Revel Nail - Soak Off Gel Polish Review & Swatches

I got these gel polishes in late 2014 but I am so very late in sharing the swatches here because I did not have a working UV nail lamp at the time. This post is hence super delayed!

Revel Nail - Soak Off Gel Polish Review & Swatches

Anyhow, as they say better late than never. Revel Nail Soak Off Gel polishes that I am sharing were launched last year as part of the winter collection of 2014. The shades are all awesome fall shades but can actually be worn year around.

I got 8 polishes, a base coat and a top coat. As per the instructions that came with these polishes they are to be cured under a 36 W UV nail lamp for about 2 minutes per coat. But I found these take longer to cure. The base coat itself took around 4 minutes to dry completely followed by approximately the same time for each individual coat.

To know the entire procedure of applying gel polishes you can check my post on How To Do A Gel Manicure

Now lets get right down to the shades I got.

First up are Bonfire and Kodie. Bonfire is a gorgeous coral brick color. It is  creamy in texture and a great color to wear year around. Kodie is a bright frosty blue (I just realized the pic cropping cut off most of my thumb swatch!)

Revel Nail - Soak Off Gel Polish Review & Swatches

Next up are two shimmer polishes. Please note all my swatches are after a single coat of the gel polish. This is to give you an idea of the opacity. The shimmer polishes are the least opaque of the lot as expected. Disco is a silver holo glitter topper polish with a clear base. To show you the effect I have used it on top of a plain silver polish. This polish can be used to top off any plain polish to add just some holographic shimmer to it.

Incline is a olive black based shimmer polish with golden shimmer in it. This one looks very pretty in person and is a gorgeous party shade.

How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

Hi everyone! Yesterday we learnt how to setup a UV nail lamp. Today I'm going to tell you the application process for a gel manicure and also show you swatches of Madam Glam Gel polishes that I have.

Gel manicure is normally a salon manicure in which a special procedure is used to apply gel polishes. The whole point of getting a gel manicure done is for the the longevity of the manicure. A gel manicure if done properly can last you over 2 weeks without any chips or fading. For some people it can last even longer. And the polish retains its fresh look during this time.

How To Do Gel Manicure With Soak-Off Gel Polish

1. Clean and dry your hands. 

2. Use a fine nail block to gently buff the surface of your nails. This makes the polish adhere better (I personally did not do this as I don't like buffing the surface of my nails)

3. Use an alcohol wipe to clean the nail surface (I use a wet wipe like Dettol and it works fine for me)

4. Apply a UV base coat - like normal base coats there are special base coats for doing gel manicure. These make sure that the gel polish sticks better to the nail and hence does not come off easily. After applying the base coat cure under the UV nail lamp for 2 minutes (please follow instructions on the base coat - every manufacturer has different instructions and time requirements)

5. Apply a very thin coat of your gel polish and again cure under the UV nail lamp for the time specified by the manufacturer.

6. Apply another thin coat of gel polish and cure under the UV nail lamp (this step is not required if the step 5 gives you the desired color output on your nail)

7. Apply a gel top coat and cure under the UV nail lamp. You might need to clean up what is called as 'tackiness' that is left off during curing. With the gel polishes I have I did not notice this issue.

Note that if you get any polish on the cuticle area or on any part of your skin remove it with acetone based cleaner before curing. After curing it becomes difficult to remove.

Madam Glam Gel Polishes - Review & Swatches

Now coming to the Madam Glam Gel Polishes. These polishes come in dark black bottles with color coded lids. I love the packaging. It is important for gel polish bottles to be kept in a dark place hence the dark bottles - this prevents the polish from spoiling. The color coded lids make it easy for you to search through your stack. The applicator brush is wide enough to give you an even streak free application.

How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

I have the polishes numbered 142, 289 and 347. 

How To Setup A UV Nail Lamp For Gel Manicure

Finally friends after taking so long to post this - here is a post where I will tell you all that I have learnt about Gel Manicures. And the first step for a gel manicure is to setup your UV nail lamp.

I purchased my UV nail lamp online (and if you follow me on Facebook you would know that I ordered two by mistake and am trying to sell of one of these - so yup if you need one leave me a comment so that I know!)

So the UV nail lamp came in a regular cardboard box and it had 4 UV lamps of 9W each. The lamps were packaged individually. The base of the UV Nail Lamp slides out so that you can see the sockets where the UV Lamps are to be inserted. You need to be careful, align the ends properly before gently pushing it inside. Once all the 4 lamps are inserted properly, slide back the base and you are ready to go.

Now most gel polishes will clearly mention the duration for which you need to keep your nails under the UV light. Most of these say 2 minutes in a 36W lamp. Notice that the total power of my UV Lamp is 36W (4 x 9W).

As you can see setting this up was simple and easy. Next we will learn about how to actually do a Gel manicure.

This lamp cost me Rs 1400 per piece. In India its available for around Rs 4000. In case you want to purchase the extra one I have let me know.

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