Laura McCartney’s Experience
Laura also had trouble removing the appliqués by hand so
she tried using tweezers. “The tweezers worked great, but
I did rip one in half trying to get it off the sheet using the
tweezers.” She had better luck applying them to unpolished
nails, noting that they seemed to last longer than when
applied to polished nails. Those used directly on Lily’s nails
actually had to be removed after a few days, while those
used on painted nails began to lift up within a few minutes.
“My suggestion for improving the product is maybe
a better adhesive on them, and I would love to see
more designs other than just floral... maybe butterflies
or even polka dots or stripes, or pawprints and dog
bones. Even a FULL nail appliqué would be nice...
no painting the nail required!”
Although the appliqués were not perfect, Laura had this to
say about them, “I think I would definitely use them again! I
like the look of them!”
Laura McCartney noted that, without a top coat, the appliques stick
better to unpolished nails. Lily lost a flower within five minutes of
having her nails done.
Michele Grenkow's Experience
“This particular product is fairly easy to use as long as you yourself have nails to pull the ‘stickers’ off the plastic sheets.” Michele
found the flowers were “a quick solution for fussy ‘kids’ who didn’t want their paws held for long periods of time, “ and Envy the
Great Dane was more upset with having her nails trimmed than with having appliqués applied. “Because my volunteer is a Great
Dane and super active, I decided that applying an OPI clear top coat would extend the life expectancy of the appliqué” Over two
weeks later, they were still on her nails!
In a truly creative matter, Michele found another use for the flowers. “Did you know that you can also use these and other appliqué
products on the ears of short coated dogs?” After more than a week, Maizie, the miniature schnauzer, still has them on her ears and
hip! Michele did not add any additional adhesive to the flowers. “I just made sure that I didn’t get my fingers on them at all (this
seems to be the key to long life).”
A clear top coat increases the lifespan of the
appliques on Envy the Great Dane.
Michele was truly creative and used the
appliques to decorate Maizie's ears.
Envy the Great Dane's french manicure with
the appliques by Michele Grenkow
Conclusions
As mentioned, care was needed to remove the appliqués from the sheet, although different levels of difficulty were experienced.
Michele simply used the top of her nail, while Laura found it easier to use tweezers, something Sandy did not consider until after
using hers. With or without tweezers, the flowers tore if removed too quickly.
They lasted the longest when applied to unpainted nails opposed to polished nails with a dried base coat. However, a dry base coat
did prove more effective than applying them while the base coat was still wet.
Other ways to help them last included using a clear coat of polish on the finished nail and applying them to the side of the nail,
as opposed to the top. The edges of the appliqués did not peel away from the nail as quickly when placed on the side. It is also
beneficial to avoid touching the bottom of the appliqué .
Overall, the appliqués seem better suited for the more detail-oriented, dog manicurists than the busy shop owner. They are good
for the dogs that do not like holding still for too long, and short-coated mixed breeds with just a little too much hair around their
toenails for polish. In both instances, applying a clear coat is rather easy, as it does not need to be particularly neat.
They are also great for making polished nails a little fancier and even decorating a short-coated ear! While everyone
agreed the finished look was adorable, working with appliqués requires a bit of patience.