Mani X Me is a monthly subscription for those interested in nail stamping. There are 2 plans available.
Mani X Me Monthly Club for $25 and Mani X Me Club Express Kit for $18. Shipping is free.
The Monthly club subscription contains 2 Exclusive Stamping Plates, 2 new coordinated polishes and a surprise gift. The Express kit contains everything but the polishes. Your first box from either subscription contains a free stamper. This is a review of the Monthly Club subscription.
ACTIVE DEAL: $5 off any of our subscription options (First month only)
CODE: MSA10
This box was paid for by the author. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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This month's theme is the "Floral Kaleidoscope Collection." Both stamping plates are flower arrangements and floral forest animals in a Scandinavian style.
This month’s theme is right up my alley; I love flowers. If it has flowers on it, I need it. So, I was thrilled for these floral designs to be my first real foray into nail stamping. This is not my first box from Maniology, but this was the first time I was brave enough to actually stamp onto my fingers, rather than just play with the stamper!
Now, On With The Show!
Maniology Plate MXM073 - Retail Value $10
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This plate, exclusive to the Mani X Me box, is covered in gorgeous flowers and adorable critters. A butterfly, snail, hedgehog and bumble bee are adorned in flowers. I used the moon as a crescent to crown my fingers in a floral French manicure style. I also used the bottom right design on the pointer finger and the bottom center rose on my pinkie. A lot can be done with this plate, and I can see myself using it in the future! New plates that are included in the subscription are added to Maniology's online store the month after they're featured in Mani X Me.
Maniology Plate MXM074 - Retail Value $10
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This second, exclusive plate, really fits the kaleidoscope theme. There are countless ways to mix, match and layer these designs. I especially love the three rectangle floral designs on the top right. They remind me of floral wallpaper! And, while I didn’t use this plate in my current design, I know I’ll be using it in the future.
Primrose (B423) Stamping Polish - Estimated Retail Value $6 - $8
1 of 2 | Image from Mani X Me.
A bright, rose-pink crème; this color is really pretty! I don’t really like crème polishes; I own hundreds of bottles of nail polish (no I won’t give an actual number) and not one crème! I love shimmer, sparkle and glitter! But I’ll be keeping this polish because it’s specifically made for stamping and I’m still building my stamping collection. I've estimated the value of the polishes in this shipment based on the price of similar crème polishes in the Maniology store.
Zinnia (B422) Stamping Polish - Estimated Retail Value $6 - $8
1 of 2 | Image from Mani x Me.
Maniology describes it as: “a brilliant lemon yellow” crème stamping polish. It’s bright and cheery and immediately made me think of spring! Another crème! Yay? I know, I don’t like cremes; but it’s a pretty yellow that works well for flower centers. Besides, it’ll nicely round out my collection of stamping polishes which are almost all a shades of pink, purple, or blue!
Perhaps now would be a good time to explain what makes a polish good for stamping. Polishes intended for stamping are formulated to dry more slowly so you have time to work with them. They’re also thicker and more pigmented so that they can coat the stamping plates better.
Emery Board Nail Files, Set Of 6 - Retail Value $?
Set of 6 cute emery boards. While these aren’t super high in retail value, let’s be honest, they are so useful. While I prefer glass files, these are great to keep in my purse, nightstand, desk and car. We’ve all been there: a broken nail and no file! Suggestion: keep one in an Ipsy bag with other emergency essentials (such as band-aids, a tampon, a hair band, lip balm and a small amount of cash). You’ll thank yourself later!
Mani Mahalo Magnet - Retail Value $?
Mahalo is a Hawaiian word that means gratitude or respect. Maniology is based in Hawaii so this magnet makes sense. It’s actually made of glass so it has a nice weight and shine to it. I don’t have a place for magnets but my bestie, Jenni, collects them and she’s a nail stamper so it will have good home!
Stamping Addict Sticker – Retail Value $?
This sticker is adorable and now that I’ve stamped, I can see how it would become addictive!
Let’s Get To It!
