Review of Migi Nail Art Pens/Brushes

Hey guys!  So a friend of mine is letting me try out her Migi product and I thought I'd let you all know what I've discovered.

Here's the thing - Migi isn't your typical nail polish.  It doesn't come in a bottle so much as it comes in a plastic tube.  The really neat thing about it is that if you twist off the cap it's a brush, but if you pull off the top, it's a pen! 

That means that you get a nail art pen for every color you buy - it's absolutely a two-for-one deal.

So this product comes in packs of two, four, six, or eight; this particular one was Migi set #101.  There are tons of different sets, some have themes, like the Black Tie set (#251), or the Safari-themed set (#1209). 

Unfortunately, the sets of 8 are fairly expensive (about $25), but you're getting eight brushes and eight pens AND if you register when you buy them, you get free refills!  You just have to pay shipping (about $3).  In total, it's definitely worth the face price.  You can also get replacement brushes and tips for the price of shipping!

Anyway, on with the review!  I used this nondescript blue color shown to the right.  Here's the final product.

I had my doubts when I tried this, but I was happily corrected!  This stuff coats like a charm, evenly and it dries smoothly with no streaks.  It's pretty matte, but it has just a little shine to it.  Plus, it doesn't take long to dry at all.  I was able to drag my fingers along a nail in about 15 minutes.  The colors are very bright and you don't even really NEED a second coat.  I used two coats because that's what I'm used to, and I can go back and cover an area if I missed it the first time around. Also, something unexpected that I discovered that is a nice addition - it's easy to take off with nail polish remover!  That's not something I usually look for (or will get the chance to tell you because hopefully I won't be taking off my manicure before reviewing or at least showing you!), but it's definitely nice when it comes time to take it off.

On the down side, it IS fairly expensive, but you get a lot for your money.  The tubes are relatively small compared to a normal bottle of polish, so you'll end up paying a bit for shipping on refills if you use it a lot.  Each color comes in 0.16 fl oz or 4.8 ml.  A typical bottle of polish comes in about 0.5 fl oz or 15 ml. 

However, this stuff is very cool, and in my opinion worth the price.

I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5!

Tip of the Week

Hey guys, I know it's only Wednesday, but my schedule is pretty full for the rest of the week/weekend, so I figured I would go ahead and post this week's tip.  

Do you ever get frustrated with how long top coats take to dry?  Ever thought your top coat was dry but woke up the next morning and there were imprints of your sheets on your nails?  To stop this, after putting on your top coat, put your hands in a bowl of ice water.  I wish I could tell you what this does chemically to help dry those pesky top coats, but I have no idea.  I do know that the cold temperature will set the color more quickly (this is why some people put their hands in front of fans to dry their nails). It works like a charm!

Just get a bowl big enough to put your hands in, put some cold water in it, and then throw in some ice.  Hold your hands in for as long as you can, swish the water around, take your fingers out to give them a rest for a while, put them back in.  For real.  It works. 

Happy painting!

Tip of the Week

Hey guys, my next tip for you is - Make sure your nails are 100% dry before using a topcoat.
 Topcoats are a wonderful thing, but putting them on too soon can mess up your whole mani by dragging the colors.  There is no frustration like that of having spent hours doing your nails, getting them just the way you want them, only to ruin them at the last second (after they're done, I might add).  Yes, I have done this many, many times.  I still do it more than I would like.  Doing your nails takes patience, which sometimes I just don't possess.   It can make for a cool, subtle effect if that's what you're going for, but if you want crisp, clean lines - WAIT TO PUT ON THAT TOPCOAT.

Review of Pure Ice China Girl

So for my first review I thought I'd show you a color I've been dying to try.  Naturally, I had to listen to David Bowie while I did this.  I think I've mentioned before that Pure Ice may be my favorite brand, and here's why!

• Firstly, I love the metallic sheen of their colors. There is something so appealing about the way they shine and reflect light, and it really sets them apart from other brands.

