Summer Gradient & Bundle Monster BM 301

Hi my polished pretties! I apologize for the 2 week hiatus! I just took my board exam to get my registered nursing license over the weekend so I was studying like a madwoman for the past couple of weeks. I really wanted to post, but I had to force myself to stop playing with my nails and focus lol. Hopefully I get the results soon, but my exam ended early and I felt very confident so I have a good feeling that I passed. I'll keep you posted ;] Here's a mani I did as soon as I got home! I did a gradient using China Glaze Happy Go Lucky, China Glaze Dance Baby, and Essie Play Date and stamped using BM 301 in Konad White. I really love how these turned out! Now that my exam is over, I am going to use this time to finally do some "summery" manis and catch up on reviewing products.

Check out my awesome phone case I got a couple weeks ago. I looove it!

Bio Seaweed Gel--Review

Hey lacqueristas! Today I have Bio Seaweed Gel polish to review. This was my very first time using gel polish so I was very excited to receive this product to test out. Bio Seaweed Gel is a Canadian Gel Polish company. Here's a some info about the company & the product: 

"UNITY All-In-One Colour Gel Polish by Bio Seaweed Gel is the first ever professional gel polish with top, base, colour & strengthener all-in-one bottle. (4 PRODUCTS in ONE Bottle)

Bio Seaweed Gel is the most versatile and innovative Gel System available today. But most importantly, it is the healthier gel polish choice.

Here is a brief list in how BSG stands out from the numerous other professional gel brands:

1. No dehydrators to thin or stain the natural nails - regardless of wear time. FORMALDEHYDE, TOLUNE, DPB, SOLVENTS & BHA FREE

2. 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 5 minutes.

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

4. 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

5. Innovation: UNITY All-In-One Gel Polish is the EXCLUSIVE PEDICURE PRODUCT: no top, base or cleansers needed. (the colours dry to the touch with no sticky layer unlike any other)

6. Over 150 Colours

7. UV, LED and SUNLIGHT cured!!! (Yes, sunlight!)"

So that may have been quite a bit of info, but if you're brand spanking new to gel polish like me, the info is quite helpful. In my blogger sample I received 2 Unity All In One Color Gel System polishes, Diamond Shine Top Coat, one file, one buffer, and a pair of toe separators. I did a manicure and followed the directions it came with (lightly buff, clean with 70% alcohol, apply thin coat, cure, apply thin coat, cure, top coat, cure, wipe with 70% alcohol. It is very important if you use the topcoat to do the last step otherwise it will be sticky! Let's take a look at some of my manicure pics and then my thoughts.

Here it is with 2 coats. The directions say to use 2 coats and not to wrap the tips, but for some reason the polish wanted to avoid the tips. 

Here it is with 3 coats. I decided to go for a 3rd coat to get better coverage on the tips and it looks much better.

Again, 3 coats.

Here it is with some nail art and Diamond Shine Top Coat. 

For the art I used Nailz Craze NC 02 in Konad White.

Day 8--design intact and bareeely any tip wear.

Day 8

Here's my thoughts on the product:

Application: Super easy! Great formula which made it easy to apply thin coats. The brush was amazing. I was worried about how I'm supposed to clean up gel polish, but I applied carefully and no clean up was needed. The topcoat was also great AND it did not smear my stamping! I was really excited about that. I used a UV lamp to cure and dry time was fast, 2 minutes for each coat. 

Wear: Great. No chipping and as you can see on day 8, there's minimal signs of tip wear. I wore this camping and was very hard on them (played with rocks, swam, tried to cut wood with an ax, etc.).

Removal: On the fence. I followed the instructions which is the foil method using pure acetone for 5 mins, push off with orange stick, and buff any remaining. I did this and I saw the top of the polish soften and crack, but an orange stick didn't really help in removal so I had to use my metal cuticle pusher. Even then, a fair amount of polish remained and I had to buff a lot, which left a couple nails super thin. I was bummed so I left my other hand in the foil for 10 mins and I didn't have to buff as much. 

Overall, I did have a good experience, but removal was not as great as I had hoped. I will definitely try it again, but just do the foil method for a few more minutes. I will say that I was impressed with the wear and I will for sure be using this for a vacation mani! Lastly, for my stampaholics, this is a nail stampers dream. If you stamp and mess up, you can wipe off and stamp again without ruining the base! You can purchase Bio Seaweed Gel polish here. Each color retails for $18.

Bundle Monster Holiday Stamping Plate Collection Review

Hey loves! Where are all my stampaholics at? Today I have the new Bundle Monster Holiday Stamping Plate Collection for review. There are 25 plates and images for tons of holidays. I don't think I'll ever need to use any other set when I do a holiday themed manicure now. The holidays they have images for include: Christmas, Hanukkah, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, New Years, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, birthdays, baby, 4th of July, graduation, and Cinco de Mayo. There are also a few images that aren't specified for just a holiday like a few floral prints and romantic images as well.

The set comes in this little box and each plate has a blue film on it to protect it from scratches. It needs to be removed before use.

Each plate has a paper backing so you don't have to worry about getting cut on sharp edges.

Here's a look at some size comparisons. Measured L to R

Measured top to bottom

Measured L to R

Measured top to bottom.

As you can see, the images from the Holiday Set are exactly the same size as the 3rd BM set. Now let's take a look at some manicures I created with it!

OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls stamped using BM H25 in Konad Psyche Pink, Konad Yellow, Konad Princess Apple Green, & Konad Sky Pearl.

OPI A Definite Moust-Have stamped using BM H23 in Konad White

OPI Black Onyx stamped using BM H11 using China Glaze's Deviantly Daring, No Plain Jane, Rare & Radiant, Swanky Silk, Unpredictable, and Want My Bawdy

So what are my thoughts about this set? I love that there are tons of holiday images in this set, but there are still other images that you can use for any occasion. I would definitely recommend this for someone who is a stampaholic or likes to do holiday themed nails. However, if you are looking for a starter set with images for everyday use, this set might not be for you. As far as image size, the size is perfect for my nails, they are the same size as the 3rd BM set and I got full coverage with the full nail designs. I had no trouble with getting the image to transfer and small details transferred with ease. I am definitely going to be getting a lot of use out of these plates because I love doing holiday themed manis! You can purchase this plate here for $21.99 (less than $1 per plate!).

Check out Bundle Monster on their:

Website: http://www.bundlemonster.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bundlemonster

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bundlemonster

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/bundlemonster/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bundlemonster

Google+: https://plus.google.com/104479749953158052045/posts

Mint Mani for Talia Joy

Hey everyone. Today I have a mint mani to take part in #mintmanisfortaliajoy. The nail community is doing mint colored manis today in honor of Talia Joy Castellano, a 13 year old girl who battled 2 kinds of cancer for over 6 years and passed away this week. Talia was an aspiring MUA, YouTube beauty guru, and an inspiration to many with her positive outlook on life and by reaching so many of her goals before she passed. Prayers go out to her family. For this mani, I used China Glaze Highlight of My Summer and did an accent nail using China Glaze I Herd That stamped using Konad M57 in Konad Black. I also added some gold square studs because Talia liked her nails blinged out!