IBD Just Gel Hideaway Haven Collection

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Hello Loves!  I have the newest IBD Just Gel Collection to show you today.  Hideaway Haven consists of four nature inspired creams, two shimmers and two glitter toppers.  Ready to see them?

First up is Tranquil Surrender. This wine toned shimmer is a great contender for a Marsala shade (the Pantone Color of the Year).  Application was a breeze and I found it offers full coverage in two easy coats.

Sweet Sanctuary is a medium, blue toned purple cream. I would call it a little subdued.  Application is average for IBD and I found it needed three thin coats for full coverage.

Serene Slumber is a nice, pastel leaning coral.  This is a great transition shade from summer to fall.  It is cheerful without being too bright.  Application was nice with two coat coverage.

Head in the Clouds is one of my favorites from this collection.  This medium-light grey is loaded with a soft iridescent shimmer.  I found it needed three thin coats for full coverage but you could probably get away with two.

Calm Oasis is a muted blue cream with grey undertones.  Honestly, I have been dreaming of a color like this for a long time.  You know I love my blues...and this soft shade is fabulous when you don't really want a vivid shade.  This is three thin coats.

The final color in this collection is a soft, nude toned pink cream called Beauty Sleep.  I love the color itself, but I had issues with coverage on this one.  This is three coats and you can see that it is still a little patchy.  Given, I usually struggle with super light colors, but I just couldn't bring myself to do a four coat swatch.

Let's take a look at the glitters from the Hideaway Haven Collection.  I admit, I'm not usually a huge fan of the IBD Just Gel glitter combinations.  Some of them are pretty, but I find I really don't have much use for most of them.  Well, this collection is a game changer for me.  These two glitters are just gorgeous and I can see myself using them quite a bit.

Mystical Muse is small and large silver hex glitter in a golden shimmer packed clear base.  The shimmer looks a little silver in the photos, but it is definitely gold.  This is two coats over my natural nail.  As with most of the IBD glitters, these do benefit from sitting upside down for a bit followed by a good shake.

Here she is as one coat over Calm Oasis.  So sparkly and pretty!  Gah!  I wish my camera had captured the golden shimmer better.  You can see it a little bit in the previous photo above.

The second glitter is very similar to Mystical Muse.  Whimsical Wanderer has the same golden shimmer packed base but the glitters are rose gold instead of silver.  This one is a must have for fall.  Layer it over any deep color for an instant wow factor.  This is two coats over my natural nail.

I layered one coat over sweet sanctuary here.  Just imagine it over a deeper red toned purple!  Heck, I'll likely show it to you over one this fall.  I can't imagine myself not wearing it that way at least once.  ;)  Of course, my camera lost the rose gold of the glitters a bit in this photo.  The previous shot is probably the best representation of the glitters.

What do you think of the new Hideaway Haven Collection from IBD?  I found many of them on Amazon and linked them in the descriptions above.  Of course, they are likely avaliable at your favorite distributor as well.  :)

~Michelle

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate Links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.  All products featured in this post were purchased by me.

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Bundle Monster Fringe Benefits and Serendipty Collections

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Hello Loves!  I have two new collections from Bundle Monster to show you today:  Fringe Benefits and Serendipity.  I think we can file these under the indie-esque BMC Gel Polishes!  These are both very unique to the gel polish world and remind me very much of my beloved Indies.  I mean, really, what's not to love?  Between the two collections, we see mixed glitter in crelly bases and strip glitter in jelly bases.  *swoon*

Before we get to the swatches, how about a little life update?  In case you missed it on my facebook page, I went MIA last week for a very good reason.  I sat for and pasted both of my State Board exams last Thursday!  Now it's just a matter of waiting for my license to be processed.  Whoo Hoo!  This stage of my Nail School journey is officially over.  :)

Now how about those swatches?  Let's start with the Fringe Benefits Collection.  This collection consists of three jelly finishes that are loaded (and I mean LOADED) with various shades of matte neon strip glitter.  Since they all apply the same way, let's touch on that really quick.  When I say loaded, I mean there is so much glitter in the bottle that the brush comes out with clumps.  While that might sound like a bad thing, I assure you it is not.  The amount of glitter allows for full coverage in two coats, which is pretty impressive.  Of course, it does make the polish a bit thick, so you will need to do a little bit of glitter placement.  Also, remember to go thin and watch for heat spikes.  (Check out my last BMC post for tips on preventing or dealing with heat spikes).  Ready to see the swatches?

