My thoughts on the 

Sistaco Nail Powder System

**advertisement: this has been marked as an advertisement in line with NZ advertising laws as this product has been gifted to me. All thoughts and experiences in this post are my own and are not associated with Sistaco**

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I'll admit I was really pleasantly surprised with how easy and quick this was. Yes, I say surprised as the powder and Gel combination sounded deceptively complicated - despite their great marketing that "it's a powder, not a polish”.

I mean to be fair I have nine years’ experience with painting my nails (including using gel polish) so I'd class myself as finding Nail polish (like normal nail polish) incredibly easy.

 

Nonetheless I was very excited to try this! 

I was really happy when sistaco offered to send me a Deluxe Base Kit to try and allowed me to choose two colors (awesome collaboration- but that's a story for another day). They also sent a SistacoExpress Remover which I am yet to use.

With some input from my colleague, I ended up choosing two colors that I wouldn't typically be immediately drawn to for myself.

Sure, I love red as much as the next nail Enthusiasts, but did you see Fuchsia!!!? (I die!) 

 

*Image from Sistaco.co.nz

After narrowing my wish list down, I settled on Crimson and Rose Gold. Both I'd classify as classic sophisticated colours with a sistaco twist.

You're here to answer the question... 

Do you need Sistaco? 

Are you looking for an amazing chrome or holographic finish without the pricy salon visit? Then yes, you need sistaco!

 

In a second I’ll discuss the application, but first let me touch on the packaging. It's divine! The Deluxe Base Kit came in a sturdy cardboard box with a foam insert with cut out space for key items. My kit included a base coat, topcoat, two powders (with space for a third), lamp (and power cord), two small containers to mix your own pigment and applicator. 

Also gifted to me was a cuticle tool and easy remover bottle, which fit in the box but didn't have dedicate foam compartments. 

 

The Colours:

Rose Gold

Online, Rose Gold Looks to be a versatile neutral nude with a holographic shimmer finish. A color I was really looking forward to trying because it offers the best of both worlds- business sophistication with party vibes!

 

Crimson:

The website photos show crimson as a deep bright red with a stunning metallic finish. Interestingly the website has this colour in the “holographic” area, however based on the education of Cristine-the-science-queen (Simplynaillogical), I would not define this red as “holo”. It is still a beautiful finish though!

 

As you can see in the photos, Crimson yields a different finish depending on the application.

Initially I applied as per instructions with the brush; pressing and brushing the product into the nail.

The second time I tried this I used the sponge application (like an old school eye-shadow applicator) and buffed it into the topcoat. This created an amazing chrome like finish!

 

The best finish I discovered was when I applied Rose Gold Holographic to the basecoat and then buffed Crimson into the topcoat. This created a holographic chrome finish. MIND BLOWN!

  

Let's talk about application! 

Now here’s a secret - I actually applied mine onto false (press-on) nails. Two reasons for this: 1) my natural nails are short currently and I really wanted the full effect of glamorous sistaco nails! 2) I have previously reacted to some gel polish in the past (and this one smelled similar). I want to be clear the reaction I had previously is not an indication of poor quality polish! I became more sensitive to a number of allergens when pregnant and the allergy has stuck around since. This is my first time re-exposing myself to gel; I’m hoping the false nails will help.

 

I glued false nails onto my natural nail prior to following their application directions.

 

Right, back to application: 

I will note, the instructions aren't the most detailed and a true beginner to the nail industry may struggle because of this- but not to worry, because this blog post will help! 

The instructions say to wash hands to remove oil and buff the surface of your nail for a longer lasting manicure. 

I’d recommend using nail polish remover/acetone to remove any residue from past manicures (I didn’t because of the falsies). I buffed my false nails and wiped with isopropyl alcohol to remove all reside and create a dry surface.

 

In the instructions it says to apply top-coat (without base coat) for a less-long lasting Mani, and base coat first for a long lasting. 

There are also two sides to the instructions- which I only noticed at the last minute! One for holographic and one for "classic". The crimson packaging says it is part of the classic range so I followed that. 

 

I applied a coat of base coat as directed for a long lasting Mani and cured that in the cute lamp. I'll talk about the lamp below.

 

Then using the brush, as instructed, I placed the powder on my nail and brushed it down from cuticle to free edge.

 

This part makes the skin around your nail messy; but don't bother trying to clean it now because it’s really easy to get off at the end and you don’t want to risk smudging your mani!  

