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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KBShimmer Birthstone Collection - Swatches and Review (Partial)

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Hello Loves!  Today I have six of the KBShimmer Birthstone Collection polishes to show you.  This collection released January 1st.  I'm a bit behind on showing them, but I promise they are sooooo worth seeing!  The collection consists of 12 gorgeous, full cover flakie packed polishes with scattered holographic effects.

To be completely honest right off the bat, I love and hate this collection.  I love it because it is incredible and applies beautifully (at least the 6 I have to show you do...I can't say for the rest).  I hate it because I didn't have the extra cash to pick up the other 6 and I NEED them.  NEED!!!  Read that in the whiniest voice you can imagine.  That's how bad I NEED them!  lol  Even more, I NEED them in Gel Polish, but that will never happen unless I can somehow convince Christy to launch a gel polish line.  (Hint Hint lol)  Oh, and they were a pain in the butt to photograph.  I did my best and they look beautiful in my pics, but seriously, the pics do not do them justice.

There is a method to my choices.  I picked Diamond because the Two Foot Terrorist was born in April.  I picked Black Pearl because The Young Prince was born in June.  Sapphire because my husband was born in September.  And Ruby because I'm a July baby.  Garnet for my Anniversary Month and Aquamarine because I ran out of important months and just thought it was pretty.  lol

Let's look at Diamond first.  This one is probably the least unique of the 6 for me.  There are a lot of silver glitter polishes out there with holographic sparkle.  However, I don't have any quite like this one.  It applies beautifully and is opaque in two coats.  The sparkle is over the top and the flakes are fine so that I didn't have to fight with it at all.  Perfection in a bottle, I tell you!  Though the color isn't that unique, it has quickly become my all time favorite silver polish.

Aquamarine is very similar to Diamond but has a slightly aqua tint.  Application and sparkle are the same.

Since Diamond and Aquamarine look very similar, I decided to include a swatch stick picture that shows them side by side.  I took this in an attempt to capture the scattered holo a little better in all of the polishes.  That was a fail, but it makes a great comparison picture.  ;)  You can see the aqua tint better when Aquamarine is between Diamond and Black Pearl.  Both rows of swatches are the same...just slightly different angles.

Moving on, Christy shared that Black Pearl has been the least popular color from the collection so far.  That little fact honestly blows my mind!  I've worn it three times already and I don't even wear polish since I wreck it working on clients.  Black is such a hard color to make unique.  Sure, you have blue toned blacks and red toned blacks, but black glitters usually fall kind of flat.  This one has awesome depth and sparkle!  Oh yeah, and that perfect two coat coverage.  Sadly, I completely failed to capture the scattered holo effect on this one.  The silver flakies took over a bit.  You can see it a tiny bit on my middle finger in the second photo.

Next up is Sapphire.  Words cannot even begin to describe this polish.  Perfection.  Sapphire Blue perfection.  Of course, y'all know how crazy I am about blues...but seriously, just look at it!  Two coat coverage and more sparkle than you can shake a stick at!

Garnet is a dark maroon that is just as amazing at Sapphire.  The darker shade really lets the holographic shimmer pop.  Oh yeah, and it's another two coater.  I currently have this one on my toes and it makes me wish I had a few extra toes.  Ok, not really...but you get my point.  lol

Finally, Ruby is your standard ruby shade - red that leans a little to the pink side.  I don't think Christy could have nailed this shade any closer than she did!  Trust me, as a July baby, I have had a lot of rubies in my life.  Both natural and lab created (aka flawless...just not "real").  This color is DEAD ON for a flawless ruby.  And yes, two coats again.  The color is a little blown out in the first picture due to the silver shimmer, but it is accurate in the second and third pictures.  :)

All of the swatches shown here have KBShimmer Clearly On Top over the colors.  I can't remember if I've talked about Clearly On Top here before, but it is my current favorite fast dry top coat.  I've tried several and Clearly On Top has yet to let me down.  It doesn't go goopy as fast as Seche Vite and keeps colors true unlike my old favorite Out The Door.  Its especially perfect for winter pedicures so my clients don't have to walk out the door in flip flops, but I love it most for princess manicures.  Little girls do NOT sit still long enough for polish to dry and Clearly On Top dries so fast that they at least have a fighting chance of making it out of the building with pretty nails.  Oh, and it doesn't smear my art either.  Whoo Hoo!

In case you're wondering about removal, I did find that the polishes in this collection are a tiny bit harder to remove than a shimmer or cream, but not as difficult as glitter polishes.  I saturate a cotton ball in acetone and let it sit on the nail for about 20 seconds before wiping.  It takes about 3 cotton balls per hand and I have plenty of sparkle left over on my skin to wash off, but it isn't too bad.  Not like those glitter polishes that require a jackhammer to remove! 

So there you have them - six of the twelve amazing polishes in the KBShimmer Birthstone Collection.  Rest assured, I WILL have them all at some point.  After all, I NEED them (whiny voice again lol).  If you need them too, you can pick up your own bottles on Amazon here or by clicking on the names throughout this post or on KBShimmer's website here.

~Michelle

*The polishes featured in this post were provided by KBShimmer Bath and Body 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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Madam Glam One Step Gel Polish - Swatches and Review

Press Sample

Hello Loves!  I'm back with a new review.  Whoo Hoo!  I know I've been MIA for about a month.  Sorry about that.  Check my last post for the quick and dirty on why I've been gone.  ;)

So, Madam Glam released a new line of One Step Gel Polishes not too long ago.  I had the chance to swatch them all and put them through a mini wear test.  The One Step gels come in smaller, 10 ml bottles compared to the regular Madam Glam gel polishes and their 15 ml bottles.  Want to see them?  Let's start with the swatches.  I'll comment on application throughout and finish on wear and removal.

