Review: Perl Nail Polish Strips in Cheetah Girl

I was recently sent a sample of PERL Nail Polish Strips in the "Cheetah Girl" design to review.

PERL is a Canadian brand and they specialise in these nail fashion strips.

I don't have a very much experience in applying nail polish strips, so I'm actually a really good test subject to try these out.  I wondered if they really would be effortless, surprisingly quick to apply like they claimed.  The only other similar product I have tried are the Ulta3 nail stickers.

First of all, here is my finished mani.  The Cheetah Girl design has a pink base with darker pink and black cheetah spots in a smooth creme finish.  This is not a design I would have chosen for myself because  it's a relatively easy design to create using freehand nail art techniques. But anyone that doesn't like freehand nail art (or stamping) would certainly find this design appealing

The little box comes with two sealed sets of 10 nail polish strips, an instruction booklet, a file and cuticle stick (both which I forgot to photograph).  Each of the 10 strips is a slightly different size.  I lined them all on from smallest to largest, and found that the smallest strip was a perfect fit for my pinky, then I skipped the next strip and the third strip was perfect for my ring finger, and so on.  I ended up finding an exact fit for each nail on my left hand.  For my right hand I had to trim a little excess off each of them. The easiest way I found to do that was to trace around the correctly sized strip on the larger strip and then cut along the line

Cost

The strips cost $9 dollars for the packet and you will get two full manicures out of the box. Unlike the Ulta3 stickers, or the Sally Hansen or Incoco Strips where you get a choice of 16 strips, I love that you get 20 strips.  This is a huge point for me, because it effectively halves the price of them.  So with a quick cost comparison based cost per manicure:

So, I've established that these are a very cost effective option, but the question is, are they any good?

Ease of application

I found these very, very simple to apply.  Firstly, it is really easy to select a design that fits each nail because you can just pick them up and line it up on your nail to see if it fits.  Each strip has a plastic backing and um fronting...  Basically the polish is layered between two pieces of plastic that easily peel off.  I pulled of the backing piece with revealed the sticky side and just stuck it to my nail.  I then lifted off the 'fronting' and smoothed the strip down onto my nail.  

Like all nail strips, you have to file off the excess at the free edge.  These strips are thin, so this process was very simple.  I applied a single layer of top coat and wrapped my tips for extra protection.

I completed my full manicure, both hands, in under 20 minutes and it was only the second time I've ever applied something like these.

Quality

I love how thin and flexible these strips are, they are almost rubbery.  Because of the flexibility, I found they were really easy to smooth down around my curved nails and not get any wrinkles.  They are also made from real nail polish - I even checked with the PR company because I was so impressed with the finish I figured they must be something else.  They also confirmed for me, that while they are made with real polish, they wont dry out.

The free edge of my nail was not rough or scratchy and these seemed to wear more like nail polish, in that I got some tip wear rather than peeling.

Removal

Because they are made with real nail polish, they just remove like real nail polish.  A quick wipe with remover or acetone and they are gone.

Verdict

I guess with any product received for review, the big question is: would I actually spend my money and buy these?  The answer is yes and in fact I already have.  I have placed an order for some of the designs that are more suited to my tastes and ordered some for my mum too.  Orders over $35 get free shipping, so that what I'm doing.

PERL Online store

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Product provided for review