MelodySusie 12W LED Light Product Review and Demo
Video #653: The LED lamp reviews in this video were specifically for polymer clayers working with Fimo Nail Art projects and resin.
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IN THIS POST: — melody susie — melodysusie — led lamp — uv lamp — gel polish — gel nails — nail dryer — nail art — fimo nailart — cane slices — review — demo — 12w led light — 36w uv lamp — led/uv combo light — madam glam — ultradome — epoxy resin — epoxy jewelry — (Topics marked with an asterisk* are discussed in the Comments Section below).
Today we are talking about the MelodySusie Violetili 12W LED Light Gel Nail Dryer for using with Fimo Nail Art and UV resin on polymer clay.
In the video, I show examples of Fimo Nailart canes and explain the process of layering the thinly sliced canes with uv cured gel nail polish to make nailart.
In the past I showed a demo on using a UV Nail Gel by Madam Glam which I cured with my 36W UV Lamp.
As polymer clay artists, many of us like to use a UV curable Epoxy Resin on our pieces, which also need to be cured using a UV Lamp.
I wanted to test this LED Lamp to see if it would work for both the Fimo Nailart projects and the Epoxy Jewelry Ultradome UV Resin that I like to use.
In regard to UV Cured Gel Nail Polishes, there are several types and brands. Some need to be cured with LED Lights, some UV Light and some, like the Madam Glam Polish I have, can be cured with either LED or UV.
Both LED and UV create Ultra Violet Light, but the bulbs and the type of light (the particular wavelengths maybe?), are a little different. As well, the number of watts in the lamp make a difference in how well and how quickly the light cures. PLEASE NOTE: I accidentally used the word Volt in place of the word Watt several times in this video. My brain knows the difference, but apparently it didn’t tell my mouth! :-|
The advantages of LED Lamps over UV Lamps is that the LED bulbs are unbreakable, use less power and last for years.
I really like the design of the Violetili by MelodySusie. It looks nice, has a small footprint, and its open design can cure all your nails on one hand (or foot) at once. It has timed settings for 30seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds and 30 minutes… and it can be easily turned on and off with a single push.
For safety reasons, never look at the UV light directly. And do wear sunscreen on your hands to protect your skin from the UV Rays.
I did a quick demo on how to apply the nail gel and cure it with the LED Lamp.
LED and UV lamps cure the nail gel very quickly. Depending on the brand and the type of gel used, they cure anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
I wanted to test this 12W LED Lamp with curing my UV Epoxy Resin, and although it did set to a certain extent, my sample remained sticky and didn’t fully cure even after being in the LED Lamp for over 60 minutes. SO… this machine is not suited for the Ultradome Brand of UV Resin. It could be that the 12W machine was under powered and the 24W may have worked. Or that the type of UV light that the LED bulbs provide, isn’t the right type of light to get a sufficient cure.
I did find that MelodySusie does also have some lamps that would work for the Ultradome resin curing. They have a 36W UV Lamp similar to the one I have, at a good price. And what I found that was really cool, was that they carry a 24W LED & 36W UV Combination Lamp. This unit would cure any of the brands of UV Nail Gel, whether they needed to be LED or UV, plus it would also cure the UV Epoxy Resin. And the price was great too!
If you are a polymer clayer who works with both the UV Resin and the Nailart gels, then the 2 in 1 unit would be the way to go if you are looking to purchase a new lamp at this time. Links to Melody Suzie lamps, I review in today’s clip, are posted just below the video on this page.
00:00:03 –> 00:00:07 Hi guys, its Cindy Lietz, your Polymer Clay Tutor, and today’s PcT Product Demo, we
00:00:07 –> 00:00:17 are talking about the MelodySusie Violettili 12 Volt (Watt) LED Light Gel Nail Dryer.
