Incoco 24 Karats Wear Test Results

Well, here are the results from my Incoco wear test, and I must say I'm EXTREMELY impressed.

This photo below was taken today on the 13th day of wear (I put them on the morning of Saturday the 5th).

Incoco 24 Karats (Day 13)

I honestly cannot believe how perfect they look after 13 days. The only "flaws" in them are the little bit of out growth (I had been extra careful to push back my cuticles and place them as close as I could), and very slight tipwear. The tipwear shown here actually showed up within just a couple days of wear and hasn't gotten any worse since then. I have had ZERO chips the entire time.

All this said, I feel like I DEFINITELY got my $7.99 worth out of this product. A product that I can put on and wear for my entire 10+ day vacation without having to worry about my nails at all is definitely a winner. This is the only Incoco I've tried to actually wear for this long, but I imagine any of their glitters should have this lasting wear time. I have tried other Incoco strips that were a solid color, but I ended up taking them off after just a few days because I get anxious to change my polish, although I don't know that they'd wear as well as the glitters do. I've also tried Sally Hansen Salon Effects, but haven't had as good results with those either (though I haven't tried their glitter).

My one complaint about this is that I really HAVE to wear them for a long time for the price to be worth it to me. I mentioned in my original post that this is my all time favorite color gold, and I wish so badly that someone would come out with this color gold glitter in regular polish so I could wear it for a day or two at a time and not feel guilty. I was so badly hoping that China Glaze Blonde Bombshell was going to be close, but alas, it's too yellow...

Now here's my dilemma: I almost want to keep these on (I'm still not sick of the color) just to see how long is DOES take for them to chip... BUT I'm soooo anxious to try all the other holiday colors I have and do some more swatches, and I feel like it could be FOREVER before these chip!

What do you think I should do?

Incoco 24 Karats Swatch and Wear Test

Well, I'm in Loreto, Mexico right now and will be for nine days, so I figured instead of taking nail polish stuff with me, I'd try and do a wear test of the Incoco strips. I had this very same color, 24 Karats, on for a whole week before and they looked nearly perfect even when I took them off. Normally I'm too anxious to change my polish so I'm never able to do long wear tests, so I figured this vacation might give me a perfect reason to try out Incoco again.

Incoco - 24 Karats

When I first ordered a set of the 24 Karats strips I was disappointed because I thought the color was dull and plain, but once I put them on I realized it is the definition of a perfect gold glitter for me. I love these better than Milani Gold Glitz AND Butter London West End Wonderland, and that's saying something! Needless to say, I actually don't think I'll mind having these on for ten days straight. I've also gotten much more skilled at applying these after doing it a few times (with both Incoco and the Sally Hansen Salon Effects), and these were very quick and easy to apply. I got it right up against the cuticle and there are no bare spots around the edges at all. They look perfect, if I do say so myself.

Incoco Design Strips Swatch and Review

Incoco recently sent me a couple of their new Design strips for me to try out, and let me tell you, I love them! These didn't come with a name, so I'm not sure what they will be called when they are officially released.

(shade)

(sun)

This appears to be similar to their Bling Bling strips, but with a multi-colored top coat that has yellow, pink, and sky blue stripes. To me it looks very springy and Easter-y! I don't think they seem too over-the-top sparkly (but then again, I LOVE glitter polishes and anything super sparkly). I really like how every nail is different - it's not just the exact same design on each nail.

I have worn Incoco quite a few times now (see my Head Over Heels review here), and from my experience, the glitter strips last FOREVER (well 11 days in my case, when I decided I wanted to do a different color... but they were still in near perfect shape then!). I'll let you know when I take these off and comment on the wear then.

I'm thoroughly in love with Incoco, and can't wait until their Design line is officially released on their website. Though cost is kind of high, I'm looking forward to seeing some unique designs that aren't easy to replicate with stamping (Konad).

Have you tried Incoco? Are you excited about their new Design line?

Incoco Head Over Heels Swatches and Review

Today I have a review for you of the one of the new Incoco colors from their fall release. If you haven't seen or heard of Incoco before, they are basically nail polish "stickers" (I use this loosely, because they are actually 100% nail polish) which are applied half dry and are self-adhering. I have tried a few Incoco manicures before with much success, so I decided to write a full review of the product.

Let's start with some nail prep. Here are some of the things I use to prepare my nails before applying the Incoco strips.

First, I remove all old nail polish with acetone nail polish remover (the non-acetone nail polish remover is for when I have nails that have an acrylic repair on them). Then, I file the length done and shape the edges. Finally, I buff the ridges on all the nails that need it. I know some don't like to buff the nails because it can weaken them, but if you don't buff lightly, the Incoco tends to show the ridges - the cremes especially. Another possibility is to use a ridge-filling basecoat, but I prefer to use NO basecoat under Incoco because it makes application a bit more difficult. After filing and buffing, I make sure to wash my hands thouroughly to get all the dust off and make sure they are clean and dry.

Here is a picture of the goodies they sent me to review! Exciting, yes?


I decided to do Head Over Heels today, but I will post a review of Just My Luck as well in the near future.



As you can see, it is a cool-toned magenta with some red and blue sparkles - pretty awesome! When I peeled off the backing to the strips, they look like more of a jelly than a creme because they are see through! However, no visible nail line to be seen at all! Check it out!

Head Over Heels (shade)

In the shade, it's just a little shimmery, but still a very pretty color. In the sun the sparkles in it are a lot more apparent, but it's not super bling-y like a glitter or a glass-fleck shimmer. I really like it, and I'm not much of a pink person!

Head Over Heels (sun)

After the prep, I just followed the instructions provided by Incoco, but I have a few tips as well:

1. Don't use a basecoat. The Incoco will stick like glue to a basecoat immediately, allowing for no correction after it has been placed. Without a basecoat, if you make a mistake, it's very easy to just peel it off and reapply it.

2. Don't be afraid to handle them lightly with your fingers. If your hands are clean, there should be no dust or anything to stick to the strips (which aren't extremely sticky). I prefer to flatten the strips out before I position and place them, and stretch them to fit the nail edges.

3. When choosing a size, I think that the best way is to choose slightly smaller rather than bigger. It is quite easy to stretch the strips to fit the nail, but I have more trouble when I try to file off excess that hangs over the nail onto the cuticle.

4. I like to gently push back the cuticles right before applying the strip in order to get it as close as possible to the cuticle so that is lasts longer without getting a gap - especially if I'm planning on wearing them for a week or longer.

5. Practice makes perfect. This is a difficult one to accept sometimes, but in my case it was true. Each timeI found another little tip/trick that worked for me and I got much better at it each time. Also, some colors are easier than others. The glitters, for instance, are the easiest to apply perfectly in my opinion, while the cremes are the most difficult to get nice and smooth because they seem a bit thinner.

Overall, I love Incoco and their awesome product! I have tried the french tips (which make for PERFECT smile lines), the black creme (Midnight), and a couple of the glitters (24 Karat and Penny Rose). 24 Karat is my absolute favorite and as soon as I tried it on, I knew I had to order more of that one! It lasted 11 (ELEVEN!!) days with NO chipping and NO tipwear! Even then, I wasn't sick of the color, it had just gotten quite a gap and I was anxious to try some other Incoco colors! I just wish they weren't quite as expensive as they are

I will try the nail polish removers when I take these off and comment on the wear at that time as well

So what do you think? Have you tried Incoco? Do you like the idea of stick-on nail polish?