regular nail polish manicures. Gel is famous for its brilliant shine and long-lasting, chip-free results. However, gel manicures are usually done at a salon by a professional nail technician, requiring an LED lamp to cure the gel dry. In addition, application tends to be time-consuming, with many steps and products involved, and costing on average of $30-50 each time.

“The invention of gel polish was a huge advancement in the nail industry. Girls could now have manicures that last 2-3 weeks without any chipping, and with an incredible shine that regular nail polish just couldn’t achieve,” says Christina Kao, Managing Partner at Camelia Beauty and one of the creators of Le Mini Macaron. “But while gel offers amazing benefits, it is also considered expensive. With the launch of Le Mini Macaron, we wanted to make gel available to all girls, so everyone could experience the fantastic results…without the heavy price tag.”

Le Mini Macaron was created for girls who like doing their own nails, and who appreciate an application process that is fast, easy and fuss-free! “I personally love beauty products that not only give great results, but also come in cute, colorful packaging! That’s what we have tried to do with Le Mini Macaron,” says Christina.

The Macaron Concept
Everyone loves macarons! From high-end French pâtisseries to retail fashion, beauty, and gift products, these colorful French pastries are a great inspiration. “We designed our product around the macaron because it’s such a simple concept, yet so fun, pretty, flirty and easily identifiable. With the colors and flavors, we have endless room to play and create new gel polish colors. The reaction we have gotten so far from consumers has been so exciting, and we really believe in the potential of this concept,” says Christina.

Inside Every Kit
The cute and compact kits come in different macaron-inspired colors (like Strawberry Pink and Lavender Purple) and include everything needed to DIY gel manicures at home:
* A one-finger LED lamp, designed like a French macaron
* A bottle of shiny gel polish, applies in only one step
* Power charger with a USB adapter
* Cuticle stick and nail file to aid in application
* 10 soak-off remover pads
* Detailed instructions for application and removal

Product Highlights: LED Lamp
* LED lamp cures in only 30 seconds. Small but powerful. (Compare to 60, 90, and 120 second lamps.)
* Sleek design with matte, soft touch surface.
* Small and portable – convenient to bring to school, office or home.
* LED lamp cures toenails too – just flip the magnetic top around!
* USB charger plugs straight into the laptop for added convenience.

Product Highlights: Gel Polish
* One-step gel. The 3-in-1 formula contains base coat, color, and top coat in one bottle for simplicity and convenience.
* The brilliant shine and lasting of gel polish without the hassle.
* Easy on, easy off. One-step gel is easier to remove than 3-step gel. Soaking with the remover pads for 10 minutes will allow the gel to lift off easily.
* Chip-free formula lasts for 7-10 days.

Why Kickstarter?
“We started our company Camelia Beauty two years ago, but both François and I had been in the business in other capacities prior to this,” says Christina. “We have all the creativity and resources for design and large-scale production, and we are passionate to get our product to market as fast as possible. But with large retailers and actually getting products onto store shelves, this takes months of planning and time. So we decided to put Le Mini Macaron onto Kickstarter so that we could launch now and put our products into the hands of our customers as fast as possible.”

The Kickstarter campaign will launch on January 9 and run for 30 days. “Our hope is to generate interest and contributions for Le Mini Macaron from our target customers…enough so we can do an initial production run to start. And in return we are offering different rewards, from single products to limited edition sets,” says Christina. “Kickstarter and crowd funding is a great way to test your product in front of the end consumer and either validate that your product has legs out in the real world…or gather targeted consumer feedback so as to revise and refine your product further.”

“We have a lot of belief in the potential of Le Mini Macaron and also the future of one-step gel in general,” says François, founder and GM of Camelia Beauty and one of the creators of Le Mini Macaron. “When we see how fast and easy it is to apply, along with the excellent results, we understand that one-step gel is going to revolutionize the way girls do their manicures. And we want to be at the forefront of this change.”

In future, Le Mini Macaron will be available online at a retail price of $30 via http://www.leminimacaron.com

Visit our Kickstarter Campaign Here.
