My Independence Day Mani - Inque Nails Proud To Be

I had planned to do some layered Konad stamping with red, white and blue stars and stripes and glitter and whatnot, but then I couldn't find my Konad plates and it was so hot my white base polish started bubbling... So I said 'screw it' and used these Inque decals instead. The style is called Proud To Be and it features an American flag waving in the breeze.


I used the custom sized nails again. They seem to fit better on my right hand than my left hand, as you can see in the pictures. They're a little too narrow, and they taper too much so they bunch up at the tips. They're really not as close a fit as I had hoped they would be- I mean, they were measured from my actual nails! I should have tried the un-sized ones this time.

What I like about these Inque appliques is that the designs are actual photos. You can get custom ones, too. Not something I can duplicate with Konad. I really hoped I could get them to work this time.

The problem I have with these is that they peel like crazy. From the moment I apply them, they drive me f#@^$! BONKERS. The edges are sticky and weird feeling and they peel up and feel so awful that I can not wait to take them off.

These are not even 24 hours old in this picture and look what happened. I applied them yesterday afternoon and this is how they looked when I woke up. They started peeling the minute I put them on. I was really careful with my application this time, too!

My extremely helpful and awesome reader Zandorpha sent me these extremely detailed tips for applying them. She says she has great results with the Inque nails and here's how she applies them:

"I teach art & can get them to last about 5 - 9 days doing all the things I do as an art teacher (clay, paint, plaster) depending on just how messy things get @ school. I really think it may be application that is causing your problems with the stickers. Here's what works for me:

• Nail polish remover (be thorough) to take off polish.
• Any filing on my free edges of my nails where I need smoothing or shaping (largely because of my job beating up my nails).
• Wash hands with soap & water using nail brush to really get the nails clean.
• I use the stickers that are standard sizes (with such short nails and nail beds I can get the long ones for some designs & cut them in 1/2 to save for my toes for another day).
• Being right handed I start with my left thumb.
• I pick out the right size for one nail, stick it down using the cuticle edge & right side of the nail bed as my main guides to line it up really well, don't press it all the way down yet leaving it stuck only partway down (mainly on the right), then eyeball it to see if it needs trimming on the left side of the nail bed, do a quick mini-trim on that left side if necessary w/ some big toe-nail clippers, then press it down with it fitting pretty well.
• I rub the sticker down all over with medium pressure w/ my fingers & check to see how much overhang I have over my free edge. Using the nail clippers, carefully clip off only the bulk of the sticker hanging off my free edge.
• I proceed to do one whole hand like this. It takes time.
• I then go to the hairdryer & have a dry hand towel & dry wash cloth set up. W/ the hand towel under my hand for comfort, I heat up one nail w/ the hair dryer starting on medium & move up to higher heat for as long as I can tolerate.
• As fast as possible I turn off the hair dryer & set it down. I rub really hard w/ the washcloth corner(to keep from accidentally scratching myself - or if I am done w/ one hand already, from ruining my other work) focusing on rubbing from the center to the edges of the sticker. I press hardest on the edges, pressing through the wash cloth with my right thumbnail to really stick it down. You only have 10 seconds to do this in @ the max.
• Then I repeat the heating process doing each nail separately, I don't heat 5 nails @ once & try to get them pressed down, they'd cool too fast.
• Then I file vertically w/ a medium coarse (not crazy coarse, medium fine should work) nail file to get the excess off.
• Then I do the other hand the same way.
  

• Once both hands are done & excess is filed off all nails, I reheat one nail @ a time & re-focus each time on the edges of the stickers. I press HARD w/ my thumbnail on top of the washcloth or it's corner on each nail to really get it to stick.

• Then you are done.

This works well for me. I do not wash my hair or take a shower right after doing this, I give it a few hours before I do anything that would soak my hands for more than a hand washing."

Unfortunately, even these tips still didn't stop the peeling for me, but since they work so well for her, they may work for someone else.

This is only the second time I've tried to wear these, but they're so much of a hassle that I don't think I'll wear them again. I'm so disappointed about that because the designs are AWESOME and I want pictures of feathers and snakeskin and giraffe fur on my nails... But I can't deal with the peeling. They're so uncomfortable when the edges get sticky and peel every time you touch something!

*sigh* Bummer...

(These were sent to me for review.)

