Madam Glam Color-Changing Gel Polish in Hot Hot Hot

I've been hardcore crushing on Hot Hot Hot after seeing it on Amber from Nails Like Lace, so when Madam Glam reached out to ask if I'd like to try some of their gel polishes, this one was at the tippy top of my wish list! It's been a while since I did some gel nails, but I was feeling the itch again. It's nice to mix it up every now and then and I love how invincible my nails feel with gel polish on--no worrying about chips or cracks!

Hot Hot Hot is a very unique shade: a thermal polish that goes from a poppy red shade to a warm orange when you expose it to heat. And the best part? It's got lots of silver glitter in it too! Because everything is better with extra sparkle!

Here's how the polish looks normally...

...and then here's what it changes to with heat. Please excuse the complete change in lighting here. I took these pictures at my bathroom sink so I could photograph my hands fresh out of warm water.

 

 

For the sake of completion, I wanted to throw in a shot of Hot Hot Hot mid-change too.

I could not stop staring at this polish. It's so much fun and I can't help but feel a teensy bit happier when I look at it. It's like a little dose of summer on my nails in the midst of all this terrible wind and snow.

I paired this shade with all Red Carpet Manicure products (base coat, top coat, lamp, etc.) and it worked great. I applied two coats of Hot Hot Hot for this mani. I was definitely impressed with how it went on. Gel polishes in general have thicker consistencies, but this one was still nice and workable. It even self-levels, which is super helpful when you're dealing with gels, as the thickness can sometimes result in bumpy, uneven application.

You can purchase Madam Glam from their website.


Disclosure: This polish was provided for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

SOLO One-Step Gel Polish: Review & Swatches

I've only had one gel manicure in my life. I liked it--we did OPI gels in Goldeneye with some black tiger stripes over top--but I've never attempted to do one at home. I change my polish very frequently, so someone like me doesn't necessarily need the longevity of a gel mani. However, there are some times (vacations, crazy busy weeks, etc.) when I don't have the time or access to supplies to paint my nails as often as I normally would, and that's where a gel mani could come in handy!

So when SOLO approached me about trying their new gel system, I was curious to give it a shot! There are a ton of different at-home gel systems out there. The big difference with SOLO is that there's no need for base or top coat; it's all built right in to the polish. There's also no sticky top layer to cleanse like there is with most gel polishes. Like the name implies, it's just one step and then you're done!

The light for curing the polish is big enough to fit each hand inside. Activating the light requires only the touch of a button, located on the top of the light, and there is a built-in 60-second timer with auto-shut off. I thought it was a cute touch that the button is heart-shaped too. :)

As for the polishes, I was given two of them to try. The first is Bonfire, a vibrant orange with dense gold shimmer. I adore the shine and sparkle this has! I couldn't stop looking at this polish when it was on my nails!

The consistency was pretty thick, although I suppose that's kind of the norm with gel polish. I found thin coats worked best and I had to be mindful not to overload my brush too much. This is two coats, although a couple nails benefited from three.

Then there's Starry Night, a deep navy base filled with tiny metallic silver flakes. You can't really see in the pictures, but the silver pieces aren't perfectly round. So they're not microglitter, but rather little flecks of silver. Pictures don't do this polish any justice. It's soooo beautiful! I knew Bonfire was going to be a tough act to follow, but Starry Night definitely holds its own.

Starry Night had a more workable formula than Bonfire. It was a breeze to apply, covering in two coats.

As for wear time, these were outstanding. When you apply your gel polish, thin coats will give you the longest wear and of course, capping your tips will always help too! I wore both polishes for five days. (After that, I just couldn't take not painting my nails, so I went ahead and removed the polish, even though it still looked great!) I didn't have any chips or dents and everything still looked as smooth and shiny as day one. And I wasn't taking it easy on my nails. We're moving, so I've been doing a ton of packing. I liked how protected and strong my nails felt with the gels on, because I knew no matter what I was doing, my mani--and more importantly, my nails themselves--would hold up just fine.

Removal was easy enough. I soaked my nails in some acetone-based remover for about ten minutes, then used an orange stick to pop the polish right off. My nails were a little dry afterwards from the acetone, but it was nothing a little nail cream couldn't fix.

If you're curious about gel polish, this is the way to do it. It's fast, easy and long-lasting! I was really impressed by SOLO's polishes and would definitely consider purchasing more!

You can purchase SOLO from their website or at Ulta.


Disclosure: These products were sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Get Michelle Obama's Nail Color & A Zoya Promo!

It seems like everyone and their sister is talking about Michelle Obama's greige nails from her DNC speech last night. The First Lady paired her greige mani with a Tracy Reese dress and J Crew shoes.

Photo Credit: Fashionista

Photo Credit: TresSugar

 

Photo Credit: The Atlantic Wire

As a nod to Mrs. O's manicure, Zoya is even offering a free bottle of their famous greige, Caitlin, with any purchase of $10 or more from now until 11:59 tomorrow night! Just use the code FIRSTPOLISH.

But what exact shade was the First Lady sporting last night? Well after much speculation, the Obama Campaign has revealed that her polish of choice was Artistic Color Gloss Soak-off Gel in the color Vogue.

You can purchase Vogue HERE or HERE (I'm not affiliated in any way with either site) but make sure you either have a UV light or a good salon on-call, since it is a special gel polish. Or if you're willing to wait a bit longer, I'm sure plenty of brands already have dupes in the works to jump on all the buzz!