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Jun 02, 2023

15 Best Brands for Nail

By Nicola Dall'Asen and Sarah Han Treating yourself to an in-salon manicure is nice, but you don't necessarily have to make the trek (and shell out tons of money) to outfit your nails with a gorgeous

By Nicola Dall'Asen and Sarah Han

Treating yourself to an in-salon manicure is nice, but you don't necessarily have to make the trek (and shell out tons of money) to outfit your nails with a gorgeous manicure. That's where nail wraps and stickers come in super handy. Whether you're craving solids or deco-inspired nails, or you're looking to add a punch to your existing polishes with itty-bitty stickers, these delightful stick-ons are even — dare we say — easier to apply than our beloved press-ons. And best of all, no artistic skills (on your part, at least) are required.

If you're unfamiliar with how nail polish strips work, Los Angeles-based manicurist Holly Falcone has a few helpful tips. "If you're just applying a decal, make sure your base coat (applied before) is completely dry," she says. "With tweezers (the needle-nose tip tool works best), gently drop the sticker onto your nail and lay it down with the opposite end of the tweezer, or your finger if you are careful enough."

For full-on nail polish wraps, Falcone suggests by starting with a fresh base. Wash your hands, remove any old polish, and then wipe down your nails with acetone. Then, size your stickers by trimming the wrap down to fit your nail. "Apply the sticker as close to your cuticle as possible, then use your other fingers to pat it down," she tells Allure. "Finish by filing off any excess wrap, and then blow-dry the nails to adhere the sticker to the nail to ensure they don't move." For extra security, apply a top coat to seal in the sticker.

Seems easy enough, right? We love a product we can apply in mere minutes and stays on for weeks at a time. Additionally, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers on the front lines turned to nail wraps and stickers in their vital, fast-paced roles as a form of self-care. (Many hospitals required doctors and nurses to stop wearing fake nails and gel polishes due to their likelihood to lift and harbor bacteria.) "Our hospital just went to no artificial or gel nails, so now my go-to is Color Street nails," said Amy, a registered nurse in Georgia. "They're real nail polish strips that last two weeks — they are so easy and fast to put on."

We've rounded up 15 of our favorite nail-art wraps and stickers brands — which includes a few Best of Beauty-winning brands — for a fabulous, easy-to-apply manicure, anytime.

This story was originally part of our Self-Care Is Essential project exploring the simple power of caring for yourself.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Tired of clipping and filing your stick-on nails? There's no need with ManiMe's innovative gel manicures and pedicures, which we love so much that we awarded them a Best of Beauty Breakthrough Award. The brand's 3D software uses photos of your nails to print out perfectly sized nail wraps, every time, in over 150 manicure and pedicure designs. You can shop by individual designers (i.e. Sunset Cliffs by Glosshouse is shown above), thematic collections like Summer Picnic, or shop classic solids. The possibilities are pretty much endless and oh-so-stylish. Each set comes with 15 stick-on gels, a nail file, and a prep pad.

With nail artist Nina Park at its helm, Scratch Nail Wraps offers whimsical yet chic designs (butterflies, bees, and skulls — oh my) at affordable prices. For just $10, you get 16 nail wraps, a cuticle pusher, a mini nail file, and a buffer. They're printed on a super-thin adhesive with five-free polish inks, which can be easily broken down and removed with some acetone. You can even subscribe to monthly mani kits so the fun never stops.

Meet the least intimidating tattoos, possibly ever. Inked by Dani's Nail Art Tattoos are bite-size cuties that can be applied with just water (like the rest of the brand's temporary tattoos) and come in two, delightful colors and black-and-white sets. There are nearly 200 designs in each pack, all of which are hand-drawn and made with vegan ink.

If you're in search of a glossy manicure with modern aesthetics and clean lines, look no further than Nails of LA Nail Wraps. Founded by Los Angeles-based manicurist Brittney Boyce, this chic line of long-lasting wraps (The Chillest style is shown above) and press-ons alike will have you ditching your regular polish in no time. Each set comes with 20 stickers, a file/buffer duo, and a cuticle stick for seamless application and wear.

Ringing in at just $8 a set (which includes 20 stickers and one mini nail file), Artips Studio's Gel Nail Strips are made with real gel coating for a high-gloss finish that's sure to stun everyone who catches a glimpse of your manicure. The recommended wear time is seven days, which means you'll never get bored of your designs if you swap them out every week. They clearly come in unique and sophisticated designs, like the abstract-face Delilah style pictured above, and are also sold on Anthropologie and Artip's own site.

Deco Miami Nail Art Stickers add instant appeal on top of any solid nail polish shade, thanks to a wide range of too-cute-to-handle stick-ons that run between orcas and seahorses and pink bows and cherries (pictured above in the Mon Cheri pack). With 100 stickers in each pack, the pairing possibilities are basically endless.

We've been longtime fans of MiniLuxe nail polishes, which are just as elegant as they appear, but the Boston-based brand's Nail Wraps are definitely not to be overlooked. Adorn your nails with leafy Jungle (shown above) or juicy Citrus prints, and let the compliments roll in. Every set — which includes 16 wraps, a mini nail file, and an orangewood stick — is eight-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and gluten-free to boot, which should minimize any chances of irritation.

Paintbucket serves up over 25 playful designs and solids for a manicure that's just begging to be immortalized on your Instagram. Case in point: How cute are these rose-colored strips with mini lightning bolts in every color of the rainbow? The Electric Rosé name definitely fits the bill. Other designs include grids, smiley faces, diamonds, checkmates, and so much more — but all sets come with 20 wraps total, along with a black nail file and wooden stick.

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Olive & June, an Allure editor-favorite brand translates all the fun of its bright nail polish selection into its teeny Nail Art Stickers. The sunflowers, ladybugs, butterflies, and paisley designs shown above (in the Feeling Groovy pack of 36) jazz up any manicure in seconds flat.

Dashing Diva offers one of the biggest nail wrap selections in the drugstore with just about every nail-art design possible. If a classic manicure is more your speed, pick up one of the brand's Solid Glossy strips in shades like navy, blush pink, or mint green. Alternatively, jazz it up with glitter and marble accents with a set like Desert Quartz (pictured above). A total of 32 strips means that a pack easily lasts more than one wear.

Ciaté London's The Cheat Sheets are an editor favorite that takes all the best designs from runway nail art and delivers them in easy-to-use stickers (four sheets in each packet) and wraps (22 individual decals). Whether you like something subtle and abstract or bright and bold (like So Electic pictured above, or the über-cute SmileyWorld stickers), there's a nail-art design made for you.

Color Street's Nail Polish Strips are so popular, they were one of the most-searched products of 2019. And it's no wonder, given its huge selection of solid colors and patterns, each of which comes with 16 stickers. Pictured is the Poppy That pattern, which features floral designs in a sunset-like theme, for a dreamy look.

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Le Mini Macaron's bite-size Mini Nail Stickers (pictured in Rainbow Vibes) come in an array of clouds, stars, rainbow crescents, lines, and hearts, which make them every bit as cute as its French name suggests. Layer different combinations on top of bare nails or your favorite regular nail polish (we would totally put these over some neon shades) to make your at-home manicure look like an expensive salon job — except each sheet of over 80 stickers only cost $5 a pop.

If you're the type to load up on sparkle at every opportunity, Modi's glass-inspired designs are going to be your nail stickers of choice. And if you're as big a fan of nail artist Park Eunkyung (she did the nails for our May 2020 cover star Jihyo) as we are, you'll want to score the Modi x Unistella Film Nail Stickers while they last. This set comes with 44 delicate decals for a disco-like effect.

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