Review: Jamberry Matte Topcoat

Hello!

I have been on a continuing quest for a matte topcoat that comes even close to China Glaze's Matte Magic, since the only form of this I've been able to find is the teeny little bottles, for not so teeny little prices. The only ones I've seen that seem to do as good of a job are from brands that are not cruelty-free, so they are a no-no for me.

So, I was very eager to try out Jamberry's matte topcoat when I was given the chance to review one of their topcoats, since this is a brand that I can feel good about buying from.

But of course, the question is...does it mattify the way I want it to? I have tested it out over a variety of polish types to see what it will do...Let's take a look:


First, let's take a look at it over Cult Nails Coveted:

Jamberry matte topcoat over Cult Nails Coveted

The index and middle fingers have Jamberry matte topcoat, while the ring and pinkie do not. The matted nails have that cloudy look that changes the finish but not the color perfectly. The matte creates that nice contrast with the flakies underneath that gives them a different dimension and light, and also allows the teeny glimmers of light to come through in the rest of the polish.


Next I tried it overPicture Polish Mallard:

Jamberry matte topcoat over Picture Polish Mallard

The matte also did a dramatic job here; it creates a wax finish without dimming the flakes. This is a very dark polish to start with, so there isn't as much light coming through as in Coveted, but notice that the different colors in the flakies are all still showing their gorgeousness.


Next, something a little brighter--Hare Polish Asteroid Turf:

Hare Polish Asteroid Turf

Jamberry matte topcoat over Hare Polish Asteroid Turf

This is my favorite way to wear matte topcoat, over a polish that has a high contrast between the base color and the glitter. And the Jamberry passed my test here--this is exactly what I want a matte topcoat to do, to give that flat finish without decreasing the beauty of the polish beneath. These glitters still sing out, and the base color looks smooth and deep. Dare I say it? I prefer this polish with the matte topcoat over the regular topcoat. It looks like a beautiful meadow filled with little purple wildflowers this way. :)

How about a similar glitter that doesn't have quite so much direct contrast? Here it is over InDecisive Lacquer Zea Mays

InDecisive Nail Lacquer Zea Mays

Jamberry Matte Topcoat over InDecisive Nail Lacquer Zea Mays

Just...just...yeah. Do I even need to say it? All of the skill that the maker put into designing the glitter blend and its relationship to the base color remains...but is enhanced. It feels lush, rich, lovely.


And finally, what about a plain old creme? Let's take a look at it over Jamberry's own Cardinal:

Jamberry Cardinal

Jamberry matte topcoat over Jamberry Cardinal

This show best how evenly the topcoat applies; I've tried other matte topcoats that were a bit patchy, but this goes on and dries perfectly.

Jamberry's matte topcoat exceeded all of my expectations, and I feel comfortable putting it into the same category as my personal standard-bearer, China Glaze Matte Magic. If you're looking for a good matte topcoat that is 5-free, cruelty-free, and works extremely well, you can check it out by clicking here. And check out their nail lacquers, they're excellent as well. :)

Hugs and loves!
M.

(Matte topcoat and Cardinal provided for review. All other polishes from my personal collection.)

Before & After: Brocade Brigade

Hello!

Looking for a winter look that doesn't scream holidays? Let's see if I can pull one up for you...

To get an awesome head-start, let's bust out a little magical holo-duochrome goodness with Mentality Morality:

Mentality Morality

Mentality Morality

Yeah...that's nice...And since that felt so good, let's do some stamping with a little bit more Mentality--yep, you heard me right, some Mentality on Mentality action--with Mentality Bandit (a moss green matte polish) and Pueen 26:

I love me a good brocade in the winter, especially when it's a holo-matte-duochrome brocade, in gorgeous eggplant and moss tones...Le Sighs--I heave them.

Hugs and love!
M.

Before & After: French Sailor

(All items in this post were purchased by me.)

Ha ha ha ha hah ah ah ahaaaaaa! I'm on time with this week's Kimber's Amazing Challenge Ladies challenge!!