~~~

Le Mini Macaron is a new beauty brand focused on nails and gel polish. It was founded by Christina Kao and Francois-Xavier Humbert and is one of the brands under Camelia Beauty, LLC. We have offices in Shanghai, China, Birmingham, AL in the U.S. and Lyon, France. Other brands under Camelia Beauty are Shine & Sheen (http://www.shineandsheen.com) and MyTrendyKit (http://www.mytrendykit.com).

For press inquiries or opportunities regarding retailer/distributor partnerships, please contact Christina Kao at christina.kao@cameliabeauty.com.

*This post is a Press Release from Le Mini Macaron.  All content within was provided by Le Mini Macaron.

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Fun with NFC Nail Light Stickers

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Hello Loves!  I recently joined an awesome professionals only nail tech group on facebook called Nail Tips for Nail Techs, and they were talking about these NFC Nail Lights.  Wait...what?  Lights for nails?  Yes please!  You know I had to order some.  After about 3 weeks of waiting, they arrived this past Friday.  Needless to say, I didn't waste any time ripping open that little envelope and putting them into and onto my nails.  I also quickly learned that it is insanely difficult to capture blinking lights with a camera.  I did manage to snag a few pictures, but a video shows them so much better.  So let's take a look at a quick video before I go into the details.

Ok, so what exactly are NFC Nail Lights?  They're these little (sorta) stickers that include a copper conductive coil that is attached to a tiny LED light.  They were originally developed in Japan and were seen first in Japanese nail art as many awesome nail techniques are.  They pick up Near Field Communication (NFC) signals from electronic devices that are equipped with NFC functions and use those signals to power the LED light (to put it simply).  For example, those quick pass scanners where you simply wave a card in front of them or some android phones have NFC capabilities.  My phone is a Galaxy S5, so I'm set.  :)  Depending on the NFC source, the lights might blink like they do with my phone or turn on and stay on as long as the NFC source is close.  Key card readers make the lights stay on.  And believe me, I wish I had one for taking photos, but the guy at the gas station was giving me funny looks when I kept putting my hand up to the reader, so I don't think he would have understood if I broke out my camera for a photo session.  lol

The little stickers/chips are on a larger piece of sticky backing and look like this when they arrive.

Once you trim away the excess sticky backing, you end up with a smaller but still kinda large, intelligent sticker.  This is the trimmed sticker compared to my index nail.  I wanted to give you the actual dimensions, but my kids ran off with my measuring tape and it is no where to be found.  lol  I ordered mine from Ebay and the listing doesn't give the size either.  (I should note that the listing I just linked is the exact listing I used to purchase my lights.  The lights I received don't look exactly like the ones in the listing, but they work and I'm very happy with the purchase.  Shipping was fast considering it came from overseas too.)  So here's that photo.  The small yellow rectangle is the actual light.  The rest makes it work.  They are approximately 0.5mm thick.  Oh, and the film on the top is removed before encasing the light.  I didn't remove this one yet since I'm not ready to use it.

I ordered 10 of the lights to start with and wish I had ordered more.  I destroyed three of them trying to find the best way to apply them.  lol  But after a few tries, I learned a few tricks.  First, they can be embedded under clear acrylic or hard gel.  Since I'm still wearing enhancements on my left hand, I decided to embed them under my hard gel.  In this case, I used two stickers on one nail and overlapped them slightly.  However, I don't recommend this.  The resulting nail is a bit too thick for my liking in order to conceal the overlap of the stickers.  Let's take a look at the mani, shall we?

Ok, so here's what I have going on in this one.  I started with sculpted nails using Akzentz UV/LED Proformance hard gel.  Love this stuff!  On the accent nail with the lights, I started with a thin sculpt, added the stickers, then built the apex and bulk of the nail over them.  The stickers are staggered and overlapping.  I wish I had thought to get a picture before I added the color.  The base for the french is Pink Gellac Pearl No Wipe Top coat.  The french and base color for the accent nail is Madam Glam Glittery Berry.  The black details are Akzentz Gel Play in black.  I adore this funky french design.  Can you believe this is my first ever true funky french?  Insane!  As you can see in the photo above, the accent nail is pretty thick.  You might also notice the domes over the lights.  I'll explain that in a moment.  First, let's take a look at a tip view of that accent nail to show you exactly how thick it is.

