One More Christmas NOTD with OMG Nail Strips!

There are a TON of fun things about being a blogger and one of them is getting to try new brands and products. OMG Nail Strips is a new website that sells nail polish stickers. They contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing some of their polish stickers, and I really had a hard time picking just one design to try. OMG Nail Strips has a HUGE selection of really cool and unique designs, ranging from fantastic animal prints to patriotic and holiday-themed stickers. Aside from the excellent designs, OMG Nail Strips are only $4.29, with free shipping on ALL orders, less than half the price of most other nail stickers!

I selected my design a few weeks ago, so I was in a Christmas nail mood. I selected these red foil stickers with white Christmas trees. These are SO cute! Foil nail stickers are sometimes much harder to apply than regular polish stickers, but they always look extra beautiful when they're done. OMG Nail Strips gave me some application tips to make the process easier, and I have a few to add to this list also.

1. Clean and manicure nails and cuticles prior to applying nail strips
2. Peel nail strips from the flat side of the strip, the rounded side
will be placed just above your cuticles.
   (If you have shorter nails you may want to cut the nail strips to
length leaving about 3/4" hanging off the tip of your nail)
3. Place the round side of the nail strip at the base of your cuticle,
Applying pressure from the middle of the cuticle press around in one
direction and then the other.
4. Holding the nail strip at the cuticle base stretch the nail strip
over the tip of the nail while smoothing out any creases on the side
of the nail.
5. Using a cuticle pusher tuck the nail foil in along the cuticle base.
6. Hold your nail so it is facing up and with a thin nail file, filing
in a (downward only) direction remove the excess nail foil from the
tip and around the sides of your nail.
7. Now that your nail foil is applied use a hair dryer on high heat
and your finger to smooth out any remaining imperfections.
(for Nail Polish Stickers heat is not necessary)

I would also recommend warming the sticker up with the hair dryer BEFORE you apply it. I find it makes it lay more smoothly. I used nail clippers instead of scissors to clip the excess strip (before filing). I find scissors to be harder to control. The excess strip filed off pretty easily with these stickers, so that wasn't difficult at all. I did get a bump on my ring finger nail that I couldn't smooth out all the way, but other than that, they were pretty smooth. If you're noticing that the trees are too big to fit on my nails, I have to mention that there were two smaller sized strips. I messed up my application with those first two and had to toss them. The sizing would have been much better had I not messed up the first time! Also, other OMG Nail Strips have just overall patterns, so those of us with small nail beds might want to stick with those.

Overall, I like these strips a lot. Foil stickers are often very hard to use, and almost unwearable. I could actually apply these without too much trouble and I could (and did!) wear them for a few days. I think I'll be ordering some of OMG Nail Strips regular polish stickers to try. I would love to see how they compare to other more expensive brands. They certainly have more interesting designs than some pricey brands!

OMG Nail Strips are available online at omgnailstrips.com.

Product sent for review. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Glitz Blitz

Base: none
Color: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Glitz Blitz
Top: none
Application: Excellent (out of poor, average, good, excellent)

OK, let me apologize for the quality of these pictures. They were taken with a small point and shoot camera, not my usual blogging camera. Here's why: I had a wedding to attend this past Saturday and I had to work allllllll day Friday. By the time I got home Friday night, I was exhausted and really had no energy to do my nails. The ceremony was in the morning on Saturday, so I also had no time Saturday morning to do my nails. Fortunately, my boyfriend agree to drive to the wedding, and I used the car ride to apply Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Glitz Blitz!! They are SO much easier to apply in the car than regular polish! No mess, just smooth on to your nail and file away the excess. Done.

Now, while I was sitting there waiting for the ceremony to begin, I realized that I really needed to photograph these before they got ruined, as I was sent these lovely polish strips for review purposes. I only brought my little camera, so there I was, taking pictures of my nails while seated waiting for a wedding to start LOL. Just a little crazy!! Then, my boyfriend got in on the action and took the above picture of my nails on top of my little clutch I brought (photo courtesy of James Bernatchez Photography). I LOVE Sally Hansen Salon Effects, and Glitz Blitz was very easy to apply, sparkled beautifully, and held up to the shenanigans my friends and I got up to that night ;).

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips in Glitz Blitz are available online at Ulta.com or in a drugstore near you.

Product sent for review. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.

