My Boo! + 30% off!

This will be the last in the series of the latest products I was sent from Madam Glam for review. Today I have a gel thermal, a favorite of mine of their products. This is My Boo.

My Boo is a beautiful violet creme gel when cold and bright sky blue when warm, as seen in my photos below:

As with the other Madam Glam polishes I own, the formula is on point, not too thick, not too thin and applies easily to the nail. I needed two coats for full opacity.

This is the gel I chose to use to test Madam Glam's Peel off Base and it worked quite well. I was told to be sure the base was dry before applying the polish, which was easy because it dried so fast.

The transition on this gel is really pretty. When your temperature is somewhere in the middle of warm and cool you get this beautiful seamless gradient that is reminiscent of the sky at dawn.

I think I will do some mani refreshes with this one, the wear is always long with these gels.

Madam Glam has graciously given a 30% discount to all of my readers! Click here to activate the code and start shopping on their site or use Danielle30 upon checkout.

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

Madam Glam Peel Off Base - Review

Today I have a new product from Madam glam to review, their peel off base coat for natural and gel polish.  I have never purchased or used a commercial brand of peel off base coat, I have either, a. used glue, or b. bit the bullet and applied a regular base despite despising glitter polish removal.

Although I have never used a product like this before, I have been doing some research and watched some videos on various brands. The majority had me expecting a thick, white and gluey product. I was surprised when I opened the bottle and the formula was clear.

The formulation of the polish is 3-free (free of Dibutyl Phtalate (DBP), Formaldehyde and toluen) and has absolutely no odor. That's about all I know about the formula, however if you are interested in the full ingredient list you can find it here. There was no actual instruction that came with the bottle in terms of application so a swiped it on. It applied as smooth as butter and just as I finished applied to my nails on both hands, I tapped the pinky on my right hand and it was dry!

In terms of wear I didn't even realize I was wearing any type of special base. There was no lifting during the duration of time it was on my nails. It very firmly adhered to the nail, which I wasn't expecting. For the duration of wear I went about my daily business, showering, washing dishes, food, etc. These are my nails after 5 days of wear and before removal. Final day of wear and removal below.

So here is the tricky part of the review, the product was inconsistent my first time around. A few nails came off fine with no damage to the nail, as seen below. However, it was not really a clean "peel" more of a pry and come off in one sheet kind of thing. Most of my other nails were damaged in removal.

I decided to try the product again (Yikes, right?!) to give it a fair review, I mean, why would I be sent a product for review if it didn't work at all? So I applied the base again, this time thicker, the first go at testing it out I applied thinner coats. I also decided to try it under a gel polish. This time was definitely a success! I found that having your hands in water helps with removal ( after a shower, cleaning dishes, etc). This time the polish peeled right off!

In summary the pros of this product are:

• The formula is excellent
• No scent
• Quick drying
• Sticks on the nail and keeps your polish on with it

The only con I see is inconsistency, however it may have to do with application of the product. In this case I would suggest that Madam Glam clearly explain how to use the base to avoid what happened in my first test. Currently there are no instructions for use of the products on their site or the bottle.

I will definitely try this base again with a regular polish to see if I get the same issues  as before and test whether this works better with a regular or gel polish.

Madam Glam has graciously given a 30% discount to all of my readers! Click here to activate the code and start shopping on their site or use Danielle30 upon checkout.

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

Madam Glam Review, Two!

I was recently contacted by Madam Glam again to try out some new products. I chose to try some more chameleon gels as well as their peel off base coat, a new product for Madam Glam. Before I get in to the overview of products I received, I wanted to offer you, my readers with an awesome discount should you be interested in purchasing anything from Madam Glam. Get 30% off your entire purchase by using the code Danielle30, or click here to have the code ready to go on the site!

Let's se what I received below!

My Boo is a deep purple creme when cold and changes to a light blue when warm. Very similar to Pop Goes My Heart, but without the glitter. Two coats are shown in my swatch below.

Ladies First is a maroon brown creme when cold and changes to a bright orange leaning red when warm. This was the shade I was most disappointed with, on the site the cold state looked to be a deep burgundy, almost black. Two coats are shown in the swatch below.

Sunshine is a bright juicy orange creme when cold and changes to a bright yellow when warm. This was my favorite! I can't wait to wear this in the summer! Two coats are shown in the swatch below

Cold state

Warm state

As the previous chameleon gels I reviewed, these typically dry to a matte/satin finish without a topcoat. I added a clear cot gel on top to add some gloss.

Overall these polishes applied well with no trouble. With the exception of Ladies First, the other colors were well represented on Madam Glam's site for each temperature. I will have a followup on the wear of these particular shades in the future.

Stay tuned for my next post where I go in to more detail on the Peel off Base Coat.

