Product Review: NCLA Transparent Nail Wraps!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I LOVE NAIL WRAPS.  Whoever came up with the idea of sticking nail-shaped stickers on your nails is a pure genius.  As a self-proclaimed lazy-girl that lacks any sort of dexterity, nail wraps are a serious god send.  Why?  No. Fuss.  Srsly, doe!  The simple peel n' stick process is bafflingly simple.  Waiting around for polish to dry?  Holding your pee so you don't ruin your nails?  That nonsense is old-frickin-news now!

Nail Wraps: The Easy Peasy Lemon-Squeezy Edition

Hello my Lovely Dandies!  Hope your Wednesday fairs well.  Some of you seemed genuinely interested, so I've filmed a quick Nail Wraps How-To "tutorial" for your viewing pleasure!  For those of you who feel inclined to read rather than watch...my Step-By-Step is below...

What You Need:

• Hands...with nails...on them.  (If this is a problem, you may want to consult a physician.  As it is quite unusual to only just discover that you do not have nails.  *Awkward*.)
• Nail Polish Remover (to remove old yucky polish)
• Cuticle Removing Accoutrements (These are the secret weapons to having beautiful hands people!  Cuticle dissolvers, pushers, trimmers, etc)
• Emory Boards or Nail File (to shape your nail...if you don't care about the shape of your claws...then whateves, skip this!  ...You'll also need an emory board/nail file to remove excess nail wraps if your kit doesn't come with one)
• Base Coat (I highly suggest you DO NOT use the base coat that I am using in the video.  As mentioned, it is terrible)
• Top Coat
• Cuticle Oil (again, optional.  If you don't want beautiful soft cuticles, then you can skip this as well as please don't touch me.  Ew...jk haha).
• Nail Wrap kit (should include at least one set of nail wraps and an emory board/nail file)
• Scissors

Step 1: Clean and Prep Your Nails
Remove all polish from nails and then proceed to push and trim your cuticles.  Shape your nails if need be.  Give your hands one final wash!

Step 2:  Apply a Base Coat
This is self explanatory.  Apply one coat to your nail and allow to dry.

Step 3: Pick Your Wraps
Check out the nail wraps you're using.  Size them up to the size and shapes of your nails.  You'll  be surprised that more often than not, you don't have to mess around with trimming the edges of the wraps to fit your nail bed if you've done a good job grooming your cuticles.

Step 4: Apply Nail Wraps
Once you've chosen the perfect size for your nail, carefully apply the bottom of the nail wrap as close to the centre of your cuticle as possible.  Then, proceed to press down on the nail wrap from the bottom of your nail bed to the top (from cuticle to nail tip).  Firmly press along the edges of your nail to ensure that there are no bubbles or wrinkles.

Step 5: Trim off Excess
Using your scissors, trim off the excess nail wrap.  I like to save these for future nail art projects, so I stick the excess back on the plastic backing of the nail wrap sheet (I'm also kind of a pack-rat, so....).  To each their own, though.

Step 6: File Edges
File downwards along the edge of your nail to get rid of any excess nail wrap.  This will ensure a smooth and 'perfect' fit!

Step 7: Apply Top Coat
Once you've filed away any excess, and your nail is perfectly wrapped, simply apply a top coat.  Allow to dry and you're done!  Admire your lovely nails :).

Step 8:  Show Your Cuticles Some LOOOOOVE (Totally optional.  If you hate your cuticles, it's really none of my business...)
Once your top coat has dried, apply a generous layer of cuticle oil to your cuticles.  Let your thirsty-arss cuticles drink up and prepare to have the awesome-est nails EVERRRRRR!

fin.

<3

Obsessed: Nail Wraps!

THINGS have a way with me.  No, really.  They do. My heart is so fickle when it comes to something brilliantly convenient and cute; it's always love at first wear.  Allow me to share with you Dandies my newest obsession: NAIL WRAPS.

