Hello nail art enthusiasts! Today I’m trying out Color Street Nail Polish Strips. There are many varieties to choose from solids, to glitters, to nail art designs. The strips are 100% real nail polish and since they are made with the base coat, color and top coat all in one strip, you can cut your mani times down considerably with no “dry” time. They can last up to 10 days and can be removed with any nail polish remover. Keep reading to find out what I think of these nail polish strips.
How I came across them
I was recently invited by a friend to join a Facebook group called Sassy N Sparkly Nail Candy with Melissa. After joining, I saw a picture of a flag made from nail strips and if you correctly guessed the number of nail strips used to make the picture, you won a prize. I took a guess and I won! I was excited to receive the strips in the mail and give them a try. The outer packaging is cute and the nail mail sticker topped it off! I quickly opened it up to see what mani was in store for me today. Inside was a handwritten note from Melissa along with a Pigment of My Imagination kit, “twosies” in You’re Corally Invited and Aspen Sky that I could use for accent nails.
What’s In a Set?
So what comes in a typical Color Street Nail Strip set? You get 16 nail strips in 8 sizes, a mini file and an alcohol prep pad. Depending on your nail length, the nail strips could easily be cut in half to get more manis in with one package. I have long nails so that wasn’t going to be my case. Per the website, they do recommend using the nail strips immediately as the nail strips will begin to dry once exposed to air, but I think if you put the unused ones in a resealable baggie and store in a cool, dark place they will last longer. The instructions are on the back of the package, but the Color Street website does have video tutorials and application “do’s and don’ts”.
Prep and Application
Since I have acrylic nails, I did a fill and “finish filed” my nails as nail polish isn’t as forgiving on flaws as gel polish can be. I used the included alcohol prep pad to remove any residue/dust from my nails. The website recommends starting with your pinky and applying the thumbs last. So, I started with my pinky. The strips do smell like polish but it is faint. Now these strips are sticky, thin and can tear if manipulated too much, so take your time when setting it down to the nail. You want to reposition the strips as little as possible. There is a little give to be able to stretch these but be gentle. I stretched my index finger too much and it tore.
After I got my pinky on, I gently pulled the excess over the tip of my nail and used the file to remove the excess. Even though the website said to apply the thumb last, I applied it next. I used the largest size for my thumb. With all of the nail strips, I found it easiest for me to apply the strip in the center of the nail, and work or stretch the strip down towards the sidewalls. Now with the remaining sizes, I used what best fit my middle finger next, then my index finger and lastly my ring finger for the “accent nail”. I did have issues with sizing. Most all of the strips were too small for my fingers. By the time I got to my ring finger, there was no gently stretching the strip to fit. I want to say that I do have wide nail beds as well as acrylic on my nails, so that will increase the amount of space the strip has to cover. Here are the photos of my finished mani.
Application to Natural Nails
So, I wanted to give these a go on natural nails since I felt my own nails weren’t a good representation of the “average” persons nails. I enlisted the help of my adult child. This application went much smoother because I knew a little more on how to work with the strips. The sizes fit much better. For any excess on the sidewalls I used small trimmer scissors. I’m sure you could carefully use a small brush dipped in polish remover to remove excess as well. The whole process took me about 10 minutes from start to finish. As you can tell from the photos, this application was much smoother.
Final Thoughts
I like these nail polish strips. Even though sizing for my fingernails is limited, they will fit most everybody’s nails. They also make pedicure polish strips which I would like to try. These nail polish strips are great for people who don’t want to spend hours on their nails or fortunes at the salons that are currently closed in my home state. This makes doing your nails at home easy and fun. They range in price from $11 to $14 and there are many colors and designs to choose from. You can also layer the nail polish strips for a more custom look. Check out Melissa’s Facebook group page at Sassy N Sparkly Nail Candy with Melissa to order or for any other questions you may have.