Nails by Asami

I love water decals. I actually love them more than nail stickers, and I have no idea why they're not more readily available since I consider them to be superior to traditional stickers in general. In case you have never tried them before, I'm going to show you how to apply them for an easy manicure that will appear airbrushed.



This is the finished look. I used Sephora by OPI's "Going Nude, Eh?" as my base because my stickers had a really cool "vintage" tint to them and I thought a nude would compliment that well.

I own a lot of sheer nudes, (nude-tinted clears) for French manicures, but what makes "Going Nude, Eh?" special is that it's an opaque nude creme. Pictured is three very thin coats; if you apply thicker coats than I you can get away with two.



In the pack, water decals can look very similar to regular nail stickers but without a raised edge surrounding each image.

(Do not begin applying your designs until after your base color is completely dry.)



The first thing you need to do is cut out how ever many water decals you would like to wear. I decided to go all-out and apply one to every finger. The thing I like about this pack in particular, is that each flower design is sized appropriately for different fingers, as opposed to having the same exact design on each nail. I love Konad stamping, but I do prefer each nail to be a little more varied like this; I think it makes for a more interesting finished look. (Not to mention that my thumb is obviously much larger than my pinky and it's nice when that's been taken into account.)



After you have cut out your decals, simply place one into a bit of tepid water. It does not matter if you place it face-down or face-up. (If you push it into the water, it will sink. There's nothing wrong with that, it will just be harder for you to retrieve.) Let it float there for a few moments so the paper backing can become fully wet, and then remove it. I like to gently pick it back up with a pair of tweezers.



Place your wet decal against your finger, with the image facing down.



Simply slide the paper backing off. It will come off very easily and without resistance.



As you can see, the image remains on your finger.



Now, all you need to do is touch your fingertip to the nail you'd like the image to stay on. I like to gently "roll" my finger against the nail I'm decorating.



The best thing about water decals, and the main reason I prefer them to regular nail stickers is that there is no visible edge around the image. Some nail stickers can bubble up around the edges or curl if your nails are especially round, but water decals never have that problem. Because there is no visible edge and often the images of water decals are so intricate, it will look as if you had your designs airbrushed on.



Continue on in the same manner, using your other index finger to place your decals when you switch hands. It's very fast and easy and mess-free.



The finished look. Apply topcoat after you have given your decals a minute or two to fully set. (I waited until they did not appear wet anymore before applying my topcoat.)

Two things that set water decals apart from Konad stamping, (which I do love, I just really love water decals,) is that your designs will not smear whatsoever when you're applying your topcoat. Another is that if I had stamped these images there's no way I could have gotten this many colors on at once nor the delicate shading around the petals.



Here is a closeup so you can see that there is no raised edge like with some nail stickers. What I really like about this design in particular, is how graphic it looks; because of the colors used it really looks like it was drawn in colored pencil and the shading makes the petals almost appear "3D."



These water decals are from Viva La Nails awesome product sample pack for bloggers. (If you have a blog, you can get some too!) A big thank to you Viva La Nail's for being so kind!

Viva La Nails offers many different kinds of water decals. I'm not so crazy about the plain black and white ones, (since I can get that look with Konad stamping,) but the colored ones are just absolutely gorgeous and very intricate. Viva is a UK company so each pack is priced at £1.95, (about $3.00,) and there are enough in a set to do two complete manicures if you use one on every finger. (Pictured is what was left after I finished my manicure.)



I wish water decals were more popular! I can find so many nail stickers at any drugstore but it's harder for me to get water decals; I think they always look better. (Please note that I am not saying I dislike nail stickers, I own and use them all the time, I'm just saying I feel there are more pros and less cons when it comes to water decals.)

Have you ever tried water decals before?