Influenster Holiday VoxBox — Kiss Nail Dress

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I've been chomping at the bit to start reviewing the products I received in my Influenster Holiday VoxBox. And, now that the Brand Challenges have opened up I can finally start my review posts. Since I'm a nail blogger I decided to start with the one nail related product in this VoxBox. Kiss Nail Dress in Princess!! Love me some leopard print. ♥

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Kiss Nail Dress Princess stickers leopard print bling rhinestones Influenster Holiday VoxBox review image heavy picture swatch test

I did a review of these previously and after the disaster I made of them, I vowed never to try them again. Well, I'm happy to break that vow. These went on surprisingly easy, passed all my 'tests', and came off with little damage to my natural nails.

To apply, I used the Nail Dress of course and the provided file. I also used a pair of scissors, tweezers, and a cotton ball with a bit of rubbing alcohol. The cotton ball and alcohol was used first thing to clean my nails of any dirt, lotion, or natural oils. This will provide a clean surface for the Nail Dress to stick to. You'll get a lot of lifting, if you can even get these to stick at all, if you don't clean your nails first. You can also use nail polish remover.

Here is a close look at the Nail Dress, front and back. These are clear sheets that hold the Nail Dress and it's a wonderful idea. It makes these so easy to size!! Simply hold the sheet up to your nail and choose the closest size.

Once you have chosen the closest size peel it off the clear sheet and center it on your nail. I work from the cuticle, but I've heard of other people working from the side or the middle. Pick what works best for you and smooth the Nail Dress onto your nail. Like I said, I work from the cuticle and pushed pretty hard working my thumb in circles to prevent bubbles and bunching.

Trim off the excess, leaving a small amount hanging over your nail. You'll need to be extra careful around the tip of your nail. Pushing too hard may cause a break but not pushing hard enough won't get the Nail Dress to stick and will lead to lifting later.

This is were the file comes in. I used the pink side since it was a softer grain and was likely to cause less damage to my natural nail underneath if I filed too much.

It really doesn't need much filing before the edge starts to come right off. Remember to do the sides of your nails! Get you file into the crease of your nail and file as much as you can. The corners and edges of your nails are where the Nail Dress is most likely to lift, so you want to get as much of that off as you can.

Continue with the rest of your nails using the tweezers to press out any bubbles or bumps. The tweezers are perfect for getting between the 'bling'. I did both hands at the same time (both thumbs, both index nails, etc) so I didn't forget which size I needed.

Shortly after taking the last picture I realized I needed to file a bit more off the tips. Simple things like typing, scratching an itch, or even going to the bathroom were causing some serious lifting so I went back and filed off a small amount of the tips. You can see it very well here, but it was completely unnoticeable in person and it got rid of any and all lifting. I'm sure this amount of filing might be more noticeable with some of the other Nail Dress, but it worked very well with Princess.

The only thing left to do was pair it with an outfit. Luckily, I had an adorable gray top with a gold leopard print heart on the front. Paired with a red lacy cami, black jeans, and a pair of cute heeled boots, I was completely ready for my Girl's Night Out!!

I put these on Friday morning and took them off Monday night. Here is a picture before I removed them. The tips are a smidgen more ragged but otherwise there was no difference between when I put them on and when I took them off.

Removal was easy. I simply picked a corner near my cuticle and the Nail Dress peeled right off. Some of the sticky glue got left behind and there was a bit of scuffing along some of my nails but there was no damage that a good wash, a layer of hand lotion, and a light buffing didn't clear up.

The cons? Filing the tips as much as I did prevented lifting but left them slightly sticky for the first day. They attracted fuzzies that I had to pick off. Not a big problem. The biggest problem was the 'bling'. It was raised up just enough that it caught on everything: clothes, hair, random objects. Personally, I hated it most when it caught on my hair. It hurt!! However, by the time I took these off I had learned to be extra careful around my hair.

This was the only thing I was careful around. I didn't go easy on these nails. I put them to the ultimate tests. Hours after putting these on I took a bath and washed my hair. I then proceeded to do blow dry and style my hair and do my makeup. These held up to not only all that but Girl's Night Out and a weekend of shopping. Impressive!

Overall, would I recommend these? YES! However, I would recommend them with a warning. Your first try with these is likely to piss you off something fierce. Probably even make you vow never to try them again. But really do give them another try!! I am so happy I did. And this time I knew just what not to do. :) Hopefully, this little tutorial post will help you get it right the first time.

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All photos and opinions are my own.