Review: Madam Glam gel nail polish

I received these a while back, but had to buy all the equipment associated with doing gel nails at home, like an LED lamp etc. I'm also quite new to gel nails, and definitely a novice for an at home session so I gave these a few trials before I wanted to write this review up.

I received the shades:
* Quicksilver (soak off gel polish) ~ glittery white silver
* Plum Addict (soak off gel polish) ~ a rich plum
* Dancing in the Moonlight (colour chameleon gel polish) ~ glitter pink when warm, glitter purple when cold
* A La Mode (colour chameleon gel polish) ~ warm bubblegum pink when warm, dark purple when cold

Quicksilver

Quicksilver

Plum Addict

Plum Addict

Dancing In The Moonlight

A La Mode

First Impressions:
I am especially taken with the colour changing "chameleon" gels. I love anything "gimmicky", glittery and fun like that, so these are right up my alley! My fave shade out of all 4 I received is definitely Dancing in the Moonlight.
I applied a thin layer, cured for 2 minutes, another thin layer, another 2 minutes and repeat again. Both Quicksilver and Dancing in the Moodlight applied thicker, due to being a heavier, glitter base, but I was able to get thin layers quite easily.
All 4 brushes aren't too thin, and definitely not as wide as a lot of polish brushes are. They move easily and feel very controlled when applying the polish. I personally found there was a tendency to go "outside the lines", but I'm not especially careful when applying nail polish. I'll happily scrape/ clean up the residue with my other nails. However, if you do that too, I'd recommend cleaning up before curing, as it's much tougher to clean up. Or you could find a bottle of that latex product that people seem to be using more frequently. 
The nail application goes on smooth without too much fuss and cure evenly too. 

Again, with the 2 glittery shades, Quicksilver and Dancing in the Moonlight, being thicker, they were opaque by 2 coats, both Plum Addict and A La Mode were opaque with 3 coats, all of which you do want to be thin so curing is quicker and you get a more even, smooth finish. 

Being the novice that I am, especially when it comes to gels, these are easy to use and complete novices, and of course, pros, won't have an issue using them. 
On my second "real" go, it took me maybe 25 minutes to do both hands and feet. They're fantastic, as once cured, there's no drying time, so you're good to go without having to be cautious about wrecking your polish job. 

They smell plasticky, and do smell compared to other nail polishes. I'd advise doing them in a decent space with good air flow, which you should be doing anyway. 

Easy to remove? On my fingers, a few nails peeled off (with assistance), and I just picked the rest off (naughty naughty!). On my toes, I just used a non acetone nailpolish remover, it did take a fair effort and time, so I would advise buying an actual soak off remover to make the process easier and quicker. 


After a month:
I don't know what it is, but I cannot keep these on my fingernails, but my toe nails? These last forever!
Fingers: I believe that it was completely my non prep as to why these polishes didn't work on my finger nails: (a list for total transparency)
* My finger nails were too smooth (I buffed and shined my nails before use).
* I didn't use a base coat, so the polish didn't stick as it should.
* I'm pretty hard on my nails (yes, I use my nails for everything like opening cans etc, which you "shouldn't" do... They are tools to me lol).
* I used just a normal OPI top coat afterwards.
So maybe this review is flawed as I didn't do everything, or really, anything, to get the best performance out of these polishes. On my fingernails, they lasted just under 2 weeks.

Toe nails:  All of the shades lasted well over a month, until I took them off to put another shade on. I didn't buff my toe nails and I don't do anything crazy, or strenuous with my toes haha. So I'm going to say it was these 2 main reasons that my fingers didn't last as long. Each colour remained opaque and chip free from application. You could see my nail grow out before application was altered in any way.


The colour change polishes didn't faulter in any way, from application to removal, they kept changing colour from warm/ hot to cold, and under water.


Would I purchase?:
After my personal shittiness with my fingers, I would still say yes. These work very well on my toes and last longer and don't chip like normal polish. There are a TON of amazing colours from neutrals, through to neons and glitters and my personal faves, colour change chameleons. You can also buy everything you need like base/ top coats, starter kits etc on the website. I bought my LED lamp on Ebay for like $5.


