In-Depth Review of Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp

Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp in Detail

This is the lamp out of the box. Ain’t it pretty? I actually like that this one comes with the coloured trim. As much as I adore my regular single coloured lamps for their minimalism an understated feel, this coloured Aztec style pattern is quite fun and adds a bit of personality to the machine.

Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp

It is called the Holi lamp, named after the colourful Hindu festival held annually, mostly in India and Nepal. Holi signifies the arrival of spring after winter, the victory of good over evil and is celebrated as a day of spreading love and happiness. You probably know of the festival of colours – where people throw coloured powders on each other.

The Madam Glam logo’s neatly printed on the front. It doesn’t detract from the aesthetic. LET’S START THE TOUR >>

INCLUSIONS / CONSTRUCTION:

The box includes:

• The UV LED Lamp
• A power supply – (your choice of US or UK plug)
• Removable base
• Manual (in English) & Warranty Card
  

Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp – Box Front

The lamp itself is a high-quality ABS plastic housing with an optional slide-in base that arrives separated from the machine. It arrives with a power supply and easy to follow instructions. I received instructions in easy to understand English.

Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp – Box Rear

DIMENSIONS:

The unit measures 21cm / 8.25in wide and around 21½cm / 8.45in deep. Height-wise it stands less than some other lamps at 7½cm / 2.95in high. So great for slotting into a narrow shelf space. Think IKEA desks or shallow under-shelves.

The Madam Glam Holi lamp is similarly sized to many of the other single-hand LED lamps on the market at the moment. So it’s not going to take up an awful lot of extra space, even if it does look a bit larger in photos – which is because it’s slightly flatter and more elliptical in appearance.

The unit is wide enough to generously fit a full five-finger or toes cure at one time with plenty of room each side. The beauty of this being a longer (deeper) unit means those with long, and even ridiculously long, nails will obtain a good cure as well. The extra width is actually really helpful when doing decorative fashion nails (probably not a common use), and when working on clients who tend to bump the sides of other narrower lamps. (Take note, nail techs 😉)

Showing the UK Power Supply – Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp

The cable that comes with the unit measures 1.48m or 4.8ft. This is quite a generous length, and I always prefer a longer cable! The cable is slightly longer than many of the other lamps that are in circulation today that I know of.

The power supply it’s attached to is rectangular and measures approximately 9.75cm high x 4.5cm wide x 3.5cm deep [INCHES – 3.8h x 1.75w x 1.4d] (excluding the prongs). So it’s not overly bulky and will still fit in most single port power point spaces or horizontal powerboard set ups.

The safety ratings on the back of the supply indicate FCC and CE certifications (used in the US and European markets).

POWER & VOLTAGE:

This lamp is 48 watts. Meaning it has very decent power. Something even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would endorse 😉

Personally I wouldn’t recommend purchase anything less than 36W minimum when shopping for either UV LED lamps or CFL lamps, but 48w and upward is preferred. Particularly when wanting to use hard gel and builder gels. This applies even to the home user, but especially the professional. The only exception to this rule would be in buying an occasionally-used travel lamp, or for rare use.

As I’ve previously mentioned in other reviews, the wattage is not what cures a gel polish, but a stronger wattage means a more powerful lamp. This becomes particularly important when you want to purchase only one lamp that cures a multitude of brands and products, and is more likely to ensure a better cure of the various products. Including a wider range of them.

Some products will simply not cure in machines that are not powerful enough or which have too low a wattage. This is especially true for premium and high quality gel brands. So serious gel lovers will want something that can handle that too.

Power specifications –
Input: 100 – 240V AC, 50 / 60 Hz
Output: DC 30V, 1.2A / 1.6A

The specs above tell us that this product is able to be used in most locations around the world and is considered dual-voltage. So there’s no reason to be alarmed that your choice of power supply is only US or UK. You can easily use this with a power adapter suited to your local requirements.

The other beauty of being dual-voltage is that it’s easy if you ever need to travel internationally and wish to take it with you. As some people do, particularly when going on longer journeys. It’s light enough and in my opinion portable if you wrap it carefully and stow it in a suitcase.

BULBS & LIFE SPAN

The Madam Glam lamp contains LED diodes that emit UVA at two different wavelengths in order to cure most gel products. It offers UVA in the range of 405nm and 365nm (UV wavelength is measured in nanometres). Covering most LED rated gels & traditional gels respectively.

Similarly to other lamps that offer this function, it is beneficial in the way that you can cure gels that traditionally only cured under CFL fluorescent bulbs and or LED friendly gel products in the same unit. In the old days you would have had to use different lamps entirely.

