And the Best Nail Polish Strips/Appliques/Stickers Is...

Sorry this is a few days later than I promised.  I have been dealing with a pretty major parenting decision.  My husband & I have decided to change our kids school.  So, it's like the crazy few days before school all over again.  My posting might be a little hit & miss the next week or so.  But here is why you all are really here :)

Before I tell you my pick for best nail polish strips/appliques/stickers, I am going to re-cap the 4 brands.

Sally Hansen, Salon Effects
~Cost-$8.50-9.99
~Application-Went on easy and smooth
~Durability-Lasted all 3 days with hardly any wear

Nail Fraud
~Cost-$12.00+
~Application-Went on easy and smooth
~Durability-Tip wear on day 2 and by day 3, major wear and peeling

Broadway Nails, Nail Dress
~Cost-$5.50
~Application-Went on okay, minor sealing problems
~Durability-Didn't last at all.  I took them off by day 2
I do want to let you know that Broadway Nails contacted me after reading my post and they suggest using a top coat over the strips to extend wear.

Incoco, Dry Nail Appliques
~Cost-$7.99-8.99
~Application-Went on easy and smooth
~Durability-Lasted all 3 days with hardly any wear

When testing all four brands, I tried to make sure that I didn't do anything out of the ordinary in my daily routine.  I am a stay at home mom who does her own laundry, dishes, cooking and cleaning.  Although it wasn't a scientific or controlled environment, all 4 brands got a fair example of my life :)

And without further adieu, my choice is... Incoco!  This brand was the best for the price, held up beautifully, and went on like butter! 

Incoco~Nail Appliques, Day 4 Comparison

Today is my last day of my nail polish strips/appliques/stickers comparison.  Tomorrow I will review all 4 brands and give you my choice for the best one.  I first heard about Incoco a little over a year ago and thought it was an amazing idea.  I actually reviewed this brand last year and you can read that post here.  The Incoco kit in Bling Bling, came with 16 strips which are double ended, making it very easy to fund the right fit for each nail, a nail file, cuticle stick, polish remover cloth, and instructions.  Incoco Appliques are a 3-in-1, meaning there is a base coat, color, and top coat in each strip.  You can find Incoco Appliques on their website and I have seen them at Walgreens.  The price range is $7.99-8.99.

Day 1-Application-These appliques went on super easy.  I didn't have any problems at all.  Bling Bling is a silver glitter with just a touch of iridescent glitter scattered through out.

 Day 1

 Day 1

Day 3 and look how great they held up!  You can't hardly see any wear.  The only thing was a little amount of shrinkage on my thumbs, but nothing to complain about.

 Day 3

 Day 3

I didn't plan on leaving these on for more than 3 days, but I got busy and left them on for 7 days!  I took pictures on day 5 and thought you should see how well they held up.  I didn't consider this in my final comparison which I hope to have for you tomorrow.

 Day 5

Day 5

These appliques definitely held up to my three day challenge and then some!

Broadway Nails~Nail Dress, Day 3 Comparison

Broadway Nails by Kiss Nails recently came out with Nail Dress Stick-On Wraps.  They have 5 different styles that are celebrity inspired and they retail for about $5.50.  This kit is a foil leopard print.  The kit comes with the wraps and a small nail file.  There are 28 wraps in 14 sizes. 

Day1-Application:  The application was okay, no major problems. These wraps are thicker and have a paper-like feel and texture, so they didn't seal to the nail the way the other brands did.  When I finished the edges with the included file, you can see the paper fibers that remained.

Day 2:  These wraps didn't hold up at all.  Within a few hours, they were pealing and not sticking.  These pictures are from day 2 and I didn't even keep them on for day 3. 

My final thoughts on these wraps is that they suck.  Don't waist you money.

Nail Fraud, Day 2 Comparison

Day 2 in my nail strips/appliques/stickers comparison is from Nail Fraud.  Way, way, way back in November, 2010, Nail Fraud had a Twitter giveaway for Oprah's Favorite Things/Christmas Show and I won!  When my Nail Fraud strips arrived, I was so excited because they were absolutely they cutes leopard pattern!  The name of this design is Wild Thing.  Nail Fraud is web-based company that you can find here and they have dozens of solids, crackle, and patterned strips.  They even have pedi-strips!  Their website was not working for me when I was typing this up, so the prices may be different from my notes, but the strips I have retail(retailed) for $12. 

Day 1, Application.  Nail Fraud strips come in 20 strips with 10 different sizes.  I love that there are so many sizes to choose from.  These went on super easy.  They were thin and shiny. 

 Day 1

Day 3.  Sadly, they didn't hold up all that well.  For $12 plus shipping, I would expect to get at least 3 good days out of them and as you can see, I didn't.

 Day 3

Day 3

This really bums me out!  Nail Fraud has the cutest designs and a generous amount of strips in each package, but they just didn't hold up for me at all.

Sally Hansen~Salon Effects, Day 1 Comparison

Nail strips/appliques/stickers or whatever else they go by, are quite popular and for the most part an awesome alternative to painting your nails.  There are many different types and brands out on the market, and I decided to test a few of them out.  Way, way back in April 2011, I started a test.  I had four different brands of nail polish strips/appliques/stickers.  I thought that I would test all four and post on what I found.  I am going to post in each one individually and then on Friday, I will compare and let you know my choice for the best of the four.  Luckily, I took very good notes and can't wait to hear what you guys think!

First up is Sally Hansen~Salon Effects in Booty Camp.  These are so cute!  Pink camo!   In the box of Salon Effects are 16, individual strips in 8 different sizes, a cuticle stick and a mini file/buffer.  I got these at Ulta and they were $9.99, but I saw them at my local Walmart for $8.50.  These are pretty easy to find and if you have a coupon or find them on sale, they can be a bargain.  The core line is 24 shades that include several adorable designs.  Oh, and the Halloween ones, are a must!  I did a full, three day test and here are my results for Sally Hansen~Salon Effects. 

Day 1~Application.  The Application went  really well and it only took me a couple of nails before I got the hang of it.  I only had to trim 2 of the nails to fit.  Then I realized I could have turned the strip around and use the other end.  One of the things I really liked about these strips was that they stretched just enough to be able to pull it down over the free edge and seal it down tight to your nail.

 Day 1

I was amazed at how well these held up.  I easily could have left these on for several days.  The only thing I noticed was a slight shrinking of a few of the nails.

 Day 3

Day 3

I must say these are amazing and super cute!  Well worth the money.  Have you tried these yet?