And in my big crazy clean out I cut it down to this (slightly) more reasonable pile.

Individually here is what it was like before, most of these are super cheap ones that James buys when I’m sad about something ^_^

And some more random polish photos because I just like seeing colour coded things all lined up :D

So there you go! I’m really glad to cull the collection a bit because it’s pretty out of hand XD 1/2 gone now though! Cleaning things out makes me happy!

She even included chocolates (not pictured because I ate them mwahahaha) and some little flowers from her craft stash! So let’s break this review up into the different products: Custom full cover false nails, black/white decals and colour decals.

First up the full cover nails!

Inspired Nails offers a bunch of very pretty designs on their site but what’s more exciting to me is the option to design your own nails and have them specially printed for just US$12. Considering that most regular decent quality sets will set you back at least $15 here I think the price is really good because you can get anything you want printed and it’s cheap enough that you could just get them done for a special event. Some of the suggestions on the site are for corporate logos, photos and pets but I think the best use would be custom matching blog nails for events! I’m a bit biased though haha ;)

So what you get is 20 nails in 10 sizes, the design is printed directly on to the nails and top coated before being sent off. You apply like any other false nail, give it another top coat and you’re good to go.

I received 3 set of nails: pink leopard print with my logo and two of my custom logo design at difference opacities. I submitted my design and she printed several test sets to make sure that the opacity and colours were right which I thought was a really nice touch.

I know with most printers if you submit something and it doesn’t work out first time the response is “sucks to be you” so I was really impressed that she took the time to work with me until we were both 100% happy with the results. I think that’s the difference with working with someone who clearly has a real passion for what they do!

Quality wise the nails are on the thicker side but still flexible. I found them easy to file and cut to shape (they only come in square tips at the moment) but they didn’t splinter or shatter like cheap nails. Very close up you can see the individual ink spots from the printer but unless you’re looking at it 3cm infront of your eyes I don’t think anyone is ever going to notice.

One think I would watch out for in application is that because they are printed on a white base when you file or cut the ends you need to be very careful the angle you do it on otherwise the white base can show up on the tips. If that happens just paint over the tips with a matching polish colour.

In case you were wondering how I apply my nails here is a short video ^_^

Black and white decals!

I love these, they were hands down my favorite thing in the package. These are not those thick vinylish decals that I’ve reviewed before, think of these as like temporary tattoos but for your nails. That’s the best way I can think to describe them!

To apply them you cut out the one you want, dip in water till it’s soaked, slide off the decal and press it onto the nail. Smooth it and add a top coat and that’s it. I love these because #1 they look fantastic when you use the right polish underneath but #2 you don’t need to be a genius to apply them.

These are FANTASTIC for girls who want extra pop on their nails but don’t have the time or patience to sit and paint something themselves. These black and white sets range between $3-10 and the full cover sets come with 24 while the smaller ones like the comic book designs come with 82 in various sizes. For me I think that’s awesome value too because you can again get completely custom designs.

These are the nails that I used my custom monogram ones on for the Adelaide Beauty Conference, so cute! I gave the girls a quick run down on using these while I was there too XD

With these I would really suggest using them over a medium to light base colour and over the top of glitters they just look AMAZING. Glitter leopard print for the win and the fact that you can change up the base colour for different designs makes them very versatile. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about these and I know I’m going to be ordering a whole lot of other designs too.

And in case you were wondering, here is a quick tutorial I made on how to apply them :D

The Inspired Nails website also has a bunch of tutorials and tips on application so if you get stuck check that out.

Full Colour Decals!

Ok last but not least Eileen sent me a second package with her newly arrived full colour decals and I tested them out last night. These ones are a new product and I found them a little bit more tricky to get the hang of than the b/w ones.

I was sent cupcake ones, Alice in Wonderland ones and also some more of my monogram but in colour. I tried out the monograms and the full cover cupcakes and these were my results.

Eileen gave me some tips on the application because while these ones are still thin they are a bit thicker than the b/w versions.

