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How These Gel Nail Stickers Saved My Wedding Mani at the Last Minute

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Before and after.Suzy Forman/Us Weekly

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I don’t get my nails done very often — I love watching nail art videos, but I only average one or two basic manicures per year. I usually keep my nails short for playing instruments, and I tend to just paint them at home, letting them chip for a little too long before removing the polish.

For my wedding day, however, I obviously wanted to treat myself to a gel manicure at a salon. Nothing too fancy, but something pretty and timeless — a sheer, glossy pink to match the undertones of my gown. I never got around to the lash lift or facial I’d wanted to treat myself to, but a manicure, I could do. I booked one for the day before I left, as I needed to travel for the big day. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite go as planned. So, how did it all work out in the end?

Get the Dashing Diva Glaze Nail Strips for just $16 at Amazon! Grab the Mini LED Gel Nail Lamp on sale for just $8! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication, March 21, 2023, but are subject to change.

I had tried to find a skilled nail tech in my area, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any. I haven’t lived here long, so I decided to just go to a salon my friend had recommended. I had grown my nails out for a few weeks into nice round shapes and was feeling good — until the woman doing my nails cut them into short, square shapes without asking. Bad start! And the sheer, glossy pink I’d wanted with ultra-fine glitter on top… didn’t quite turn out how I’d expected. At all. (The before photo is at the top of this post!)

I wanted to speak up, but I’m admittedly not the best in these situations. I also didn’t trust the woman doing my nails anymore, and the salon was incredibly busy. So I left, went to another salon and got the gel immediately removed — a drill making me bleed in the process. Eep!

I went back home and texted my maid of honor about how I was just going to bring one of my regular pink polishes with me, but then I remembered Dashing Diva. I’d tried the brand’s semi-cured gel nail strips in the past and was so impressed with how good they looked and how long they lasted. I looked them up, found the absolute perfect color — Jelly Glaze — and rush ordered them to my maid of honor, as I was leaving the next morning. Two days later, I sat on the bed in her hotel room applying the nail strips, feeling absolutely incredible about the last-minute purchase. The next day was the wedding!

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First look photo. The Fox & The Hare Photography

Get the Dashing Diva Glaze Nail Strips for just $16 at Amazon! Grab the Mini LED Gel Nail Lamp on sale for just $8! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication, March 21, 2023, but are subject to change.

These mauve pink gel nail strips have a fine, shimmery chrome finish, and they’re even a little sheer at the bottom for a super natural look. Each package comes with 32 strips of all different sizes, plus the proper prep and finishing tools you’ll need. It’s so easy! And once you’ve applied and trimmed each strip, all you need to do is cure your nails under any LED nail lamp for 45 seconds, and they should be set for weeks! I use the one from Dashing Diva, which is currently on sale!

Even though I’m not a big “nail girl,” having this gorgeous color on my nails really upped my confidence — because, of course, I wanted everything to be perfect. Even though my wedding manicure experience started off as a bit of a disaster, these nail strips looked absolutely beautiful and earned my manicure tons of compliments. I was so excited to tell people I was actually wearing gel stickers!

Get the Dashing Diva Glaze Nail Strips for just $16 at Amazon! Grab the Mini LED Gel Nail Lamp on sale for just $8! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication, March 21, 2023, but are subject to change.

jamie-chung

Related: Jamie Chung Swears by These Bestselling Breast Petals Instead of Bras

Looking for something else? Shop more Glaze nail strips here and explore more from Dashing Diva here! Don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

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