Inque Nails - A Little Cheetah

I've been waiting to post my review of the Inque Nails appliques because I think I might doing something wrong when I'm applying them and I wanted to get it right before I fully review them. I love the designs, but I can't get them to last on my nails. But, I took these pictures so I might as well just post them...

The first design I tried on was this one, called "A Little Cheetah". I wore these the night I went to go see Rammstein- I had to have a special mani for that and these were just the thing!

I used the custom sized ones that were fitted to my nails. I removed all my polish, diligently cleaned each nail with soap and water, then alcohol and let them dry fully. I peeled each applique off the paper backing, lined them up onto the correct nails and then applied heat from my hairdryer while smoothing them down until they shrank a bit.

Despite being custom sized for my nails, they weren't an exact fit and I had a hard time getting each one to lie flat and not bunch up. There wasn't much excess material at the free edge, which is a good thing, but I still had to file a few down due to overhang. Here's how they turned out:


Such an amazing design, isn't it? A photo-realistic, bright/colorful textured cheetah fur pattern. They looked incredible at arm's length- such a detailed pattern that I don't think I could ever duplicate on my own. Seriously cool.

However, shortly after application they all started peeling. I tried reapplying heat to get them to re-adhere, but that really only helped them temporarily. By the end of the night, they had peeled up so much that they were driving me crazy. I only wore them for a day and a half before I had to take them off. This is what they were doing:

See how they're all peeled up at the tips? They're sticky underneath so they attract lint and stuff which makes them even harder to stick down again.

To remove them, I just warmed them under hot water and peeled them off. This left my nails a little rough, so I think I might have not heated them enough.

Could this be happening because I filed off the excess after I had applied heat and allowed them to cool? What am I doing wrong? I had really hoped to be able to wear these for a week or more, like I can with other appliques.

I double-checked the FAQ and Application sections on the Inque website and couldn't find an answer. (By the way, bells 'peal', but stickers 'peel'.)

So.... did this happen to anyone else? I know that lots of people have tried these but I can't remember if anyone said they peeled or not. Any ideas? Did I do something wrong? I really, really want to love these because the designs are incredible. I don't think I can deal with this much peeling, though!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, unlike the Sally Hansen or Incoco strips/appliques which are made of polish, these Inque appliques are printed vinyl stickers.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Inque Nails Designs and Sale

Inque Nails is having a sale until February 8th: Get 15% off your order with code thanksget15off OR get $5 off your toenail sizing fee with code get5offsizing.

Edit: Reader Vampkat also shared this code: 20% off if you use the code FBPPPQOW

I haven't posted about them yet because I haven't tried applying them. I'm currently working on swatching a lot of polish, so I didn't want to apply the Inque nails and immediately have to take them off and waste them! But, when I get a chance to wear the same thing for more than a day, I'll do an application post about these.

In the meantime, here's a little information about Inque.

Inque Nails are a vinyl nail wrap- a little like a decal, a little like Minx. You apply them with heat and they stick to your nails, similar to the Minx process. Except, with Inque nails, you can pick and create your own designs and they're custom sized to your nails.

The first thing you have to do is register your nails. You take a picture of each hand (and/or each foot if you want Inque for your toes!) and they custom size all your designs to the shape of your nails. I'll explain this more in detail when I post my Inque tutorial.

There are a ton of designs to choose from, or you can create your very own style!

To give you an idea of what's available, here are some of their designs:


This is what the Inque nails look like when they're sized to your nails.

However, it's easier to see the detail in the patterns on unsized sheets, so I'll post the unsized ones for these pictures. Keep in mind that you'll get the sized type above once you register your nails, and they'll be perfectly fitted to your own nail shape.

Amoeba


A Little Cheetah


Dog Gone Crazy



Flight


Go Green (these might just be my favorite!)



Peacock 2 (Peacock 1 is only one feather)


Proud To Be

Snake 4

Aren't those cool?! Such amazing, intricate designs that could never be duplicated with Konad or painting alone. They've added a ton of designs since I picked mine out and there are a lot new styles I want... I'm particularly fond of the new 'Cheese' design. Wish I saw that when I picked mine!

Right now they also have Superbowl designs, in case you're into that kinda thing and want to show some team spirit.

Those are the designs I chose, but there are over 200 designs to choose from. You can also submit your own images for a completely custom design. I'll do a more detailed post on application when I am able.

(These were sent to me for review.)