There have been some awesome recent additions to the nail-brand game, and in the figurative cup of newish nail polish, NCLA is the cream that rises to the top. I’ve been so impressed with their range of colors, special-effects lacquers, and lack of sinister ingredients.
But what’s really put them on the map is their Nail Wraps.
When nail art became prominent but the talent to create it didn’t (no offense), several brands came out with adhesive strips to fulfill the demands and bedizened dreams of the unskilled and/or lazy among us, and NCLA’s are arguably the most captivating. Rococo-style imagery, lacy half-moon bunny ears, koi fish, Dutch wax prints, etc. -- it doesn’t get more creative.
OR DOES IT?!
(Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound so ominous.)
NCLA may have a very wide range of nail-wrap designs, but that range now goes way beyond the two pages of options on their site thanks to their new app, myNCLA. It lets you take any of your images and turn them into truly unique nail wraps.
Pretty flowers you snapped a picture of the other day? Yep, you can make them into a nail-wrap pattern. Your dog’s merle fur? That would be awesome! Your super-awesome boss’s face? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna go ahead and do that.
OK, so I selected this adorable photo of Jane Pratt and positioned it accordingly; you can expand and angle your chosen image to fill the wrap as you see fit. You also choose which style you want: classic, halfmoon, orbit or stripe.
(I went with classic for optimum Janeness.)
Since nails come in all different lengths, that pink dotted line indicates where you might be filing off the top of the wrap once you apply it.
Once you're satisfied with the positioning of your image, you get to preview how it'll look on the different sizes, and then place your $19 order -- just $3 more than the pre-made wraps.
Next is the hard part: the waiting. Two painful weeks passed, but then, one glorious evening, I checked my mailbox and found a black bubble-wrap envelope encouraging me to "Enjoy a little California Love on your fingertips." I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, but hey, let's go for it.
Here's what was in the envelope:
I then followed the included instructions, because I wasn't about to rely on instinct for something this important.
I cleaned my nails with polish remover and painted on a clear base coat. After it dried, I chose the size for each fingernail, one at a time. After making each selection, I peeled them carefully and aligned them with my cuticles, smoothing the self-adhesive strip down to eliminate bubbles and creases.
A lot of the sticker extends beyond the top of the nail, so they include a nail file to remove the excess. Once I had all the wraps on, I applied another clear coat.
The result: the simultaneously cutest and creepiest manicure this side of the Hudson!
The options are endless, which means some people are going to make horrifying choices about what they put on their nail wraps, and I seriously cannot wait to see those. But I'm sure all the pretty and artistic options will be great, too.
Seriously, though, show me your totally inappropriate nail wraps.