Born Pretty Nail Art Water Decals: Swatches + Review!

*Just to get this out of the way: I am in no way, shape, or form being paid to write this post. I was sent these water decals for review but, as always, I am giving my 100% honest opinion on the product(s). None of the links below are affiliate links and I get nothing in return for clicks or views. You're safe with me!!

No matter how I say this it's going to come across as snotty and/or bragging so I'll just put it outright: 

I get contacted by a lot of companies to do reviews on their products. 

However, as I'm sure you can tell by the utter lack of sponsored/PR related posts here on my blog, I turn most of them down as I just don't feel comfortable pimping out a product I don't believe in or care for. That being said, I was undeniably happy when the folks over at Born Pretty emailed me about receiving a few packets of their water decals to try out. 

I've seen these things on multiple nail blogs and I'd be lying if I said I was never tempted; I just never knew if they'd work for me or if they'd be worth the money (which, granted, is far from expensive… they're actually quite cheap for what you're getting) so I never placed an order. Well I'm here to tell you folks that I regret not having tried these things out sooner, and this is coming from a girl who's not afraid to get down and dirty with some complicated nail art. 

The first time around I followed the instructions on the back of the packet to a T… or so I thought. Now that I'm looking at them, I think the directions could have been a little more clear. They said to apply the decals like you would a temporary tattoo (though not in those words); remember those? The ones of frogs wearing tie dye 'hippie' clothing and throwing up a peace sign that you would get out the quarter machines at bowling alleys for a dollar? Yup, those were the days. Anyways, I did as I was told (as you do) and got a result that left me baffled. Why wasn't the beautiful color of the flower showing up? I could see it faintly but for the most part it was a blank outline of what coulda-shoulda-woulda been. 

Well, after multiple attempts (I'm actually embarrassed it took me as many tries as it did before I figured it out) at getting the darn things to work I found the solution through a mistake. Essentially I placed the decal poorly across my nail and had a bit hanging off the edge so I was able to see how durable and slippery the patterns were; I didn't have to worry about tearing them… they slide right off the paper! And that's how you get the colored side to appear. Magic!!

I was ecstatic when I finally figured out how these decals worked and even more pleased with the way they looked. There is no way I would be able to do these sorts of intricate and painterly designs on my own and, initial application quirks/user error aside, I would never be able to do them this quickly. Both hands were covered in the pretty little patterns in less than ten minutes. If you were at all curious what beauty was bestowed upon my nails in the videos here, here, or here then query no longer: it was the manicure above!

After nearly a week of having the previous decals on my nails though (oh yeah, they last that long) I decided it was time for a change; onto the next set! And, since I found the instructions on the packet confusing the first time around, I figured I'd take pictures of the application this time for anyone else who needs it. 

Just follow my little 'guide' below and you'll have fancy pants nails in no time:

It truly is that easy. And that beautiful. And that addictive; pretty sure I'm eager and willing to place an order for a few more of these as soon as I get my next paycheck. If you want to do the same then get excited: the folks at Born Pretty gave me a coupon code for you all to use and get 10% off site wide! Just type in RIFW10 at checkout and you're on your way to receiving some beautiful nail products.

The one downer is that these do ship from Singapore so they take a couple of weeks to arrive but I can assure you they're worth the wait. Born Pretty sends the decals in a sturdy bubble wrap envelope so you won't have to worry about damage during transport. 

Oh! And if you're curious about my nail looks above, the polishes I used were essie's "ballet slippers" and nail inc.'s Gel Effect Polish "Porchester Square". The decals I picked out from the store and used were these:

http://www.bornprettystore.com/1sheet-graceful-white-lacy-floral-patterned-nail-water-decals-transfers-sticker-y092y104-p-12688.html

So that's it folks!

I hope this review was helpful for any of you who have been tempted to order from the Born Pretty Store but just weren't sure (like myself), or for those of you who have always wanted to have super jazzy nails but felt that you weren't adequate enough with your art skills to do so. Pinky promise: these are as easy and beautiful as it gets.

Have you tried water nail decals before?

Love 'em as much as I now do?

What's your favorite method of nail art (D.I.Y., stickers, decals, etc.)?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie