Kiss Nail Dress Review: Awesome Nail Art Opportunity for the Artistically Challenged

Nail art isn't something that comes easily for me.  My idea of a great quality at-home manicure is one in which I don't get nail polish all over my cuticles.  I just don't have the creativity or steady hands needed.  So when I received my Love VoxBox from Influenster and saw that Kiss Nail Dress was included, I was ecstatic to try it out.  I've always been a fan of Sally Hansen Polish Strips but the Nail Dress line from Kiss includes, in my opinion, more fun and bedazzled designs.  I must say that at first I wasn't too keen on the results I got but once I realized the product's full potential I was very impressed.  Full story after the jump!

Included in the package are 28 nail strips and a dual-sided file.  I love that they give you so many nail strips so you can use them on both you nails and toes and still have some left over.

Here's an up close photo of the design.  The one I received was called 'Cocktail'.  It's a pink zebra striped design with small studs-like jewels.  And yes - those are actual studs and not just little drops of metallic color made to look like real ones.  So the texture of these are bumpy, which I like.  Also, at first I thought the color in between the pink stripes was white, but once I peeled them off I saw that it was actually clear, so your real nail will be peeking though a bit.

The instructions are rather easy to understand and follow - this isn't rocket science here.  If you're familiar with the way you apply Sally Hansen's Polish Strips than this will be cake for you as it's pretty much the same deal.  Application was very simple in and of itself.  They were easy to size and if you accidentally place it down crooked it's not hard to pull it off and replace it.


Also worth noting:  I don't know what your preconceptions about this product were, but do understand that these are NOT polish strips like the Sally Hansen ones.  They are really just stickers.  I had wondered about this before receiving the product but all my questions were answered in the removal instructions.  All you have to do is peel them off, no polish remover required.  This is both a good and bad thing with me.  Good thing is it's easy removal, bad thing, well, you'll see in a bit.

The design looks just as great on my nails as it did on the sheet.  Obviously, there's no need for a top coat and you still get a nice shine.  But happiness and sunshine doesn't last forever unfortunately...


If you look closely, you can see the uneven edges of the design on my nails.  This is because although the instructions say to fold the strip down over the tip of you nail and file the excess off, that's not exactly feasible.  First, the strip is a bit to thick to easily file away and second, the jewels get in the way and you kind of have to go around them.  What I ended up doing was trimming the excess off with nail clippers, however that still didn't smooth the edge out.  Also, in order to really smooth the edge down I would've had to file or clip my actual nail, and I didn't want to do that as I already had before applying the strips.


As OCD as I am I decided to let the messy edges go so I could properly test them out.  However, the next day I noticed that with everything I did the strips would start to peel back.  That I couldn't stand, so I ended up peeling them all off by the next evening.  So I didn't even get a full day's wear out of them.  That's not to say that they won't necessarily last the claimed 10 days, but i couldn't stand them peeling and looking all jagged so they had to go.


So as a full nail cover my verdict will have to be a "No".  Unless someone has a suggestion on how to better apply them I won't be using them again in the traditional way.  But when you read the included packet Kiss does suggest cutting the strips to create custom designs.  I think this would be an amazing idea.  I can't freehand nail designs to save my life, but I can cut a sticker up and plop it on my nails.


Bottom Line:  Amber Likes


This product's saving grace for me are the endless possibilities it presents in regard to nail art.  I will definitely play around with it in that respect and see what I can come up with, so look for that post in the future.  But this definitely hasn't replaced my Sally Hansen Polish Strips.

Disclaimer:  I received this product complimentary from Influenster.  I received no compensation for my review nor was I required to do a review at all.  As always, all personal views and experiences expressed are my honest opinions and in no way influenced by any other party or circumstance.