Incoco

Incoco Nail Appliques - Spring Fling

9:00:00 AM

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Good morning polished peeps!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  Today I am bringing you just one more Incoco Nail Polish Applique.  You know, those amazing real nail polish stickers!  If you haven't seen On the Edge or Berry Swirl, head on over to those posts and check out how cute they were!

Today's design is called Spring Fling, which by the name you can tell is perfect for Spring.  Since it's still freezing here and Spring doesn't seem to be anywhere in site, I really enjoyed having a cheerful Springy manicure.

Let's take a look!




Finally, I feel like I have mastered applying nail art appliques.  Don't hold me to this though, because I'm sure if you handed me a new set, I probably would mess up and destroy half the stickers.

I found this set to be the easiest to work with of the three.  In my last post, I said that On the Edge seemed to be a little difficult to pull and stretch compared to Berry Swirl.  This strip seemed a tad easier to shape and lay on the nail.  I'm not an expert when it comes to appliques, and have no idea why this could be, but my theory is that it's different "polishes" that were used to create the strip itself.  Again, this is just my theory.


Aren't these appliques adorable?  I love how abstract the flowers are.  Also, the color combo is amazing.  The white base with the different pinks and the yellow.  It just pops.  I would love to freehand something like this but I know it probably will never look as unique and awesome as these.  I also love how each nail has a different design.  Sure, not all 10 of my nails look the same when I freehand a design, but they aren't all as unique as this.

After reviewing these Incoco appliques over the last week, I am not as turned off by the idea of going out and purchasing a set in the future.  They're a quick and easy way to get really creative and unique designs on your nails.  I am now a fan.

Do you like this design?

You can purchase Spring Fling from Incoco's website for $8.99.  Incoco is offering 15% off to my readers if you use the code CANVAS15!  Hurry though as this offer ends on 3/14!!!!

Until next time, <3.

**Nail appliques were provided by Incoco for promotional purposes.  Please see my disclosure policy**

Tape Mani

Twinsie Tuesday - Your Favorite Polish Brand - Zoya!

9:00:00 AM

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Good morning polished world!  Happy Tuesday!  Taking a break from the nail appliques to bring you a polish post for Twinsie Tuesday.  Plus, I kind of have to since today's prompt is our favorite nail polish brand.  Honestly, this week was kind of difficult for me, because as a person who does mostly nail art, I use zillions of brands for one manicure.  I never pinpoint in on just one and say "this is my favorite, I will never use any other polish ever."  I love them all for many different reasons!

For today's post though, I have picked Zoya.  Last week, I was planning on picking OPI since I love their brushes and This Crown Needs a Gown has become a favorite for me, but after playing around with the Magical Pixies, Zoya became the front runner!  As a fan of the original Pixies, I was a bit iffy about the Magical ones.  Could I use them for nail art like I did with the originals?  Would they be horribly chunky with those hex glitters??

Answer: yes to nail art, and no to them being chunky.  Using Zoya Sailor and Vega, I was able to create today's amazingly sparkly manicure!  Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Sailor
  • Zoya - Vega
Love, love, love, LOVE!  Everything is perfect with this manicure!  On my middle, ring, and thumb, I started off with two coats of Zoya Sailor from the Fall 2013 Cashmere collection.  It is such a gorgeous navy blue.  I really have no other way to describe it other than that.  When it was dry, I applied my nail art tape how I wanted, held my breath, and applied two coats of Vega.  I was so nervous that this Pixie wouldn't work with the tape, but as soon as I started peeling off my first piece, I saw that I really shouldn't have worried at all.

On my pointer and pinkie finger, I applied two coats of Zoya Vega with no top coat.  As you can see, Vega is a gorgeous baby blue pixie with the holo hexes mixed throughout.  I love that not only are there large hexes but smaller ones as well.  The glitters are evenly distributed also, so you didn't have to dig for them or place them where you wanted.  It just all applied perfectly on the nail!


 I love this photo above.  Just look at the gorgeousness of Vega!  Can you see why Zoya is my favorite brand right now?  Just pure perfection!  With each new collection, I fall in love all over again.  The formulas, the colors, just all amazing.  I cannot wait for the Awaken collection, which should be here any day now!

What do you think?  Have you tried a Magical Pixie yet?  Are you a fan of Zoya?

 Don't forget to check out the other Twinsie's posts!


Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Excuse me as I go play with my other Magical Pixies.  Until next time, <3.

**Polishes in this post were provided by Zoya for promotional purposes.  Please see my disclosure policy**

Incoco

Incoco Nail Appliques - Berry Swirl

9:00:00 AM

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Happy Sunday polished world!  I hope you all are doing well!  I'm doing very well thank you!  Today I am reviewing another Incoco Real Polish Applique!  This one I am super excited about because, it is a nail art techique you will never, EVER see me try again.  Okay, maybe I will try it one more time in the distant future, but not now.

That technique, the water marble.  Oh how I hate water marble manicures.  I don't hate how they look, I truly love the end result, I just HATE the process.  I never can get the water temperature right, my polish seems to dry too fast on the surface, I can never manage to drag a design on top of the water, and when I dip my finger in it is guaranteed to come back out with a zillion air bubbles.  It's just awful no matter what I do.  Then at the end I have wasted a half a bottle of polish and a good two hours of my time.

