Epic Nail - Summertime Shellac Starter Kit Review

 I reviewed Epic Nail's Nail Foil a while back (click here). I wore the nail foils to a wedding and I showed the foils to every girl I had a conversation with - most were in awe and didn't know what nail foils were.

I am not a salon go-er, nor have I tried Shellac nails - I thought it was something you can only get done at nail salons. Naturally, I couldn't resist when Epic Nail asked me to review this kit ^_^


The Summertime Shellac Nail Kit includes:

• 1x    12 watt pink LED Nail curing lamp
• 6x    Shellac Polishes:  Cosmo, Cheeky Pink, Aqua Addiction, Sherbert Sorbet, Big Sky and Summer Dream
• 1x    Top Coat
• 1x    Base Coat
• 10x  Cuticle pushers
• 20x  Alcohol wipes

Everything seemed rather technical when I opened the box, then I saw the brochure and realised the user friendly nature of the kit!

 

I fixed my nails and applied the top coat.

Once completed, I put my fingers into the LED machine. The machine was SO easy to use!

I flicked the "On" button at the back, set the time to 90 seconds (using the +/- buttons) and hit the little light bulb button to start the timer. The LED light came on as soon as I placed my fingers in. A beep sound will be present (pull your fingers out) and the LED lights will automatically switch off.

I applied a layer of coloured polish and cured for 90 seconds. This was followed by the application of top coat + another 90 seconds of curing.

Once everything was done, I used an alcohol wipe to remove sticky residue.
 

 I couldn't believe the result, extremely smooth and shiny. I always thought why I should go to nail salons when I can paint my own nails at home. Now I can do my own shellac, stolked!

Pros

• I love the finish, the feel of the shellac on my nails, how smooth and shiny it is
• Longevity - I've had my orange polish on for 2 weeks now, no chips. 
• Gorgeous colours
• Easy to use
• No drying time required, the curing does it all for you. 
• No pungent lacquer smell!!!

Cons
I honestly can't think of a single con for this kit.

Shertbet Sorbet

Cosmo

Cheeky Pink

Summer Dream

I'm going to a wedding this weekend and I'll be wearing peeptoes, I prefer to have coloured nails in peeptoes so I thought, why not shellac my toes as well? Since my feet are more tanned than the rest of my body, the pastel creates a perfect contrast. I think I'll be shellac-ing my toes more often!

Big Sky

 Aqua Addiction

Removal

Epic Nail was super thoughtful and sent me a removal kit for the shellac nails. I've never used pure acetone to remove nail polish, the caution signs made me a little nervous at first.

I followed the instructions provided by Epic Nail, took the foils, soaked the cotton pad with acetone and wrapped it around my fingers. It's inevitable that you'll get acetone on your skin, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

There were still some shellac residue on my nails after 15mins. So, I left the rest on till the 20 minute mark. The shellac bubbled up (see below) and I was able to remove it with the cuticle stick provided quite easily, however I had to scraped off a bit of the top bed of my enamel. Once I finished removing, I applied coats of vaseline to each cuticle.

The acetone made my fingers quite dry, so don't forget to moisturise! I genuinely love my new nails and I think it's amazing that I can now do my own shellac at home instead of forking out $35-$45 to get them done at the salon.

To me, these are salon quality - more reason that I will not set foot into a nail salon! Although, I personally did not prefer the removal process, but I guess if you do your nails on a regular basis you would probably feel more accustom to it. To be honest, I like the outcome enough not to remove it, I'm quite happy to do my shellac at home and leave them off till they decide to come off on their own.
 
 I am really happy with the shellac kit ^_^  It's fantastic to have around the house in preparation for special events or regular use!

Epic Nail is kindly offering my readers free shipping for any kit. Enter this code at checkout: KITLILY
Offer expires March 21st

Check out their website: www.epicnail.com.au

Have you tried Shellac Nails? Which is your favourite shade from the kit?

 Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

EpicNail - "Essential" Nail Foil Kit Review {Pic Heavy!}

Epic Nail emailed me and asked if I would like to try and review their nail foil - I was extremely curious, I've never heard of nail foils before. I  browsed through their site (ended up being on the web page for most the morning - I got caught browsing through their huge range of nail products!!!).

