Gloss & Glitter Indie Gel Polish Review

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Hello Loves!  I have an exciting new brand to tell you about today.  Gloss & Glitter Gel Polish is a brand new indie gel polish brand.  There are a few smaller gel polish brands out there, but to my knowledge this may be the first true Indie gel polish on the market!  What does that mean to us?  Well, it certainly means more indie-esque finishes and custom colors in our future!

I had the pleasure of testing the four initial Gloss & Glitter Gel Polish colors prior to today's launch.  Of course, I have swatches.  Let's jump right in, shall we?

First up is a color called Curry that reminds me a little of a gourmet mustard.  Application was quite nice.  The formula is smooth and offers great coverage in two coats.  This color originally had a different name, so please excuse my little photoshop correction on the bottle.  ;)

The next color is a really fun glitter called Aquamarine.  This one is a clear base that is loaded with teal holographic glitter.  Application was easy enough for a glitter.  I brushed on the first coat and then moved the glitter around a little for even coverage.  The second coat was easier to apply and filled in the gaps nicely.  I added a third super thin coat to fill in any gaps.  The end result is simply stunning!  Lauren wasn't sure she was going to release this one, thus the lack of a label on the bottle, but I'm super glad she did!  I don't have a sunlight photo to show you, but this polish really lights up in direct sun.

BigBang is another color that was nameless when I received the sample, but wow is she gorgeous!  I don't have anything even close to this one in my massive gel polish collection.  BigBang is a clear base that is loaded with black and holographic glitter.  Application is very similar to Aquamarine.

Finally, my absolute favorite of the four is an amazingly shifty duochrome polish called Nymph.  Nymph shifts from teal to gold and has the added element of a golden holographic shimmer.  I chose this one for my wear test and can tell you that it is gorgeous in every possible light.  I received a ton of compliments on the color while wearing it.  I applied two easy coats for my wear test.  A third would add even more depth.

So, how did the wear test go?  Amazingly well!  I had planned to wear it for two weeks, but I got lazy and actually went 17 days.  In those 17 days, I had absolutely no tip wear.  None.  That's impressive!  Given, I wasn't in class for the majority of that time, but even my wear tests prior to starting school usually had a little bit of tip wear.  Here's my 17 day wear shot.  Disregard the color differences - I took this photo with a different camera and the white balance was off.

On to soak off.  I was in a hurry so I didn't get a picture of the removal, but I can certainly tell you about it.  I soaked with the cotton and foil method for about 15 minutes.  The polish didn't flake off like many do, but it did soften so that it was easy to push off of the nail without scraping.  I can't say for sure that this removal is normal for the product since I still have a bit of damage on my nails that keeps the gel from popping loose like it should.  Either way, removal was easy enough and I do recommend the product.  :)

Now that you've seen the colors and hear about my wear and removal, lets talk about the bottles.  The bottles are honestly my only negative.  The bottles are 5ml, which is a bit smaller than we are used to seeing with gel polish.  However, that doesn't bother me since I rarely use a bottle of polish more than once.  What does bug me a little is that the bottles are narrow, which makes them prone to tipping when I wipe the side of the brush on the neck.  I had to be very careful not to knock them over.  Of course, this could just be a matter of me being a clutz and wouldn't deter me from purchasing these gel polishes in the future.

I'm actually really excited to see what Lauren releases next.  The colors featured in this post will be avaliable for purchase today at 6 PM CST and prices range from $6.50 to $7.50 depending on the color.  Swing by Gloss & Glitter and check them out.  :)

~Michelle

*The Gloss & Glitter Gel Polishes featured in this post were provided by Gloss & Glitter for my honest review.  All links within this post are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com.

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More Fun Shades from Madam Glam

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Hello Loves!  I have 10 new colors to show you from the Madam Glam Gel Polish line.  There's something for everyone in this group!  5 new full coverage glitters, one glitter/frost, one simple cream, and three fabulous brights.  Want to see them?

Let's start with the brights. #004 Bittersweet is a gorgeous, medium pink cream that leans to the bright side.  Application is dreamy and smooth as I have come to expect from Madam Glam creams.  This is two perfect coats.

Ready to go a little brighter? #431 So Hot! is an almost neon coral cream.  It is much brighter in person than it appears in my photos.  This one is nearly impossible to capture and would look awesome with a summer tan.  It also offers perfect coverage in two easy coats.

Brighter still?  Ok, fine. #332 Neon Yellow is a super bright and intense highlighter yellow cream.  This one does have a little bit of vnl in two coats, but would likely be opaque in three.  I found application to be a breeze, which is almost unheard of for yellows!