One quick tip with the color decals because the film is slightly different.  Let them dry for a few seconds on a paper towel after you separate them from the backing. Place a drop or two of ordinary rubbing alcohol on your nail and then apply the decal. The alcohol will adhere the decal to your nail and allow you to smooth it out and press it in place before you apply the topcoat. It also makes the decal a little flexible so you won’t have any tearing when you apply the topcoat. However, you can’t “slide” the decal around on your nail if you use the alcohol method.  Rubbing alcohol is also called surgical spirit, isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol. Our new packaging will include an alcohol soaked pad with the decals.

This is the monogram on a plain white nail base:

So I gave them a try, once with and once without the alcohol and I would definitely suggest using it to soften them up, without it they go on the nail fine but they like to spring back against the curve of the nail and so while drying mine tore a little bit. With the alcohol I found them to work like a dream and they applied almost as easily and the b/w version.

Full cover cupcake on a pink base:

One more thing to keep in mind is that these ones are opaque all over if you don’t top coat them so a white background can be seen if you don’t use a topcoat (which you really should be doing anyway). The photo below has half topcoated and half not so you can see what I mean:

Still the possibilities with these really excite me because I am imagining using them as a base while adding some diamantes and points of interest over the top. Much quicker than hand painting!

The end result here after top coating was really slick and pretty.

So verdict?

There wasn’t anything in the package that I wouldn’t recommend. The custom full cover nails are good quality and a really cool accessory to have. The designs up there that they’ve done themselves look really beautiful (go check out the Van Gough Starry Night nails and the pink leopard print French tips with diamantes especially!) and there is a good variety of both designs and products to choose from.

The colour decals are pretty awesome too and I can see them as being a great way for people with not much time/skill to have awesome show stopping nails. They are a bit more complex to use but I still think that a beginner could manage it and there are enough extras included in a pack that even if you make a few mistakes you’re not going to run out!

The show stopper, in my opinion, of the group had to be the black and white decals though. Perfect texture, perfect finish, great usability and I think I could put them on in my sleep and still get a great result. They are very forgiving to mistakes so perfect for beginners and are so versatile that I can’t see myself getting bored with them any time in the foreseeable future. The prices are very reasonable considering the volumes and still much cheaper than other places I’ve seen.

DO WANT.

Now what you’ve all been waiting for DISCOUNT CODE!!!

Being a reader herself, Eileen was kind enough to extend an awesome offer to you guys a great discount ^_^

Just type in  VIOLET15  when you check out to get  15% off your entire purchase, excluding shipping costs.  One use per customer.  Expires December 31, 2011

I know a couple of the girls I spoke to were concerned about the shipping costs between the USA and here so here’s a word on that too, they use real-time shipping calculator so there’s no minimum charge rubbish, it’s actually worked out along the way so according to Eileen 1 set of nails to Aus is around US$5 and my whole box of stuff (including lots of chocolate) was under US$7. So even with that added on it still makes it worth it in my opinion.

Go check out Inspired Nails

Hope you enjoyed the review/tutorials/photos/discount code, I can’t want to think up more ways to use my monogram decals :D

Colour Name:
Maura

Description:
Bright as hell orangey red.

Thoughts:
This is one of those show stopper colours. You can’t get much redder than this. The thing that really made me love this collection was the consistency. Every single polish had an equally good formula and every one was pretty much opaque in one coat and looked stunning in two.

Good for:
-Grabbing attention
-Flame themed nail art
-Probably good for Konad because these are all very opaque.
-Bright fun summer or spring styles.

Bad for:
- Office/conservative work friendly manicures.
-Any remote kind of subtly.

Colour Name:
Jancyn

Description:
Traffic cone orange. Can’t put it better than that.

Thoughts:
Love this colour because it’s completely versatile. It’s pretty and could work in so many different ways, I’m thinking this with black lace tips for Autumn, or white polkadots for Summer. I don’t normally like oranges but for some reason this was my favorite out of the collection.

Good for:
-Halloween themed nail art, reminds me of pumpkins and candy corn. Man I wish it was easier to get candy corn here!!
-Probably good for Konad because these are all very opaque.
-Bright fun summer or spring styles.

Bad for:
- Office/conservative work friendly manicures.

Colour Name:
Dana

Description:
Darker deep pink, in some lights it verges on the red side of things.

