How to apply water slide decals to your nails- a quick tutorial!

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There are mainly two types of nail decals: 1- STICKERS which are traditional sticky-type decals with adhesive backing and 2- WATER SLIDE DECALS which must be dipped in water to become adhesive. I have only recently tried water slide decals and they’re so much easier to use than I expected! When compared to traditional stickers, water slide decals are much more forgiving, especially for beginners. They’re not very sticky which means you can move them around as much as you want to get them positioned just right. On the other hand, traditional adhesive stickers are very sticky so you better place them carefully- you only get one shot at it! Most of us know how to use sticky stickers….but in case you’ve never used water slide decals before- I’d like to show you how!

I was recently sent some rose Moon Sugar Decals to test out. I’ve only tried water slide decals once before, but these Moon Sugars applied very similarly to the others- so here’s how I did it….

1) Paint your nails whatever base color you’d like. Wait for your nails to dry a bit. They don’t have to be totally dry, but you don’t want them wet and tacky either.

2) Cut out your nail decals with scissors so all you have is the design without much clear border around them.

3) Do your decals have a clear plastic protective coating? If so, you’ll want to peel it off after you cut your decal to size. Moon Sugar Decals do not have a protective layer, but some do.

3) Grab your decal with tweezers and submerge it in water. Hold the decal under the surface of the water for about 15-20 seconds. See photo below.

4) Remove your decal from the water and it should easily slide off of the paper backing. I like to grip the decal between my pointer and thumb fingers and it should slide right off the backing. If the decal does not slip off when you do this then that means you didn’t submerge it long enough. Simply dunk the decal for a few more seconds and try again. When it’s ready it will slide right off the paper with barely any pressure as seen below….

5) Then place the decal on your nail. You’ll see that it’s not too sticky so you’ll have the opportunity to slide it around on your nail ’til you find the right spot.

6) After placing your decal then apply some pressure to help squeeze out any water that may be under the decal. The pressure caused by pushing down on it will also help it stick to your nail better.

7) Wait a couple minutes til you know any droplets of water have dried up and then apply topcoat to get the decal to really stick! That’s it. Here’s my finished product….

This brand seemed easy to apply. They are also pretty tough so you don’t have to worry about tearing them if you rough ’em up or re-position them on your nail a bunch of times. My only problem was that I got some bubbling around the corners of my decals after applying my topcoat. I used seche vite topcoat for this mani. I’m not sure how other topcoats would work. One of my decals also lifted up a bit on the edge of my nail since I didn’t trim it enough. So if you are using large decals make sure to snip them a bit so they fit your nails well (you don’t want any overhang).

What do you think of this rose design? Because my nails are pointy I didn’t quite know how to position them. I think they were designed to be worn on the tips of square nails, but they still look really cool. Moon Sugar has a bunch of other awesome decals to choose from too. Here’s a few of my faves– Rainbow Nature Girl and Dream Catcher .

So what do you think? Do you wear water slide decals? Do you apply them the same way? These are kinda new for me, but I like them!

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how to decal , how to use water slide decals , Moon Sugar Decals , rose nails , roses , water slide , water slide tutorial

10 Comments

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Cynthia says: December 10, 2013 at 12:26 am I’ve seen these around a lot lately, but I have never used them. They look pretty easy to use so I think I’ll check these out. Quite handy that you have an awesome discount code to share with us too! The rose design is so pretty! Reply Craftynail says: December 10, 2013 at 12:54 am The first time i was afraid I’d screw up … like with stamping or stickers…like if you place it wrong- it’s all over!! But these are clingy, not sticky…so after u position it the topcoat does all the work. 🙂 Reply

I’ve seen these around a lot lately, but I have never used them. They look pretty easy to use so I think I’ll check these out. Quite handy that you have an awesome discount code to share with us too! The rose design is so pretty!

Craftynail says: December 10, 2013 at 12:54 am The first time i was afraid I’d screw up … like with stamping or stickers…like if you place it wrong- it’s all over!! But these are clingy, not sticky…so after u position it the topcoat does all the work. 🙂 Reply

The first time i was afraid I’d screw up … like with stamping or stickers…like if you place it wrong- it’s all over!! But these are clingy, not sticky…so after u position it the topcoat does all the work. 🙂

Lisa N. says: December 10, 2013 at 1:10 am I’ve tried water nail decals and I love them too. Its a great way to get some fast and easy nail art on the nails without much time needing to be spent on it 🙂 Reply Craftynail says: December 10, 2013 at 1:25 am Yeah- they were fast… and you’ll never have to remove the polish and start over like with nail art fails lol Reply

I’ve tried water nail decals and I love them too. Its a great way to get some fast and easy nail art on the nails without much time needing to be spent on it 🙂

Craftynail says: December 10, 2013 at 1:25 am Yeah- they were fast… and you’ll never have to remove the polish and start over like with nail art fails lol Reply

Yeah- they were fast… and you’ll never have to remove the polish and start over like with nail art fails lol

The Dalai Lama's Nails says: December 10, 2013 at 9:51 am Great tutorial! I’ve never tried decals before, and I’ve always wondered about them. Looks kind of like a temporary tattoo! Reply

Great tutorial! I’ve never tried decals before, and I’ve always wondered about them. Looks kind of like a temporary tattoo!

NailsLikeLace says: December 11, 2013 at 1:22 pm I love water decals, they are so much fun to make designs with! And these roses are gorgeous! Reply

I love water decals, they are so much fun to make designs with! And these roses are gorgeous!

vonimoller says: December 15, 2013 at 2:04 am It is silly but I need this! I had no idea how to use water decals Reply

It is silly but I need this! I had no idea how to use water decals

Bailey says: December 28, 2013 at 6:34 pm I have never even heard of this type of nail decal! Thanks for the step-by-step – so helpful 🙂 Also, I love what you did with these, with the white tip. The placement looks perfect! Reply

I have never even heard of this type of nail decal! Thanks for the step-by-step – so helpful 🙂 Also, I love what you did with these, with the white tip. The placement looks perfect!

Winter Solstice Nails | Short & Sweet In Texas says: December 20, 2013 at 8:08 pm […] Born Pretty Store (currently the site is having some technical issues with payment though). Also, Craftynail has a great tutorial on how to apply the decals as well as a 25% off code if you place an order […] Reply

[…] Born Pretty Store (currently the site is having some technical issues with payment though). Also, Craftynail has a great tutorial on how to apply the decals as well as a 25% off code if you place an order […]

Dreamcatcher Decals | Craftynail says: January 21, 2014 at 11:32 am […] Don’t know how to use water slide decals? Here’s a step-by-step that I put together: DECAL TUTORIAL. I followed the same application process for these dream catcher nails, except I also applied a […] Reply

[…] Don’t know how to use water slide decals? Here’s a step-by-step that I put together: DECAL TUTORIAL. I followed the same application process for these dream catcher nails, except I also applied a […]

Thanks for stopping by! My name's Jacqui and I paint my nails more than a normal person should. But normal isn't fun, now is it? I update my blog regularly with fun nail art ideas, swatches and product reviews. So swing back soon to see what me and my crafty nails are up to!

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