Pretty thick, right.  There's no way I could pick up a quarter from a flat surface with that nail!  If I had only used one light, I could have achieved a much more natural thickness, I think.  The good news is that these lights also work well with SOG.  My Cinderella hand (right hand) is 100% soak off gel with one light embedded in the gel on my ring finger.  Wanna see it?  It looks sooo much more natural.  And look, proof that I actually do wear matching manicures on both hands from time to time.  ;)

Here's a side view of Cinderella.  One light and SOG is definitely the way to go if you're not wearing enhancements or can't stand the bulk.  The nail is still a little thicker than your average SOG, but tolerable, I think.

So how do you apply them with SOG?  It's pretty easy.  Trim the sticker down, but make sure you don't cut into the copper coil.  Apply your base gel and remove the tacky layer.  Stick the sticker on the nail and press firmly to be sure it adheres without gaps or bubbles.  At this point, I applied a small bit of Gelish Structure Gel around the sticker to hide the edges.  If you don't have Structure, you can use a thicker top coat or even your color gel polish and get the same result, though it might take a few layers.  Once the gel is built up around the sticker and appears smooth, apply your color over the nail including the sticker but not over the light portion.  I actually applied the color over the whole nail and then carved out the area over the light.  Cure the first layer, then repeat with a second layer.  At this point, you can add your art and finish with top coat over the entire nail.  Or...

About those domes I mentioned earlier...It occurred to me when I was playing with my stickers that the lights don't seem as bright as they do in photos and videos I saw online.  Then I realized the photos and videos all showed the lights under cabochons.  It was a duh moment.  Putting them under a dome will magnify the light!  So I added a few self-made cabochons over the lights.  It made a huge difference.  Of course, I didn't think to snap before and after photos, so let me show you on a separate sticker.  Check out Kim's tutorial on Ten Little Canvases to learn how to make the cabochon.  Remember to skip the first part of the tutorial since you want it to be completely clear over the light.  ;)

I made a quick cabochon with Akzentz hard gel for this, but Gelish Structure definitely works.  If you're quick enough, you can also make them with SOG top coat and a dotting tool but it takes a few  layers to build them up.  Here's the cabochon I'm using in the next photos.

This is a picture of the light without the cabochon.  Remember, this still has the protective film over the light, so it is actually a little brighter when the film is removed.

And here's the same light with the cabochon over it.  Huge difference, right?

I added small, 1.5 mm cabochons over the lights in my mani.  Next time I'll plan for much larger ones, but this was the best I could do as an afterthought without messing up the design.  The result is a much rounder and brighter light.  :)  Here's another shot of my nail with the light activated.  I had to take it dark and brighten it up in photoshop a bit, which is why it is a bit noisy.  Oh, and I removed the cover from my phone to see if it made a difference.  It doesn't.

What do you think?  These little NFC lights are pretty awesome, right?  They are, but there are some negatives too.  First, they only work when I'm touching the NFC area on my phone, which is about the size of a US half dollar on the back side of my phone.  Since I'm constantly texting or checking facebook, that section of my phone sees a lot of action.  Which means my lights also see a lot of action.  But I don't see the lights.  They're on the wrong side of the screen.  lol  The other down side is that the NFC function on my phone drains my battery really fast.  Another downer is that they are single use only.  Finally, they are NOT compatible with Iphone.  Iphone 6 has NFC capabilities built in, but Apple has it locked for the time being.