Let's bring it back down.  #425 Angel Wings is a super soft, pastel, baby pink cream.  This is a shade that tends to be difficult to apply as well, but Madam Glam did not disappoint.  This is two simple, streak free coats.  Have I mentioned how much I love the Madam Glam formula?!?!?

Keeping with the pinks, #418 Soft Romance is a frosty, dusty light pink with a scattering of holographic silver glitter.  I admit, I love the idea of this polish...in theory.  In application, I'm not a fan.  The frosty finish doesn't work as well with the glitter as I would have hoped.  Instead of having that subtle sparkle, it ends up looking lumpy to me.  I actually swatched this one twice as the first time the glitter bunched up on me from stroking over it too much.  Coverage is perfect with two coats and the color is fabulous, but I'm just not a fan of the finish.  With that said, I'm sure others will love it!

Moving on to the glitters...oh yes, there she is...the dreaded teal I hate to love.  lol  I did manage to get this one pretty close, I think, but I lost a little bit of the depth of the polish while color correcting.  #025 Queen B is the teal sister to Glittery Emerald.  This is a microfine teal glitter in a teal jelly base that offers perfect coverage in two easy coats.  It has incredible depth and shimmer in person.  Needless to say, I love it and will wear it often.  Just don't expect me to photograph it again.  lol  [Edit:  I'm looking at this one on my phone and it looks way too green compared to my computer.  So if you are viewing on a Galaxy s5, the color is wrong...who knows on other devices.  Grrr]

 

The next glitter in this lineup is #144 Yellow Holo.  I don't know that I would call it yellow...I think gold is more appropriate.  This clear base is loaded with holographic gold micro glitter that offers full coverage in two easy coats.

Speaking of gold, #126 Golden Queen is a beautiful, champagne gold glitter in a clear base.  It almost looks silver...so much so that I had to look at it in different lighting to be sure it is gold.  Like Yellow Holo, she offers flawless full coverage in just two coats.  I should also note that with these last three swatches, the glitter glides on easily with little to no bunching.  If you've used a lot of glitter polishes, you know how impressive that is!

Next up is #74 Hypnotize Me.  This red jelly base is loaded with red micro flakes.  The result is a stunning glittery finish that is guaranteed to grab attention.  The micro flakes do make this one a little difficult to apply compared to the other Madam Glam glitters.  I found the polish to be almost chunky when pulling the brush out of the bottle.  Once I wiped both sides of the brush on the neck of the bottle, the struggle was pretty much over.  Application was a tad tricky around the cuticle line due to the irregular shape of the flakes, but the rest was a breeze.  She's opaque in two coats.

Finally, my absolute favorite of this group is #071 Purple Sky.  This deep purple base is loaded with red toned purple glitter.  It applies flawlessly like the majority of the Madam Glam glitters mentioned here and offers exceptional coverage in two coats.  The glitter is slightly more red toned than it appears in my pictures here (on my monitor, at least), but only slightly.  Isn't she gorgeous!?!?!

Madam Glam has really been bringing some amazing colors to the table lately, and I'm thrilled!  These gel polishes (in general) have one of the best formulas I have worked with in a very long time, and I'm certainly a huge fan.  They are a little pricey compared to some brands on the market, but don't worry about that!  Madam Glam is great about running sales that make these gel polishes more competitive in price.  Of course, you can always use my discount code YGel30Off for 30% off, but check around first to be sure that's the best deal.  Madam Glam often offers better specials through their site.  :)

If any of these colors need to find themselves in your collection, you can pick them up from Madam Glam's website here (or click the link for the polish name...it will take you right to that listing).

~Michelle

*The Madam Glam 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 Manic Talons.com.  

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IBD Just Gel Dolce Vita Collection

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Hello Loves!  I finally have swatches of the IBD Just Gel Dolce Vita Collection for you.  This collection is made up of 6 dreamy creams and 2 glitters.  Ready to see them?

Let's start with the glitters this time.  Celfie in Amalfi is a clear base with golden glitter.  The glitter is irregular in shape...like shards.  I found this one needs a really good shake and some glitter placement.  Below is two coats.

The second glitter in the collection is Bellinis and Bikinis.  This one is a clear base with gold micro glitter and pink and neon orange hexes.  This one also needs a good shake a a bit of glitter placement.  I swatched two coats.

Moving on to the creams.  I admit, a few of these defeated me in terms of color accuracy.  So let's start with those.  Rome Around is a bright pink cream with peachy undertones.  It isn't quite right in this picture.  In person, I would say it is more vibrant and a bit pinker.  I swatched three coats below.

