Born Pretty Review: Bling, Nail Foils, and A New Way to Marble

Hello, lovelies! I hope this blog post finds you well. I received a wonderfully intriguing package from Born Pretty Store that I am pleased to share with you. Here are the goodies inside: crown nail ring (item #21304, $3.36), holographic nail foils (item #21590, $2.94), and marbling nail art comb (item #20690, $6.99).

Here are my reviews of each item, starting with this uber-glam princessey crown ring! This item comes in silver tone (just like mine) and gold tone. From images on their website, the gold version looks just as fabulous. The ring is made of metal and features sparkling rhinestones. The backside of the ring is adjustable to fit fingers of various girths. You can see that my fingers are on the slender to average side of the spectrum and I did not adjust the ring from the medium setting. There is room to make it smaller or larger. I think this little ring can add a truly glamorous look to any nail design!

Now this was my first time trying out nail foils. I did not use specific nail foil glue, but it seemed to work well enough just using nail polish once it’s somewhat dry but still tacky (at the point where you could make a fingerprint on your nail by pressing your fingertip on the nail). If you have never used foils before, make sure you are touching the matte side to your nail rather than the shiny side in order to transfer it from the backing to your nail! I do not recommend finishing with a topcoat since it can dull the holo. If you have a stick tool with a rubber hoof on the tip like the one I used in the picture below, that makes pressing the foils onto the nail quite easy. As you can see in my photo below, the foils can be applied to the entire nail by using a dabbing motion. They can also be cut into shapes and applied to the nail in that way. However you do it, I think this foil has an awesome holographic effect!

This next item, a marbling comb, requires a little bit of explanation. I have never seen a product like this before, so I was particularly excited to try it out and see what it can do. This tool features a plastic handle with uniformly spaced metal prongs. I’ll now provide you with some ideas for how to use the comb. This may look like a lot of steps but it’s really easier than it looks!

1. First, set up your workspace. You’ll need: a plastic zip-top baggie (i.e. Ziploc), clear nail polish (I recommend a fast-drying topcoat), nail polish colors of your choice (thin crème polish seems to work well), creativity, time, and your swanky marbling comb.
2. Paint a section of your baggie with clear polish. We will be making decals with this, so paint an area that’s slightly larger than what you’ll want to place on your nails.
3. Once this layer is completely dry, paint some stripes of your desired polish colors. Lay it on thick! Instead of painting stripes, you can try other designs as well: blobs, target-shapes, blocks.
4. When these stripes are still wet, gently drag the prongs of your comb through the polish. You can drag more than once if you wish, drag in a straight line or use a side-to-side motion… whatever your creative mind decides.
5. Once you’re satisfied with the look of your design, wait for it to completely dry. Depending on your design, you might want to give it a couple hours. After it’s dried, add a thin layer of topcoat.
6. Your decal is complete! Once the whole thing is dry, gently peel (starting at the edges) and lift your decal from the baggie. If it is not completely dry, you will notice as you begin to lift the central portion. If you notice the polish is somewhat gooey or resistant to peeling up, just lay it flat again and give it some more time to dry. If you’re struggling, you may want to try peeling the baggie away from the decal rather than peeling the decal off of the bag.
7. Carefully cut out pieces of the decal that you would like on each nail. For full-nail coverage, I recommend cutting a piece that is slightly larger than your actual nail. You can always trim more away, but if it’s too small then you’re stuck.
8. Get your nails cleaned up and ready to decorate. Painting them with a white base color can help your decal’s colors to seriously pop. When your base is slightly wet still, gently press your decal onto your nail. Do your best to prevent wrinkles from forming by using your fingertips to smooth it out.
9. Trim and file away the excess, then seal in your nail design with a final layer of topcoat. Beautiful!

Please let me know if you buy one of these marbling combs. I would love to see the ideas you come up with! Check out these fun designs:

I really think that these three items were unique and so much fun for nail artists at any level. The creative possibilities are endless! The marbling comb makes things so easy. You can come up with so many designs and execute them so easily this way. In my opinion, it was much easier than traditional water marbling. The cleanup was also much neater. I will admit that the nail foils take a bit of practice but they're worth the effort if you keep at it. Remember, if you choose to pick up these items or any others at Born Pretty Store, feel free to use the code FEPX31 to receive 10% off your purchase as well as free shipping worldwide!

Disclaimer: I received these products free of charge from Born Pretty for honest testing and review purposes. The opinions stated in this post are my own.