Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sephora by OPI Chic Prints in Lace


So not worth the money, time or trouble. 

Sephora by OPI Chic Prints in Lace

DIY Minx from Sephora (which Minx apparently helps design). These were awful. I love nail appliques and I loved getting Minx done but these were impossible. I had to cut each one down to size for my small nails but then cutting them down made them really hard to peel off. They apply fine (as long as you get it right on the first or second time) but the excess is hard to file off, leaving a jagged, messy edge. It took me about an hour to apply these (and it usually only takes me 30 minutes for other appliques). And they have NO lasting power whatsoever. The instructions say they're only meant to last one day but these didn't last 12 hours.

Closeup of Lace
Also, even though they're reflective like "real" Minx, their patterns are sort of lacking in... I don't know... appeal? Not a fan. 

So I've been playing around with Photoshop lately because I've been wanting to design some custom fabric on Spoonflower. I was thinking something with nail polish bottles (because I have a one-track mind) and started teaching myself about vector graphics. ...and I really, really, suck. Here is my maiden attempt at a simple graphic: 
I'm not going to say how long this really simple graphic took me. People who do this sort of thing professionally... you all have my serious respect. 





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13 comments:

Olivia Frescura said...

I hated these too, I had them in the same pattern. I liked the pattern but they were too thick and scratchy. I got a ton of compliments though...lol!

Alyssa Valentine said...

That's a shame that they didn't even last half a day! I do like that they are shiny, but I agree with you on the appeal of the design. Not the most desired, I guess. I haven't tried these myself, but I recently tried the Sephora by OPI TrendTips. They applied great but didn't wear as long as other nail polish strips - like Sally Hansen and Incoco.

On a side note, your nail polish graphic looks great! You should be proud of yourself! I used to have a photography studio and I had to do a lot of photo retouching but not graphic making. My brother makes graphics and such as part of a living so I just go to him if I can't figure something out in that department, lol. But I can retouch a person really, really good. I had a boudoir, glamour and pin up style studio for women, so I not only had to make their face look perfect but also a lot of skin since most my clients were little to no clothes. Retouching, the good kind, does take a long time but it's better than taking short cuts. I liked to make my clients look real but flawless --- not some blurred skin blow-up doll, lol. Sorry to go off topic slightly!

Grace said...

I've never tried the Sephora decals, but I can never tolerate these types of things on my fingernails. I love the Sally Hansen ones for pedicures, (especially Flower Girl and Collide-o-scope, because there are so many options for fun coordinating manis) but the rough edges and shrinkage are just too annoying for me on my hands.

HaulOfFame said...

I really like the way these look, but the thought of wasting money and an hour to apply these only for them to last less than a day isn't worth it to me. It's a shame, because they are very nice and they look good on you.
Thank you for your honest review on these :)

Unknown said...

Good to know, I was going to try them..

agirlinthebasementwith5cats said...

Speaking as a former web designer, your graphic attempt looks great for someone not trained in vector graphics :) My first vector graphic was completely lame and looked like cartoon road kill :/

GothamPolish said...

I'm not impressed with those nail stickers if for nothing other than the fact that you can see the pixelation! I totally appreciate how long it must have taken you to create the polish bottle :) Graphic designers must be so patient!

Lucy said...

I have very very basic skills on the computer. Basically I can turn it on. Your graphic looks amazing to me. It's gorgeous since it's green polish. Glad to know about those decals. I'll never buy them.

Anonymous said...

That is such a shame that these didn't work out. They had so much potential. :(

flinty said...

Olivia: That's one thing I totally forgot about these nail appliques. They were definitely too thick and scratchy and got in the way a lot.

Crystal: Thanks for the compliment on the graphic. :) That's really cool that you used to have a photography studio. Do you not have one now? I've been trying to learn how to retouch photographs as well. Getting skintone right is a real b*tch.

Grace: I find the SH ones to be pretty unobtrusive.. as long as they're not in the process of peeling off.

HaulofFame: No problem. What would I get for being dishonest?

MissMarlboro: Glad to have possibly saved you some money… to spend on other pretties. :)

agirlinthebasement: The image of what "cartoon roadkill" consists of is really piquing my curiosity. ;) I figure this is a practice makes… better type of thing? Maybe once I actually look up what everything in Photoshop actually DOES as opposed to a hell of a lot of "hey, what does this option do?" trial and error.

Lucy: Haha, thanks. I couldn't decide between blue or green but green won out.

Ashesela: ITA. Such a pity, they seemed like such a good alternative to $70 Minx!

Sia: Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Don't beat yourself up over the vector...it looks really REALLY good. I just got back into photoshop and I'm not even gonna ATTEMPT to figure out vectors..lol.

flinty said...

lavenderbrunette: Thank you! I was thinking of doing a whole series of these with different shaped bottles for a custom-made fabric. This bottle was based on a Street Wear bottle (because I love the look of them with their octagonal caps).

Weaveron Textile said...

i like nail art ...wonderful nail color
click on http://www.weaveron.com/

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