What I'm Wearing: Sally Hansen Rock N' Roar Salon Effects

Bear with me today, I'm a little tired. My cousin Kelly's wedding was last night and it was a blast!! I wanted to show you what I wore on my nails for the special occasion. I've had these Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Rock N' Roar for a few weeks now and I've been saving them for something special. They seemed like they would look perfect with the pale yellow dress I wore, and they did!! I kept putting my hand on my dress and admiring the leopard goodness next to the yellow LOL!

Like the other Sally Hansen Salon Effects I've tried, these were a breeze to apply. Just peel, apply to the nail, rip off the excess and file the edges smooth. I applied top coat this time because I really wanted to wear these for awhile, but top coat isn't necessary.

I LOVE this design. I love the abstract leopard print, and I also love that two of the colors are metallic. Silver, gold and black is a gorgeous combo. This design is limited edition, from the Rock of Ages release, but Sally Hansen also sells a leopard print in their regular collection, called Kitty, Kitty. I actually have that as well and will try to show you soon!

I'm glad I saved these to wear on a special occasion. They made me feel even prettier than I would have felt with a regular polish on. Plus, they were really fun!!

My boyfriend took a picture of my nails will my dress!! Don't they look pretty together??! Image courtesy of James Bernatchez photography.

The Sally Hansen Rock of Ages Salon Effects are available now at a drugstore near you!

Product sent for review. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.

OPI Girly Glam Nail Apps

I have one more of OPI's excellent new Nail Apps to show you today. This design is called Girly Glam and it's a glitter-based nail polish sticker. The design is like a swirly almost camouflage-like pattern with silver, pink, bright pink, red, and black. I love this pattern, and the glitter really sparkles.

The Girly Glam Nail Apps applied as easily as the other two I reviewed, Reptile and Metallic Waves. The excess was very easy to file off and get the edges smooth. I cut the four largest strips to fit my nails for these swatches, and I obviously didn't really do a great job cutting. But that's my lack of cutting skills, not the fault of the nail apps. When I actually wear these strips for a full mani, I choose the five smallest strips for each hand, and I don't have to cut them at all.

The OPI Nail Apps have been lasting for four + days on me, with no chipping or tip wear.

By the way, if you are ever rushing out the door without your nails done (unfortunately, I am all the time) to an important event, these are an excellent thing to keep in your purse. I was able to do a set of nail apps in the car on the way to a wedding on Sunday (while my boyfriend was driving, of course). My nails looked awesome and it was way easier than trying to paint my nails in the car and then waiting for them to dry/ruining them upon exiting the vehicle.

Pure Lacquer Nail Apps are available now at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for the suggested retail price of $11.95.
For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!


This product was sent for review. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

OPI Reptile Nail App NOTD

Fun fact for you: I LOVE reptiles. LOVE. When I was little, my friends and I used to go reptile hunting in the woods behind our houses and try to find frogs and snakes. We made a club called the "RAAA" or, the Reptile and Amphibian Association of America. Was I a weird little girl? Yes, yes, I was... Anyway, weird little girls turn into adults with pet snakes, nail blogs, and a continued love for reptiles, so I was super excited when OPI sent me their new Nail Apps in Reptile!

Now, OPI listed Reptile as one of the cream finish nail apps, but I see some definite metallicness here. The base of the design is a gold and silver scale print, with some copper-y brown and coral scales randomly placed. This design is gorgeous and totally unique in the world of nail polish stickers. I have never seen a design quite like this. The combination of colors is pretty cool too. Depending on which side of the strip you use at the cuticle end of your nail, you can get more coral on the nail, or more of the copper-y brown. I really only used the coral on the pinkie nail, I should have shown more of it.

See the pretty metallic finish? Not really a cream, and quite frankly I like that. This nail app was very easy to apply and the excess filed off very cleanly. I think these Reptile nail apps were a bit easier to file that the Metallic Wave design I tried. Possibly the glitter in the Metallic Waves made the edges feel less smooth than the Reptile design.

All in all, these OPI Nail Apps are killin' it. The two designs I've tried have been showstoppingly gorgeous and when I wear them, people grab my hands to ask what they are. I got 4 days of near-perfect wear from the Metallic Wave design and definitely could have kept wearing them for several more days. I know these are $11.95, but they are still cheaper than going to a salon for nail art and I think that makes them perfect for special occasions.

Pure Lacquer Nail Apps are available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for the suggested retail price of $11.95.
For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!


This product was sent for review. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

Sally Hansen Rock of Ages Salon Effects in Red-y to Rock!

