OPI has long been a favorite of nail divas the world over. They have always had the funkiest colors with the most ingenious names! Now they have dived into the deep end of the nail art and nail wrap trend and released OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps.
OPI describes their version of nail wraps as long lasting 100% pure nail lacquer that applies in minutes and dries instantly. On their website they state: “Pure Lacquer Nail Apps are a collection of precut nail strips that give an instant manicure with gorgeous detailed designs. Nail Apps are flexible and can be stretched for a perfect fit. Beautiful designs with high gloss for an amazing nail lacquer effect.” They come in several different designs ranging from sophisticated to fun and playful. They are priced at 13.80 GBP on the OPI UK website, but you can also buy them on eBay and Amazon for less. I found two different styles at my local Home Bargains store for 2.99 GBP.
The style that I tried was called Reptile. As you can gather, it was a snakeskin type print. The colors were a gorgeous mix of gold, chocolate brown, salmon pink and silver. The pack contained 16 strips in different sizes. This style I thought was very artistic and chic. Some people liked them and others said they looked like I just had smudged or chipped nail polish. I personally thought they were very pretty and sophisticated.
They were very easy to apply. Simply peel them from the sheet and place carefully on your nail. Nail wraps take a bit of practice sometimes so try some cheaper ones first just to get the hang of it. If you can line up the edge of the wrap to the side of your nail, it helps. I also prefer to go a tiny bit smaller, rather than a tiny bit bigger when choosing which size strip for each nail as it makes your nail appear longer. After applying, these wraps are rather long and my nails rather short, so I was able to cut the remaining wrap and do a second nail with the excess. I then filed the extra overhanging bits off carefully with a crystal nail file. Once all the wraps were applied and filed, I used a good quality topcoat on top. Here is a YouTube video giving a demonstration of how the wraps look and applying them.
These wraps lasted a good week. I didn’t have any chipping or peeling. I did re-apply the topcoat every day and sometimes every other day. I do have a horse and they survived stable duties and riding gloves admirably. I have included shots of a freshly applied and a week old manicure. I could have had them on for a few more days, but I had a bit of growth at the bottom of my nail and I also get bored with them easily and can’t wait to put on another style.
I would buy these again, but not for the 13.80 GBP that they suggest. I also had a whole strip left over so I can get two manicures from one pack, which means my 2.99 GBP that I paid was a bargain. You do have to seal the remainder in an airtight container or they will dry out since they are made of nail polish. They looked very professional and you couldn’t have a nail art manicure done for anywhere near that price or in that amount of time. I also think that if I had owned a clear gel topcoat that I could cure on top that they would last for weeks.
