Maniology // Pineapple Whip Starter Kit Review

My first order from Maniology! (formerly Bundle Monster) And probably my last due to shipping & import costs. Seriously, I spent $24.50 in total on the starter kit ($15), sticky base coat ($6) and some nail wraps ($3.50) with the shipping being a flat rate of $10. It was shipped in by Royal Mail who kindly charged me 20% VAT and then an £8 fee for handling. Bringing my entire cost to around $45 for everything. I would really love to subscribe to their mani x me box but I can't afford that tax every month just to import it. I'll stick to Mani & Lola for the moment. As for shipping time, I ordered on the 7th August and it arrived on the 20th which isn't too bad for US delivery; especially when it's coming from Hawaii. 

But anyway, I love pineapples and I've been longing to try out this brand for so long and the rose gold crystal wraps are hella cute. I'll never use them though because they're too cute so I'll just try and copy them via the dreaded hand painting.

We'll talk about the kit first and then I'll eventually get round to doing posts for the others.

Pineapple Whip Stamping Starter Kit

RRP $15

In this you receive two full size stamping polishes, a square clear jelly stamper, a scraper, stamping guide and of course a stamping plate filled to the brim with cute pineapple designs. The box is actually really cute, sturdy and everything is packaged well for the price (especially if you are American and pay way less tax than we do). I also like how the tops of the stamping bottles have stickers on them that you can swatch the polish with both dark and light halves. They sell these separately in batches of 50 for $4 but it's easy to make your own (and cheaper if you live in the UK). Nice touch though.

The stamper I actually really love and I think it might be my new fave. It's super clear, soft and large enough to stamp 3 nails at once (although you would't be able to go right to the edge of the nail). I find it a bit ridiculous that MoYou London charge £9 for a crystal rectangular stamper (which isn't all that great) and this is way better. These go for $8.50 with a scraper on Maniology so it's well worth picking up one of these $15 sets for all the tools.

Maui Gold // Yellow Creme

$6

So the first polish; Maui Gold, is a bright yellow and I love yellow shades but this isn't the greatest yellow stamping. I'm really annoyed as well because the photos make it look so much better than it is in real life. It's kinda wishy-washy and streaky. You need two coats of this polish which I always find unacceptable in a stamping polish. I'd say it looks the best on very dark backgrounds as it stands out a little better. It's no where near as pigmented as the photos on the website though and doesn't do well with other bright colours so you need to stick to neutrals when using it.

Plantation Tea // Bright Teal Creme

$6

Next is Plantation Tea; a bright teal and this is more like it for a stamping polish. This stuff is opaque man. It stamps well on any colour but it does look the most striking on white but it's ready in one coat for just a regular ol' mani.

// Verdict

Overall I'm pretty happy with the stamping polishes and I wish I could afford to order some more as they do pretty well. However I'm impressed the most with the stamper; it's squishy, crystal clear and picks up detail well. Hopefully in the future when I have a higher disposable income I'll be able to order some more but if you're already in the US give them a go as they have cute new starter kits every month.