First up is your basic black called Black is the One.  Application was quite nice and I found it offers full coverage in two easy coats.  I love that this is a true black and doesn't lean red or blue.  Whoo Hoo!

This next color is a funny and flirty raspberry called Glitter Lady.  Application was similar to the black above, though it did shrink a little on the first coat.  I was too lazy to flash cure, but the second coat stayed where I put it.  ;)

Hubby's Favorite is a soft, peachy pink cream.  This one is not MY Hubby's favorite.  He prefers blues.  I love the application and coverage, though.  It went on smooth, no streaky layers that are common with lighter shades, and full coverage in two coats.  The shine is nice too.

Pastel Lilac is a very soft purple cream.  Again, application was great with two coat coverage.  I did have to shoot this one a little dark to get the color right - my camera kept wanting to blow it out and make it look lighter than it is.  

Pink & Holo is a really fun polish.  This pink base is packed with silver and silver holographic shimmer.  Unfortunately, my camera refused to pick up the scattered holo effect.  Imagine if you put a very thin coat of fairy dust over what you see in the photo.  That's what you would see in person. 

Rise & Sky is a really pretty, light blue jelly base with silver shimmer.  I love the idea of this one, but it definitely needs undies.  As you can see, it is still a bit sheer after two coats.

Reddy or Not is a gorgeous dark blood red cream.  Application was a little trickier with this one.  I found it wanted to apply thinner in some spots (as you can see in the middle of my index nail).  But two coats provides beautiful coverage.

Perfect Plum is my favorite of the darks.  This deep, plum toned purple applies beautifully and covers in two coats.  I love the almost black but still definitively purple color.

Moving on to a really fun polish, Blue Fiesta is a frosty, metallic-ish (yes, I made up a word) blue that leans a little purple in some light.  But the "fiesta" is made up of a scattering of multi colored glitter.  Application is flawless and it covers in two coats.

Here's a closeup that shows the glitter better.  I see blue, green, teal, pink, orange...and a few others.  Like party confetti.  :)

Believe it or not, I saved my absolute favorite for last.  I usually hate polishes that show the natural nail line, but Baby Girl is the perfect mix of pinky nude sheer coverage.  It provides a very soft, natural look.  This is two coats.

I love Baby Girl so much that I decided to use it as a base for some freehand sugar designs.  I attempted to do a sweater pattern, but I'm not sure I hit my mark.  To create this look, I applied and cured two coats of Baby Girl.  Then I used a dotting tool to draw the designs with Baby Girl and sprinkled white acrylic polymer over the design before curing.  One Step Gels are the best for this type of art!  They lock in the powder beautifully since they don't have a tacky layer to deal with.

Here's another look that shows the texture a little better.  I love this design, but it sadly didn't love me.  Never again!  Textured white is not my friend.  It became dingy pretty quick.  Especially with all the filing I do at work.  It also grabbed nail dust like a magnet.  And don't even get me started on my foundation in the mornings.  ;)

Ok, so I'm not a good blogger these days.  Of course, you knew that based on my absence.  I wore the sweater nails for a full week before I had enough.  I soaked them off at the salon and forgot to take pictures.  I will say that they wore perfectly - even my thumb nail that I constantly bump with the e-file.  Removal was a breeze too.  Unlike many one step gels, these actually flaked off instead of going chalky.  I'm impressed!

If you need any of these colors for your collection (Blue Fiesta!), you can pick them up on Madam Glam's website here (or click on any of the color names throughout the post to go directly to that color).  Remember, if you're between sales, just wait a day or two and Madam Glam will offer a special.  They are awesome about sales and specials that help save us addicts money!

~Michelle

*The Madam Glam One Step Gel Polishes featured in this post were provided by Madam Glam for my honest review.  All links within this post are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com.  

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I'm still alive and kicking!!!

Hello Loves. Just a quick pop in to let you know I'm still alive and well. I totally planned to get a few posts up over the past month, but see...what had happened was...

Ok, fine. I don't have a really fun story to share. I wasn't abducted by aliens. I didn't win the lottery (unless you count my $4 Powerball winnings lol). And I didn't become an instant success and get swept away on an international nail tour (but how cool would that be?!?!?!). Nah, I've just been busy being me. The holidays were a whirlwind. Between kid stuff, family stuff, holiday rush at the salon, and a Christmas cold that I'm still struggling to get over, I didn't have a moment to breathe. So, I'm back...sorta. I'm working on a few reviews - one of which I'll post later today or first thing tomorrow morning. And I'm working on a MAJOR swatch product for one of my favorite brands.  Here's a sneaky peaky screen shot from my files.  ;)

So watch for a series of Madam Glam swatch posts, including a review of the new One Step gels. I also have some Bundle Monster, Purjoi and KBShimmer reviews headed your way.  Plus a ton of fun salon manicures that I haven't had a chance to share here.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Oh, and we're moving at the end of the month, so no internet and a whole lot of packing.

In case I disappear again, be sure you're following me on Instagram. I have been sharing salon manicures there from time to time while I was away and will continue that even if I can't keep up here.  But don't worry...I will be back on schedule eventually.

Love y'all!

~Michelle

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