Thoughts:
This is one of those fun colours which seems to be different in any number of lighting situations. Sometimes it’s a bright pink, sometimes it’s almost a deep red, it’s a very interesting colour combination either way and it sets it a bit apart from being just another boring pink.

Good for:
-A slightly different/modern take on all of the old fashion red manicure designs.
-Probably good for Konad because these are all very opaque.
-Bright fun summer or spring styles.

Bad for:
- Office/conservative work friendly manicures.

Colour Name:
Robyn

Description:
Bright sky blue.

Thoughts:

It can be hard to find variations of blue polishes but this is a nice change! Out of all of the polishes in the collection, this is probably the one with the most variation between coats. It’s very build-able so I imagine you could create some really interesting designs especially with multi layered konading.

Good for:
-Sky/rainbow nail art
-Probably good for Konad because these are all very opaque. Would like to try using this to multilayer konad.
-Bright fun summer or spring styles.

Bad for:
- Office/conservative work friendly manicures.

Colour Name:
Perrie

Description:
Redish purple.

Thoughts:
Out of all of the colours in this collection this one is probably the only one that isn’t immediately bright and summery. It fits with the collection when you look a them as a whole but by itself it kind of reminds me more of an overcast kind of day. Not that it’s a bad thing, I actually really like the colour and it did feel a little easier on the eyes after all of the super brights ;)

Good for:
-Good base or highlight for gothic designs.
-Probably good for Konad because these are all very opaque.
-Spring/summer themes without going too far over the top

Bad for:
- Office/conservative work friendly manicures.
-Being bright and cheery on it’s own

VERTICT: As a whole I loved the collection, while they aren’t exactly colours I would wear plain every day they are all versatile and opaque enough to be really valuable colours for nail art. The formula is smooth and has a great smooth consistency which makes it easy for beginners to get a nice finish. The price per bottle is reasonably cheap for Aus so I wouldn’t hesitate to order. DO WANT.

Start with clean, filed nails.

Apply 2 coats of base coat and wait until completely dry. The base colour I used was White Gold.

The next colour I’m using is Gold. This is where the tiny paint brush comes in handy!

Paint little splotches all over the nails randomly.

They don’t need to be even or the same size, you can make them as big or small as you like.

Last colour I’m using is Bronze.

Use the tiny paint brush to edge the spotches. Don’t worry about being neat about it and don’t go around the edge in a complete circle, you want it to be broken up into 2-3 parts with gaps between them.

Let it dry, apply a clear top coat for extra shine and you’re done!

You could reverse the colours to put a light leopard print on a dark background for a really pretty effect too.

This is a really good pattern to break your teeth on if you’ve never tried nail art before because it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes :D

Bad for:
- Non-girly designs. I don’t think there’s a way to un-girly this shade of pink!

Colour Name:
Private Jet

Description:
Matte dark purple.

Thoughts:
I do love matte purples, I have quite a few of them, when I swatched this one I just wasn’t particularly excited by it. It’s not that there’s anything particularly wrong with it, I just think it’s too similar to other polishes I’ve got. Still, looking at it by itself it’s got a nice smooth finish to it.

Good for:
-Dark midnight themed designs
-Might make interesting konads as it’s pretty opaque and matte konad=win.

Bad for:
- Shininess XD Obviously this could be fixed with a top coat though!!
-Being the same colour as in the bottle, obviously because it’s a matte shade it comes out a lot darker when it dries.

Colour Name:
Summer Spice

Description:
Super bright orangey red.

Thoughts:
Oh my god this shade required sunglasses to look at for long periods of time!! It’s a nice matte finish the same as Private Jet but I found this one a much more interesting colour. It really smacks you in the face with it’s awesome brightness!

Good for:
-Spring/Summerish manicures designed to stand out

Bad for:
- Subtlety

Colour Name:
Bronze

Description:
A redish bronze with gold shimmer.

Thoughts:
I really liked this one, I could totally see it being used in some awesomely shiny leopard print designs. It’s a very reddish bronze which I think makes it nice and versatile.

Good for:
-Jazzed up leopard print or other animal print designs
-Probably good for konad because of the high concentrate of shimmer

Bad for:
- Rushed one coat manicures, really needs a second coat.