Available: madamglam.com
RRP: from $19.95USD

Madam Glam ships worldwide


All Madam Glam items sent to me for consideration, as always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Jamberry nail wraps

I got sent these to try out, and I think they're such a nifty idea, especially for those who like having pretty nails but either their salon doesn't do creative/ decorative nails or are short on time and like to get them on and go (much quicker than polish drying times).

Jamberry nails are set to launch in Australia and New Zealand on the 1st of October, and they're pretty comparable to the U.S (especially with the exchange rate right now). 

Jamberry Nails are... 

Can be used on artificial nails

No dry time

Won't damage natural nails

Formaldehyde, gluten and latex free

Last up to 2 weeks on fingers (longer for toes!)

No harmful chemicals

No chipping or smudging

Safe to use during pregnancy 

Never animal tested

Over 300 designs

Before now, I'd never tried the nail wraps, I always thought they were too fiddly and just not my kind of thing. They've been around for a while but I'm more of a polish girl. The above is what I got sent. I believe you get 2 of these sets for the $15USD. I already cut these as you can see. 

First Impression:
Wow! These are so cool. I was immediately impressed with how easy these are to use. Not fiddly at all and pretty quick to apply. My only con thus far, I have pretty small fingernails (small fingers) so the sizing is a bit off, either too big or too small. I'm not a fan of having gaps in-between my nail edge and wraps/ polish etc.

After applying a full set:
It was pretty time consuming, it took me 40 mins from start to finish doing both hands, so not super quick, although I'm sure you could cut that time down the more you use them. 
They are definitely easy to use. 

After 1 week

After a week:
I have only 2 remaining on my right hand, but the full set on my left (I'm right handed). I believe its due to not taking enough time on my right hand, with heat and buffing in prep. Only 1 on my left hand started to peel, but I just filed my nail down and it was fine. No matter how much you get them wet, moisturise (with hand cream etc), they don't come off. 

Would I purchase:
Yes. There are plenty of awesome designs and can be much cheaper than getting fancy art work on your nails done at a salon. They are easy to use once you get the hang of them, and prep is pretty important. 


Tips:
* They say to file your nails (shaped) when you prep your nails. My suggestion is to wait until afterwards when you're filing off the excess. 
* These would be best for short nails, or very strong longer nails.
* I had to cut mine to make them fit my nails, so use very sharp scissors otherwise it can get jagged very easily.
* The glitter ones need more work and heat as they are thicker than the transparent and patterned ones.
* If you use your nails to peel things or pick at things, these may not work for you. I use my nails for work and such, and my dominant hand, pointer finger came off easily due to that.
* Don't cut these right to the edges of your nail, they will come off easier, do leave a slight gap for best results. 

Available: Jamberry.com/au

RRP: $22 for Australia/ New Zealand, $15USD per sheet or, Buy 3 get 1 free. 

Review: Kardashian Beauty K24 Golden Makeup Primer Gelee

I'm sure you all know that the Kardashian ladies have their hands in pretty much every entrepreneurial venture there is, and beauty is no exception. All of the Kardashian's are beautiful and their makeup is always impeccable, you can't argue that, even if you aren't a fan of them personally.

Mecca Maxima and Kit Cosmetics stock the Kardashian Beauty line, and I thought I'd check it out (I shop online). I was surprised to find that everything is very reasonably priced, the line ranging from $9 to $21.

The Kardashian K24 primer Gelee, as the name of the product might tell you, is a Gelee jelly type primer.

I was very intrigued with this primer and I did read some reviews on it beforehand, and there seemed to be quite a bit of confusion on how to actually use it. This is a mask that you apply, leave on for 5 minutes and then wash off. It does say on the tube to wash it off, so I'm really not sure where the confusion lies, maybe the fact that it's a primer, which generally you leave on. This product claims to give you glowy, luminescent skin.

I squeezed out about a 10c size dollop onto my fingers and spread it out all over my face and left it on for about 5 minutes, as instructed. You definitely resemble some kind of majestic unicorn type creature while you're waiting for the primer to work its magic. My partner was a little bit frightened of it if anything. Maybe he confused me with a unicorn after surely believing they do not exist, when in fact, one was right in front of him haha.

