I got these to review from Incoco... a very long time ago. And wore them... a very long time ago. And these photos were taken just as long ago. *headdesk* But never got around to a review because I really wanted to do a thorough review of them, as they are a relatively newfangled way of doing nails. And then I put it off until now.
For those who do not know, Incoco Dry Nail Appliques are kind of like nail polish stickers. They are essentially dry but have a tacky side to them that adhere to your nail. Each pack, which sell for about $8 each, comes with a set of nail stickers in many different sizes, enough for all your fingernails, no matter how big or small. They are advertised as being less hassle than doing your nails with traditional nail polish (difficult application, long dry time, etc) and indeed, right after putting them on, they are as good as dry and ready to go. Application, imo, was more of a hassle for me, but I've put on and removed traditional nail polish at least a thousand times... and I've only put on and removed Incoco maybe three times.
I wish I had taken pictures of the process of applying Incoco but this is what's involved, more or less:
- Pick out the nail stickers that match the width of your nail size best. They will almost always be too long for your nails.
- Remove the backing off of the adhesive side and place it on your nail. If it's crooked, worry not, you can remove it carefully and readjust it.
- Smooth down the sticker onto your nail, making sure there are no air bubbles.
- Bend the remainder of the nail strip over the free edge of the nail and use the included emery board to file the extra length off.
- Enjoy your relatively indestructible nails!
Overall, I really liked them, mostly because of their longevity: I wore them for about a week when I was traveling and they held up really well. The best part was that I carried some of the leftover nail stickers to do some patch ups, just in case any of the nail stickers came off. I did have to patch up one of my thumbs (which are always abused) and it took a single minute at the airport to do so. The most annoying thing about it was that I felt like I had to work harder to get a good fit for my pinky. Otherwise, all other nails went swimmingly.
Incoco Bling Bling
Not the best application at all for me. I didn't apply the nail stickers as carefully as I ought to have. Even though it's sheer, I really liked this manicure: very sparkly and bright, holo glitter and silver shimmer.
Close-up of Bling Bling
Below you can see the mismanagement of my pinky nail. I was simply too lazy to trim down a thicker strip to match my pinky (the second thinnest was perfect for my ring finger so that sticker got used for that). These are easily trimmed down to proper size using scissors.
The worst of the tipwear and chips after five days:
I also gave one of the Incoco french manicure a test run...
This was actually my first set of Incoco nail strips and egads, I should never have started out with these because they are harder than the normal ones. The French ones are actually two sets of nail appliques: the white tip and a sheer pink layer to go over the white tips. It took me about twice the time to do this, partially because I had to put on two sets of stickers and partially because I had a hard to aligning these to cover my real life smile lines.
Also, the sheer pink nail strip part kept on adhering to itself when I tried to realign it, which then made it look messy and creased. This doesn't show up as strongly when it's an opaque color but it does tend to make it look dented and weird in a sheer color.
All in all, I really like these for times when you don't have time to redo your manicure and when you have to travel by plane and get anxious that someone might confiscate your nail polish at airport security. It's also great for doing your nails on the plane, for those of us who have always wished we could do our nails during long, boring flights. ;)