There were three different nail foil kits - $36.99 per kit (6 designs each foil is 4cm x 100cm, cuticle sticks and nail glue. You can do up to 60 manicures with each kit. 

Essentials  -

Kaleidoscope

Wildlife

If you want ALL the designs + more... there's an Ultimate kit!!

 

I picked Essential  because I like the lace patterns. This post is a little over due, but I wanted to be really detailed!

Here's the cuticle stick, I use the pointy end to pick out unwanted foils.

Application

1. Apply base coat (optional)
2. Apply nail polish (optional)
3. Cut your foils into small square pieces to fit your nails
2. Apply a thin layer of nail glue onto each your nails on one hand
3. Wait for approximately 1- 1.5 minutes, until the glue become transparent (if you stick the foil on too soon, the glue will be tacky and you will not get your foil onto your nail)
4. Press the nail foil (coloured side up) onto your nails

5. rub the surface (you should be able to see the foil sticking to your nail) peel off gently.
6. Apply top coat (optional)

 

Now to the foils!

Winter is Coming 

I thought this was absolutely gorgeous, but once I applied it on my nail, I as convinced. It's was really down to personal preference, I don't think pretty pearly white goes too well with olive skin.

I Heart You

Kawaii! I think this is good for valentine's day. I wasn't too sure how I felt about all these hearts so I tried it on my toes first (Sorry to make you guys look at my toes)... well, guess what, I love it! I'll definitely be using these on my fingers :)

All Laced Up 

This was my favourite design when I opened the box to look at everything. I wore this to a recent wedding (perfect timing!)

 In the Jungle

I'm not too much of an animal print person, and I ran out of fingers to try the foils on so I tried it on my toes, again. They applied really well and my toes never looked so funky! (sorry more toe pics)

I painted a coat of red polish and applied the foil on top.

Pipe Dream

You can either apply the foils on by stamping or full application. Since this was such a colourful design I thought I might ruffle it up a little by dabbing the foil onto my nails, I was a little hesitant about applying this particular design because it was so colourful! I couldn't believe how much I loved the colours once I applied it. I think this is my new favourite!

Although, I'd probably suggest to apply your nail polish prior to application, not sure how I feel about my dabbed look.

Nautical

I applied a coat of baby pink nail polish underneath

Pros
My parents hate like the smell of nail polish inside the house, so I usually do my nails in the garden on a sunny day. It hasn't been particularly sunny lately and I've been pretty busy during the day so i haven't really been able to paint my nails. My nails are often neglected because of this. I was amazed that the foil didn't have any scent, I was able to do my nails while watching tv and not have my parents complain!!!

It was really quick and easy to apply, I didn't have to wait for 5-10mins as I would after applying nail polish. I get very impatient and start doing things with my fingers to ruin the newly applied polish.

The gorgeous designs were definitely a huge plus, probably a good idea to keep a few designs in your draw for special occasions! I've had quite a few people commenting on how much they loved my nails with the foils.

This is great for people who like to change their nail design every couple of days.


Cons

Some of the foils are really easy to apply, some were a little stubborn. Quite often, the edge of my nails may not transfer as smoothly, but once you apply a coat of nail polish as the base, it's not so obvious. Unless you have time to fix up the edges by re-stamping, it would probably worth to paint your nails first.

The only other con I can think of is that it doesn't last as long. Make sure you apply a generous top coat, that'll prolong the life a little. My top coat was a little flimsy so It started to chip after a couple of days. However, the one roll of foil will last you for quite a few applications (especially if you have small nails like me).

   ***

Overall I really enjoyed using the foils, it was fun and novel. The fact that the foils have no scent was a HUGE bonus for me, I would honestly use the foils more than I would paint my nails. The products in this review were kindly provided by EpicNail. Thank you! ^_^

In addition, Epic Nail is offering all readers free shipping for purchases $30 or over. Just enter the following code: BLOGLILYNLOUISE

Check out their website:  http://epicnail.com.au/

Have you tried nail foils before? Which design is your favourite?