Revlon definitely raised the bar on the nail strip game when they released the super covetable, limited edition Revlon by Marchesa 3D Jewel Appliques collection. The level of detail in each of the designs is incredible and something I hadn't seen before, and Evening Garnet is no exception.
Evening Garnet has an almost fleshy pink UV-cured base. Of all the appliques available, Evening Garnet is the most "3D" with raised red, red-pink, and black jewels in an intricate design. Even the very small red and black ones on the sides are raised.
The large red-orange jewels in the centre glow with a life of their own in the light. The smaller red-pink ones are shimmery but with a more flat finish. These appliques are so beautiful and were so interesting to photograph because of the 3D texture and glowy bits. Because I do love asymmetry in my nail art, I really like that there is some variety in the set--for example, the pattern on the ones used on my forefinger and pinky are different from my middle and ring finger.
I've never used nail strips before, but I managed perfectly fine using the small nail file and cuticle pusher. I was worried about the nail file being able to go through the jewels on the very edge of the nail, but it cut through the hard jelly-like jewels easily after all.
Although the box instructs you to fold down the excess nail strip and file it away
sideways, I found this could cause wrinkles in the applique and an uneven strip edge left behind. By the time I got to my left hand, I realized I had much better results filing vertically: from the top side of the nail down. This helped the free edge of the nail strip grab on to the underside of my nail tip, sort of in the same way I "seal" my nail polish by running my brush along the tip of my nails.
So did you folks notice that a few of my nails are missing jewels at the tips? This is kinda embarrassing, but I didn't actually notice this until after I had done all the photographing and was reviewing the pictures on my computer. This was probably 1-2 days after the application, and I'm not particularly rough on my nails or hands. I suspect the 3D-ness might have affected how quickly the jewels at the tip wore off.
I'm not sure how long other nail strips last, but within 2 days the edges of the strips were also starting to lift away. These strips are really gorgeous, but won't last long. On the plus side, it was extremely easy to peel each applique away in one entire piece--even though I had applied base coat (no top coat, though)--making removal a snap.
I'll be posting an overview of the full collection soon! What has your experience with nail strips been like?
Available (limited edition) at London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart: ~$8.95 CAD