Nail polish strips

I am on a nail sticker kick right now and I thought I would share a review on the 3 latest brands I have tried.

Let me start with Colorstreet . I find myself comparing others to them. They go on easily, don’t need a top coat (in my opinion), and last a long time. They are $11-$13 for a set of 16, which is generally one application. I haven’t tried cutting them in half and getting 2 sets out of them, but that may be possible. My biggest con with these is that they are sensitive to air and once opened will dry out. There are tips out there for resealing the plastic and trying to make them last. My second (minor) con would have to be the cost, which is why I am trying and reviewing others. Now, I wouldn’t call them expensive other than the fact that it can add up quickly if you’re not careful. They do seem to have a perpetual sale of buy 3 get 1 free, which brings them down to around $10 per sheet, but with shipping you end up spending $45 at a time. It just seems like a lot every time I go to place an order, but it’s really not that bad and worth the splurge since they are the best ones so far. I have consistently gotten 5 days of wear out of these. They advertise up to 10 days of wear but I am very hard on my nails so I am actually very happy with 5 days. I would be lucky to get 2 days of no chips with regular liquid nail polish. These are real nail polish, not stickers, which means they wear like real nail polish and chip versus stickers that start to peel off. I prefer this, I really don’t like stickers that get snagged and peel off in one piece. These make it to 5 days before any major chips drive me crazy enough to remove them (with regular nail polish remover). Each set comes with its own alcohol wipes and mini nail file. I find this really nice, it truly is everything you need for application. I am partial to the glitter ones (see below), but they do have non-glitter options that are just as cute. They have different styles that come and go as well as seasonal/holiday ones.

Nails Mailed came up as an Instagram advertisement and upon clicking through I was excited by the price of these and bought 2 to try. They were/are all on sale for $5.50 with a couple as low as $2.75! Also, free shipping. They advertise a monthly subscription option but it was just as easy to order a couple as a one-time order. They arrived within a few days and there was really not much to it. Simply the strips I ordered, nothing extra (the other 2 I’m reviewing came with alcohol wipes and a mini nail file).

So, first impressions of these was not great. They are thicker than Colorstreet and act more like a sticker (i.e. peels right off). Application was easy enough. My one complaint regarding that is the end that is attached to the rest of the strip does not just tear away where it curves, it has to be cut from the silver tab. Not a huge deal other than that’s just another tool (scissors) you need close by. I did cut these in half to get double the use out of them (although now I’m second guessing that since I don’t really care for them).

Lovely Hello is the last brand I am reviewing today. So, I’m 95% sure that Nails Mailed and Lovely Hello use the same supplier and there strips are exactly the same. They do have different patterns than each other, but they otherwise are packaged the same and look the same. These ones did come with a couple alcohol wipes, one mini nail file, a cuticle stick, and application instructions. They are $3 a piece and free shipping at $15 (great deal!) I am disappointed that I don’t like these more because they have some of the cutest styles (see below- cute dog butt and cacti). With these and Nails Mailed if you get them too warm they seem to become sticky. When I applied Nails Mailed for the first time I pretty quickly afterwards gave my son a bath. The warm water made them sticky to the touch and a couple wanted to come off altogether. I was not impressed, but could be user error. Well, when I applied these for the first time it was at night and I went straight to bed- so no bath/shower/dishes. The next day when I did have to do some dishes the same thing happened- sticky. Once they are sticky they don’t “dry”, they just drive me nuts! I don’t like the feel of it and (dog) hair gets stuck to them. These didn’t last 3 days before I peeled them off.

Ok, I’m glad you’ve stayed and read this far because after all my complaining about Nails Mailed and Lovely Hello I have made a very important discovery! A top coat makes all the difference with these. They both say that a clear top coat will help them last longer, but I was a little resistant. Colorstreet does not require a top coat IMO, it is truly all in one. With as disappointed as I was with these 2 I found myself left with 4 full sheets and some partials that I really didn’t want to waste, so that left me willing to try the top coat. I used Sally Hansen quick dry because I do not have time to wait for my nail polish to dry. I imagine any clear nail polish would work though. It sealed them beautifully. No peeling, no chipping, no stickiness. I did baths, dishes, showers, hair washing, and they held up nicely. I got 5 days of wear before I removed them with acetone. See below Day 1:

Day 5:

The tips look a little worn (but not really chipped), they started to grow out some, and they have some cracks in them. All in all, not terrible. Could go longer if those things don’t bother you. They really looked alright still from a distance.

So, I am certainly happy that I found this solution for the ones that I already have and I was actually browsing Lovely Hello for other cute styles that I may want.

Final verdict: certainly worth a try at this price point as long as you have a clear top coat handy. Let me know what you think and what other brands you like that I may try.