This product was sent to me for review purposes. Please note that affiliate links are used.
I haven’t always been so dedicated about doing my nails. For the longest time, I was the girl with consistently chipped polished and misshaped nails – and I’m still like that sometimes. However, with the recent events and finding myself at home for months at a time, I came to really enjoy having my nails done! I have been experimenting with gel polishes and nail wraps, and came across a brand on StyleKorean that combines both of these. It was the first time that I’ve seen something like this so, naturally, my curiosity was piqued!
StyleKorean was generous enough to send over to me three different designs from the Edge U Baked Real Gel Nails, as well as an additional fourth design which I reviewed on my Instagram for their Try Me Review Me program. The designs that I’ll be reviewing here (with names as listed on the StyleKorean website to make it easier for you to search up) include:
- Nail Egg Flower Heart Balloon
- Nail Smile Check
- Nail Coral Stone Blusher (currently out of stock)
Each of these are selling for USD$15 but they’re on sale too! All you need to make these work is a nail lamp and a gel top coat – both which you can also get from Edge U or use any that you already have at home. Optionally, you can also use a gel nail base to make these last longer but it isn’t really necessary.
If you’re keen to try these out, check them out at StyleKorean – they have both nail and pedicure designs to choose from. Before you do that though, read on and see how these look once applied too!
Product Description
Described as a semi-cured nail sticker, these are an innovative gel-type nail wrap. Soft and flexible, these give a close fit to your nails and a salon-like finish. Product claims include:
- Uses from gel nail polish that is processed through a ‘Optimal Baked Gel Technology.’
- Has a triangular shape, giving a closer fit on the edge of nails.
- Designed to have a certain ‘volume’, creating a high point over your nails as giving a radiant glass finish.
- Easy to remove with a unique adhesive layer.
- Adheres well and stays on for a good amount of time
Each box contains 34 nail stickers (a range of different sizes, split between basic or accent nails), two alcohol swabs for cleaning your nail, as well as a wooden stick and nail file for application. For designs that have an accent stone, there is an additional sheet of ‘gel nail base’ stickers to be applied beneath any of the stoned nails.
How to Apply
This may take a bit of practice right at the beginning, but I think it’s quite easy overall. Steps as below, with some extra tips from me:
- Clean your nail with the alcohol swap and ensure that it is dried before applying.
- Measure to find the right size. The easiest way to measure is to hold the sheet over your nail and wrap it over. (TIP: For designs where there isn’t really a top or bottom, you can turn the nail sticker to use either a squared or rounded edge to suit your cuticle)
- Apply it over your nail and use the flat side of the wooden stick to smooth out the edges. Make sure everything is 100% flush as, once you cure it, the nail sticker will fully harden.
- Use the nail file and file in one direction to remove the excess.
- Cure the nail under a nail lamp. (TIP: I recommend to do this one nail at a time. Even if it takes a bit longer, it will ensure that none of the edges pop off while you are doing the others)
- Apply a layer of clear top coat and then cure again.
- Repeat for all nails.
Once applied, I found that these can stay for around 1-2 weeks though the longevity can be affected by how well it’s applied (i.e. none of the edges are raised) and also whether you used a base cost or prep beneath the nail. I usually remove them after a week because my nails grow quite quickly anyway.
Nail Egg Flower Heart Balloon | USD$13.50 (On sale from USD$15)
This Egg Flower Heart Balloon design is easily my favourite out of the three that I tried. It has five styles in total – three solid colours and two clear ‘accent’ designs. There’s quite a bit of variety here so you can have a lot of fun customising your look. I also like that the accent nails have a clear base. Once you put the top coat over it, it has a very beautiful shine. This can last 1-2 weeks for me, though I usually remove it after a week due to my nail growth.
Nail Smile Check | USD$13.50 (On sale from USD$15)
Nail Smile Check is actually the first that I tried so this was subject to a bit of a learning curve! Still, it’s a very fun before! It has a solid yellow, as well as black and white checked design. The smiley face nails have a semi-opaque cream coloured base which threw me off a little – I think it would have looked nicer if it was completely clear, though that’s subjective. Still really enjoyed these though! They also lasted around 1-2 weeks, even though I was still learning how to apply them.
Nail Coral Stone Blusher | Out of Stock
And finally, Nail Stone Coral Blusher was the last one that I tried. I was really excited for this but, unfortunately, this turned out to be the one I liked the least. The colour was a lot darker than the official imagery and the stone was quite large, making it more difficult to apply on fingers aside from the thumb. It was also a plastic stone, as opposed to crystal that is often used in nail art, so it didn’t have the ‘sparkle’ I expected.
This also only lasted 36 hours for me – which means they are only suitable for a single night or special occasion. Due to the size of the stone, I found that the gel would lift from the base and eventually pop off. This was no doubt also exasperated by how often I’ve been washing my hands.
And here’s my overall verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A set of baked gel nail wraps to be cured with a UV lamp
THE GOOD
- Uses a soft material and has a lot of size options for a perfect fit
- ‘Volume’ of the sticker looks and feels like real gel
- Easy option for nail art application
- Wears and lasts a good amount of time (except for the stone design)
- Very easy to remove – they also sell a removal serum but I personally had no trouble just peeling it off
- No nail damage afterwards
THE BAD
- Takes time to apply – there’s a bit of a learning curve and you need to be careful that things are fully flush (especially on the edges) before curing
- You must have a UV lamp for these to work
- For stone designs: Lifts in around 24-48 hours – likely dependent on hand washing, application and size of the stone.
RATINGS
- DESIGNS | 4/5
- EASE OF APPLICATION | 3/5
- LOOK/FINISH | 4/5
- NAIL FIT | 5/5
- LONGEVITY | 4/5
- REMOVAL | 5/5
OVERALL RATING? 8.3/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
I really loved using these and I would mostly recommend them for people who have used gel nails before but struggle with doing nail art or fancier designs. I love the creativity and colour schemes that they carry, as well as the realistic gel finish of them.
However, I would not be able to recommend the stone variants because they just lift too quickly – it’s such a shame because, criticisms aside, it is really fun.
For those who have never done get nails before though , these are still a good option to try out. As it requires UV lamp curing and a gel top coat, just be aware that you may have to practice a little more to start out with.
Personally, I would love to see Edge U release individual nail art stickers or more clear base designs which can be applied on top of regular gel polish too!
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
If you’re keen to check these out, head on over to StyleKorean and check out the Edge U page! There’s a great range to choose from and I’ll definitely be looking into using more of these in the future too.