Colour Name:
Verdigris

Description:
Greenish gold.

Thoughts:
I think this is the weirdest colour I own, it’s not quite gold but it’s not quite green but in other light it’s not quite whatever colour is reflecting off it. I honestly didn’t really like this colour, something about it just didn’t sit right, on my hands it just looked a little sickly. It might look nicer on someone with a more olive complexion? The colour change between the different coats was quite interesting too.

Good for:
-Swirly 1970′s themed manicures

Bad for:
- My skin tone
-Consistant colour

Colour Name:
Titanium

Description:
Silver with a silver shimmer.

Thoughts:
This one is a really intense silver packed with shimmer. Only needs one coat and shines like hell in the sun. No complaints about this one at all, goes on smooth and and is so versatile.

Good for:
-Probably konad as it’s super shimmery and opaque
-Adding a little bling to a standard design
-Awesomely shiny french tips

Bad for:
- Natural looks. Seriously it’s not a subtle finish at all.

Colour Name:
Iron Ore

Description:
Black with a beautiful silver shimmer.

Thoughts:
This is probably my favorite of the whole collection. The silver shimmer really gives it an extra edge and the finish is kind of satin-ish. When I applied a top coat it was like looking into the far reaches of the galaxy XD It has a really nice depth to it and while not completely opaque in 1 coat it is still enough that I would wear it with one coat just for a change.

Good for:
-A nice twist on gothic themed manicures
-Maybe good for konad as it’s pretty opaque

Bad for:
- Light girly themed manicures, though if paired with the Beauty Queen pink that could be a really interesting combination!

Colour Name:
White Gold

Description:
A nice light gold with silver shimmer.

Thoughts:
Now pair this with the Bronze and you’ve got yourself a fairly impressive leopard print! By itself though, the colour didn’t thrill me. I’m not one for tans or neutral colours so I think there are other girls that could rock this look way better than me! The finish was really nice though, true to its name it really did look like white gold.

My bad for loosing the photo with the main swatch but you can pretty much see the finish from the bottle. It really does look exactly the same.

Good for:
-Natural work friendly manicures with a little punch
-Probably another one which is good for konad because it’s nice and opaque which hell of a shimmer

Bad for:
-Standing out in a crowd

Colour Name:
Gold

Description:
Bronzey base with a LOT of gold shimmer.

Thoughts:
This is the third colour I would use in my awesomely shiny leopard print of doom ;) The bottle really doesn’t do justice to how this looks on, once it dries it’s *really* shiny. In the bottle the tan/bronzey base looks like it’s in main colour but once it’s on the nail the gold shimmer works its magic and it’s like looking at foolsgold/pyrite. Opaque in one coat, what more do you need?

Good for:
-Natural work friendly manicures with extra bling (I’m noticing that’s a theme with the this collection)
-Using as a little accent to cute girly manicures

Bad for:
- Probably wouldn’t look good with some skin tones as it’s very yellow.

Colour Name:
Amethyst

Description:
Deep pinkish purple with a silver shimmer.

Thoughts:
Another of my favorites from the collection. I do love a good pink/purple and the shimmer just makes it really versatile. It needs two coats to be opaque and it a tiny bit streaky but I still love it because it has a lot of depth.

Good for:
-Darker gothic  designs
-Add a little silver accent and you’ve got something cute and girly too

Bad for:
- Probably bad for konad as it’s not very opaque first go.

Colour Name:
Flaming Lava

Description:
Red with a deep red shimmer.

Thoughts:
LOVE this one too. It’s another one that I could spend hours staring at because of the depth of colour. The shimmer really amps up the colour so in the light it’s a little hypnotic. Opaque in one coat is really nice for a red this pretty too.

Good for:
-Nice twist on really sexy traditional red manicures
-Probably good for konad as it’s nice and opaque

Bad for:
- Super sweet designs, this one is just plain sexy.

So overall? A lot of the colours I loved, some were ok but not for me. I probably wouldn’t buy the whole collection but I would definitely buy my favorites individually. At $4.95 each you can’t really go wrong with some of them. Molten Metallics is definitely an interesting collection so I can’t wait to see where Face of Australia go next!