• Secondly, it coats evenly.  That's a lovely addition.  

• You also don't even really need more than one coat, depending on the color I suppose.  This time I used two coats, but I didn't really need to.  
• Next, it dries relatively quickly!  These took about fifteen minutes to dry, which is far superior to some brands (coughSallyHansenXtremeWear) that can take up to a few hours to dry completely.  Sheesh.
• IT'S CHEAP!  One bottle is only $1.97 at Walmart.  That's a clearance price on most other brands.  It is absolutely worth two bucks.

HOWEVER.  There are a couple cons that I wish weren't there:

• It leaves stroke marks.  You can pretty much see where the brush was with each stroke.  A minor aggravation, but still annoying.  Sometimes putting on a topcoat can help minimize them.
• It doesn't take much to make it bubble.  Seriously, bubbles in a mani are so infuriating.  It's one of those little things that can make the whole finger look bad.  

But really, that's about it.  The pros definitely outweigh the cons.  Pure Ice is affordable and it looks great!  I'm going to give it.... hmmm... 4 out of 5 stars!

 

(Again, pre-cleanup)

Second Attempt at Water Marbling

This time I used Sinful Colors's Snow Me White, Essie's Play Date, Sally Hansen's (GASP!  I know I said I had boycotted this, but I thought I would give it one last shot) Plum Power, and Rimmel's Purple Rain.

This is probably my favorite mani thus far, but don't worry, I promise I will start doing something other than water marbling soon!  It does, unfortunately, take more polish than I would like, and if I keep doing it I'll run out of colors!  I'll put up a tutorial on how to do water marbling in the future, and that will probably be my last post about it for a while.  

Usually I don't like to use Sinful Colors because it's so cheap and you have to put on a hundred coats before you see a change in the color, but this Snow Me White is working really well.  I used it as my base coat for this mani as well.  Generally, Essie is pretty good, but you would expect it to be if you're paying $8 per bottle.  It coats pretty evenly, which is something that is super obnoxious if it doesn't.  Like I said, I've boycotted all of Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Line because I've had horrible trouble with it globbing up in the bottle and not thinning out with nail polish remover.  It's also pretty hard to get to cover evenly.  BUT, as you can see, I got this bottle for under 2 bucks, so I figured I'd give it a chance.  I may even use it in the future.  I've not had a chance to try my Rimmel by itself yet, but it's proving itself worthy with this mani!  That was also on clearance.

P.S. sorry for the mess again!

Tip of the Week

My first tip for all you ladies (or gents) out there painting nails, is: ALWAYS USE A BASE COAT!

Not only does it help adhere the polish to your nail, but it also protects your nails from tearing apart.  After painting your nails a few times without a base coat, sometimes your nails will begin getting brittle and falling apart.  Base coats add a layer between your nail and some of the harsh chemicals in acrylic polishes. 

Base coats typically dry pretty quickly, so you don't have to worry much about it adding too much time to the already long process of drying nails.  

You can get base coats for cheap, but in most cases you get what you pay for.  A cheap base coat often won't keep your mani adhered for as long as a more expensive brand.  I like my FingerPaints base coat, as well as my Chi base coat. 

If you want to be painting your nails for a long time, it's important to take care of them!

Happy painting!

Water Marbling?!?

Oh man, this is it guys.  It's only taken me like six months to figure out how to do this.  BUT I'VE DONE IT!  Sorry about the messy cuticles, but I'm super excited. 

ALRIGHT.  So I used Chi's Base/Top Coat and then put on a layer of NYC's French Tip color (I apparently need more white).   Always use a white beneath this and let it dry, as it makes the colors stand out more.  I also didn't realize how gently you have to scrape the toothpick through to make the design... Lesson learned: SUPER GENTLY.  

Also, kind of roll your nail into it so you get the sides.  That's something I will do differently next time.  There are some slivers on the sides of my nails now that are just white.  Bummer.  All in all, I'm super excited.  This is my First Attempt (FA), so expect better in the future!