Maniology Mani X Me March 2019 Review

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Hey there!  I am on the ball this month!  It's only March 1 and I'm ready to go with this month's Maniology Mani X Me nail art subscription box review.  For those that don't know, Maniology is lucky enough to be based in beautiful Hawaii so they took inspiration from their environment with this month's theme of Pure Aloha.  The box contains 2 exclusive stamping plates, focusing on the birds and the flowers of the islands, 2 stamping polishes and a locally-made jar of balm (and an Ice Cube Clear Stamper, if it's your first month).  I was so excited for this box as soon as I saw a preview of it.  I'm a giant homebody and don't really enjoy travelling but I've been to Hawaii twice and I'm going for a third time at the end of this month!  How perfect would these products be for my vacation nails?  And, as a note, while Mani X Me is a subscription box, you can just sign up month by month if you don't want the commitment (though the prices change as you increase subscription time).  And you can save $5 off your first box by using my COPY10 coupon code.

Hibiscus

The first polish in the box is Hibiscus.  I have to start out by saying my swatch photo was impossible for me to get color accurate (corals are always problematic for me) so check out the stamped manis for a better representation of the color.  It's a dusty coral creme (I believe the folks at Maniology described it as a "burnt coral" in their Facebook live video).  The application and formula were awesome.  I used 2 easy coats plus top coat but, honestly, it was opaque at one.    

Coconut

The second polish in March's box is Coconut.  This one is a nice alternative to a stark white polish.  It's a cream color with just a hint of yellow.  Again, the formula and application were great with the polish being mostly opaque at a single coat.  But I swatched at two coats plus top coat.  

MXM005

Stamping plate MXM005 is my favourite part of this box.  I'm not a flower person at home but the flowers of Hawaii are so beautiful.  I won't pretend that I know all the plant life represented on this plate but I know there are plumeria and hibiscus images and that's enough for me!  

For my first mani I used both Hibiscus and Coconut as base colors and did reverse stamping with Mundo de Unas Black filled with Mundo de Unas Green and Elf and, of course, Hibiscus and Coconut.  I think it would've been impossible for me to NOT pair up the Hibiscus polish and the flowers it's named after!  This one took a while to paint but it was well worth it if you ask me.  

For my second mani, I just had to use Blush Lacquers Oahu as a base color (since that's where Maniology lives).  I used 3 coats of it and then did more reverse stamping with Mundo de Unas Black, White and Elf and Maniology's Nikko.  The first time I saw plumeria in Hawaii I thought they were fake.  They're such perfect looking flowers.  They're my absolute favourite flower so I hope I get to see them again on my family holiday.  

MXM006

MXM006 focuses more on the birds of the state but there's still some floral images (and even a bit of fruit mixed in).  I don't know the first thing about birds but I can say that these make some pretty cute stamping images.  

First I just wanted to show how Coconut stamps.  I used it for some birds over a black base and check out how opaque that is.  That's amazing for a polish that can also be used as regular polish!  

Since my first two manis were reverse stamping (and not everyone has the time for that) I did this design really quickly.  After stamping with Coconut, I added some Sharpie marker color to the images.  I just scribbled Sharpie on a plastic lid, dipped a brush in some rubbing alcohol and dabbed it on the ink and started coloring.  So easy!  I added top coat but be warned, top coat can cause the color to fade a little.  

My last mani of the day was a gradient of Coconut and Ice Pond (from December's Mani X Me box) stamped with Hibiscus.  The best thing about stamping polish that can also be used as a base color is how quick other nail art can be with it.  They're so opaque that gradients are a breeze.  And check out how great Hibiscus stamps.  

Surfer's Salve

The "extra" item in this month's box is something that isn't necessarily nail art related but is certainly good for your nails.  It's a 0.8 oz jar of Surfer's Salve.  But you don't have to surf to use it.  It claims to be good for insect bites and sunburns and rashes...and dry skin.  My cuticles are always dry so that's how I tested it out.  It's a oily balm (rather than creamy lotion) made of all natural ingredients.  I sniffed it before looking at it and I could pick up the smell of lavender and tea tree oil (which makes sense since they are included on the ingredient list).  It took about 15 minutes to absorb into my skin so I probably won't use this for swatching but I'll use it at work throughout the day and I'll definitely be taking it on vacation to test out it's other uses.   

In case you can't tell, I was thrilled with what March's Mani X Me box had to offer.  The polishes are wonderful, as are the stamping plates.  And it was nice to get a balm this time.  The Surfer's Salve will definitely last me awhile so I can dream of Hawaii for months to come!  If you're interested in the box, you can find all the information here.  And don't forget the code COPY10 to save yourself a bit of money on any Maniology order.  

$25 USD/month (if one month)
$22.50 USD/month (if 3 months)$20 USD/month (if 6 months)
Available at Maniology

Use code COPY10 to save $5 off your first box or 10% off your any other order 

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'Til next time...