If you haven't already tried them -- you should.  If you've no idea what on earth they are --omgZ let me tell ya!

Essentially, nail wraps are nail-shaped stickers that are 'ready-to-apply' to the nails in place of nail polishes.  I know your first thought is only the horror you could imagine with trying to smoothly apply a sticker to your nail...flattening out the bubbles and wrinkles...yadda, yadda...

I felt the same way, trust me.  I avoided nail wraps as long as I could because, as someone who already has trouble trying to paint a smooth coat of polish to my nails, nail wraps just SEEMED like they would be annoying and srsly too intricate a process for these hands of mine that lack any sign of dexterity.  I was pretty steadfast in my belief that nail wraps were the sloppiest idea ever created in the world of the invention of pretty things.  I'd even tested out a few different (hideous) designs that I picked up from my local Dollarama.  All efforts were foiled.

Now,  I'll confess that my growing dislike for nailwraps was mostly due to the fact that I had NO idea how to put them on.  I was going at it blind.  Slapping them on, and then attacking my fingernail with scissors.  Bad. Just.  Bad.

A few months ago I watched the NCLA x Little Black Bag nail wraps tutorial, and my face was all like  'OHHHHHHHH!...oh.  That makes way more sense'.  

Anyway, recently my mother brought be a slew of cheap nail wraps from Daiso in Korea.  I was ready to give this whole nailwraps thing another go.  And OMG people.  OH-MY-GAWWWWD.  

As soon as the first nail wrap was flawlessly applied, it was like the angels were singing, and I swear there was a bit of a white light shining down on me in my puny bachelor apartment.  Oh.  My. LAWDY.  Love.  

Anyway, the long and short of it is (or just the long...because clearly I just always have too much to say) GO TRY NAILWRAPS!!  They are way simpler to apply than nail polish, and there is no dry time!  Srsly.  I am fully converted.  Throw all my nail polish into the dump for all I care.  Nail wraps all the way!

I'm thinking about filming my own simple nail wrap tutorial.  Would you Dandies be interested?

Have a happy weekend! 

<3

Ombre Nails!

Before I go on about what my nails look like right now, I wanted to show you all what they looked like before:

Last week I attempted to do stained glass nails using some pretty pastel polishes.  As you can tell, it ended up looking like a bit of a mess, which is why I never posted it!  That, and also because the photo quality and lighting is absolutely horrid.  

Anyway, here are my nails now!...

I tried doing ombre nails yesterday, and I think they turned out pretty well.  They actually look more ombre in real life than they do in these pictures.  Oh, the terrible lighting in my room =P.  I used Shine Plus Nail in numbers 13 and 42 by Organic Farm International.  My mom brought these back from Korea with her a couple weeks ago.  They go on so smooth, and they are rather thin which is great for building up colour when you're trying to get an ombre effect!  I also applied loads of topcoat afterwards because I love it so much and I never want it to chip away!!

I feel like eating a cupcake...

<3

penguin nails!

Yes. Believe it.  I have tiny penguins on my nails.  ON-MY-NAILS!  PENGUINS!  CUTENESS!  Haha.  I saw this either on someone's tumblr or Instagram a while ago (wish I could remember!!), and I just had to try it!  It looks a bit messy, but I'm satisfied with how it came out for the most part.

I used Skin Food nail polish in Ice Milk for the base of all my nails.  For the penguin I used any white polish I had kicking' around (this one's from H&M), and for eyes I put a glob of Chanel Black Satin on a piece of paper, and used a pencil to dot the eyes.  The yellow details were done the same way in Sally Hansen Instadry in Lightening.  For my non-penguin nails I used Sephora for OPI in Flurry Up.  Then I put a top coat on everything!  Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy!

Mood Ring

My vintage mood ring!  I got this at a thrift shop a couple years ago.

And I did my nails!  Chanel in black satin, and American Apparel nail polish in Supernova.

Fresh Paint

Did my nails.  Sephora for OPI in Dear Diary and Flurry Up!