Olive & June’s Magnetic Gel Mani System Review

Is there anyone who doesn’t love the soft, Luxe feeling of velvet? We wait. That plush textile has taken the center this year, its comeback adapts to a greater shift towards tactile luxury and a craving for materials that feel as abandoned as they look. Since the velvet is embraced over fashion, interior design and accessories, it is no surprise that it is also in the beauty scene, especially when it comes to nails.

Velvet nails Are intended to mimic the soft, reflective quality of the actual velvet weave, and with Selena Gomez a big fan of the look, I knew I had to try it myself. Historically, I am not very adventurous when it comes to my manicure (I usually alternatives between a solid pink and a solid white), but when the opportunity arises to have your nails made of Tom BachikNail creative behind some of the industry’s biggest A-lister (I’m talking Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Gomez myself), I couldn’t reject. Bachik gave me velvet nails with the new magnetic gel system for olive and June ($ 50), which has four new velvet polishes that are equally user -friendly to apply because they are wonderful.

Below I share my experience of getting my nails done with the new collection.

How the magnetic manicure works

Olive & June’s Magnetic Gel Mani system comes with everything you need to create a velvet manicure, including a base coat, top coat, LED -gel lamp, all four polishes (pure silver, pure gold, pastel venture and pastel blue) and all the necessary tools (magnetic, nail file, nail buffer, mower and neck department). What makes this system so unique is the magnetic magic wand and the corresponding polish particles in the nail polish is metal, so when you keep the magnetic magic wand to the nail rises Polish to give a reflective, velvet-y look (more about the latter).

The manicure started with Bachik removing my old gel pole with an electric nail file – he made sure to move in the direction of nail growth to maintain my nails. He then trimmed, archived and pushed down my cuticles before entering a lint -free, alcohol soaked pillow to clear the nail. He applied a thin layer of base coating (a thick coat can make the nail seem flatter and thicker, he says) and brushed away any excess that may have come on the skin around my nails. We let the base coating sit under the LED gel lamp for a minute, then came the fun part – the magnetic polish.

Here’s how it works: The magnetic magic wand is double-ended with a rectangular and circular side. Depending on which end you use (and the angle where you hold the magic wand) you can achieve different surfaces. For example, waving the rectangular end of the magic wand over each nail everywhere the Opalescent Velvet effect. If you keep the rectangular end of the magic wand at a diagonal angle above the nail, you get a diagonal cat eye look. You can also create a French tip by placing your finger over the magnet when painting the tip with polish. If you want to experiment with different designs while painting (or you crush and need a re-do), you can simply restore by adding another layer of Polish (polish does not put in its design until you cure it under the light, so there is a little turning room to play around).

My velvet nails

Bachik and I played with different looks and each we tried to create a velvet effect that looked fantastic when it caught the light. It was tough to make a decision about what we would go for, but we stopped using the pure silver police to create a completely shimmering effect.

One technique that Bachik taught me about was to “freeze” the gel. After painting one or two nails and creating the effect we wanted with the magnetic magic wand, he made me put those nails under the LED light for 10 seconds. This “freezes” the particles, which ensure that they already painted their nails are not destroyed when working on my other fingers. This technology works for all types of manicure, but it is especially useful when working with magnetic polishes specifically – if you do not “freeze” the magnetic effect in place and start working on other fingers, the magnet can accidentally catch on the finished nail and change its effect.

When all the nails were done, I put them under the LED for a minute, Bachik applied the top coat, and then we let the nails sit under the LED for another two minutes for the final cure. Bachik then used a small brush and 100 percent acetone to clean up the edges. The last step to each good manicure is moisturizing as acetone can be dehydrated on the skin and nails.

All in all, I love the wonderful shimmering effect that this collection gave my nails – I definitely feel ready for the red carpet.

Michelle Rostamian is a Los Angeles-based beauty and wellness contributor with over 10 years of experience in the industry. She began her career as a publicist, content writer and head of social media and represented beauty brands and industry people. She is currently a writer and editor of all things makeup, beauty, skin care and lifestyle.