Like I mentioned before, I’m no stranger to this box. I’ve been a subscriber for about a year. However, I have skipped a couple of boxes, which is a nice feature of the subscription. During the last week of the month, Maniology releases full spoilers of the coming month’s box. There is no penalty to skip; so, if next month’s designs don’t tickle your fancy, it’s easy to click the skip button on the Maniology website.
While I have many of the boxes, I’ve only played a bit with them. I’ve never actually stamped onto my nails.
These are the polishes that I used. Unfortunately, though, you won’t see the yellow on the finished product, I had the hardest time getting it to lift from the plate onto the stamper! I tried multiple stampers and designs, but I couldn’t get it to transfer. I’m sure it’s me and not the polish! However, I can say that with a brush, it paints nicely onto the stamper and looks lovely. It’s too bad I didn’t wind up using those designs! All of the above polishes are from Maniology except for the blue one. I made that one myself! I love making polish, and I couldn't find the blue I wanted in my existing collection, so I made the shade myself.
To begin, I applied a latex barrier to the nails I planned to stamp directly onto. It’s brilliant! Paint it on, let it dry, then stamp away. Once you’re done, just peel the latex off your finger: voila, no paint to clean up! I’m honestly not sure where I bought this liquid latex. I’ve had it forever in anticipation of one day getting up the courage to stamp. However, Maniology caries their own liquid latex as well as a non-latex alternative.
I plan to stamp directly onto two of my nails; those are the ones I put the latex on.
On my other nails I’ve decided to try something more challenging: reverse stamping. This is where you pick up the image, them rather than stamping directly onto your nail, you paint onto the stamper with a fine brush. A trick I picked up in the Maniology Facebook group, is to paint a layer of Mariology’s non-smudge top coat onto the image before you start filling it in. This protects the image from smearing while you work. Do it. Trust me. I did the first one without that trick and it smeared instantly.
After letting the topcoat dry, I painted the flowers with the Primrose color from this month’s box. After I was satisfied, well as satisfied as possible with my flowers looking so bad, I painted another coat of the topcoat onto it.
This is what it looks like, when looking down through the stamper.
Next, I painted sticky base coat onto my blue nails. Once tacky, I pressed the stamp onto the nail and rolled it around until I could see it had adhered to my nail. The next step is crucial: use no-smudge topcoat! After that, I was free to use my favorite topcoat over all of my nails. I use Marvel Macro Topcoat by SuperChic. I’ve been using it for years and it looks like glass but coats and protects beautifully,
The Finished Design
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I’d hoped for better; in my mind there would be a garden of colorful flowers, but that didn’t happen. And I’m ok with that. I think. I can be a perfectionist and when the result doesn’t equal the idea, it can be disappointing. However, I need to be realistic. This is my first time actually stamping anything onto my nails. And knowing that, I’m happy with it!
The Verdict
I loved this box! I found nail stamping to be creative, time consuming but a lot of fun. But don’t get me wrong, I won’t be going through this process more than once a month! There are so many people who do this every week, or even more often than that, and I admire them greatly. I’m just not going to be one of them!
As for the total retail value, it’s difficult to nail down (pun intended!). Maniology doesn’t give the retail values so my best estimate is around $32.00. That’s not counting the value of the extras. All in all, the value of the box is greater than its cost. Though this isn’t the kind of box you buy expecting high retail values. This is the type of box you buy for an interesting experience: and it delivered!
It’s also worth noting that Maniology has a huge shop with items found, and not found, in the box. So, if you fall in love, trust me, that site has plenty to keep you busy!
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To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today?
Yes, if you sign up right away, but it’s possible that your first box will be the March box. However, most of the past few month’s boxes are available for sale on Maniology’s website. If you’re a member of the club, you can purchase past boxes or even individual plates. The nail polishes will be available to everyone (including non-club members) within a couple of months.
Other bonuses of joining the club include free shipping on any order over $20 and a code for 10% off the entire site, the entire time that you’re a member. You’ll receive a free stamper in your first subscription box and will earn extra “Stamps” (points) in your rewards account.
ACTIVE DEAL: $5 off any of our subscription options (First month only)
CODE: MSA10
Value Breakdown:This is the full box, so it cost $25 which means each of the 7 items cost an average of about $3.57. That’s an excellent value!
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