Tassel with Me is a bright pink jelly base that is loaded with neon pink, purple and orange matte strip glitter.  It gives a nice textured effect without the actual texture.  :)

Coachella Sun is a bright and sunny orange jelly base with neon pink and orange matte strip glitters.

Finally, Stay Frill is a purple jelly base that is loaded with neon purple and pink matte strip glitter.  I was expecting this one to be a little more saturated, but I love that it is softer.

Let's take a look at the Serendipity Collection.  This collection consists of three crelly polishes that are loaded with multiple sizes of glitter in various colors.  Application is easy enough for a glitter, but some glitter placement will be needed.  By that, I mean you might have to move the larger pieces around on the nail a bit.  I'm completely smitten with this collection.  Just look at them and tell me they don't remind you of the fabulous crellies from our favorite Indies!

First up is Pink Charming.  This soft pink crelly base is loaded with two sizes of neon pink hex glitters and has a healthy scattering of lime green hexes.  It could have used another coat, but I stuck with two for consistency.

Boy Meets Girl is a vibrant blue crelly base with tiny pink and orange hexes plus a scattering of larger pink and green hexes.

Finally, Teal We Meet is a minty teal green crelly base with tiny pink hexes and a scattering of larger green and purple hexes.  This one is a bit more green and more vibrant than it appears in my photos.  You know how it is...teals defeat me.

So there they are.  What do you think of these fab new collections from Bundle Monster?  Are you a fringe lover or more into the crellies?  I think I like the crellies best, but the fringes are pretty fun too!

If any of the beauties need a home in your collection, you can find them at the links below (or just click on the names throughout the post above.

The Fringe Benefits Collection can be purchased as a set or individually on Bundle Monster's Website here or on Amazon here.

The Serendipity Collection can be purchased as a set or individually on Bundle Monster's Website here or on Amazon here.

~Michelle

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

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Empower Nail Art Films Review

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Hello Loves!  I have a seriously fun product to show you today:  Nail Art Films from Empower Nail Art.  These films are unlike anything I've used before.  They are super thin sheets of self adhesive film that offer endless nail art possibilities!  You can create full nail decals or cut out individual shapes.  They are easy to apply and stick to all types of nail surfaces (bare nails, gel nails, gel polish, lacquer, acrylic, other decals, etc).  Let's take a closer look, shall we?

I was given 4 different sheets to play with.  The sheets are 3 inches by 7 inches, which gives you a lot of room to pick and choose your designs.  If you are careful with your cuts, you can get 30+ full nail decals out of one sheet! 

Empower also offers tool kits that include everything you need to work with the films.  The Pro kit is the largest and includes a ProEdge Knife, Swivel Knife, Crystal File, $100 Stick, Squeezers, and a Nail Template.

Let's talk about each of these tools for a second.

• The ProEdge Knife is a basic fixed razor knife.  
• The Swivel Knife is also a razor knife but the blade is not fixed so it allows you to cut fluid shapes with ease.  
• The Squeezers are one of the most interesting tools in the kit.  They are tiny little scissors on a spring-like setup.  When it comes to cutting out small shapes or trimming excess from the decals, these things are amazing!  
• The $100 Stick is a pusher style stick that helps you smooth out the decals.  
• The crystal file is used to remove excess from the free edge once applied to the nail.   
• The Nail Template allows you to easily create custom fit decals without having to guess at shape and width.

Most of the tools in the kit can be picked up at a craft store, but the Squeezers and Nail Template are complete must have items that I haven't seen available locally.  Oh, the possible uses for these things is endless!  If you are into stamping decals, imagine the ease of being able to trim them to fit using the Nail Template.  ;)  Here's a shot of the template without the card in the background.  As you can see, there are several shapes.

Enough about the tools.  Let's talk about the real star of Empower Nail Art:  the films!  On one side, you have the actual film with the design.  The film comes on a cardstock weight paper that has shapes printed on the back.  You can use the shapes as a template to cut out designs.  I actually didn't use the printed template for anything I'm going to show you, but it's a nice thing to have, I think.

