Nail Product Stress Test: Sassy + Chic Embossed Nail Stickers

Going to Dollar Tree is always fun. I never hesitate to pick up nail polish or in this case, nail wraps. I mean, if they suck, who cares? It was only a dollar. That leads me to today’s test subject, Sassy + Chic embossed nail stickers.

These looked like they could be of decent quality. Silver, pink, and blue dots are embossed on a translucent grey background. In the package, they definitely look embossed, but once they’re on, it looks like you sat there and stuck a ton of clear stones on your nails. They definitely looked nicer than I expected.

Application was pretty easy. The one problem I had is that the stickers tended to rip. Be sure you have the right size sticker before you put it on your nail, because you might ruin it before you can get it placed correctly. They have no stretch to them at all.  The edges were a bit ragged due to the embossing. I had to do a fair amount of filing afterwards.

I had no issues with wrinkles with these at all. That was a nice change.

Putting these wraps on was the last thing I did before I went to bed. I don’t usually do this, but I decided to take pics first. Good thing; when I woke up the next morning, there were...problems.

Somehow, I managed to chip these in my sleep, big time. I decided to remove them. In the process, I discovered that they’d become more brittle.

Even if that hadn’t happened, the adhesive was not up to the job. The decals would have been knocked off very easily at work. This is definitely a product fail. For bonus points, they left glue residue all over my nails. Yay.

Verdict: Loser polish

These didn’t even make it out the door. Granted, it’s only a dollar, but I recommend you put it towards a bottle of good polish instead.

Nail Product Stress Test: Sinful Colors Henna I Do Nail Wraps

Continuing on my nail wrap journey, I came across this set from the Sinful Colors Bombay Nights display for $2.99. As of this writing, it’s still available in Rite Aid and Walgreen’s.

I honestly wasn’t sure how to use these. The directions on the package said how to apply them, but I was unsure how these would look on bare nails. Was this supposed to be like a negative space manicure? I debated for a bit and decided to put them on my nails straight. Nail wraps traditionally don’t go over polish, right?

The designs themselves are pretty, and have a little bit of sparkle in them. I was hopeful when I applied them, but when I was done, I got……..

…that.

These look awful.  Application was difficult. These things wrinkle like crazy for one thing. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t avoid it. The fact that the wraps are clear helps make it less noticeable, but I know this looked bad. Then there’s the design. It’s not nearly dark enough so it looks…..well…..like crap. There’s no way anyone with a darker skin tone could wear these on their own.

Then there’s the matter of trimming them at the end. I tried using a file left over from the Essie wraps, a nail file, my buffer, it didn’t matter. I ended up with horrible looking ragged edges.

They reminded me of Essie’s wraps in that it feels like I coated my nails in a heavy layer of glue. At this point, I really didn’t like how they looked or felt on my nails. I was thiiiiiiiiis close to taking them off, but I figured I’d wear them to work and see how they held up.

The fact that they’re mostly clear helps, but the tips got pretty messed up by the end of the day. Granted, they had a head start, but this was total fail.

Just for science, I thought I’d try using a couple of the leftover wraps over some neutral polish. This is more like it. You can actually SEE the design, but application is still a problem. I found there was no way to reposition the wrap if I wasn’t happy with how it looked. They seemed to stick to the polish somewhat, and when I peeled it off afterwards, the wrap lost its adhesion. Basically, if you can’t nail it the first try, it’s not happening.

Using the wraps over polish had no bearing on their durability, they still got messed up after one day. If you do decide to buy these, using them over polish is definitely the way to go. 

Verdict: Loser polish

This is a great concept, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t buy this. For $3 you could get three bottles of their polish instead. 

Nail Product Stress Test: Kiss Nail Dress

It really sucks when I get sick. I’m never ever seen with naked nails. When I can’t stop sneezing and blowing my nose, it is really hard to work with nail polish, never mind doing any nail art. Lucky for me, I had a set of Kiss Nail Dress nail wraps handy!

My last attempt to wear nail wraps didn’t end well at all, so I was worried this was going to be another epic fail. However, it was either this or naked nails, so I went for it! 

One thing I liked from the get go is they give you two full sets of wraps to work with, one for French manicures, and one for full nails. They also provided a nice range of sizes, so these should pretty much fit anyone. I think they might even work for pedicures, but I’ll leave that for someone else to try. 

I absolutely love the design. I am a sucker for anything with suns, moons, and/or stars on them. These could not be more “me”!

I had a tough time applying these wraps. Since we're talking decals as opposed to pre cured nail polish, they don’t stretch nor can they be easily repositioned. I was able to do a passable job, but I had a bunch of wrinkles I couldn’t get out. Lucky for me, the design hid a lot of that. Well, in IRL at least. The camera never lies, and in this case, I wish it did!

 According to the package, the wraps are supposed to last up to a week. Did they?

No, but in this case, operator error is a factor. The nails where I got the wraps on properly held up well, while the ones with wrinkles took more damage. I believe if I’d done a better job applying them it would have lasted longer. This went three days before I needed to take them off. 

Removal was surprisingly easy. I was able to peel them off with no problem, no residue, no nothing left over.

Verdict: Good

Of everything I’ve tried that’s promised to last a week so far, this one has done the best. These were a gift from my friend, so while I don’t know what the cost was, I’d say they were definitely worth it. If I come across this brand in my travels, I’m definitely buying more. I’m hoping my results with improve with more practice.

Nail Product Stress Test: Essie Sleek Sticks

Essie Sleek Sticks are supposed to be made of already UV cured long lasting gel polish. How long? Let’s find out!

I picked this up at Dollar tree for...wait for it......$1! The idea is to apply them like stickers to your bare nails, then file off the excess. I found they were a bit tricky to apply. They really wanted to wrinkle, although I was able to reposition them a few times. I still had a couple wrinkles, but on this particular design, they didn’t show. I found applying the strip at the cuticle line, then stretching it over the edge of my nail worked best. I suspect lacqueristas with shorter nails might be able to cut them in half and possibly get two manicures out of one set.

The other problem I had was that in some cases, there wasn’t a stick that was quite the right size for my nail. Again, not a problem with this particular design, but I could see that being annoying with others.

There’s no denying they sure looked good! It’d be nigh impossible to replicate with traditional nail polish.

But what about that all important durability? 

There isn’t any. You see, this product is meant to be peeled off when you’re done. It’s as if I painted my nails with white glue. As I unpacked boxes, this product rubbed off or peeled off. What you see here is literally all that survived.

Verdict: Party Polish

For $1, it would be great to wear for a party. In an office setting, I’m sure it would hold up way better than it did for me. If I’d paid the regular price of $10, I would have been super ticked off. Of course if I’d paid that much, I’d never wear it to my job!