Just over a month ago a company by the name of Mont Bleu reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing a few of their products. I had never heard of Mont Bleu before so I took some time to educate myself on their brand and products, as I always do before accepting PR from any company.
About Mont Bleu
Based in Prague, in the Czech Republic, Mont Bleu has been in business for 10 years! They sell to customers and clients all over the world, including Canada, United States, Europe and Asia. They manufacture Czech-made glass nail files and design and decorate jewelry and various beauty products and gifts with SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS. Their product line includes genuine Czech-made glass nail files; top-quality scissors, manicure sets, clippers, nippers and pushers, pliers; compact and cosmetic mirrors, makeup brushes, hair brushes; name card cases, key rings, bag hangers, pill boxes; and jewelry. They pride themselves on producing products made of the highest quality and offer a money-back guarantee.
Products & Pricing
Mont Bleu asked me to pick 3-4 products from their website; here’s what I selected:
Whirl Crystal Nail File – 12,50 € / $18.63 CAD*
I knew immediately that I wanted to give one of their crystal nail files a try – I’ve used glass nail files before and always preferred them to other options but I must say, there’s definitely something different about these! Starting with the obvious – the crystals of course! They have so many different options and designs it was really difficult to decide which one I wanted. I ended up going with the clear crystal and it was a good choice – it’s even more beautiful in person! I was a bit worried about how delicate the adorned crystals would be but as it turns out I had nothing to worry about. The crystals are very securely attached and I don’t feel I need to be any more careful with it than I do any other glass nail file I’ve owned (note they do provide a thick velvet sleeve for protection and storage).
The nail file itself is thinner and more lightweight compared to others – but it doesn’t feel fragile at all. What I like most about this is the fact that it takes very little effort on my part to use these – they just glide over my nail and file it with ease. They are a really fine grit so they’re also extremely gentle on my nails. Easily the best glass nail file I’ve ever used.
Glass Foot File – 16,50 € / $24.59 CAD*
Glass foot files are a new concept to me; I’ve always used metal microplanes, pumice stones or a MicroPedi. Using this over the last few weeks has made me realize what I’ve been missing out on!
The file is made out of a thick (just under a 1/4 of an inch) glass and it fits comfortably in my hand; it has two sides – a gritty side that gently files away dead skin and callouses with ease while the other side smooths and evens out the skin. What I like about this is that it just sloughs off the dead and dry skin on the surface; often when using a microplane I felt like I was grating off layers of new skin underneath and that wasn’t doing my feet any favours. If you have chronically dry and cracked heels like me, this tool is a god-send and I’d highly recommend it.
Dual-end Glass Cuticle Pusher – 5,49 € / $8.18 CAD
I’ll admit it, I neglect my cuticles. I rarely remember to apply cuticle oil, push them back or trim them. On the odd chance that I would push back my cuticles I’d use a orange wood stick which did an okay job but never really felt all that effective. Which is probably why I’ve never feel confident enough to photograph any of my manicures.
This little tool is a complete game changer; again it’s made of glass and while that may seem and look a little intimidating, as a cuticle-care newbie, I can assure you there’s no reason for concern. It’s lightweight and comfortable to hold and use; there’s a rounded head on one end for cuticle pushing and a pointed tip on the other, meant for cleaning underneath the nail edge. I hate to repeat myself, but again, this does the job so easily and effortlessly. I see better cuticles in my near future!
Luxury Solingen 3-Piece Manicure Set – 38,50 € / $57.37 CAD
I always like having manicure sets to travel with and when I saw the colour of this one I knew it needed to be mine!. This kit contains 3 tools – a pair of nail scissors; slant tip tweezers; and one of their Czech-made glass nail files, all housed in this soft leather case with a velvet interior. The nail scissors are impressive: stainless steel and made in Germany and you can tell – they’re the best quality nail scissors I’ve ever owned! The nail file is a smaller but more colourful version of the one above and works just as well.
There’s only one thing that left me slightly disappointed in this kit – the tweezers. There’s absolutely no issue with how they operate and the design and colour of them is stunning. They have a rubberized coating over them that gives them a nice grip, however when they arrived they were covered in black smudges/spots that won’t come off no matter how I clean them. The smudges don’t affect the performance of the tweezers in anyway so for me it’s not a big deal. However, if I was giving this as a gift I would have been a little disappointed and would have contacted Mont Bleu for an exchange. Aside from that one small blip, I think this is a fantastic and beautiful set for travel and I look forward to bring it with me this Summer!
Overall thoughts
I’m not usually one to treat myself to high-quality nail and personal care tools – I typically just pick up whatever is on sale at my local drugstore. However, trying Mont Bleu’s products have really shed some light on what a difference using higher quality products can make. I often do my own manicures and pedicures at-home and these tools will give those routines a more professional feeling, while their ease of use will encourage me to do them more often.
I also think their products would also serve well as gifts, particularly stocking stuffers! With so many options you’d be hard pressed not to find something for everyone on your list.
Where to Buy
Interested in trying some of Mont Bleu products out yourself? Here’s where you can find them:
Mont Bleu’s e-shop
Mont Bleu’s wholesale shop that includes really interesting information about their product process and technology
Mont Bleu’s Amazon store page
Discount Code
Mont Bleu was kind enough to pass along a discount code to my readers if you’d like to give any of their products a try. Simple use the code BLOG at checkout to receive a 20% discount off of your purchase!
A big thank you to Mont Bleu for giving me the opportunity to try their products!
Disclaimer – These products were sent to me in exchange for review but all opinions are my own.
*Canadian prices calculated based on the exchange rate for June 27, 2017
stashy says
I like how you chose all blue item – so matchy!
Isn’t the cuticle pusher so genius? I was so intrigued by it and it delivered!
I used the foot file even on my SO’s feet and it worked so well too. 🙂
The nail file is so amazing, I plan to get more for sure.
prettyrufflife says
Yes I LOVE the cuticle pusher and especially the foot file – the foot file is life-changing I tell ya! 🙂 Thanks for reading Stashy!
Polished and Inspired says
I read Stashy’s post on the Mont Bleu nail tools a while back – man, I can’t believe how PRETTY they are to look at.
I really do need a new crystal nail file. I think the one I used to own at Sephora is $12.50. I can’t decide if I can justify buying a Mont Bleu one for an extra $6 regardless of how pretty it is?!
The glass foot file is really an awesome idea. I’ve also never thought of using a glass foot file either, but I can imagine if crystal nail files are so good to use, that a foot file would be fantastic.
prettyrufflife says
They are absolutely gorgeous and really high quality; I’ve had glass nail files from Sephora and I currently have one from Quo and I notice a difference in the way that the Mont Bleu files my nails. That said, if you had to choose between one of the glass nail files or a glass foot file I’d 100% recommend the foot file. I can’t go back to a regular foot file after using one. Thanks for reading!