The NFC lights are still fun as a novelty thing, though.  You'll see them on this blog again for sure.  Actually, I ordered another 40 from Aliexpress this past weekend.  This time, I ordered different colors.  They're also coming from China, so it will be a while before I get them.  I'm hoping to have them before Valentine's Day, but I'm not going to hold my breath.  lol

~Michelle

*Note:  This posts uses Ebay and Amazon affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.  Several of the products used in this post were press samples that have been reviewed previously.  Those items link to the previous review posts.  All other items were purchased by me.

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The Nail School Chronicle: Week 7

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Hello Loves.  It's that time again:  Another edition of The Nail School Chronicle.  I don't know that I've mentioned it before, but if you missed pass editions, I have them all listed under the "Nail School Chronicle" link on my top menu bar.

Anyway, yet again, I didn't get to attend a full week of class.  I'm getting so irritated!  I set my goals to get in there, knock this out in the allotted 6 months, and move on with my new career.  As it stands right now, I'm almost 2 weeks behind on hours and asking myself if my children will ever stay well.  I know, I know...it's cold and flu season and I have young kids.  Par for the course, right?  It still feels like the Devil is riding my back.  They say that any time you try to make a positive change in your life, the Devil will try to knock you down.  He's definitely trying.  Thankfully, I'm 1000 times more stubborn than he is.  But I have to admit it is weighing on me pretty hard right now.  I'm also falling behind on blogging.  I have close to a hundred photos I need to pin to my Pinterest boards and my swatch galleries are all behind too.  I promise, I'll work on getting those updated this week.

Ok, so my little has bronchitis.  Both do, actually, but the little one has it the worst.  They've been home all week coughing and carrying on.  Since I'm the one without a steady income right now, sick kids usually fall under my responsibilities.  But, I do have an awesome husband who knows how much this means to me, so he stayed home with the kids Monday so I wouldn't miss Theory and again Tuesday so I could participate in the mock nail art competition.  That means I actually have something to show you this week.  Yea!

First things first, I used my Nail Trainer style hand this week.  Whoa.  This thing is awesome.  I can't get over how much it resembles a real hand.  The joints allow movements that the silicone hand just can't replicate.  Working with it was a dream!  But...everything has a negative.  The nail plates on this thing are HUGE.  If I have to do nails on a giant, I'm all set.  lol  Want to see what I managed to do on the hand?  There's a learning curve, so I definitely lost a little speed while adjusting.  The index, Middle and Pinkie nails are sculpted acrylic.  The ring nail is just a nail trainer nail with glitter and a stamp.  I was showing a classmate how to work with loose glitter without it going everywhere.

Moving on...Tuesday was the Mock Nail Art Competition.  It started at 12:30, so we were told to practice our nail art for the morning session.  At this point, we still had no clue what the challenge would include, so it was a little pointless.  The instructions were to get in the nail art frame of mind.  I'm ALWAYS in the nail art frame of mind.  lol  The good news is she allowed me to bring my own stuff, so I had plenty of fun things to play with.  The down side is I almost broke my back trying to lug it all into the school.  I mean, how do you even begin to prepare for a competition when you know nothing about the perimeters?  Easy, you bring everything but the kitchen sink.  I packed my toolbox with my Gelish 18G lamp (the Mack Daddy of all LED gel lamps, in my opinion), gel polishes from Akzentz, Bundle Monster, IBD, Madam Glam, Revel Nail and Couture, studs, crystals, about 30 different ArstyFartsy Crafts glitters, half of my stamping plates, my Mundo de Unas stamping polish, and a bunch of odds and ends that *might* come in handy.  I played with some of it during the first part of class.  Allow me to break out a few of the nails above with the details of what I used.

