Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Incoco: Maxed Out Tips



Liquid Jellettes!  Today I'm reviewing the Incoco strip I was most excited about - neon french tips!  Unlike the other two I reviewed (1, 2), these are pre cut in the shape of a french manicure.  In this set, you get...


The packet also comes with instructions and 2 silver stickers (for sealing leftover strips).  The first three pictures were taken in direct sunlight, while the last two were taken in my lightbox.  I didn't use any liquid top coat, just the clear strips included in this set.  I also used Essie Fill the Gap and OPI Barre My Soul as my base color to even out my yellow nails.


First off, I just love this design in color.  Neon yellow tips?  Yes, please!  It would just be too much of a hassle for me to actually paint this on my nails, so I like how convenient these are.  There were also no issues in the quality of these strips.  They stay down well and have a very natural french tip cut.

I did however have a few inconveniences with the french tip set.  These are more or less specific to me, but may help you decide whether or not strips are for you.  If you have small/narrow nails or stained nails, these may be a little more difficult to use.

Small Hands/Narrow Nails
I wouldn't say I have the smallest hand out there, however my hands are the small side as are my nails.  My left hand in particular has narrow nail beds.  When it comes to nail strips, I have never had a problem getting the strips to fit my nails.  I start with the smallest size and move up accordingly without having to trim the sides.  For some reason, the french tip set sizes ran larger than Incoco's regular nail strips.  As a result I did have to trim both sides, since I wanted to center the french tip on my nails.

I also needed the same size for my ring and pointer.  As shown in the following pictures, you only get one set of strips for both your nails.  So you cannot cut these in half and use them twice, like you can with regular nail strips.  So for a full set of nails, I would have to trim down one of the big sizes to fit the pointer or ring.  This also means you cannot make any mistakes.


Stained Nails
If you have stained nails and do not want them to show, you will have to do some extra work for these tips.  For my nails, I used one coat of Essie Fill The Gap treatment to even out my nails.  And then one coat of OPI Barre My Soul to cover any stains.  Of course, you can also layer these over another (more opaque color).  I imagine a royal blue would look great with this set.

Also, a word of caution.  If you paint your nails before using these tips, you have very little room for error.  The nail strip will stick like glue to your nails.  It's not going to come off without taking your base color off with it.  So you need to work carefully and make sure everything fits and is centered before putting it down.


One last thing before I finish my review.  I found the clear strips included in this set worked well as a top coat.  It goes over your french tip to keep it in place, so that it doesn't get caught on anything or accidentally peel off.  You can also cover your tips with these as well, if you forgot to do it the first time around.  There were no bubbles and once I pressed it down, it melted seamlessly onto my nails.

Verdict:  I have no complaints about the design or the quality of these strips.  In fact, I really love these neon tips!  However, if you have small/narrow nails and/or stained nails, you may have to work a little more these.  If you have average sized hands or wide nail beds you should not have a problem with these.

Availability:  Incoco nail strips are available at their website for $9.99 each.  You can find this particular design here: Maxed Out Tips*.


What do you think of this design?  Have you ever tried french tip nail strips before?

Liz

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