This week's theme is Blue...and I just happen to have an awesome navy blue matte polish to show you from Mentality, so that's what I used as my base. I give you two coats of Mentality Sailor:

Mentality Sailor, 2 coats, indirect sunlight

Mentality Sailor, 2 coats, direct sunlight

I've always loved the look of topcoated tips with a matte base, but I've never tried it--so no time like the present! But, I decided to jazz it up a little more than that, with an accent nail of Orly's Angel Eyes, a glitter topper with small and teeny blue glitters and a smattering of small rose and silver hexes (only two were visible at any given angle, but there were a few more):

Blue his house with a blue little window

And a blue corvette and everything is blue for him

And himself and everybody around

'Cause he ain't got nobody to listen...

What do you think? I love how this came out, and it's soooo easy to do. You can use French tip guides or stroke it on by hand. And I think the glitter is a subtle way to add some mono-chromatic bling. :)

Don't forget to check out the the other blue polishes, linked below. :) Peace, love, and hugs,
M.

(All items in this post were purchased by me.)

Review: Mentality Nail Polish

(All products in this post were purchased by me).

Hello!!

For some time now, I've had a couple of Mentality Nail Polish holos to show you...for some reason that review slipped through the cracks--I had thought I posted it, but never did. When I went to the Eyes On Indies event and Mentality was there, it reminded me about the review (that's what made me realize I hadn't posted it, because I couldn't remember which colors I'd shown, lol--funny how our brains work). Anyway, it worked out for the best because now I have a couple more awesome things to show you.

When I think of amazing soft linear holos, I think of Mentality. They have an incredible range of colors, and a holographic effect that is clearly linear, but in a more understated way than the full-on-blast-in-your-face holos that may not be as appropriate for all occasions. And most important of all to me--they look beautiful in all lights.

This is quite enough on its own--lovely holos are a thing of magic and happiness. But at the Eyes On Indies event I learned that they do other things really well, too--including, as it turns out, matte polishes.

Until that day, my favorite mattes had been the Layla Softouch Effect polishes. They have now been supplanted by the Mentality line, which have equally high quality, a broader range of interesting colors, and...are cheaper. That's right. Cheaper.

They also have toppers, including a 24k topper for an extremely reasonable price! After I got home and tried them all out, I immediately went and ordered a bunch more...although I wish I had waited because they are now having a great sale! More about that later...

But, let's get to it--a little less conversation, a little more polish!


Let's start with the matte that blew my mind--Mentality Bandit, a dark jewel-toned forest green flecked with charcoal grey:

Mentality Bandit, two coats, direct sunlight

Mentality Bandit, indirect light

Mentality Bandit, dark shade

And look at how it comes to life when you put topcoat over it--like a light has been turned on inside of it:

Mentality Bandit with topcoat over the middle nails; artificial light

I'm wearing two coats in these pictures, but I could have easily gotten away with one careful coat; this really is a one-coater. The formula on this is an absolute dream, as are all of the Mentality polishes. I've never had the slightest problem applying any of her polishes.


Okay, next up, one of the beautiful holos! Here is Mentality Entice, a brown-gold polish that makes your nails looks like you've draped expensive liquid burnished gold over them:

Mentality Entice, 2 coats, direct sunlight

And here is how beautiful this polish looks even in lights when the holo isn't activated:

Mentality Entice, 2 coats, shade

If you're looking for the sparkle of a holo in a wearable fall neutral, look no farther, my friend! Browns and golds are not my favorite polish colors, but this just sings. Classically elegant, and superbly wearable.


Next I have Mentality Morality--warn your husbands and hide your childrens, 'cause this is an absolute stunner--a dark grape duochrome holographic polish with a subtle purple-blue-gray-green shift:

Mentality Morality, 2 coats, direct sulight

Here's the polish in the shade, without the holographic sparkle--how many holos can claim to be this beautiful when out of the light?:

I found the colors hard to capture on film no matter what light and angle I tried, but you can see the full range of colors in the bottle on the shots. That lovely olive green shows up beautifully when the nails are at extreme angles away from the eye, and I'm so annoyed I couldn't capture it! The only color I didn't see when it was on the nail is the pinkish shade you can see in the bottle. The rest are all there. :)


A couple of days ago, I showed you some nail art with Mentality Seduce as the base. Here are some more shots, including some shade shots...:

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, direct sunlight

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, artificial light

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, artificial light

And here is this lovely lady in the shade:

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, shade

 I think this shade is so vibrant and energizing, without being too much. And I love the almost-flecked effect in the shade so much that I'd buy this polish even if it weren't holographic. How many holos can you say that about?!

