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. 

The Zombiecure! Featuring CFS Nail Decals

Well, ladies- it is officially September! That means it is (to me, at least) officially fall, and I am officially allowed to start freaking out about Halloween! I've already posted about my costume, and I've done a fair bit of shopping for it so far, but that needs so much work that it's in a whole different category :) But now that Fall is here, I'm excited to play with other Halloween things- like the Zombie-cure!

If you've read a few of my posts, you know that nail art just isn't my thing. I'm not good at it, and I'm too impatient to try over and over again. However, in the past few weeks I got my first ever stamping plates (courtesy of some Copious credits) and several different nail decal designs, plus a set of real live dotting tools. So this is my first real attempt at nail art- please be gentle with me!

All the base colors here are my own, from the Zombie Collection- thumb middle and pinky are Flesh, middle and ring are Bone. The dots on my ring finger are (from bottom up) Dessicate, Liquify, Flesh, Putrefy, Blood and Dessicate again. The glitter on my thumb is Eye of Newt from my Witch's Brew Collection. Pinky is topped with Pretty & Polished's Bubble Tea (which will get it's own proper review). The index finger stamping was done with Blood and a plate whose brand name I don't know, but is #QA26.

The middle finger features Blood blood drips, drawn on with a dotting tool, and a Zombie Hello Kitty waterslide decal from CFS Nail Decals- how cute is she? Wondering if I'd get to a review, weren't you? I don't have much experience with waterslide decals- I've pretty much only ever used those horrible stickers you get in a giant pack at Walmart! These were super easy to use- I cut the decal off of the sheet and set it in a Dixie cup full of water for about 10 seconds. When I pulled it out of the cup, the decal slide right off the back, and I placed it on my nail. Drew on the blood, coat of Seche Vite and I'm done!

The decal lasted the whole two days I wore the Zombie-cure (I'm hoping to spawn a word here!), and laid completely flat- for the most part. Next time I'll trim the decal down closer to the actual design- there was a bit of wrinkling near the top of the decal, but I just cut a chunk off of the page. I think there was way too much unnecessary empty space, and proper trimming would eliminate that issue. This was definitely a positive start to me waterslide decal experience, and I've already started to expand my collection! For someone with no talent or patience for nail art, these are an amazing way to jazz up a basic manicure.

CFS Nail Decals can be purchased on Etsy.  A set of 10 decals runs $1.95, and there are tons of designs to choose from- Moustaches, puzzle pieces, Mario, Batman- even an option to make your own with pretty much any logo out there. Super cheap and easy! 

What are your experiences with waterslide decals? Have you tried any from CFS yet?

Support your indies, ladies! (even the non-polish ones!)

Cheers,

-Liz-

*Decals were provided to me for an honest review.