Confession: Being a beauty girl doesn’t always mean being perfectly primped.
Truth be told, with my schedule, I’m often air-drying versus being blown out (thank god for serums)… my bathroom is where I get a good number of my spa treatments (I’m pretty phenom with extractions by now)… and where do I even begin with nails?! I just don’t have the time for regular mani maintenance and I reallllly don’t have the patience for drying. (A 10 minute massage used to help with that, but now I find myself mentally visiting my ever-growing To Do list rather than my happy place during the neck-kneading.) And since I change my nail look a lot, a gel manicure isn’t always a viable solution.
I’ll admit it. I occasionally find myself polish-less or slightly chipped.
So uncouth.
Other times, I remember to reach into my bag of tricks…
That bag is obviously filled with nail strips and stickers. Once you’ve done them a few times, they are super quick to apply (and the no dry time part is kind of awesome). Plus, the different designs can up your overall style quotient in a big way. (NOTE: Not true for all patterns, so definitely use caution when selecting your set!)
Just last night I found myself finishing up work super late and finally reviewing my schedule for today. I had the SELF Magazine Healthy Beauty Awards breakfast to start and a Sun Drop shoot following – taking me right into a reader makeover for LATINA magazine at night. Even if a nail salon were still open, I wouldn’t have had the energy to muster to get to it. At the same, not having nice nails wasn’t an option.
So I pulled out a pack of Essie Sleek Stick in Sneek-E. And in less than 5 minutes, I had this fabulous manicure.
Sneek-E is kind of a double-edged sword. It is BY FAR my favorite pattern to date of any nail strip. The sheer base with silver metallic foil snakeprint is KILLER. But the silver can rub off easily so you have to be incredibly careful with it. Kind of similar to chipping. Except when I’m done with these, I can just peel them off each finger and play with something new. Which is the best part of being a beauty girl.
Totally love this!!!
Love the nails, and the clutch!
Love the nails, and the clutch!
I really wish I could use these. I’ve tried! I have freakishly small/skinny nails and the amount of cutting needed kind of negates the quickness – it becomes more like an hour long origami project. I wish they made them for kids…those would fit me. Ha!
In the meantime, can you recommend a nail polish that you can use to hide the chips for a day or so? Like something with glitter maybe – that would disguise the chips until one can get to the salon or the bottle of remover? :-)
Thanks!
Thanks Michelle!
Kelly – LOL!! Yes. Any pale-ish manicure topped with Essie Luxeffects Glitters. (Look for the actual glitters over Luxeffects shimmers.) You can just paint more glitter at the tips and it will look seamless. It’s another trick of mine. Or just go for 3 coats of the glitter alone and it looks like sequins. SO PRETTY. As for my go-to shades, the silver/platinum is Set in Stones, the rosegold is A Cut Above and the sapphire is Stroke of Brilliance. And yes, I have all three both here in NYC and in Boca :)
XOLC
I love these strips!!! Where can I buy them?
I love these strips!!! Where can I buy them?
Rosy,
They sell them in the city at Duane Reade – or you can order online too. Some of the other patterns last longer. You would like “Stickers and Stones.”
You can also just wear one on a single finger with a traditional manicure. I know how you love to rock a party nail!
XO