Moving on...when my little box of goodies from Empower Nail Art arrived, I jumped right in with the Sunset gradient film.  I don't know...maybe it's the kid in me...but I love playing with razor knives and cutting out crazy shapes.  So I started with a shimmery black gel polish base.  Then I cut 50 tiny petal shapes from the bottom of the gradient with the Swivel Knife.  I was really surprised at how easy it was to remove the decals from the backing even after cutting them out!

I used a pair of tweezers to place them on my nails and gave them a quick once over with the $100 Stick.  I then added a few details with silver gel polish, cured the details, and applied two coats of gel polish top coat.  The decals are so thin that you really have to look close to see that they are decals!

I took a macro shot as well.  You can see that the designs are printed, but you have to look very close.  Otherwise, they just look...perfect.  :)

I tried to think of a way to show you exactly how thin these films really are.  Sadly, my camera didn't want to capture it.  So here's my first attempt.  This is a butterfly decal held by a pair of tweezers.

And here's a swatch stick with the same general flower pattern with the photo taken at an angle.  This is one layer of top coat.  After the second layer of top coat, the edges disappear completely!  I do recommend the second layer to be sure all of the little corners are completely covered and the design is protected.

Want to see another design?  For this one, I used the Stained Glass sheet.  I cut out several of the individual shapes from the design and then use the Nail Template for a full decal with a negative space cutout on my middle nail.  I'm kind of in love with how this turned out!  Even with the decal pieces layered over each other, the design still looks smooth after top coat!  But the biggest surprise for me was the ease of applying that middle finger decal.  I usually have to fight with full nail decals to get them to fit.  I have deep c-curves so decals never want to lay flat.  These have a little bit of stretch to them, so placement was a dream. 

Since I have two more sheets to play with, I put together a few swatch sticks.  Want to see them?

First is this cute butterfly design.  I used a craft punch for the butterfly and then used the Squeezers to cut out the curved accent pieces.  The film is called Copper and is holographic.  This is a macro shot, so you can see the printing in the photo.  In person, the printing is barely noticeable.

Finally, I created a full nail decal from the Lines film.  This film is different from the others I've shown you in that it has a clear backing so the base color shows through behind the lines.  I used a pale grey gel polish for my base.  It probably wasn't the best color choice.  There are white lines in the decal that don't show up very well, but you can see them if you look closely at the center of the swatch.

Ok, now that you've seen them, I bet you're wondering about wear.  I wore the black manicure with the flowers for a week before removing it to swatch other products.  On one hand, I used one layer of top coat over the flowers.  On the other hand, I used two layers of top coat.  I found that the hand with two layers of top coat was still perfect after a week of wear.  The hand with only one layer of top coat had a few corners popping up on the petals after a week.  So these definitely need two layers of top coat to completely seal the design for the best results (or you can completely encapsulate them if you're working with hard gel or acrylic).  I didn't wear the geometric manicure as long, but I found the full decal was still in great shape after 4 days.  Sadly, I forgot to take a picture before removing it.  Since I used it with soak off gel, I applied the decal directly over the base coat and then soaked it off like I would a regular gel polish manicure.  Removal was easy peasy.

My final thoughts:  I admit, I was a little skeptical at first.  I haven't had much luck with using decals with gel polish in the past.  When Lucien contacted me about trying his nail films, I figured what the heck.  These aren't your typical drugstore decals.  They are created with professionals in mind!  I'm really glad I decided to try them.  I love the freedom of the full sheets and the ability to create custom fits for full decals.  I'm looking forward to playing with them more and trying a few encapsulated gel designs.  The only drawback is that there are currently a limited number of sheet designs to choose from.  I would love to see more holographics and maybe some floral designs!

If you're interested in giving these a try as an addition to your nail art arsenal, you can pick up the films and/or tools on the Empower Nail Art website.  Oh, and while you're there...take a look at the Ring Thing!  I'll have a review on that in a bit, but let me tell you it is AWESOME!  lol

~Michelle

*The Nail Films and Tools featured in this post were provided by Empower Nail Art for my honest review.  All links are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~Michelle

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

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