These bulbs (diodes) are non-replaceable, but are rated to last 50,000 hours. That’s 5 years of continuous running time. Which of course would not be recommended, as continuous running is likely to shorten that life span considerably. But regular use will be fine!

So given it is looked after and not abused, it should last you some time.

BULB PLACEMENT

“Let there be light!” All it takes is a flick of the power switch.

The lamp has 30 well-placed LEDs. As you can see from the images provided these are placed around the inside perimeter of the case and fully cover the roof. I’m super picky about bulb placement, as you may know if you’ve read my other articles or followed me for some time.

Well thought out UV light coverage – LED Diode Placement

Bulb placement is extremely important when it comes to creating an effective UV LED nail lamp. The reason being that the light emitted from the diodes or bulbs needs to be placed in such a way that it will properly cure the gel products on curved surfaces like fingernails.

Not all lamps have ideally placed bulbs which can result in under curing, bad and uneven cures in some cases. You see this in some of the cheaper, lower powered lamps – some are fine for travel purposes, but I don’t recommend them to anyone wanting to start using gel regularly. The main reason I recommend against cheaper, badly thought out lamps is because of safety issues – anything that can contribute to improperly cured gel products can cause irritations and lifelong allergies.

Inside Perimeter – LED Diode Placement

I actually appreciated the way that the LED bulbs were placed in Madam Glam’s lamp as soon as I tested it. The roof has 15 bulbs and the perimeter side walls have 15 bulbs – spaced in 5 groups of 3 diodes shaped in a ‘U”. You can see them in action in the images.

This arrangement eliminates any dead zones or angles, providing superb coverage of light all the way around no matter where your fingers are in the lamp and will result in a complete cure – as long as you have your hand placed properly.
It shows this lamp was designed by people who understand the importance of getting a ‘proper’ cure.

The bonus of having FULL COVERAGE of light, with optional button control is extra handy for people who like to swatch their polishes onto swatch sticks. In lamps that work by sensor only or have partial coverage areas, this can be tedious when you prefer not to have to hold them in place but still want a proper cure.

HEAT DISSIPATION

I often find this is another area otherwise great lamps could even improve slightly. Not with this Madam Glam lamp. This unit has so many vent holes around the perimeter to release heat, other manufacturers might like to take a hint from it. There are ventilation holes on the underside, interior and top surface to maximise heat dissipation, as you can see from the photos.

Ventilation Holes, Base Removed

Ventilation Holes, Base Attached

Heat release is important, especially in high usage situations, where you intend to use the lamp for several manis in a row. Nothing will reduce the life span of electrical appliances like this than consistently overheating components. (OK smart alecs, dropping your lamp from the 10th story window of course wins that contest…)

REMOVABLE BASE

Now let’s get back to base-ics. The removable base we spoke of earlier, to be exact.

Removable Base

I always appreciate lamps that have a removable base of some kind. It gives you far more options and makes pedicures so much easier when you can just place the lamp directly over your foot without worry that you’ll bump your manicure…er, pedicure.

This particular base is also made of thick ABS plastic so it’s really quite sturdy. It’s not magnetic like a lot of other lamp models, but slides into place from the front. It’s quite easy to remove if necessary.

Removable Base – slides in to attach

You don’t even have to use it at all if you’d prefer. However if you’re doing mostly manicures I actually suggest keeping it on, because it’s better placed for if you want to trigger the auto-sensor and it also has a rise in the middle that acts as a guide so you’ll know where to place the palm of your hand effectively.

Being plastic, just take a little extra care putting your hand in and out of the lamp if you’re fussy about keeping your gadgets clean and free of gel polish bumps. Remember, not to use acetone to remove gel spills off your plastics.

Removable Base Attached

You can see the ‘speed hump’ in the front of the base plate. This is for intuitive placement of the hand, here you would rest the palm/s whilst curing.

AUTOMATIC SENSOR

This particular lamp has a handy infrared auto sensor. I seek out this function in a lamp, because it makes life easier and curing polish a little faster. It turns the light on when you put your hand in and turns off once you remove it. To paraphrase Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid movie, “Light on, Light off!”

Auto sensors are much easier as you don’t have to press a button each time you want to use it. Simply press the button to set or select the time you want to use, the lamp will actually remember it, and the same time will be triggered by the auto sensor until you turn it off at wall or change the time again. (Default time is always 15 seconds when you first turn it on).

Auto Sensor, LED, Feet & Vent Diagram – Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp

TIMER BUTTONS & DIGITAL DISPLAY

There are two other features I have on my optimum list of likes when it comes to better LED lamps: buttons that can be used manually to set time; and a countdown timer that’s able to be seen by the user (and technician, for salon use).