*These products were sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

What Color is the Dress? - Thermal Gel!

Hello out there in blog world!

I have been all over the place for the first month of 2016. You may have already noticed this as this post is only my third of January and it's getting close to February. With my wedding quickly approaching and working full-time with school part time and finding a house all while planning the wedding, it has been a little bit more than hectic! Luckily, everything is starting to fall in to place and I am hoping by February I will be back to posting one to two times a week.

Polishes that are the best during times like these? Gel's of course! Today I have another Madam Glam Chameleon Gel I was sent for review late last year, What Color is the Dress?

What Color is the Dress is shifts from a deep burgundy red (that sometimes looks brown) when cold to a deep indigo blue. There is a sparse sprinkling of shimmer throughout. Application was well. It applied evenly and fully opaque in two easy coats. From what I can remember the first coat was a bit sheer, but it built up well.

As with the last shade I reviewed from Madam Glam, I used my own personal Bio Seaweed Gel Base and Top coats. So far I have been wearing this mani for a week with no wear (the cold/bergundy photos were taken a week after application!). Perfect for those busy days... that turn in to weeks... that turn in to months! My intention was to do some nail art or stamping to mix it up but life gets in the way of getting your nails did sometimes! But this gel isn't going anywhere anytime soon (off my nails I mean). So stay tuned for another mani with this as the base.

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

Madam Glam Chameleon Gels - Swatches and Review

Hello friends! I cannot believe how this month has been speeding by!

Today I have a new to me brand I will be reviewing, Madam Glam. They were kind enough to send me some of their polishes to try out, the coolest part is that they are thermals. Gel and thermals?! Whaaat! To say I was eager to try these out was an understatement!

I received four Madam Glam Chameleon Gel polishes to review:

Chocolate With Nuts 
Sweet Illusion
Pop Goes My heart
What Colour is the Dress?

Chocolate With Nuts:
Cold: a rich chocolaty brown creme base with white pearl hex and regular glitter
Warm: a peach leaning white creme base with white pearl hex and regular glitter
Application: a little on the thick side, probably due to the glitter, however manageable

Sweet Illusion:
Cold: a darker greyed out blue with a hint of sparse silver glitter
Warm: a lighter greyed out blue with a hint of sparse silver glitter
Application: good, applied well
 
Pop Goes My Heart:
Cold: purple creme base with white pearl hex and regular glitter
Warm: blue creme base with white pearl hex and regular glitter
Application: a little on the thick side, probably due to the glitter, however manageable

What Color is the Dress?
Cold: Rich burgundy creme with a sprinkling of silver glitter
Warm: night sky blue with a sprinkling of silver glitter
Application: good, applied well

Swatches below, from left to right, COLD Chocolate with Nuts, Sweet Illusion, Pop Goes My Heart and What Color is the Dress?

Swatches below, from left to right, WARM Chocolate with Nuts, Sweet Illusion, Pop Goes My Heart and What Color is the Dress? 

Overall Opinion:
They applied and cured similar to other gels I have tried, however I found them to smell different. I should also mention that these are 5-free and cruelty free so that is a plus.

I noticed on their regular gels they have a colour swatch on the top handle and these did not, however the names are clearly marked (on a sparkly sticker!) at the bottom of each bottle. The Chameleon bottles are slightly smaller than the regular gels (only by 5 ml), not a big deal but worth mentioning.

The bottles I received did not contain any instructions, which was fine by me because I've done this before, and even if I didn't there is the internet! The one thing that confused me was that after curing my swatches in the light they were still a little sticky, which is usually to be expected. Usually when swatching I don't normally apply a top coat, so I wiped each swatch with alcohol to clean the sticky bit off. However, I noticed some pigment on the cotton pad after wiping and noticed that each swatch dried to a matte finish. At fist I was confused, I thought I did something wrong! But now I actually think it's kind of cool, I've never seen a matte gel polish before. The awesome thing is you can add a gel top coat to finish it off and it's glossy again!

Case ans point a sneak peek at part two of this post below, Pop Goes My Heat! I used my own personal no wipe gel topcoat.

The last thing I need to mention is the colour changing abilities. They reacted really well to hot and cold with clear differences in colour. I am truly impressed with these gels and in part two of this review I will be sharing with you how they wear. Let's just say these guys are a major distraction, I am always looking at my nails!

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

Jamberry Nail Vinyls!

Today I have a mini review compliments of Jamberry Nails, they supplied me with some vinyl nail strips for review a little while back. Today I have part one of my review, accent nail application and wear. The thing I love about these strips is application is pretty quick and easy, even using your non-dominant hand. It also does not require any dry or setting time once the strip has fully adhered to the nail bed!

For this instructional, I am using what looks to be a variation of Desert Mirage. I wasn't supplied with a name for this particular sample and am unable to locate it on the site! Either the colour has been discontinued or it may be an upcoming colour available soon.

