I used to hate painting my finger nails because they always turned out looking like a kindergartener painted them. Not to mention I sort of have sausage fingers, so solid blocks of colors on my nails only tend to make them look stubbier. If I ever had my nails done in the past, it was only some version of French tips for me. But nothing makes a girl want to paint her nails more than being told she can’t, and since my occupation prohibits nail polish, I’ve been DYING to spruce up my fingernails! (And by occupation I mean I’m currently a barista. Yes. A barista that’s not allowed to wear nail polish *cries*)
Fortunately for me, I somehow got four solid days off in a row. I got a stupid cold, but can you guess what else I got? I GOT TO DO MY NAILS. It’s the little things. I decided to try out the Nail Rock I had gotten months ago when I was still a Birchbox subscriber, and I just adored the pretty sparkly pink!
Yes, the Nail Rock was pretty. But I’ve got some important things for you to know before you go out with excitement and get your own.
1. It can be messy. The instructions tell you to put on two coats of the solid foundation before dipping your fingers in the textured topper (aka glitter), and the glitter will get everywhere. It’s like a preschool craft nightmare, so be sure to put some paper underneath your little glitter pot for easy cleanup.
2. Put on your first coat of solid foundation, and then alternate your second coat with dipping your finger in the topper. If you wait until you’ve given each of your nails a second coat, they won’t be wet enough to hold the topper. Dip each one after the second coat, and press on to help the topper stick.
3. After you’ve let your nails dry for the recommended 15-20 minutes, apply a top coat. I didn’t do this because the instructions didn’t say anything about a top coat being necessary, and because I’m not super patient and I didn’t feel like investing more time in what was supposed to be a little treat. In retrospect, I wish I had because 1) I really didn’t like the texture of the topper, 2) the texture of the topper occasionally led to snags on thread or fiber, and 3) by the end of the day, more than half of the topper had come off ALL of my fingernails! It is my hope that a top coat would solve these problems, but ultimately–despite being very pretty initially–I can’t say I recommend this product. A lot of time + short-lasting cover = disappointed girl.
What do you think? Have you tried Nail Rock? What’s your favorite nail polish brand?
xx
Little Snail 
i typically only use essie nail polish. the colors are fantastic and super shiny. so i hadn’t heard of this before you told me about it. it does seem like a lot of effort for something that didn’t last long. it sounds like they should have put in the instructions to use a top coat. i know there’s an at home gel manicure set that i’d like to try since working at the library is so rough on nail polish.
I’ve heard Essie is good! Maybe I’ll have to try it out on my toes sometime.