First up, the Index nail.  This one is sculpted acrylic with BMC The New LBD from the Red Carpet Metallic Collection as the base color.  I then added Madam Glam Dream Diamond on one side and freehanded a few flower petals with Akzentz Gel Play in White.  I didn't finish the acrylic on this one completely so that I could see how many flaws the gel polish would cover.  As you can see by the dip half way down the nail, it wasn't as forgiving as I had hoped.  Lesson learned.  :)

The middle nail is my favorite.  I started with a pink and white acrylic sculpt using OPI Absolute in Makeover Pink and Perfect White.  I then polished the tip with Madam Glam Glittery Berry and added a black accent line with Akzentz Gel Play in Black.  Finally, a few meticulously placed swirls with Gel Play Black form a sweet heart shape on the tip.  I filed the surface of this nail a bit more than the first but still left it a little lumpy.  The gel polish hid the majority of the lumps this time.  Whoo Hoo!  lol

The pinky nail is another pink and white acrylic sculpt with OPI Absolute in Makeover Pink and Perfect White.  I polished the tip with RevelNail Supernova and then scrubbed a white holographic additive called Freezure over Supernova.  Freezure is a custom creation from a lovely friend.  (Thanks, Angela!).  I finished with an angular smile line of Akzentz Gel Play White and some SS5 crystals.

Ready to hear more about the competition?  At 12:30, we were told to set up and were given a bag full of "stuff".  Inside the bag of goodies, there was also a folded sheet of paper with the name and short bio of an iconic actress.  We had to use at least a few things out of the bag to create a manicure inspired by the actress.  We had 10 minutes to review the contents of the bag before starting the prep phase on our model.

I know you're dying to know what was in the bag.  I was so rushed that I didn't think to snap a picture, but I can list it for you.  The bag contained:

• three samples of colored acrylic powders (not sure of the brand)
• a DL Professional 180/400 grit file
• 5 OPI forms for sculpting
• a CinaPro Dazzle Shapes mini kit
• two feathers
• Nubar Nail Art Striper in Silver Green
• the slip of paper with my assigned actress

No biggie...I can work with that.  Or so I thought.  Then I opened my slip of paper and realized this would be harder than I thought!  My actress was Natalie Wood.  I confess, I had no clue who she was.  Go ahead, shame me for that.  Other contestants got names like Tina Turner and Audrey Hepburn.  I soooo could have worked with those.  But I got Natalie Wood and spent the majority of my 10 minutes on Google trying to find inspiration.  I settled on her role in Gypsy as a "high class stripper" (according to Google, so take that description with a grain of salt...but I had to go with it).  I can work with stripper.  Or so I thought.  (Are you picking up on the trend yet?)

Moving on...after the 10 minutes for brain storming, we were given 10 minutes for prep.  Now, this was a one hand competition, so there wasn't much prep to do.  Especially since I had just removed the old acrylic from my model's hand and prepped while I was at it.  I had an idea in my head, supplies out, and was ready to start in 4 minutes.  Or so I thought...

After the 10 minute prep, we were given 25 minutes to complete a half set of nails with nail art.  We were given the choice between tips with overlay or sculpts.  The assignment was actually tips, but I much prefer the "more difficult" method of sculpting.  I don't know, it's just easier for me.  So off I go, slapping clear acrylic on forms and praying I don't run out of time.  By the way, my model has the tiniest nails ever.  It was a huge difference between her nails and my giant nail trainer hand that I worked with all morning.  I usually do a three ball method, but I was rocking along on her baby nails with two balls. 

The design in my head was epic.  I had planned to do a shimmery nude base, feather inlay on one nail, glitter fade on the others, a few of these chunky glitters from the bag and of course crystals.  You know my typical work, so you can imagine how epic it would have been.  A show stopper for sure.  These are those glitters.

Yeah, no.  It didn't happen.  At 20 minutes, I had just finished a rough shaping of the acrylic.  And when I say rough, I mean rough.  I'm actually embarrassed to show you the final design.  There's no way that my beloved gel polish could cover some of the dips and chunks in the nails.  I know I'm a perfectionist, but these are bad.  Really bad.  I mean, give me a break, right?  I've only been at this for 7 weeks and I've missed two weeks worth of class if you add it all up.  5 weeks is not long enough to perfect acrylic application to the point of applying it in 10 minutes (leaving 15 for art). 

