Sticker savvy: Essie Sleek Sticks

Never one to miss a bandwagon, Essie released their version of the nail art sticker trend a couple months ago with their Sleek Sticks.

Available in 12 patterns, each strip is UV-cured, so the colours and textures stay put for up to 10 days.  The patterns feature everything from animal print, to 3-D gems, to calligraphy and lace, and so much more.

I have been a fan of the Sally Hansen nail strips for a while and considering the price of the Essie ones, I was just going to pass (I like switching up my nail polish every few days anyways), but then I saw on their Canadian Facebook page that they were giving away 10,000 samples, so being one to never pass up a good deal/discount/free stuff, I signed up.

From Essie Canada's Facebook page.

From Essie Canada’s Facebook page.

The sample included two stickers each from four designs, the idea is to create an accent nail with these, which is great because accent nails and nail art is totally in.  Plus, with the Sally Hansen ones, if you wanted to do that the rest would dry out if you didn’t use them.

The designs included in the sample were Stickers and Stones, Sneek-e, Don’t Cheetah on Me, and A to Zebra.  They came on a clear sheet, so you could just peel off and apply.  The instructions were on the back of the card.

From Essie Canada's Facebook page.

From Essie Canada’s Facebook page.

Here’s how they work:

  • Ready your canvas — clean and shape your nails.
  • Select the correct size sticker strip for each nail noting cuticle shape as well as width.
  • Peel sticker away from the protective film. Try starting with the pinky nail – smaller is easier.
  • Press sticker onto the nail, smoothing out any air bubbles, and file off the excess with the provided nail tool or file.
  • Between sizes? Size up and remove excess sticker by contouring with a cuticle stick.
  • You’re done! Just wait an hour before getting your hands wet so the stickers have time to adhere to your nails. For easy removal, apply essie’s apricot cuticle oil around the appliqué and simply peel off!

swatch I chose to try Stickers and Stones first because that one caught my eye first.  I paired it with Essie’s No Place Like Chrome to bring out the silver detail (the purple/grey colour in the sticker really reminds me Essie’s Chinchilly by the way).

So my thoughts on them.  They are definitely thicker than the Sally Hansen ones, which is something that I didn’t like.  With the Sally Hansen, you just fold the excess sticker over your nail and it breaks off, leaving a clean finish.   With the Essie ones, you have to fold the sticker over and then file the excess off, which left it sort of jagged and you could see the tip of my nail.  The sample was also a touch too big for my ring fingers so there is excess just hanging out and I have a feeling that a cuticle stick won’t be enough to tear away the extra, so I just chose to leave it.

As for wearability, so far so good.  This is my fourth day wearing them and it’s stayed on perfect, there are no rips or minor tip wear at all.  I haven’t tried the other designs as of yet,  but once this one no longer looks good, I’ll switch it out for a different one.

So final thoughts.  I love the designs of the Essie ones, but compared to the Sally Hansen, I prefer the application of those better.  These are also at a higher price point, C$12.99, so I think that you really have to love them if you want to take the plunge and try them out.  Personally, I like switching up my nail polish every few days, so 10 days of wearing the same design on my nails is a little too much (plus for that much money you can buy a bottle of salon polish), but if I were going to an event or on a vacation (somewhere you don’t want a lot of high maintenance), then these would be great.  I’m really glad I got to snag a sample of these through their Facebook page because wearing them as an accent is to me, the perfect way to wear them. I can still switch up my polish but keep that one nail the same, so it creates a totally unique look.

Have you tried Essie’s Sleek Sticks?  What were your thoughts?  Also, make sure to like Essie Canada on Facebook to score some deals.  I have also gotten a free polish just by liking them.

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