Giving nail wraps not made out of nail polish another try...

Hi, everyone!

I've been spending the past couple of days putting together this bit of a long post I have for you today, but it's actually quite informational. I will be going more in depth about my thoughts about nail wraps, including what I used to think about some of them, and what I do now. I used to think that the only kind of nail wraps that worked on my curved nail beds were the ones made out of nail polish. Those are indeed the best for me, as I've never had a single issue with them, but it turns out I actually can use other nail wraps...with a bit more patience and willingness; and as long as they're thin and stretchable. 

You see, when your nail beds are super curved like mine, what usually happens when you try to apply them is that they don't stay flat on your nails. I don't have enough pics to depict this because I hate how it looks, but imagine wrinkles on the tips of your nails when you're expecting to have a flawless looking mani after spending quite a bit of time applying these nail wraps... Annoying! I'm not at all saying that nail wraps not made from nail polish are faulty, they just can be a bit tricky to apply on nails like mine. Like I've said in posts before, if you have flatter nail beds, you can wear any kind of nail wrap/nail sticker you want; if you apply whatever type you use correctly, then you won't have any issues. If you're like me, I've had a hard and disappointing time with non-polish wraps every time, until last night when I gave my NCLA nail wraps another go. I've always loved the designs of their nail wraps, but not so much what they're made out of. I've even had what seemed to be a great application right before I went to bed, then woke up to hideous wrinkles the next day (Nail wraps do not need to "dry" so the fact that I usually apply them at night before bed time doesn't matter)! NCLA, like most nail wrap companies recommend using top coat over the wraps after you've applied them. I tried using regular drying top coat, and even gel top coat, and both times ended up with disappointment. Because NCLA's designs are amazing, and that I was in between manis, I randomly thought up the idea to go back to my stash of left over wraps and give them another try. I thought, what could it hurt? 

I first applied a base coat, as I usually do. When I chose the nail wraps to apply, I chose sizes that are slightly smaller than my nail, also a usual for me. I pressed and held down the wrap right above the cuticle with my index or thumb finger of the same hand (I used the index while applying the wrap on my thumb nail, and my thumb for my ring and middle... Maybe I'm able to do this because my fingers are longer???) while stretching it upward and along the sides with my other hand, smoothing it out as I went along. I wish I had someone take pictures of me doing this, but I did it very late last night. Another thing I did differently is the top coat. I usually liked to use regular drying top coat for all of my nail wrap manis for shine purposes, but knowing that quick dry top coats usually take care of most imperfections like smudges and bubbles in nail polish, I thought it would possibly help here too. It turns out that my go-to quick dry top coat , INM's "Out The Door" top coat came in handy, and I'm quite happy with how this mani came out. Surprise, surprise!  Check out the pics below. 

A shot of how curved my nail beds are. This is right after I applied the nail wraps, and before I applied nail polish on my index and pinky nails. Here, I was happy with how the wraps looked, but the real test was whether or not they'd still be this flat the next day! 

And what some of my nail buddies' nail beds look like. From top left, my friend Tam whose nail beds are similar to mine. My friend Jess from LuvMyLacquer took a pic of her little boy's nail beds that are more on the flat side. My friend Shea from OMG Wait What Polish Is That also has flatter nail beds. She can rock Jamberry nail wraps very well! ;) 

After my full mani is completed. I Used two coats of Illamasqua "Poke" with NCLA's "Stephanie's Galaxy" nail wraps followed by INM "Out The Door" top coat. Indoor lighting with flash.

 In sunlight the next day...

Nail wraps are still smooth, no wrinkles in sight! Yay!

Here's a picture of what wrinkle-age looks like from a sample nail wrap (accent nail) I tried from Jamberry... :( This is what would happen to me with my NCLA wraps when I first started using them. 

Well, I'm glad to say that the left over wraps I have from NCLA can be put to good use; I even used a couple for my current pedi as well! It looks like my OTD top coat not only practically smoothed out everything, but it also seems to have helped the nail wraps "wrap" around my nails better. I also love the base coat that I use from Milani, that has a bit of a pinkish tint to it. I have always felt that base coats with a hint of color in it helps nail polish adhere to nails better, so maybe this was a help too. I wouldn't consider myself a nail wrap guru, but I can tell you what I know from my experience. I'm glad I figured out a way to get my NCLA wraps to work this time, and I'm looking forward to trying the wraps I have ordered that are on their way to me right now... this time clear ones! 

In all, I would recommend any thin, pliable, stretchy nail wrap for ladies (or guys) who have curved nail beds like mine. Nail polish ones are probably the easiest to use on curved nails, but as you can see from this post, other ones are possible too.  Thicker ones like the ones from Jamberry or any other wrap that's more like a sticker are a much better fit for flatter nail beds for sure. 

* As of this publishing, I wore the NCLA wraps for three days, which is way longer than what I could have ever worn them previously. If I didn't change my nails for my next blog post, I could have pulled them off for a bit longer! :)

So, what do you think? Turns out I just needed a bit more patience and a different top coat! Has any one else out there experienced the same frustrations as I have? I really hope that this post was helpful! I'd love to hear any feedback from you, if you have some! Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya next time.

Tiff