First I'll run you through the steps for application provided and my comments:

Step 1: Wash Hands with non-moisterizing dish soap.
Step 2: Clean unpolished nails with alcohol and push back cuticles.
Step 3: Buff nails to remove shine (optional).

Essentially you want clean hands and nails so the strips adhere properly. I washed my hands normally and used nail polish remover on a cotton swab to clean the nail beds before applying the strips.

Step 4: Match your nail to the sizing or nail wrap that best fits keeping in mind you do not want the strip to be touching any part of the skin on our nails.
Step 5: Cut off to correct length while still on the backing leaving extra for application.

They suggest slightly smaller is better than a bit too big. I chose a good sizing that was slightly smaller than my nail bed. I sliced one strip right in half and had more than enough for both my nails.

Step 6: Using tweezers, remove strip from backing and warm with blow dryer for 5-10 seconds or until soft and flexible.
Step 7: Press the wrap on to the nail starting at the base and apply firm pressure around the edges to adhere the strip to the nail. Use rubber cuticle pusher to to seal the wrap.

I had no issues warming the strip. Application was fairly easy considering it was my first time, however since I did pull up the strip once or twice to centre it properly (which is acceptable in the instructions), I noticed some curling of at the edges, mostly on the sides. I tried to smooth out the strip as much as I could. I'm sure practice will make me better at applying! for the most part, as you can see below, I smoothed the strip to the nail pretty well.

Step 8: Trim the top of the wrap with scissors and file off the remaining  wrap using a downward motion to remove any excess.
Step 9: Apply heat and pressure to the wrap again until it is bonded to the nail.

Filing off the excess appeared to be the most difficult for me. Not that it was actually hard in any way, just the biggest challenge for me out of the whole process. I think it is because the strips are a decent thickness and I was filing too gently, I didn;t want to rip or ruin the strip. Ultimately, I successfully filed down the strip to the nail shape, and VOILA! To be safe I added a layer of topcoat over the wrap.

So... you may be asking yourself, how do these nail vinyl/strip/wraps wear? I wore them for a total of 6 days 5 and had virtually no wear to the vinyl it's self, I did however notice some slight peeling upward on the edges.  This wasn't very noticeable at all show and didn't bother me the same way another true polish would. As long as they stick to my nails and look good, I am happy.

Removal was easy, although I didn't use the instructions provided to soak in acetone/nail polish remover and peel off. Since I had some slight lifting I simply peeled the strip of... okay, maybe not so simply, these strips really stuck to the nail bed!! It was a bit of a challenge to peel them off, but I got them off with no damage to the nail. Some of the adhesive was still stuck to the nail, but it dissolved away easily with basic polish remover.

To sum up, things I  love about this product are:

• ease of use
• quick application
• does not ruin the nail bed
• no chipping

There wasn't really anything I disliked about the product, even though it lifted slightly on the sides in about a weeks time, however, it did not chip or peel or even look as though there was any wear to the "polish" at all.

Overall I am very impressed with this product! I have a few other single nail samples I will definitely be using as well as a full pack of a space design I will be featuring in the near future!

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option. 

China Glaze Dash Of Dazzle Set - Part One

I received a wonderful holiday set of China Glaze polishes for review from NailPolishCanada.com just in time for December! China Glaze usually puts out some a good array of gift sets for the holidays and this year was no exception. I received the Dash of Dazzle set for review, it contains three polishes which compliment each other quite well, Mingle With Kringle, So Blue Without You and Bells Will Be Blinging.

Mingle With Kringle is a bold gold foil polish. The formula on this one is great, no issues to report on application and it was not streaky at all. My swatch below is two coats. I have read this is a close dupe for Zoya, Ziv, apat of their 2012 holiday/winter Ornate collection which I hope is true because I love that shade and was not able to get my hands on it! Check out The PolishAholic swatches for  Ziv here, its all the way at the end of the post.

Next up is So Blue Without You, another foil, this time in a medium blue shade. I really love this colour, so much prettier on the nail than in the bottle. It has that blackened look at the edges of the nail that gives it more dimension than your average foil. My swatch below shows two coats.

Last but not least is Bells Will Be Blinging, a must have from this collection in my opinion! I love glitter around the holidays and this one is nothing like I have seen before from China Glaze. Various sized blue and silver holo glitter make up this fun topper. This would looks great layered over either of the fist two polishes.

The set as a whole is love for me, I got to choose between this and the Touch of Twinkle set (mostly red/pink shades) and this one is totally me. Not only is is great around the holidays on its own or in nail art, but also in the months after December. This is definitely a winner for me :)

indirect lighting

natural lighting

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of my review which includes wear of the polish and more swatches.