There are 4 buttons on the back of this particular machine with present time modes. They are not raised but are rather touch buttons – flush and built-in to the machine surface, and work similar to a capacitive touch button. They are defined with a little circle stating the amount of time in that mode. So you may need to see what you’re pressing to select the mode you want.

Button Timer Modes – Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp

The timing modes provided on this lamp are 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds & 90 seconds low-heat mode. The countdown timer lights up and shows through the outer plastic shell during operation.

If you’re not quite sure when you would use each of these modes, here’s a simple guide. 15 seconds is good for a flash cure and some of the fast curing base coats. You are probably most likely to need the 30 or 60 second button curing professional gel or colour gels.

The 90 second function starts off at a lower strength and builds up to a full strength cure. This is perfect for hard gels, builder gels or other thickly applied gel products, as a way to reduce heat spikes which can occur when curing product too fast.

That said, of course you should always follow the instructions and cure for the correct time provided by your gel manufacturer in order to achieve a proper cure. They’ve tested their products to be fully cured at the time instructed.

HOT TIP: I’ve said it before and I’ll reiterate it again: you cannot tell if something is fully cured just by looking at it. Even if it feels ‘hard’ on the outside, something may not be completely cured underneath – and again this is where product breakdown and potential irritation and allergies can arise. So always be sure to cure properly, and don’t just “wing it”.

GEL TESTING

Now, this was the time consuming but fun part! The bit where I got to test out how well this lamp works with various products. Being a dual light source it is designed to cure most types of gel and gel polish currently on the market.

I tested out a wide range of gel items to see how well they cured (and wore afterward) over a period of weeks. This included hard gel, gel polish, regular gel (pots), builder gel, gel base and top coats, no wipe top coat, matte top coat, clear and coloured products, 3D products, magnetic products… Even a gel based crystal glue. All items from a range of different brands, including Madam Glam’s own range.
Was this overkill? Quite possibly, but I’m nothing if not thorough in my lamp reviews 😉

I’ve got a few images showing some of the different results, but in a nutshell the lamp I received had no issues curing any of these products. For each item I ensured that I cured to the manufacturers recommended times. And again, as I mentioned, you can’t tell just by looking at something if is cured or not, but everything ‘seemed legit’ and cured products performed as expected throughout the fingernail wear test that was conducted during said weeks.

I lost some of that testing footage, but opted not to re-shoot each item again due to how long it took, thus the images.
PHOTOS WILL BE ADDED SOON

In summary, the lamp managed to cure whatever I threw at it. Bingo! Not that I expected it wouldn’t based on its technical specifications, just sometimes you’ve got to try these things out to make sure. Happily, I had no issues with under-curing on the sides of the nail either, as you find with some lamps. This is partly due to that fantastic diode placement.

Updates and Changes to Madam Glam

It has been a hot minute since I’ve featured Madam Glam items on my website, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to mention the updates and changes that have taken place since.

For the unaware, Madam Glam is a New York City based beauty brand that have been around since 2014, who specialise in salon quality gel products. Back when I first used their gel it was 5-free. Feeling it was time for an upgrade and after several months of research into the then current formulas, they announced back in November 2018 that they would be improving on that more.

So now they are 9 FREE! For most products including all gels and polygels. They remain Vegan and Cruelty free, so you can feel better about using products that don’t contain lots of toxic ingredients. This factor is important to many, especially pregnant people looking for safer options.

The other thing I noticed is that their range has ballooned to over 1400 products. It keeps growing too, with new monthly releases that tend to follow a theme of seasonally trending shades. These are announced early and are featured on their website for the duration.

If you are interested in trying out some of their fab gel polishes and other items I can recommend those as well. Search my reviews if interested. They offer Free Shipping worldwide for anything over $80, and have a 30 day return policy. FYI, the 30% off discount code I have, BUFF30 is not restricted and will get you 30% off any item. Yay! 😉

Common Questions on UV Lamps & Safety

I’m going to address some of the safety issues and questions I get about UV lamps below.

Is the light safe to look at?

UVA light is emitted from these LED bulbs and while it is a safer on the eyes than other types of lamps, I still generally wouldn’t recommend staring at it for long periods because it is still UVA. It’s nowhere near the strength of tanning beds or anything.

I’ve heard lamps cause skin cancer, is this true?

This is another one of those areas that’s received a lot of incorrect reporting and media attention over the years. Numerous studies have been conducted that show the risks for skin cancer from nail lamps are almost negligible. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, especially from newspapers and magazines.

Here’s some links to published studies I’ve provided before if you like to see the evidence. LINKS: Uno, Duex, Trois, Quatro.