00:00:17 –> 00:00:25 Now, this is a LED Light that’s used for curing gel nail polishes, and the reason why we’re
00:00:25 –> 00:00:30 talking about this particular product right now is… in regards to Polymer Clay, is that
00:00:30 –> 00:00:39 many Polymer Clay artist make what’s called Fimo Nail Art canes, and they are tiny, tiny
00:00:39 –> 00:00:45 little Polymer Clay canes that you slice really, really thin…and I’ve got a couple of little
00:00:45 –> 00:00:53 packages of commercially available ones, these are used in nail art, and they are layered
00:00:53 –> 00:01:00 onto the nail using like a gel nail polish, and those gel nail polishes are cured either
00:01:00 –> 00:01:07 with an LED Light, like this one here or with a UV Light, like this one back here, and I’ve
00:01:07 –> 00:01:13 talked about this before and I’ll explain the differences between the two.
00:01:13 –> 00:01:23 Another reason why we use these UV Curing lights is for a product like UV Resin, and
00:01:23 –> 00:01:29 this is a product that we can use on Polymer Clay to get a really beautiful finish, and
00:01:29 –> 00:01:33 I’ll also talk about that in a few seconds.
00:01:33 –> 00:01:41 So, now in a previous video, I talked about these nail…they’re gel nail polishes,
00:01:41 –> 00:01:48 and these particular ones are from Madam Glam, and they are cured with the UV Lamps, and
00:01:48 –> 00:01:53 that is what you would use if you’re going to be doing something like the Fimo Nail Art.
00:01:53 –> 00:01:59 Well, there’s several different types of the nail polishes…the gel nail polishes, some
00:01:59 –> 00:02:05 are cured with a UV Lamp…or I mean the LED Lamp and some are cured with the UV Lamp that
00:02:05 –> 00:02:09 I was just talking about, this one actually is cured with both.
00:02:09 –> 00:02:14 So it was a perfect one for me to do a test with, with this new lamp that I got, now this
00:02:14 –> 00:02:22 one’s a 12Volt (Watt) LED Lamp, and there are some advantages with the LED Lamps that
00:02:22 –> 00:02:33 they… first of all, they used LED bulbs which don’t break, they are very efficient…they
00:02:33 –> 00:02:38 don’t use much power, and they last for years and years, so they’re a great bulb to be working
00:02:38 –> 00:02:39 with.
00:02:39 –> 00:02:48 And also, this little curing lamp here… this LED Lamp, is quite a nice one, it’s
00:02:48 –> 00:02:55 got…it doesn’t use up very much space, and but it…the way it’s designed is your whole
00:02:55 –> 00:03:00 hand can fit inside…or your fingertips, and you can cure a whole hand at once without
00:03:00 –> 00:03:03 using up a lot of space with a big machine.
00:03:03 –> 00:03:11 Now, this one has some nice features, it has… you can use different curing times, this one
00:03:11 –> 00:03:20 does 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds and 30 minutes, and like I said, it’s for using
00:03:20 –> 00:03:29 the LED curing polishes, now like I said before as well, this one does both LED and UV so
00:03:29 –> 00:03:32 we can use it, and I’ll just quickly show you how it’s done.
00:03:32 –> 00:03:38 Now for safety reasons, never look at an LED Light directly with your eyeballs, it’s hard
00:03:38 –> 00:03:45 on them, don’t do that, and also too, I would recommend putting something like a sunscreen
00:03:45 –> 00:03:49 on your hands…I’ve done it already that’s why my hand is a little shiny, rub it into
00:03:49 –> 00:03:57 your hands, because UV Light is not healthy for your skin, so I would use a sunscreen
00:03:57 –> 00:03:58 on my hands.
00:03:58 –> 00:04:04 And then you just use the nail polish… nail gel, like you would use most nail gels only
00:04:04 –> 00:04:07 instead of air drying, you’re gonna use your lamp to cure it.
00:04:07 –> 00:04:16 Now I’ve already done these 3 nails here, and I can do this one, actually… and it’s
00:04:16 –> 00:04:24 easy, you just put thin coats of the nail gel on, and then you cure it in between each
00:04:24 –> 00:04:29 coat, so I’m just gonna pop it in here and show you how this works.