And last, at least for today, I have Tease. This is a soft, femine lavendar with lashings of silver and hints of pink:

Mentality Tease, 2 coats, direct sunlight

Mentality Tease, artificial light--sorry for the awkward shadow, but this shows the indoors color perfectly!

And a shade shot, to show how beautiful this is even when the holo doesn't show:

Mentality Tease, 2 coats, indirect light

What more can I say about these? In my perfect polish world, I want specialty polishes that are beautiful, have a wonderful formula, and cover in two coats. Every polish I've tried by Mentality does all that, and more.

In fact...because I've found these polishes to be so consistently excellent over an ever-increasing range of polish types, I've decided to 'induct' Mentality Nail Polish into my Indie Polish Hall of Fame. As of my last order, I own more polishes by this maker than by any other indie, and I'm still lemming quite a few more. My criteria for the polishes I put on that site is that they have, over several purchases, consistently produced high-quality, well-performing polishes that have something special that set them apart, in my opinion. This is a no-brainer for me. :)

Right now if you spend $30 or more on Mentality's Etsy site, you can get 20% off of your purchase through the end of September using the code MENTALITY; also, if your after-discount purchase is more than $30, you'll get a free bottle of their polish Not For Sale. Shipping is always FREE within the United States; and while it isn't free, they DO ship internationally!

I'll definitely be back with more Mentality in the future...for now, I hope you've enjoyed these!

Hugs and love,
M.

(All products in this post were purchased by me).

Comparison Thursday: Teal with Pink - part deux!

Per reader request, tonight's comparison will be of KBShimmer Teal Another Tail and Indigo Bananas Immortal Game.  Both are teal based polishes with strong gold to pink shift and holographic glitters, but, as you'll see below, they are quite different.  If you'd like to see my first teal with pink flash comparison, look here.  Oh, and while you're at it, check out the blue with pink flash post here!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.* 

Let's start off with the similarities.  As you can see, both polishes are teal based with strong pink to gold flash.  They both contain a large particle shifting pigment with a bit of holographic glitter interspersed.  Both only required three coats for full opacity, and they dried at the same pace without a topcoat - about 10 minutes.  Photos holding Teal Another Tail are both polishes without topcoat.  Photos holding Nina Ultra Pro Topcoat and those in the low light photos are both polishes with topcoat.  The macros are both with topcoat.  Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Let's take a look at each polish a little more closely now to check out their differences.

KBShimmer Teal Another Tail

Teal Another Tail leans more green on the teal spectrum than Immortal Game.  It also has a brighter shift.  If you look at the macro, you can see bits of black, as well, that's missing from Immortal Game.  Also, Teal Another Tail dries with a matte, almost textured, finish.  The texture doesn't rise to the level of Zoya Pixie Dusts or OPI Liquid Sands, but it's definitely a grittier finish than a normal matte.  Even without a topcoat, you can see the shift and sparkle quite vividly.  The holographic glitters in Teal Another Tail are actually quite a bit larger, and thus more noticeable, than those found in Immortal Game.  With topcoat added, Teal Another Tail was just as glossy as Immortal Game.  

Immortal Game

Immortal Game leans more toward the blue side of the teal spectrum.  The shift, while vibrant, isn't quite as strong as the shift in Teal Another Tail.  The shifting particles are large in Immortal Game, too, but it doesn't cause the polish to get gritty.  Immortal Game dries shiny and smooth.  With topcoat, it's quite glossy.  There are microscopic holographic glitters that you see only when the light hits them just right, but they are there.  Immortal Game is also much less densely packed with the glass flecks/glitters/shifting particles than in Teal Another Tail, giving you a better view of the base color than with TAT.

  You can see the biggest difference between them in the low light photos (yes, I used the sensual glow of the refrigerator once more).  The green is more apparent in Teal Another Tail and the gold shifts stronger in Teal Another Tail as well.  Immortal Game has fewer particles, which is why, in my opinion, the shift isn't as strong.

As you can see, in certain lights, they look very similar, but in others, they are quite different.  I definitely think you could get away with owning both.  

You can purchase Indigo Bananas at her shop.  Follow Andrea and Indigo Bananas on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog for news, updates, and links to blogger reviews.  You can purchase KBShimmers at their online store for US customers and Harlow and Co for international customers.  Follow the KBShimmer crew on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*