Is there anything I can do or precautions I can take anyway?

They’re certainly is. These are things I suggest you do anyway as a UV Lamp User. Even though the risk for skin cancer is considered negligible by experts and scientists, (and ones who actually understand that area of expertise), people are often more concerned about UV exposure in regards to premature ageing. However this is something those who are taking photosensitive medications also need to be aware of.

You can mitigate the effects of this with use of a broad spectrum sunscreen and or UV protective fingerless gloves.

Gloves should be easy to find on the internet, like Amazon and sun safety stores. They might be known as sun protection gloves or driving gloves or UV fingerless gloves. The main thing is you want to be sure you are purchasing is gloves that are both fingerless and UPF rated. UPF is the sun protection rating that is given to things like fabrics and textiles.

You can use the gloves in a combination with sunscreen or alone. Obviously put the gloves on before you start.

If you are using a broad spectrum sunscreen you can use a physical type, such as zinc-based without a waiting period. If using a chemical type you should apply this at least 20 minutes before you begin the manicure to give it time to activate protection. Try to avoid applying too much cream over the nail plate because you need to remove all the grease and oils from your nails before applying gel for optimum adhesion.

CONCLUSION

I always liked testing new products new nail lamps and see how they perform. I was not disappointed by Madam Glam’s Holi 48w UV led lamp. I tried curing with hands at different angles and my unit still managed to cure the gel, which is a testament to the well thought out design and optimum bulb placement I was mentioning earlier.

Through all my tests it didn’t struggle to properly cure any of the products I tried on swatch sticks, or finger- and toenails. So I was quite happy with that. Other lamps I’ve tested will cure some things well and may struggle with others; that was not the case with the one.

Using the 90 second option, I had no heat spikes with builder gel or hard gel – which is especially handy if you’re sculpting on yourself or perhaps clients. Or use thicker layers of anything. Hello glitter encapsulating!

Another fab feature of this lamp is the heat dissipation ability it has. It is so many vents, it really seems to release the heat quite well. Some of the other mid-range units currently on the market can have a tendency to overheat if doing one manicure after another.

I found all 30 LED’s lit up nicely and cured the gels well each time. There is a noticeable slight warmth whilst in use but I had no heat spikes at any time. Due to my experience in applying gels, I don’t tend to suffer heat spikes. The automatic sensor registered hands & feet without issue.

I liked this lamp a lot and recommend it for those wanting a high-quality lamp that will cure a wide range of gel products effectively. It would be suitable for home users, hobbyists, and those serious about gel. As well as various types of nail tech.

I cannot speak to how it would stand up in a hectic salon environment with back-to-back clients 7 days a week, simply because I haven’t put it through its paces in that respect, but I tested it quite a lot using for several hours at a time and it didn’t falter. That was on several occasions, so not the most ideal comparison, but it may give you an idea.

There is an internal temperature detector to protect the lamp against such cases of overheating, like after being used continuously for a long time. In this instance the operational power will be lowered automatically and a “07P” will show on the digital screen when the temperature is too high. After the temperature has lowered it will resume it’s normal operational power.

Buff & Polish Review – See how spacious it is? Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp – In Use

I found the UV LED Lamp to be reliable and efficient throughout my extended testing. It has many features that I prefer in a lamp. In no particular order, these include: an enclosed back (which offers better bulb placement and light coverage than open backed options), well planned diode/bulb arrangement, decent power and intensity, generous power cord length, removable base, light weight (perfect for portability) and not overly bulky.

If there is anything I can think of that might irk a minority of people, it would be the touch buttons. They haven’t bothered me, but some people express that they like buttons that ‘depress’ so you can navigate by feel, and feel what you are pressing. I have a creative solution for this: Simply glue a Swarovski crystal to the unit – one for each of the timer modes, either below or above each printed circle. And then you will have a pretty looking crystal ‘bump’ to guide you to each button by feel. Problem solved 😊

Overall I was impressed by Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Lamp, and would happily recommend it as an option for gel users who want something that will reliably cure a variety of gel products, especially the more serious users and hobbyists who want a quality lamp.  — Don’t forget you can get a 30% discount off this lamp (and the entire Madam Glam product range) by using my discount code Buff30!

Champagne and cookies for all who made it this far! After all this effort, that’s what I’ll be doing 😁

I’d like to extend my thanks to Madam Glam for supplying this lamp for testing purposes and unbiased review.
Extensive as this post was, I hope this has been really helpful to you.

And that concludes my mega-long In-Depth Review of Madam Glam’s 48w Holi UV LED Nail Lamp

I appreciate and read all the comments, so feel free to leave your thoughts and questions below