Trend 2011/2012: Nail Appliqués

I love nail art! But to make the perfect nail art onto the nails you need a lot of time, a steady hand and patience. Since a while you don't have to go to a salon anymore or spend hours to make the perfect creation on your nails. I'm talking about this new trend for this fall and winter; nail appliqués, or easy to say; nail applications!

It all started with simpel nail stickers a couple of years ago. Nowadays there are a lot more and better nail applications available. This trend is slightly new to most of you and in the world of nail art there are more than just one sort of nail application. Let me tell you about the different applications.



Foils; Yes, real thin foil. You don't to cut the size of you nail out of the foil because you work with foil adhesive. First step you're going to take is to apply foil adhesive/glue/primer onto the nail and let it dry for about two minutes. Place the foil on the nail and rub firmly against the nail. Now pull the foil strips away from the nail. The foil will now sit on the adhesive on the nail. All you have to do now is to apply some topcoat. I don't have any experience with nail foils, but some people say the foil will last for 2 weeks, others say the foil lasts up to 8 weeks. To remove the foil you can just use nailpolishremover.

Stickers; Just regular stickers, but especially made and already preshaped for the nails. Place the sticker onto the nails, press on and make the surface smooth by rubbing. Last step is to file the excess sticker off. Nail stickers will last for about 1 to 2 weeks. You can remover the stickers by pulling them off. Nail stickers are childfriendly but are really hard to get smooth onto the nails.

Strips; Like the Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips from Sally Hanson. Before you place the strip on the nail you have to pick out the right size. Just as nail stickers you have to place them on the nail, press on and rub the surface smooth. Smooth the surface is a lot easier is you use strips than using stickers. The reason is because the strips are made out of real nail polish, wich makes the strips very flexible. Strips will last two weeks and are removable with nail polish remover.

Decals; You can make your own fullsize waterslide decals, or you can purchase them. If you did purchased decals they are preformed, you can cut them before use. Before you start paint your nails with a basecoat. Then if you're going to use the decal you need to lay the decal in water. After about 20-30 seconds you can slide the image off of the paper. Place the decal onto the nail and make sure the water is completely absorbed by cotton, rub the decal smooth and let dry. To protect the decal you need to put a topcoat over the decal. Waterslide decals will last to a maximum of 7 days. You can remove the decal with nail polish remover.

Many different nail applications, and many designs to choose from! What is you favorite?!
Pictures are all from MinX Nails.