I've got a bucket of of fun for you today! You've probably seen these at your local CVS, Walmart, etc. Maybe picked them up, checked them out a little, put them back. I did the same thing. Like 10 times. Curiosity got the best of me, and I finally caved.
Each package contains 16 polish strips, an angled cuticle stick, a little emery board/buffer, and detailed instructions. The strips are real polish and, as I learned from Michelle at All Lacquered Up, are Big-4 free (meaning no DBP, toluene, formaldehyde, OR formaldehyde resin) - making these a great option for anyone with allergies to those ingredients.
Application is a bit of a learning experience, but it's not really difficult. You just find the strip that best matches your nail size (go a size up if you can't find one that fits perfectly), peel off the protective layer and backing, and stick it on, and remove the excess. Getting the strips to line up perfectly with my nails was a bit challenging at first, but got easier as I did more of them.
The hardest part for me was removing the excess on the tips. You're supposed to use the file to kind of file it off and then buff to smooth, but for some reason it just wasn't really working that well for me. Maybe I needed to use a different file than the one it came with. I also had trouble getting the strip to lay flat against my nail at the tip - they kept wrinkling at the very tip and then I would pick at it and cause it to chip off (like that chip on my ring finger). I imagine this will improve with practice. It wasn't a huge deal - it just made it kind of rough around the edge. If anyone has any tips for me, I'd GREATLY appreciate it! :-)
It took me about 35 minutes to do all 10 nails. Not bad for my first try, I think! Check out the final look!
(click to enlarge)
How fun is that?! Girl Flower is definitely an homage to the Minx nails that Katy Perry made so popular and it's a perfect look for spring and summer. I think the pattern doesn't quite jive with my skin tone, but I still enjoyed wearing it. Removal is absurdly easy with just regular polish remover.
Think it's too busy for your own nails? You could totally wear these on your toes (the cleanup will just be a bit more intensive). I actually plan on doing it myself! The price is a little steep. I think I paid $10.49 for these? But you can wait until they go BOGO 50% off and save. Overall, I think these strips are a great product (you go Sally!) and I would definitely recommend them. Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can!
What do you think? Have you tried them? Got any tips??
That design is supercute! I tried nail stickers (from Essence) once, the horror.. :| But you did a great job, it looks very nice! ^^
ReplyDeleteHi Amy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!! Sorry about your bad experience! These are so fun and not too dreadfully difficult, so I'm definitely going to try them again! Hopefully I'll come back with some better tips next time. :-)
I'm totally stalking your blog btw. I check it everyday. I got the Sally Hansen Kaleidoscope strips and did my toes. Felt a lot better about the price after I figured I'll get 2 uses from it. (I used the opposite end of the strip for a few nails to save some). The buffer/file didn't work well for me either. I cut my excess off with cuticle clippers and rubbed the edges back down. ps I invested in Seche Vite fast drying top coat and got a base coat for free. best. top coat. ever. pss I don't know if you've tried the Revlon scented polishes, but I got the Mad about Mango because corals are my must haves and its scented alright. So scented its almost nauseating. Also super goopy, took 3 coats, just badddd. Stay away!!
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