Just Me n' Capri also didn't want to photograph true.  Although I'm sure you won't be surprised by that since I always struggle with these greenish blue shades.  This one is a more green in person.  Application is nice, though I did feel I needed three coats for full opacity.

I swatch swiped Angela's photo with a Pantone reference from the IBD Just Gelling swatch group on Facebook to give you a better idea of the true color.  Thanks Angela!

Head-to-Toe Gelato is a squishy coral.  This one is what I would call a crelly - not quite cream but not a jelly either.  It is mostly opaque in three coats.

Heedless to Say is one of my personal favorites from the collection.  This dreamy purple cream leans a little on the bright side.  Application was just as dreamy as the color itself.  I swatched two coats below.

Riviera Rendezvous is a rich and creamy, medium toned blue.  I don't even have to tell you that I love this shade!  Yeah, I know...I'm predictable.  Application was nice and even.  I swatched two coats below.

Finally, Vespas and Siestas is a gorgeous, hot pink cream with purple undertones.  I love the saturation of this pink!  It definitely screams summer to me.

What do you think of this sweet collection of summer creams and glitters from the IBD Dolce Vita Collection?  If you need any of these in your life, you can pick them up on Amazon here.  :)

~Michelle

*The IBD Just Gel Polishes 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. 

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Hair Candy Review and a Leap Into Color

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Hello Loves!  I have another off topic review for you today.  I promise, I'll get back to the gel polish and nail art after this post.  But I'm pretty excited about this so I wanted to put it out there.  As you might remember from previous Nail School Chronicle posts, I've been testing a vitamin supplement called Hair Candy for hair, skin and nails.  I'm not usually one to try supplements, but I researched this one a little and after checking with my doctor, I decided to give it a try.

You may be wondering why I decided to try it.  As you can imagine, I'm willing to try anything that my doctor says is safe to combat the damage to my skin and nails from the abuse I put them through.  But I was also pretty curious about my hair.  Before a few weeks ago, I had completely virgin hair!  Never colored at all.  I was always afraid of damaging it, and my hair is prone to breaking anyway.  I don't really do much in terms of styling either.  I wash it, condition it, dry it just enough to keep my shirt from getting wet, and let it go.  No products.  No heat styling.  It just..."is".  Or maybe I should say "was"...but I'll get to that in a minute.

Since Hair Candy is basically a multi-vitamin with added ingredients for hair, skin and nail support, it seemed like a good idea.  I don't really have photos of the results (hard to capture in photos), but my skin feels much better.  Softer and smoother.  And it seems to retain moisture longer.  As for my nails, well...I use a lot of products so I can't say for sure that the vitamins made a major difference.  I can tell a HUGE difference in my hair, though.  It feels stronger.  I've noticed less shedding and breaking too.  Before I show you pictures, let's take a look at the ingredients.  While it isn't a complete multi-vitamin, it does have some good stuff in there.  I've been taking it for almost two months now.

For a breakdown as to why each of the vitamins are included, check out the "What's Inside" page from Hair Candy's website.

Since my hair feels stronger and healthier, I decided it was time for a little color.  Keeping in mind that I have never colored my hair before, this was a huge leap for me.  But considering I do attend a beauty school and I am entering the beauty industry, I decided to just go for it and add some vibrant colors.  So I asked two of the cosmetology students to fix me up.

This wouldn't be a big deal since the color is temporary, but they had to lighten my hair before adding the color.  That kind of freaked me out.  Hello Blonde!  You can see some of the breakage I had from constantly wearing my hair pulled back in this picture.

And now for the color.  They added Joico Vero K-Pak in Cobalt Blue, Amethyst Purple and Magenta to each of the sections above.  I'm not going to lie...they wanted to add more color.  They told me I would want more color.  But I chickened out and made them keep it small.

The end result was a cute, peek-a-boo look.  I loved it!  LOVED IT!

But...it wasn't enough.  They were right.  Within less than a day, I wanted more color.  So I went back the next week and we added more.  I also took off some of my length and added layers so the color from the underside would show a little more.  Of course, I can't really take a picture of the back of my head, so this is the best I could do.  lol

I honestly don't think I would have felt comfortable putting any kind of chemical on my hair to lighten or color it before adding Hair Candy as a supplement.  So I guess you can call me a believer.  :)

If you are interested in trying Hair Candy for yourself, you can pick up a bottle from their website here or on Amazon here. 

~Michelle

*The Hair Candy Biotin Supplmenets featured in this post were provided by Hair Candy for my honest review.  All other products were purchased by me.  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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