So I'm sitting there doing the math in my head.  If I just polished the nails and didn't do any art at all, I'm looking at a minimum of three coats and 2 minutes under the lamp (1 1/2 if I used regular gel polish top coat instead of no wipe).  I can't do three coats of polish in 3 minutes.  And I certainly can't do a feather inlay in that amount of time.  Yikes!  Even the quick dry challenge on Nail It was longer than this and they didn't have to apply the nails!  Time to rethink that design.  What could I pull off in 3 minutes?  Nada.  At the 25 minute mark, none of us had made it much past the basic acrylic application.  Whew.  She added 10 more minutes to the clock.

Ok, so new plan.  A 2 coat base of my new love Madam Glam Glittery Bronze.  Nude shimmer.  Check.  I then scrubbed some Freezure into the tacky layer for a little more glitz.  Glitzy nude.  Check.  I still had some major dips to deal with, but most of it smoothed out ok.  Crap...I still need actual art and to use SOMETHING from that bag of goodies.  So I grab a few stars from the CinaPro kit and start throwing them into the top coat before I cured it.  Needed something more.  Crystals.  Ok, that works.  I'm hearing the tic tock in my head at this point.  I now know how the main character in Edgar Allen Poe's the Tell-Tale Heart felt.  Ding.  Timer goes off as she has 25 seconds left on the final cure.  Done.  Not pleased, but done.

And this is where I scream "well crap" in my head.  Or maybe I said it out loud.  I'm not really sure.  Three of the 5 competitors were no where near done.  She added 10 more minutes to the clock.  Seriously?  There was absolutely nothing else I could do to these nails.  So I hung my head and called accepted defeat.  Ready to see my 35 minute entry into the competition that would be judged by the students in the other departments?  Yikes!

Sigh.  Ok, so only one of my competitors was also finished at the 35 minute mark.  She too decided to sculpt instead of using tips.  Maybe there's something to this sculpting thing.  So we sat there waiting for the next bell to ding.  At 45 minutes, several of the competitors were still working on their designs.  And I'm cursing under my breath.  Seriously, had I known I would get even more time, I would have done something more like my original plan.  How do you compete with artists who took more time than you did?  Not going to lie, I was feeling pretty irritated at that point.  So much so that I forgot to take pictures of the other entries.  Definitely kicking myself for that.

When it was all said and done and the judging was finished, this was the result.

Yep, my hot mess entry won first place.  Y'all, I'm still shaking my head just looking at the pictures.  I'm not going to lie - I almost didn't share them with you.  If this was something I put together on my own hand, it would NEVER make it onto this blog.  I'm just not proud of it at all.  Now, I'm not saying that to imply that the other competitors submitted worse designs.  Quite the opposite.  There were some very lovely entries.  Why did mine win?  There is a very simple answer for that.  I took the judges into consideration - fellow students.  I went with a design that is wearable.  My classmates went with truer competition style designs.  Protruding features, 3D designs, that sort of thing.  With real judges from the industry, I would have lost for sure.  But students tend to judge based on what they would wear themselves.  So I won.  I should also mention that even those who took more time felt rushed and were not happy with their final entries.  I guess none of us were quite ready for competition style stress.

What did I win?  "Bragging rights" and that blue ribbon.  Nah, no bragging here.  I'll file this one away so I don't have to look at it again.  But hey, my model Darlene liked them so much she had me do the other hand to match.  So at least there was one positive.  Don't get me wrong, I love the colors.  The stars and crystals placement is meh.  It just looks extremely sloppy to me.  No worries, though.  I'll be ready for the next one.  ;)

Funny story about that ribbon, though.  My oldest little asked if it was mine.  When I told him yes, he asked if I got it for being good and cleaning up at school.  Awwww.  He's so freaking sweet.  To be so young and innocent again...

That's all for today.  Be sure to check back Wed to see the totally awesome, rocking mani I'm sporting at the moment.  I teased it on instagram Friday evening.  My nails have lights in them!  lol

~Michelle

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate Links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.  Several of the items used in this post were provided by companies for my review.  Those items link back to the original post where full disclosure is provided.

