Shell Nails - LadyQueen.com Product Review

Hello Lovelies! Today, I have a review of some very pretty self adhesive Shell Vinyl appliques from ladyqueen.com.

I was very intrigued by these when I first saw them online.  They come in many different colors, this is pattern #11. I wasn't sure what to expect, they appeared very rigid and I thought they would be difficult to work with.  I was very surprised as to how flexible they are.

They are semi-transparent, that is why I started with a black base, so that the shell would appear a bit darker.  I also applied a quick drying top coat on the base polish before applying the applique.

After fitting the shell applique to my nail I trimmed a piece from the sheet and cut it to fit the curve of my nail.  This material does not dissolve with acetone, so you need to cut the shape you wish to achieve.  After trimming the applique, simply peal off the backing and apply it to the nail.  Press down firmly, and trim any excess from the free end of your nail.

I also applied a quick drying topcoat over this applique to help secure it to the nail as well.

This Shell Applique is very unique and pretty.  It requires some skill to use, because you have to be precise in how you cut it.  Otherwise, it is a very easy product to work with.  I feel this would make a great design applique, cut in stripes or other patterns instead of a full nail applique as I've done here.

You should checkout these shell appliques Item #0849, it comes in 12 different colors that are absolutely stunning. While your there at ladyqueen.com, check out their Hot Sales, Special Prices, New Arrivals, and Top Trends for the latest and greatest in nail art supplies and accessories.

In addition to their already great prices, they offer free shipping worldwide, and you can use my code: QJXS15 for 15% off of your purchase.

I hope you found this review useful and enjoyed this design.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

Black, White & a Pop of Color - Nicole Diary Water Decal Review

Hello Lovelies!  Okay some of you may be getting sick of seeing me use water decals in my nail art designs because I have been using them a lot lately.  But I just can't get enough of these decals from Nicole Diary.  Even though they sent me these and the last several others you've seen from me for review, I recently order a whole bunch more (so be ready to see a great deal more). However, I'm trying to change up how I use them each time.

This time I am using Nicole Diary 27 , these are very pretty lotus like mandala designs.  They are black outline with clear background.

For this overall look, I used Envy Lacquer 'Illuminacion,' 'Razzmatazz,' and Sweet & Sour Lacquer 'Scotty Doesn't Know.'

For the mid finger, I painted half with 'Illuminacion,' and the other half with 'Razzmatazz.'  To cover the horizontal seam between the two colors I used black studs (I believe I purchased on Amazon).

For you added pleasure I placed one of the mandala-ish water decals on my ring finger.  I used the same steps I have in previous water decal applications, however, one additional thing that I found useful is to apply a quick drying topcoat (and allow it to dry) before applying the decal.  This helps smooth the base polish especially if it has some texture to it.  So the steps I recommend are as follow (not all steps are photographed):

1. Apply quick drying topcoat (allow time to dry)
2. Trim decal
3. Remove plastic film
4. Submerge in water for approx. 20-30 seconds
5. Remove decal from water
6. Carefully slide decal from backing
7. Dip finger in water (that you are applying the decal to) to moisten
8. Place decal, carefully slide it into place, and press flat to smooth out wrinkles
9. Use acetone and a brush to dab away excess decal
10. Apply a final layer of quick drying topcoat 

I love this look, it is simple yet interesting.  I think these lotus mandala water decals are my favorite from Nicole Diary, so far.  They make a perfect accent, and I love that there different designs and not just a sheet of the same ten patterns.  This means you get five fresh new looks to use, or you can use them all at once for a very intricate nail art design.

If you haven't checked out Nicole Diary's water decals you should.  You can find them on Amazon or Aliexpress.  They offer their own water decal designs as well as stamping plates, and many other nail art tools and supplies.  If you make a purchase use code TAL2016 (type it in the comments to seller) for a free gift.

I hope you enjoyed this nail art design as much as me!  Keep your eyes open for more Nicole Diary water decal designs because I'm sure I'll be doing more with them.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

Nautical Nails - Nicole Diary Water Decal Review

Hello Lovelies!  As many of you know I have been extremely busy lately with our new baby, and our very active three year old.  That means that I don't have a great deal of time to do my nails.  Recently, I was contacted by Nicole Diary asking if I would like to review some of their water decals.  Water decals are a very speedy way to create amazing and beautiful nail art designs, with little effort or skill required, so of course, I said yes.

I love nautical nail designs, that is why I chose this pattern to review for you guys first.  As you can see the packaging is clean and simple.  On the back of the package, the directions are printed clearly, largely, and are very easy to understand.  I feel this is very important because many newbies or inexperienced nail fiends may need these instructions.  I have come across many nail art product instructions that are either in a foreign language (foreign to me), or are translated so poorly that they make no sense at all.  Based on this alone I am already impressed by Nicole Diary.

However, the real proof is in the pudding (yum pudding!), so I tried them on myself.  For the nails I intended to use the decals on I painted them white with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "White On."

These decals, as you can see are full nail decal.  On the sheet there are ten decals that vary slightly in size, enough for one full manicure, or if you have short nails like mine, you can probably get two full manicures from this one sheet.  The decals are not individual, meaning that you do need to cut them from the sheet.  If you look closely you can see where one pattern starts and the other ends, making them easy to cut out.

After you select the appropriate size, cut the decals out.  If you have short nails, cut the length of the decals shorter to make the application easier (or to use them on multiple nails).  Some people like to cut one end of the length curved to match the arch of their cuticle line, I always screw this up so I don't bother.

Remove the protective plastic from the surface and submerge the decal in water for about 20-30 seconds.

Remove the decal from the water.  I recommend using tweezers, this allows you to get a good grip without accidentally sliding the decal from the backing before you are ready.  Carefully, slide the decal from the backing.

Though the instructions don't tell you to do this, I recommend you wet the nail that you are placing the decal on.  This allows you to slide the decal on the surface of the nail so that you can achieve the placement you like without wrinkling or ruining the decal.  Place the decal on the nail, and allow to dry for a few minutes.

Because, I didn't trim the decal to the exact size of my nail, I ended up with some of it on my skin.  This is easily removed using gentle acetone and a brush.  I recommend using a dabbing or stippling motion when cleaning the decal from your skin.  Swiping the brush may pull the decal out of place if it isn't dry enough.

Lastly, apply your favorite topcoat, and ta-da!  You have an amazing nail art design without putting in hours upon hours to hand paint it.  I paired these decals with a striped pattern I painted using straight vinyls, Sinful Colors "Endless Blue," and I AM Custom Color Cosmetics "Woop, Woop, Woop!"  You can't have nautical nails without some stripes.

You can find Nicole Diary products through Amazon and Aliexpress.  In addition to their own brand water decals, they also have their own brand of stamping plates for all you stamping lovers out there.  They do offer other supplies as well.  I found the shipping to be surprisingly quick too,  I received the decals about a week after I made my selections.  This is impressive because they shipped from China to New York in that time.

All in all I am very impressed with Nicole Diary and their water decals. I personally love how this design turned out.  The decals were incredibly easy to work with, making my life very easy (well at least made this nail art design very easy).  The pattern choices are beautiful, the packaging is clean and simple, the instructions are legible and make sense, the price is good, and the shipping was quick.  I seriously want every pattern they offer, there really isn't one I don't like.

I hope you liked this nail art design and found the review useful.  Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,