The holidays are here, y'all. Have you thought about your holiday nails yet? Today, I'm introducing you to a vegan and cruelty-free nail brand that delivers salon-quality results right at home. Virgo & Gem, founded by Graciela Diaz, offers dip powders & glitters, top coats, and nail tools to bring you beautiful, easy, fun nails without UV lamps or long dry times.
This is my first attempt with dip powders, so be nice. The first time, I decided to follow their tutorial page and start with their pH bond after washing my hands and ensuring my cuticles were pushed back and my nails were lightly filed for the product to adhere to.
From left to right - Frosted Pine, Coquito, Five Golden Rings, Candy Apple.
After applying the pH bond, apply the base coat to 3/4 of your nail and then dip your nail into the powder. Tap off the excess, brush it off, and now apply the base coat to the cuticle and dip again. One important note - make sure to use an orange stick or metal tool to keep the glitter away from your cuticles.
After you're happy with the thickness (3 to 4 coats), apply 2 coats of Activator. Now, wait 2 minutes, and then file your nails; they will be smooth. Add one more coat of Activator, wait a minute, and wipe the nail with a lint-free wipe.
Now it's top coat time. Apply in 3 quick strokes (middle, side, side) and then apply a second layer after a minute. You're done!
Now that's for solid color. If you're doing glitter like I am above, apply one layer of Clear Dip Powder so you don't have to file and buff the glitter.
Honestly, this is pretty awesome. Now, removal was a little harder for me, but I didn't try the cotton balls with acetone inside a zip lock that's inside a container of hot water. I attempted to use my Steam Off machine, and that was a hard no. I ended up having to get the rest e-filed off. This is why you follow the tutorials, my friends.
Last month on Instagram, I saw that they make a Peel Base. I immediately bought it... and another pot of dip powder called April Showers but that's for another day.
Instead of using the pH Bond, apply two coats of the Peel Base and wait for it to dry (it will appear clear and glossy). Then follow the usual process: base coat, dip, base coat, dip, activator, file, activator, and top coat.
I again tried Frosted Pine, Five Golden Rings, and Candy Apple. I had forgotten entirely about the clear layer for the glitter.
Look how nice and even it is again! Now, I was really excited to pop these off, and you just have to use a tool to get under an edge in the corner and pop! It was super easy.
Virgo & Gem can be purchased on their website. They have over 150 colors, from glitters to thermals, and even glow-in-the-dark! Join the social conversation on Facebook and Instagram.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
