Mystique Nail Appliqués

I really love wearing nail polish and experimenting with different nail appliqués.  It is always a fun activity for me to zone in on doing and I always enjoy that time to myself.  That being said, I am rather conservative with my colour choices and was a little apprehensive about trying the Safari Chic nail appliqués by Mystique.

The set comes in 2 colours: Red and a Zebra print with 12 different appliqué sizes for each colour (24 appliqués per pack).  This ensures that you are able to find a size that will match the size of each of your nail beds.  The process of applying appliqués is not always as easy as one would think and a tip is to make use of a wooden cuticle stick to apply the appliqué to your nail.  I use the stick to lift up each appliqué and then lightly stick the appliqué to the stick.  It makes the positioning a lot easier and also prevents the appliqué from losing its stickiness.  When you touch the sticky side of the appliqué too much it doesn’t adhere to the nail very well and it will peel off.

These appliqués are thick and plastic like which is different from the foil and lacquer ones I have used in the past.  Because it is thick it doesn’t really mould well to the curved shape of my nail beds and is easier to apply on a flatter nail bed.  My first few attempts at getting a smooth bubble free application were very unsuccessful and I discovered that the only way to get a very smooth finish was to really pull hard on the excess of the appliqué and stretch it across my nail bed.   This meant that I could not use the excess on another nail. 

These appliqués don’t last incredibly long if you are going to do things like wash dishes, wash your hair and do general household chores (what women typically do every day).  I think these are meant for an application before going out for a while where you are going to remove them later in the day or the following day.   If I think of these appliqués being for that purpose then it works perfectly fine, but if you want something that is as long lasting as applying nail polish then you won’t be completely satisfied with these.

To remove these appliqués, just lift up the edge of the appliqués along your cuticle line.  The appliqué removes very easily and doesn’t leave any sticky residue on your nail.

I read on the label that you can apply a layer of gel top coat which should make these appliqués last longer, although I personally haven’t tried gel on my nails before.

All in all, it’s a fun product to use but I don’t think I am converted from using traditional nail polish.

Some tips:

• Use a wooden cuticle stick to position the appliqué on your nail.
• If you need to cut the appliqué, leave it on the backing paper and use a little pair of cuticle scissors to cut it to size.
• If you have any length of an appliqué left, stick it down on the backing sheet to use another time.
• Be patient and take your time.  It will ensure a good finish.

Read my review on the Beauty South Africa website.