NOTW: Flower Water Decals

This week, I used Viva La Nails water decals to create my nail design.  The colour, a deep brownish-red, to me signifies sophistication and what better way to jazz it up than with flowers? This was the perfect excuse to try the colour out and also try the water decals. They are very simple to apply, just don't rush and keep a rhinestone nipper (you can get these off ebay for a very cheap price) or a pair of tweezers handy :)

1. Start off with a good base coat to prevent your nails from becoming stained with the dark polish.

2. Paint on two coats of polish all over the entire nails, making sure to leave a hair-line gap on the sides and near the cuticles to further prevent your nails from staining.

3. Now for the fun part!
a) Make sure your nail polish is dry and cut out the designs you want from the water decal sheet and peel off the protective film.


b) Put the decal on a bowl of room temperature warm for a few seconds.

c) Pick the decal up from the water with tweezers/nipper and rest it on the pad of your finger (design facing upwards) and leave the design to soak up the water for a few more seconds.

d) Transfer the design face down on the opposite finger pad and carefully slide the backing off.

e) Pick the design with the tweezers/nipper and carefully lay it on the nail and clear out any air bubbles with the tweezers itself.  For a visual explanation of how to apply water decals, check out this video from the Viva La Nails website :)

4. After approximately a minute, the decal should be dry and it is ok to top-coat the nails with a glossy top-coat :)

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Review: Viva La Nails Dazzlings

Last month I got myself a Sample Pack from VivaLaNails.  I only paid £2.95 shipping fees for £20 worth of products (the value of the sample pack is now £12, but shipping is the same).  You can have a look at what I received in the photo below. I learnt of this Sample Pack through reading Stavroula's blog and being a self-confessed nail addict I could not let this opportunity get away could I?

Sample Pack Contents

Anyways, I have only used the Hollow Hexagon Dazzlings just recently, and I am going to review them here.  The ones I got came in a small plastic pack like this (I transferred mine to the plastic pots shown in later pictures):

However, should you purchase them one by one, they are supposed to come in a pot.  The ones I got were pink, but there are 12 colours to choose from so you are bound to find something you like.  Apart from the hollow hexagons, the smaller cut-out hexagons are also included.  May I say as well that the amount you get in the Sample Pack is quite generous, so I was really impressed with that.

I used these dazzlings for a mani a fortnight ago (yes they lasted two whole weeks!!!) and was very very very pleased with their performance and durability on my natural nails with just one layer of top coat on to protect them.  I also like their dynamic lustre i.e. the way each individual dazzling changes colour according to the angle it catches the light.  The dazzlings are also very easy to handle (I use a rhinestone nipper to pick them and place them on my nails).

How I used these hexagons... click here for more pictures and step by step guides to creating the look yourselves!

I really recommend these, both to professional nail technicians, and also the at-home user.  You can buy dazzlings from the VivaLaNails website for £1.45 per pot that contains hundreds of them. Different shapes and colours are available to suit everyone's tastes.  I was so pleased with these dazzlings I'm very much looking forward to use all the others!

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