Up until now, I've avoided nail art almost as well as Miley Cyrus avoids putting her tongue in her mouth. But my fierce loyalty to my at-home gel manicure kit had me in a bit of a nail rut. For one, I was getting bored by the same colors. And while the lengthy process is great for catching up on episodes of "The Mindy Project," I was tired of spending my evenings glued to my sofa for the sake of pretty nails. Enter Revlon by Marchesa's 3-D Jewel Appliqués, an eight-piece collection of couture gown inspired artwork -- perfect for those who crave easy and elegant nails.
Available this month, each of the appliqués is as unique as its runway counterpart. Three-dimensional jewels and gold detailing are used to replicate the beading and color patterns of the couture gowns created by Marchesa designers, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig. Bases ranging from jet black and deep burgundy to mint green and pale blue are accented with intricate gold and jewel encrusted designs that give nails the appearance of a painstakingly long (and super costly) manicure.
Ready to give them a try? Prep nails with polish remover to get rid of surface dirt and oil that can prevent the stickers from properly adhering. Next, match your nails to the corresponding appliqué. This takes a little bit of playing around; luckily, the set comes with 18 in case you mess up (or want to use the extras to create an accent nail on your next mani). After smoothing the appliqué over nails and pressing firmly, fold the appliqué over the tip of your nail to secure, and, filing sideways, remove the excess material.
I chose Jeweled Noir, which surprisingly lasted through a solid four days of showers and chores before starting to look grungy . Though my manicure totally could have lasted another day or two, I was itching to try on the other Marchesa designs.
Once I had them on (in the time it takes to watch just one "Mindy" episode!), I couldn't stop admiring them. My friends all wanted to know if I had extras for them, and even the girl sitting next to me on my morning commute declared how "amazeballs" they were. Getting a compliment from a stranger on the NYC subway is about as rare as it gets, so you know these nails were turning heads. And while I'm not ready to retire my gel manicure, I'm making room for Marchesa in my mani repertoire this holiday season. Revlon's Marchesa nails have just the right amount of glamour and flair for festive end-of-year parties. And, besides, let's just be honest here: these nail appliques are the closest thing to owning a Marchesa couture gown as most of us will ever get.