By now, you all have probably seen the previews for the Rock of Ages movie (I believe it is in theaters now!). Like most important movies of today, this movie ties in with a nail polish release!! Sally Hansen came up with some Rock of Ages inspired designs, including today's mani, Red-y to Rock. I tested out the strips today, and if I go see the movie, you can be sure I'll be wearing Red-y to Rock!

I love this red and white zebra-ish wave design. These are sparkly polish strips, as you can see below. The white waves are especially sparkly. I really like the nail polish strips that are sparkly best. The creme design ones are fine, but really, who doesn't want a bit of sparkle??

These polish strips were SUPER easy to apply. I have always thought that Sally Hansen Salon Effects were easy to use, but they might have gotten even easier. The excess strip filed off so cleanly! I only did four nails for these pictures and I think it took me all of 1 minute to do this. Maybe less.

I have worn Sally Hansen Salon Effects for 5 days in the past with only a tiny bit of visible wear. With the addition of a clear top coat, they can last even longer. So while $9.99 may seem pricey, they are an excellent choice for a vacation when you really don't have time to do your nails. Plus, $9.99 is WAY cheaper than something like a gel manicure that would last 7-10 days. And I really just LOVE the designs that are available!!

Sally Hansen Rock of Ages Salon Effects are available now at drugstores!

This product was sent for review. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy. 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Holiday Editions!

"SALLY HANSEN INTRODUCES A NEW TWIST ON TRADITION

WITH HOLIDAY EDITIONS OF SALON EFFECTS REAL NAIL POLISH STRIPS

THINK: Festive, fast, no-fuss nail color.

WHAT THEY ARE: Limited-edition holiday prints of Sally Hansen’s hit, Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. When Sally Hansen first introduced its peel-and-apply nail polish strips, the manicure breakthrough took the world by storm. Now Sally Hansenintroduces trendsetting prints exclusively for the holidays, putting the spirit of the season at your fingertips. Like all the prints in theSalon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips collection, the five festive prints let you peel, apply, file, and go, delivering a real-polish manicure without mess or stress. Whether you’re playing Santa and stuffing a stocking or heading to the party of the moment, these seasonal strips are the ultimate accessory.

The new prints include Plaid About You (red and black plaid), Peppermint Twist (red and white candy stripe), Snow Bunny (white with red snowflakes), Prep’s Cool (black and silver argyle), and Winter Funderland (black, silver and blue glitter).

Each Salon Effect Real Nail Polish Strips kit includes 16 nail polish strips, a cuticle stick, mini file/ buffer and instructions for easy at-home application. When you’re ready to change your nail strips, simply swipe nails with your favorite Sally Hansen polish remover for an instantly clean slate."

Aren't these so cute??? I really like the snowflakes and the red plaid design!!

Pink Wednesday! Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Bling It On

If you like the idea of the nail polish strips/appliques that are all the rage right now, but you haven't found just the right ones for you, give the Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips a try. They are the BEST nail polish strips I have tried. Before trying these, I had kind of wrote off the nail polish strips because some of them are more of a pain to apply than regular nail polish. Sally Hansen's Salon Effects changed my mind! This particular set of Salon Effects is a gorgeous pink glitter called Bling It On. Oh, it's on alright!!!

If you don't know how these are applied, Sally Hansen's website has a nifty little video that can explain it better than I can. Basically though, after shaping your nails and removing any oils from the nails, you choose the polish strips that will best fit your nails. I found that the five smallest strips were very good fits for my nails and I did not have to trim the width to fit. After choosing which strip to apply to my nail, I warmed the strip in my hands. I found this step to be REALLY helpful. Warming each strip made it more pliable for easy application, and also made it easier to remove the excess.

The next step is just peeling away the backing and protective film on the strip and applying to the nail. I used the included cuticle stick to smooth the polish strip down. I used the pointy side of the cuticle stick to puncture the excess polish strip hanging over my nail. Then, I could tear most of the excess off, leaving just a bit to file away! Voile! The finished product looks amazing, and while I'm still testing the wear-time, I have to say that this lasted through a day of cleaning the house and washing TWO cars.

I will report back with more detail about the wear of these, but so far I am impressed with the ease of application and, of course, how AMAZING this pink glitter looks!! Sally Hansen Salon Effects can be found at many drugstores, and I have seen Bling It On pretty widely available.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects polish strips were sent to me for review by a PR agent for Sally Hansen. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.