00:04:29 –> 00:04:35 Now, LED Lamps… you can probably see my fingers in there glowing away with the gel
00:04:35 –> 00:04:44 there, LED Lamps work really quickly, so do the UV Lamps, some work…depending on how
00:04:44 –> 00:04:51 they… the formula and all that is how fast they will work, with this particular formula
00:04:51 –> 00:04:57 and this particular 12 Volt (Watt) machine, I found that it took about 90 seconds to cure
00:04:57 –> 00:04:58 each layer.
00:04:58 –> 00:05:06 So it’s just gonna go it’s full time until it’s done the 90 seconds which should be
00:05:06 –> 00:05:11 up pretty soon, if you need to turn it off quickly, you can just push the button again
00:05:11 –> 00:05:16 and it will just turn off, I won’t so that it can finish this cure.
00:05:16 –> 00:05:24 Now, also I wanted to test to see if this product… this particular lamp would work
00:05:24 –> 00:05:32 to cure the UV Resin gels…and I’ll…and this is just about done, you can see it in
00:05:32 –> 00:05:38 there glowing, I’ll show you how this particular machine didn’t work particularly well for
00:05:38 –> 00:05:43 the UV Resin, for maybe a couple of different reasons.
00:05:43 –> 00:05:49 Either it was because it’s only 12 Volt (Watt) maybe it wasn’t high enough powered, or maybe
00:05:49 –> 00:05:55 this particular UV Resin doesn’t work very well with LED Lamps, but I know that there’s
00:05:55 –> 00:06:00 different types of UV Resins out there that will work with different products, so that’s
00:06:00 –> 00:06:02 part of what I wanted to test.
00:06:02 –> 00:06:11 Okay, so I’m done already, all you do then is put some rubbing alcohol on a cloth, and
00:06:11 –> 00:06:16 you can wipe away…it’s often sticky after it’s been cured, you just wipe away the sticky
00:06:16 –> 00:06:19 layer and then you’re good to go.
00:06:19 –> 00:06:24 Now if I was doing a bunch of different layers of this polish, I wouldn’t have to wipe it
00:06:24 –> 00:06:28 away in between each layer, I’d just add the different layers, cure it and then wipe
00:06:28 –> 00:06:30 off the final coat.
00:06:30 –> 00:06:35 So it’s easy to use, it works beautifully, and it’s quite a cool looking little machine.
00:06:35 –> 00:06:42 Now like I was saying, you can… with the UV Resin, I really wanted to test to see if
00:06:42 –> 00:06:48 the LED Light would work with the UV Resin that I’ve shown in the past, now here is a
00:06:48 –> 00:06:55 sample of Polymer Clay where I’ve put the UV Resin on the top and cured it in my UV
00:06:55 –> 00:06:56 Lamp.
00:06:56 –> 00:07:05 Now I tried to do the same thing and cure it in the LED Lamp and this particular model…
00:07:05 –> 00:07:12 whether it’s maybe like I said the 12 Volt…or I mean 12 Watt, might be too low of power,
00:07:12 –> 00:07:18 it did cure it to some extent, but it stayed really sticky, it kinda peeled away from the
00:07:18 –> 00:07:22 edge, ‘cause it was still sticky and didn’t really cure, and you can see it’s quite dull
00:07:22 –> 00:07:27 and I put it in for…I started off at the lower numbers, I ended up running it in there
00:07:27 –> 00:07:32 for a whole 60 minutes and it still didn’t really cure, so this isn’t really going to
00:07:32 –> 00:07:36 work with your UV Resin.
00:07:36 –> 00:07:44 But one really cool thing…after I did some research on the MelodySusie site, is that
00:07:44 –> 00:07:52 they have…they have these UV Lamps as well, but they have a really cool product that is
00:07:52 –> 00:08:02 a 2-in-1 and it does the LED and the UV together, and I can just show you on here, this is their
00:08:02 –> 00:08:11 site…the MelodySuzie.com site, and you can see that they have a 24-watt LED Lamp that’s
00:08:11 –> 00:08:17 combined with a 36-Watt UV Lamp, and it’s not very expensive at all.