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

Bio Seaweed Gel Review - Followup

I am home from my vacation, although I wish it could have lasted a little longer...

The same can be said for one half of my review of Bio Seaweed Gel polish. I'm talking about my little sandwiching experiment, didn't go exactly as I had planned. Here is my mani before my vacation:

I was hoping since I sandwiched a regular polish I between a gel base and top coat I would be chip free for the same amount of time as a gel polish alone. Unfortunately this was not the case, I think what made this worse was the fact that I used a neon, China Glaze Son of a Peach, which are notorious for chipping and short wear time.

At first I tried to ignore the lifting of the polish and tiny chips, but I am a picker! I couldn't help myself, but I picked the whole mani off by the end of my trip! I definitely do not recommend this, it is not so easy on the nail bed.

I definitely want to try this method again with these tips in mind:

- After the base had been cured apply a gel too and cure before adding the regular polish and another UV top.

- Do not wrap the tips with the regular polish! I think this was my main issue! The regular polish started to peel from the wrap which cases the gel to lift up as well.

- Do wrap the tips with the UV base and top coat.

- Take your time! Let the regular polish dry as long as possible before applying and curing the final top coat.

Also consider I was in a hot, tropical destination with wet and busy hands most of my trip, I am sure this was also a factor in quick wear of the polish.

On to regular usage of the UV Bio Seaweed Gel polish with UV base and top coat on my toe nails if you recall, this is what my toes looked like before I left for my vacation:

This wore fantastically! I did some nail art on the big toe and sealed it with a regular top coat and you could see clearly the difference in shine between the big toe and others.

 The gel stayed super shiny and lasted my whole trip and then some :) very happy with the wear considering I did a lot of barefoot walking on the beach with gritty sand :)

A Gel Sandwich Test and Review

I received a package from Bio Seaweed Gel Last week with some samples to share with you! Here is a little background on the product from their site:

Bio Seaweed Gel is a professional gel system. Gel polish is applied to either natural nails, artificial nails or even acrylic nails just like regular nail polish but with many more advantages. Gel cures (dries) instantly under UV/LED light so there is no more waiting time as per regular nail polish. Gel is designed to be durable and more suitable for the busy everyday life, created to last 2+ weeks with no chips, lifts or cracks. That is essentially the difference between gel polish and regular nail polish.

Now, you ask yourself how is Bio Seaweed Gel is different than all other competitor gel polish brands? Our brand offers a distinct value and difference because: No dehydrators to thin or stain the natural nails – regardless of wear time. Created to promote natural nail growth. FORMALDEHYDE, TOLUNE, DPB, SOLVENTS & BHA FREE Safe and gentle both during application and removal: no sanding, buffing, primers or bonders needed for application. The industry’s quickest soak-off removal in under 10 minutes.

Versatility: A separate Diamond Shine Top and No-Sanding Base Gel Polish, as well as a Strengthener Builder Gel to complete tip and sculpture extensions.

User-friendly: simple steps and self-leveling make Bio Seaweed Gel quick to learn and a pleasure to work with, our products never shrink or wrinkle – ideal for nail art (140+ colours!)

Innovation: UNITY All-In-One Gel Polish is the original professional top, base, colour & strengthener all-on-one bottle, with no cleansers needed! (the colours dry to the touch with no sticky inhibition layer unlike any other).

They supplied me with two coloured UV gel polishes, one UV diamond shine top coat gel, a coarse nail file and some fun nail art stickers! I will be testing the wear of the UV gel polish on my toes with the UV gel base (purchased by myself) and UV diamond top coat. On my fingers I wanted to try something a little different. I've always wondered what the wear would be like of a regular polish sandwhiched between a UV base and top coat. What better time to try this then on my vacation right!? I will be testing the wear for a full week and report back with the results when I am back. 

On my toes: 

Base Coat - 1 coat, cured for 2 minutes
Summer Peach - 2 coat, cured for 2 minutes
Diamond Top Coat - 1 coat, cured for 2 minutes

On my fingers: 

Base Coat - 1 coat, cured for 2 minutes
Son of a Peach - 3 coats with LOTS of dry time
Diamond Top Coat - 1 coat, cured for 2 minutes


Sweet Peach is a tad off, it is not as pink/red. more of a bright coral.

My matching nail art lol. I am wearing this on my vacation ^_^

I had some issues with the application of Son of a Peach that may have been due to the reaction with the base coat. I applied three coats to even it out the best I could. If doing this again I would apply a topcoat right after the base, cure and then apply the regular polish and finish off with another UV top coat to seal it all in. The key here is to ensure the polish is 100% dry before applying the top coat and curing.

 Bio Seaweed UV Gels are easy to apply, the formula is thick but easy to manage and the colour options are awesome!

I will report back after my vacation to let you know how the mani and pedi stood up to a week on the beach!