Top 12 Nail Art of 2012

I was only planning to do MY favorites and YOUR favorites Top 12 of 2012 lists, but as I was going through my posts, picking out your favorites based on view count, I noticed that some of my nail art posts have gotten a considerable amount of views! So I decided to throw together a post of your favorite nail art looks, based on post views, and here are the top 12! Click on the title of the picture to be taken to the original post. 

12. This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Watermarble. Tied for 12th place with 35 views. My first attempt at a watermarble, and I was pretty pleased with it!

12.5. 12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge: Holiday Movie. Tied for last place with my watermarble- 35 views. This was a rather lazy attempt at showing the Griswold Family Christmas lights, and my first attempt at a glequin manicure. 

11. 12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge: Christmas Trees. 36 Views. I really like this one, as it has more of a cohesive feel than many of my arty manis do.

10. 12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge: Holiday Song. 38 views. Was TOTALLY at a loss for this one, so generic music symbols it is.

9. 12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge: Candy Canes. 51 Views. My second ever watermarble. I've only ever done two of them, and they're both on this list- I must be doing something right, right?

8. This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Zombies. 58 Views. This was a bit of an abstract mani, but I loved it, and wore it for days, even though I hate the feeling of matte polish. 

7. The Zombicure! 64 views. The only true nail art I've shown that wasn't part of a challenge, and I still love it :)

6. This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Bats. 67 views. I love the shimmery white base on this one, and repeated it for one of my holiday manis. 

5. Back to School Waterslide Decals by Designer Piggies.  79 views. Also not part of a nail art challenge, but I didn't actually do the art on this one :) I loved these decals, but need more work on placing full coverage waterslides.

4. This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Gradient. 81 views. The only true gradient I've done. Not Halloween specific either!

3. This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Horror Movie. 84 views. I was, and still am, SO proud of the burnt flesh look I created on my Freddy Kreuger mani!

2. This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Ghosts. 94 views. It's odd- I participated in 2 Halloween nail art challenges, but every one of the top nail art posts was from this challenge. Must have been more fellow challengers in this one :)

1. Easiest Nail Art Ever by Long Changed.  Your number one favorite, with 97 views. So easy vinyl nail art decals. Stick on and go!

Were any of these YOUR personal favorites? Is there a favorite of yours that didn't make the list? 

I've gotten behind this week, so you'll get a post-a-palooza over the next two days! Stay tuned for New Year's Eve mani ideas, your top 12 favorite polish and MY top 12 favorite polishes of the year!

Easiest Nail Art Ever: Decals by Long Changed

I've really been trying to break into nail art lately, and I am absolutely horrible when it comes to free handing anything. I don't even do so well with those french tip sticker guides :( So when I come across pretty, full nail decals that take all the guess work out of nail art, I'm there! 

Today's nail art is a Black Lace decal brought to you by Long Changed. These decals are a bit different, as they're not waterslides, but made of vinyl! I was super excited about that, as it gives a much longer wear time. In theory, they would also be reusable, but I wasn't careful enough with removal to try that :) The decals itself is a black lace design on clear vinyl, worn over Wet N Wild Red Red.

PROS

- Application is super easy. The vinyl is sticky backed, so you just peel the decals off of the sheet, apply and go.

- The designs are fairly short. They were perfectly sized for my medium length nails. They would be applied to shorter nails without losing most of the design, but they could also go on longer nails without looking too small. 

- Vinyl! I'm still super excited about this, because it's durable and beautiful. Even shiny on its own, though I do recommend using a topcoat.

CONS

- There is a bit of a learning curve to applying these. Vinyl is quite a bit thicker than your standard nail decal, so I had trouble getting it to lay flat at first. I had some unsightly seems on my left hand- seen in closeup. Keep in mind that I have highly curved nail beds- on flatter nails, I don't think there would be any problem. 

- That's it. That's the only con I could find, and I conquered it!

TIPS

- For easiest application, use a decal that is smaller than your nail. Don't try to cover the entire nail with the decal. Trim one down if necessary. 

- Since the decals are vinyl, they can be stretched a bit without distorting or ripping. I did this, plus the trimming, on my right hand (which is horrible unphotogenic) and had no problems with wrinkling. You can also see the white version of this lace pattern in this mani: no problems with wrinkling there either. 

- Seal the vinyl in with a topcoat. Since you want to use designs that are smaller than your nail, there will be edges, and they will bother you. A thick topcoat such as Seche Vite or Gelous will even the edges out. 

Final Verdict

There was a learning curve to using these, but if I picked it up that quickly, I think anyone can. They are super durable (I wore this for three days, which is unheard of for me), and easy to remove- just peel off! Didn't even take any polish off with it. For a quick, easy and beautiful nail art design, these just can't be beat. I had a few customers ask me where I got my nails done while wearing these, and they were shocked when I told them it was a decal. 

Long Changed decals can be purchased on Etsy. Sets of 12 run $5, and there are several cute designs to choose from. Be sure to stop by and like them on Facebook, and check out their blog as well!

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers,

-Liz-

*This product was provided to me for an honest review.