00:08:17 –> 00:08:21 I don’t know if this is a long term sale or not, but currently they have it on sale for
00:08:21 –> 00:08:31 $70 which is quite a great deal, because a lot of these UV alone machines are $100, so
00:08:31 –> 00:08:36 if I was…as a Polymer Clay artist… if I was going to be doing the Fimo Nail Art
00:08:36 –> 00:08:41 as well as the UV Resin, which I do myself, I would get one of those combo units ‘cause
00:08:41 –> 00:08:46 that seems like a great way to go, you’d be able to do any of the UV Gels, whether they’re
00:08:46 –> 00:08:51 LED or UV and you’d also be able to do the UV Resin.
00:08:51 –> 00:08:56 If you’re just doing your nails and you use a certain brand that can handle the LED, this
00:08:56 –> 00:09:00 is a beautiful little machine, and this might be the way to go as well and this is only
00:09:00 –> 00:09:02 like about $40.
00:09:02 –> 00:09:08 So I thought I would show those different options to you, and it’s been fun testing
00:09:08 –> 00:09:13 this out, and I hope that it was helpful for you.
00:09:13 –> 00:09:17 So if it was, do let us know if you like this video.
00:09:17 –> 00:09:24 And if you’ve got any product ideas, demos that you’d like me to do, then do leave those
00:09:24 –> 00:09:26 in the suggestion box below.
00:09:26 –> 00:09:32 And as far as Polymer Clay goes, if you have questions, we have probably already done a
00:09:32 –> 00:09:36 video on that subject, so make sure to search through everything we’ve got, and see if we’ve
00:09:36 –> 00:09:42 got your answer there for you, and if not, leave a suggestion and maybe we can make a
00:09:42 –> 00:09:43 video for you in the future.
00:09:43 –> 00:09:46 Alright, so we’ll see you next time and bye for now.
Our goal is to translate these videos into as many languages as possible. If you are interested in helping with this initiative, then please do contact us and we will figure out a way to make it worth your while :)
Resource Links:
- Amazon: MelodySusie 12W LED Lamp **
- Amazon: MelodySusie 54W LED UV **
- Amazon: Other MelodySusie Products **
- Related Video: Madam Glam UV Gel Polish Polymer Clay Nail Art
- Related Video: Applying Ultradome UV Epoxy Resin To Polymer Clay
- Related Article: Polymer Clay Fimo Nail Art
Resources marked with a double ** asterisk are affiliate links. If you click on them and decide to buy something, we may receive some compensation. This does not affect the price you pay in any way. What it does do, however, is helps us to continue providing free videos for you, here at the PcT website. Using our links to purchase your tools and supplies, is always greatly appreciated.
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I never thought to look at the Dollar Stores. We have several here. Thanks Cindy we look there.
I actually found those nailart slices at the dollar store Dixie Ann… which won’t help you at all. I have seen tons of them on eBay though.
Thanks Cindy for the video. It ran fine for me and had always wondered about those nail machines you put your hands in when they are done decorating them. Now I know. Although I normally don’t do my nails since I’m in polymer clay a great deal of the time, I did try to find those Fimo PC slices with thoughts of having my toenails done but had no luck in finding them anywhere. I would be interested in knowing where you found your packages. I was surprised to learn the difference between the two lamps as I had always thought they were all UV. I really enjoy watching all of these neat products you show, as much as the monthly Videos. I always learn something new!
No sound. I can hear the the jingle at the beginning but nothing after that. Is it just me?
I think it must be something on your end Catalina. We have not had any other reports of playback issues on this clip. Try viewing the video using a different web browser or device. If it plays for you with the new browser/device, that is will let you know that there was an issue with your original device/browser.
Clearing cookies and cache in your original browser will likely clear up the problem.
Thanks, Doug! That was it! I have another question, too. Trying to re-play older tutorials like, Faux Opals, and I can’t get them to buffer completely. Will these older ones be converted to work onthe iPad?
Hi Catalina… yes all the older videos will eventually be converted to work on iPads and all mobile devices.
For now though, you can install the iOS PhotonApp as a work around. It will allow you to play all of the older videos.
And there is a PhotonApp for Android devices as well.