Incoco Head Over Heels Swatches and Review

Today I have a review for you of the one of the new Incoco colors from their fall release. If you haven't seen or heard of Incoco before, they are basically nail polish "stickers" (I use this loosely, because they are actually 100% nail polish) which are applied half dry and are self-adhering. I have tried a few Incoco manicures before with much success, so I decided to write a full review of the product.

Let's start with some nail prep. Here are some of the things I use to prepare my nails before applying the Incoco strips.

First, I remove all old nail polish with acetone nail polish remover (the non-acetone nail polish remover is for when I have nails that have an acrylic repair on them). Then, I file the length done and shape the edges. Finally, I buff the ridges on all the nails that need it. I know some don't like to buff the nails because it can weaken them, but if you don't buff lightly, the Incoco tends to show the ridges - the cremes especially. Another possibility is to use a ridge-filling basecoat, but I prefer to use NO basecoat under Incoco because it makes application a bit more difficult. After filing and buffing, I make sure to wash my hands thouroughly to get all the dust off and make sure they are clean and dry.

Here is a picture of the goodies they sent me to review! Exciting, yes?


I decided to do Head Over Heels today, but I will post a review of Just My Luck as well in the near future.



As you can see, it is a cool-toned magenta with some red and blue sparkles - pretty awesome! When I peeled off the backing to the strips, they look like more of a jelly than a creme because they are see through! However, no visible nail line to be seen at all! Check it out!

Head Over Heels (shade)

In the shade, it's just a little shimmery, but still a very pretty color. In the sun the sparkles in it are a lot more apparent, but it's not super bling-y like a glitter or a glass-fleck shimmer. I really like it, and I'm not much of a pink person!

Head Over Heels (sun)

After the prep, I just followed the instructions provided by Incoco, but I have a few tips as well:

1. Don't use a basecoat. The Incoco will stick like glue to a basecoat immediately, allowing for no correction after it has been placed. Without a basecoat, if you make a mistake, it's very easy to just peel it off and reapply it.

2. Don't be afraid to handle them lightly with your fingers. If your hands are clean, there should be no dust or anything to stick to the strips (which aren't extremely sticky). I prefer to flatten the strips out before I position and place them, and stretch them to fit the nail edges.

3. When choosing a size, I think that the best way is to choose slightly smaller rather than bigger. It is quite easy to stretch the strips to fit the nail, but I have more trouble when I try to file off excess that hangs over the nail onto the cuticle.

4. I like to gently push back the cuticles right before applying the strip in order to get it as close as possible to the cuticle so that is lasts longer without getting a gap - especially if I'm planning on wearing them for a week or longer.

5. Practice makes perfect. This is a difficult one to accept sometimes, but in my case it was true. Each timeI found another little tip/trick that worked for me and I got much better at it each time. Also, some colors are easier than others. The glitters, for instance, are the easiest to apply perfectly in my opinion, while the cremes are the most difficult to get nice and smooth because they seem a bit thinner.

Overall, I love Incoco and their awesome product! I have tried the french tips (which make for PERFECT smile lines), the black creme (Midnight), and a couple of the glitters (24 Karat and Penny Rose). 24 Karat is my absolute favorite and as soon as I tried it on, I knew I had to order more of that one! It lasted 11 (ELEVEN!!) days with NO chipping and NO tipwear! Even then, I wasn't sick of the color, it had just gotten quite a gap and I was anxious to try some other Incoco colors! I just wish they weren't quite as expensive as they are

I will try the nail polish removers when I take these off and comment on the wear at that time as well

So what do you think? Have you tried Incoco? Do you like the idea of stick-on nail polish?