Thanks to Incoco though, I was able to get a water marble on my nail without all the work!  Let's take a look at their Berry Swirl design!




Cool right?!  Look at that swirl!  I wish, oh how I wish I could get this design on my nail using my polishes.  Again to apply the appliques, I followed the directions provided by Incoco that came with the package and the YouTube tutorial on their website.  I love that video to be honest.  Sure reading directions are great, but for something like these appliques, I feel like being a visual learner is best.

If you remember, when I tried to apply On the Edge to my pinkie, I ripped the strip.  These strips seemed less thick than On the Edge and were easier to pull.  I didn't rip a single one until I got to my last nail, and I think that was my own fault because I was getting antsy and wanted to photograph them.  As for why these seemed less thick than the others, I'm not sure.  Maybe it's the design or colors?  Who knows.  Regardless, these were easier to work with.

It also was easier for me to file them since I was able to stretch them easier.  When I stretched them they wrapped around the tips of my nails so when I went to file they just ripped off neatly right along the nail edge like you want.


Ahhh again, look at that swirl!  Isn't it pretty!!  My only issue with the design is my pointer finger.  Honestly, this is something no one would ever see and I didn't notice until I was editing the photo, but at the top you can see where there was a weird printing error...maybe?  I'm not sure what you would call it, but it reminds me of when I used to print my papers and the toner was running low.  Seriously though, I never would have noticed it if it weren't for this photo.  Who looks at a mani this close anyway in person?

What do you think of Berry Swirl?

Berry Swirl retails for $8.99 on Incoco's website.  Incoco is offering a discount of 15% off your order if you use the code CANVAS15 at checkout.  Act quick though as this offer ends March 14th!

Until next time, <3.

**Polish appliques were provided by Incoco for my honest review.  Please see my disclosure policy**

Incoco

Incoco Nail Appliques - On the Edge

9:00:00 AM

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Good morning Polished Peeps!  How are you all today?  I do hope you're well!  We are enjoying a minor heat wave, if you can consider 45 degrees with extreme dampness thanks to the melting snow a heat wave.  It isn't going to be long lived though because next week they are forecasting another plunge in the temperatures.

Today on the blog (and for the next few posts) I have a little something different to bring you.  It's still nail art, just of a different kind!  A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Incoco to review their real nail appliques!  As a person who has never used nail stickers/appliques before and probably never would purchase them ever, I was rather hesitant to say yes.  I always figured they would be difficult to apply, hard to use, and a waste of money, so I always stuck to purchasing polish.  I am happy I said yes and can now share with you these posts!

The first applique I have for you is On the Edge, which is a neon yellow and black hounds tooth design.  Let's take a look!  The yellow is much brighter in person, it kind of freaked my camera out as most neons do.




Awesome design, right?  I really love the yellow and black combo!  The Incoco Real Nail Polish Applique package comes with a set of 16 different sizes for your nails.  Each strip is "double" sided so if one side doesn't fit your nail right, then the other side most likely will.  I have always thought that I have a wonky nail shape so I was honestly scared these wouldn't fit my nails at all.

When I opened the package, I definitely could smell a real nail polish smell, I felt like I had just painted a base color on my nails and was waiting for it to dry!  Due to the smell, I got kind of paranoid that they were all going to dry up before I could get all 10 nails on, but that wasn't the case since there is a clear plastic covering over each little sticker.  This was nice because in the end, I didn't feel rushed.  When I feel rushed, I get panicky and mess everything up.

I followed the directions that came in the package (and also watched the Incoco YouTube tutorial) and started with my pinkie finger.  I determined what side fit was going to fit on my nail, peeled away the strip from the plastic, and applied it on my nail.  I messed up a little at first, but I was able to peel it right off without ruining the strip and re-apply how I wanted.  

Once the strip was placed how I wanted it, I stretched the strip as the directions said.  Now, this might have just been me, but I ended up ripping the strip.  I think I pulled too hard.  I then filed what was left hanging off and admired the nail.  As you can see on the pinkie, you can see the bottom of my nail because I ended up filing some of it off.  I never file my nails (you'll know the reason why if you have read my nail Nail Care Routine post) so I'm not 100% confident with the technique.  By the time I got to my pointer finger though, I was getting the hang of it.


 Ignore the fact that I'm holding my bottle of top coat in this photo.  You do NOT need top coat as it is already "built in" to the strip.  I'm just so used to holding a bottle of top coat to model my designs so I just went with what I knew.

I really, really, really, REALLY love the hounds tooth design.  I have never attempted this design and probably won't because I don't think I could get it to look so perfect.  After I got the hang of what I was doing, I really found them easy to apply, which in the end is a lot quicker than me trying to ever freehand a design like this.

What do you think?  Have you used Incoco Real Nail Polish Appliques?

If you want to try Incoco's products yourself, you can head on over to their website and browse their huge collection!  On the Edge retails for $8.99 but good news!  Incoco is offering a 15% off discount to you guys if you use the code CANVAS15 now through March 14th!

Until next time, <3.

**Polish Appliques were provided by Incoco for my honest review.  Please see my disclosure policy**