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New Gel Polish Shades from Madam Glam

Press Sample

Hello Loves!  Madam Glam has added a large number of new colors to their Soak Off Gel Polish line.  I have 6 of them to show you today, and they are gorgeous!  The more I work with these gel polishes, the more impressed I become.  Seriously, I couldn't ask for better application and coverage.  In case you missed my first review including wear tests and removal results, be sure to check it out here.

I really wish I could show you all of the new colors, or see them for myself even.  If they are anything like these, they are certainly fab!  Ready to see the swatches?

First up is a dark little number called Precious (#289).  Precious is a super rich, brownish black base that is loaded with multicolor shimmer.  I did my best to capture it, but my pictures don't really do her justice.  This one has amazing depth in person.  You really have to see it for yourself.  Application was a dream and she is opaque in two easy coats.

Next up is Golden Red (#026).  I'm not going to lie...the name is misleading on this one.  Golden Red is actually a deep berry toned base that is loaded with a slightly golden, multi-color shimmer.  I was expecting another ho-hum golden red based on the name, so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived and I saw that this little beauty is anything but your common gel shade!  She also applies beautifully and is opaque in two coats.

Glittery Emerald (#164) is exactly what you might expect from the name.  This gel polish is made up of a deep emerald base that is loaded with green micro glitter.  I'm known for loving my blues, but greens hold a close second in my heart.  Like the two before it, she is also a perfect two coater.  I should note that my camera refused to capture the green glitter just right.  It is notably more green and less teal in real life.

Would you be surprised if I told you I am in love with Dream Diamond (#128)?  I mean she IS blue!  Dream Diamond is a sweet, periwinkle leaning blue jelly base that is loaded with shimmer and multiple sizes of glitter.  When I say loaded, I mean it.  I didn't have to fish for glitter or fight to get enough glitter on the nail.  She did take three coats for full opacity, but she's a stunner!

Glittery Berry (#006) is what I consider a medium to hot pink base that is packed with micro glitter.  I can't even think of the words to describe the depth created by this combo, so I'll just show you the photos and let you judge for yourself.  She applies beautifully and is opaque in two coats.

Finally, this is the polish that absolutely blew my mind.  This is Glittery Bronze (#241).  When Elsa asked me to pick the colors I would like to swatch, this one didn't even make my list.  Bronze isn't a color I usually gravitate toward.  Elsa included it as a surprise, and I was certainly surprised.  I can't even begin to describe the amazing shimmer in this bronze/nude base.  It is the same shimmer you will find in Precious, but the combination is amazing.  It sparks green, blue, pink, silver...and of course my camera refused to capture any of the colors.  This one ended up being my favorite of the 6 and I wouldn't have even given her a chance if left to my own devices.  I actually used Glittery Bronze in the nail art competition at school on Tuesday!  (Pics from the competition will be in the Nail School Chronicle on Monday.)  Glittery Bronze is also opaque in two coats. 

I love Glittery Bronze so much that I just had to pair it with Golden Red for a little nail art.  Added bonus:  Pairing it with Golden Red brought out the color of the shimmer in the pictures.  Whoo Hoo!  Look at all those colors! 

This is so not a "me" manicure, but I absolutely love it. Funny how something so out of the ordinary can blow you away when you actually wear it. I really didn't want to take this one off. I also learned with this one that I am not capable of repeating a pattern. I was trying for an almost braided look, but I kept forgetting which side should be longer and which side should be shorter in the design. lol Oh well, I love how it turned out anyway.

What do you think of this small sampling of the new Madam Glam Soak Off Gel colors?  Are you as blown away by them as I am?

Be sure to swing by the Soak Off Gel page on Madam Glam's website to see the other new shades.  Oh, and don't forget the discount codes!  Madam Glam is currently having a winter sale where you can get 10% off the purchase of one shade with code 10OFF, 25% off the purchase of two gels with code 25OFF, or 40% off the purchase of three or more shades with code 40OFF.  Plus orders over $40 after discounts qualify for free shipping.  :)

~Michelle

*The polishes featured in this post were provided by Madam Glam for my honest review.  

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