It's not a sticky mask and doesn't feel uncomfortable or tight at all and it's easy to wash off and doesn't stick to your skin like glitter can and usually does.

Smoothed out. How the thickness appears on the skin.

After washing the primer mask off, it did leave little bits of glitter on my face, which in all honesty, it's glitter, so I really don't mind it (yes I'm one of those freaks who really insists on there being more glitter in the world... Yes, go on, sprinkle more of that shit...). My skin immediately felt softer after using it and with foundation on.

Hopefully you can see, the subtle gold glow and tiny specks of glitter. You can also see how smooth my skin is. 

Even after applying foundation over it, you can still see the little sparkles of glitter, which I quite like to be honest. I don't think it gives you a luminescent, glowy look like using a product like say, MAC strobe cream. It gives a very subtle golden glow. 

After 10 hours of wear, my foundation still looked good and not patchy at all. I used NARS Sheer glow with it and no powder like I usually would. Even after 10 hours of wear. My skin still felt super smooth and I think it's the smoothest and softest my face has ever felt.

This is not an every day type of product, and is nice for a night out, either a date night or if you're going clubbing. I really do think it depends on what kind of "glow" you are looking for. This gives more of a subtle golden glow vs a pearlescent glow. For this reason I do think it's better suited to someone who has a darker complexion, or is tanned. I do think this is good value for money and I found it make my face feel the softest vs any other primers I've used. Other than that, I would recommend it and it's a fun product to have in your stash. 

Available: mecca.com.au, Mecca Maxima and Kit Cosmetics.
RRP: $21

Review: Makeup Store glitter liquid liner

We all know how much I love I love glitter. I don't care how it comes, I want it! I'm very much a Weka in that way (FYI: a Weka is a New Zealand wood hen that LOVES shiny things, not dissimilar to a magpie, but they're a brown, ground bird). 

However, I'm also pretty lazy in that I do not like making my own glitter liner, I'd rather just buy a tube than mess around with something so pedantic as glitter, and trying to create a smooth line. 

That's where this baby comes in. The Makeup Store glitter liner. Ahhh, it's pretty majestical.
The liner I'll be reviewing for you today is Chocolux. A really pretty chocolate browny bronzey, shade. You can already tell I'm into it huh?!

The brush is nice and thin with medium density, so you can manoeuvre it around nice and easily but it doesn't kind of "flick/ flop" around like soft, flimsy brushes do. When I looked at the brush when I pulled it out of the tube, I didn't think it would deposit much glitter but I was definitely wrong. It coats the perfect amount. Not too thick (you know when you get those ball like chunks on some?) or too sparse. Sure you can go in for seconds to create a thicker line if thats your style, but it definitely isn't necessary. 

L-R: MAC Pinkphonic, Girl Groove, Makeup Store Chocolux
1 swipe vs layered.  

The brush is also nice and smooth and doesn't drag along your lash line, so even if you're in a hurry, you can master this with ease. So even if you can't be bothered, you can still inject a touch of glam into your look. 

It dries quickly, so it doesn't transfer to your lid if you sneeze or something by accident. Which is super handy. 

It wears very well, although I have only tried this as it's intended purpose as an eyeliner. I never experience any fallout and it lasts well throughout an entire day (10-12 hours) without any transference or sliding due to lid oiliness (although I tend to only get oily in my actual crease). I don't find that any flakes off during the day and it doesn't feel overly crunchy or crusty on my lashline either. 

Removing the liner is also a breeze and you don't have to fiercely scrub at your eyes to remove it. I just use my Garnier Micellar cleansing water to remove my eye makeup. 

Size comparison to a MAC glitter liner. 

I highly recommend this liner if you like your glitter liners. I have several from MAC from long, past years and this is definitely my fave and my recommendation for a glitter liner. I definitely want to grab a few more, namely Showstopper (silver), Lux (green) and Dancing Queen (cobolt blue). I cannot think of a single thing I don't like about the liner at all. Maybe more colours could be cool, like an orange or bright pink? Either way I'm sold and then some! 

Purchased from: Beautybay.com or you can email Makeup Store directly at enquiries@makeupstore.com.au
RRP: $35