 

Now I admit, I veered away from the instructions here as an experiment and applied another coat of base and re-applied powder for a second coat. I'm not sure this is advisable as my little finger didn't cure fully and I had to re-do it. So maybe just stick to the instructions! haha

 

Then I finished with a coat of glossy top-coat and cured. 

 

All the while I had messy fingers!!  

 

Once all my nails were completed and fully cured, I washed my hands with soap and water.

 

Like I said at the start of this Sistaco review, it was surprisingly easy to remove the excess powder. A hand scrub would have made it even easier, but I wanted to test out a more typical process. Bear in mind, I'm used to painting nails so the base and topcoat were applied with no cuticle flooding and very minimal overlap onto my skin around the nail. 

 

The powder just flakes off in the wash, and the gel polish cured onto the skin could be peeled off in a hot shower or with softened skin (but I'd strongly advise you do your best to avoid getting it on the skin and remove it before you cure if you do get any gel on the skin!) 

 

Summary

Overall, I'm really impressed! Like ridiculously impressed. Way more impressed than I thought I would be!!! AND I’m totally not being paid to say this!

 It was, surprisingly, much easier than typical coloured gel polish. Because the colour is a powder I feel there is far less opportunity for messy application and flooded cuticles. With a typical gel every layer of colour is a new opportunity for mess and smudges, with this process only the base layer matters really – so you could focus really hard on getting a perfect application on just one layer (instead of the typical four for a coloured gel polish).

 

Lets see some more photos! 

Some things to note...

 I mentioned my little finger went a bit funny and I had to re-do. Essential when I went to wash my hands a part of the top-coat shifted and crumbled creating an ugly lump and exposed area. On reflection I suspect this was to do with 1) me veering from the instructions and doing two coats of base colour and 2) how I hold my hand under the lamp and that because it's a small lamp the side of my little finger didn't fully cure. I also find, for me personally, the little fingernail is the one I'd flood or overload with product just because it's so much smaller than the other nails and I sometimes forget to adjust my dipping/wiping accordingly; I could have overloaded the nail with product meaning it didn’t have long enough to cure? (I’m just speculating).

 

My Final Thoughts:

Overall, I love it. Seriously, love it!

 

I’m writing this post about a week after trying the product. I tried the product twice (once red, then applying the nude and playing around to make an ombre look!)

I did unfortunately have a mild allergic reaction. I suspect this was because some product did get into my skin around the nail. The dumb thing with this is that even after removing the nails the slight rash stuck around (not for long though).

Like I said, I love this system! I will be using it again but I’ll try applying the product to false nails before applying them to my natural nails – that way I could avoid the gel touching my skin.  

 

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

·       The gel polish has a sweet nice smell

·       Cute and convenient size portable lamp

·       The pre-set timer on the lamp is really helpful

·       Overall it’s not as messy as I thought and,

·       The powder was really easy to clean up and wipe off my skin

·       It creates a very unique and smooth finish

·       Much easier than gel polish as you only have to really concentrate on a perfect base coat application

·       Simple to follow

·       Quick dry time for base coat and no dry time for powder application, so far less chances to smudge!

·       Quicker to apply (for me) than I was expecting.

·       These have lasted incredibly well! *I did apply mine over false nails however had no issues with chipping or denting (other than the above mentioned little finger nail)

 

Cons:

·       It is messy during the process, and there is a chance the power could spread around (like glitter) – although I use a babywipe as my surface cover to try and combat this as the damp texture seems to collect and hold the powder and prevent it puffing and spreading.

·       Instructions are not ideal for a brand new beginner to the nail industry – however the steps are so simple most people could probably work it out without even reading the instructions

·       The applicator is wasteful in the sense that I couldn’t get the sponge applicator clean from product so you’d need a new applicator for every colour.

·       It does take more time than “normal” nail polish to apply (well for me anyway).

 

The pro's clearly outweigh the con's

Phew! Congratulations to you if you stuck around to the end!

 

Thank you for Reading...

To say thanks for reading here’s my exclusive discount voucher POLISHED20, to get you 20% off your sistaco purchase.

I do highly recommend it. So yes, you should totally go away and purchase!

 

What did you think? Did you make it to the end? Do you think you’ll give it a go? Would you like me to make an application video?

Let me know below in the comments!

 

::peace, love, polish::

Hannah