Monday 12 May 2014

Manic.Monday: Ciaté Cuticle Tattoo's

Greetings everyone and welcome to a new week and as usual on a Monday I'm here to bring you something from the world of nail polishes. If you've read my blog before you'll know that I'm not one to shy away from trying out any nails trends, regardless of how whacky or strange they might seem, but I'm also the first to admit that willingness to experiment does not always equal success. Today's look is not so much about the nail polish itself, as the accompanying cuticle tattoo which is something I wanted to try as soon as I saw the promotional photos of it, and the look just reiterates to me how forward thinking Ciaté is when it comes to nails. Every photo that I've seen of cuticle tattoos is in combination with a very pale and neutral color, letting the tattoo doing the talking so to speak. I can understand that and personally I think that you either have to go pale or full on with vibrant colors - there just doesn't seem to be room for anything in between.

Not feeling quite brave enough to go full out (believe it or not) I chose to go with a pale neutral shade with Ciaté's Cookies and Cream (£9) a beautiful neutral and sophisticated light ecru shade that will make even the shortest of nails look groomed and elegant. It has the usual lovely Ciaté formula which is just the right consistency, not being too thick or thin and even though the brush is of very average width its easy to work with to get a streak free opaque finish, despite being a lighter shade. It's quick drying and wears very well - on my nails I would say that it lasts for about 4 days before I need to retouch the finish and it's a shade that I think would work well with most skin tones.
Let's move on to what actually makes this look - the Ciaté ASOS Exclusive Cuticle Tattoo's (£10). You'll get a set with five different designs and stencils - one set for for your left hand and one for your right hand, and even if you choose to only go for an accent nail, you'll have enough tattoos for at least 30 wears - talk about value for money! Once you've decided on which design you want; a diamond shape, an arrow, a bow, three stars or a floral chain,  you cut out each tattoo for each finger with a pair of scissors and I would recommend that you apply one tattoo at a time. At the back of each sheet you'll see a shape outlined that you need to follow with your scissors and once you've cut that out, you're ready to go once you've removed the clear plastic backing. Place the shape with the outline facing upwards which is also slightly sticky as close to the cuticle as you can get, press down and then use either a cotton pad soaked in water across the back, or just some drops of water to transfer the stencil onto the skin. Once you've added water, the transfer starts very quickly and it's easy to remove the back before the transfer is complete, so take care to make sure that you get the entire design transferred onto your finger before you slide the backing paper away.
The process itself of transferring the tattoo onto the skin is very straight forward and you can't really go wrong, however the trickiest bit is placing the tattoo close enough to your cuticles that it looks nice once you've rubbed the stencil with water. I must admit that I thought that I placed the stencil very close to the cuticle, but in my opinion I probably could have gone even closer and I think that these are things that you'll learn only through trial and error. I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed in the clarity of the outline of the tattoo, if you've seen photos of the cute bow, it looks very clear and precise, although at least with the stars that I chose they are much more faint and not at all what I had pictured, but that could be down to the design. More important is the wear of it; it took me about 10 mins to read and follow the directions properly, being careful with how I traced the outline and then transferring it onto my accent fingers (each ringer finger), however I am VERY disappointed in the wear. It only lasted me a few hrs on one hand before I had washed it away through daily wear and tear and you probably could remove it unintentionally even sooner if you happen to scrub that area just a little bit more than through a normal hand wash e.g. when you apply a hand cream. Considering how long it took me to do just two fingers, I don't think that I would go all out and do one tattoo on each finger and personally I'm not sure that the look is worth it since it's a lot of fiddling for a few hrs of flawless wear, but I guess that if you're expectations are low and all you're looking for is a night out look, then you might be happy with it. What do you think - would you give this a go?

57 comments:

  1. I love the idea of cuticle tattoos! Especially because I have quite a small nail bed which can be limiting for nail art :) I might need to track these down!

    Kate | The Minted Beauty

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    1. It's out of stock at the moment but it comes back regularlyl, so just keep an eye on the ASOS web site and I believe Bourjois is releasing their version soon too :o) Xx

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  2. this looks super cute. I would love to have a real one :D
    http://theknotstory.com/

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    1. It's great that you can choose between 5 different designs for different moods and looks :o) Xx

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  3. Thanks for the review Charlotte! The idea is great and it looks cute but considering how short is the wear time I will not be buying it. xx

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    1. I agree, it's not worth to do one for every finger. I will try other versions as well to see if they last longer :o) Xx

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  4. Replies
    1. Thank you so much - it's a shame it doesn't last very well :o) Xx

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  5. It seems quite gimmicky, but is pretty cute. I'm not sure I'm completely sold on these to be honest, might be good for just an accent nail like you've done here for a night out or something…

    www.walking-in-heels.blogspot.com

    xxx

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    1. I know what you mean, I'm a bit the same, especially since it doesn't last very long :o) Xx

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  6. i love the idea of a tattoo near the cuticle. somehow it seems so edgy lol.
    Jenn
    A Beautiful Zen

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    1. I'm looking forward to trying the bow, I think that would look so cute :o) Xx

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  7. Ah these are so cute! What a shame they didn't last very well!

    Jess xo

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    1. Just as well that I didn't do all fingers! :o) Xx

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  8. The nail polish shade look so classy. I love it! The tattoo looks super cute too but it it's so much trouble I won't bother to give it a try :D

    xx Mira

    www.glamdevils.com

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    1. I know exactly what you mean. I'm sure it gets easier, I just wish the outline of the transfer was a bit more clear and distinct :O) Xx

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  9. This is such a gorgeous color! I only have really white colors in my collection and would love something this color that's a little bit softer and less harsh!

    Carly | Carly Blogs Here

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    1. Cookies and Cream is a gorgeous timeless shade and I believe it's one of Ciatés bestselling colors :o) Xx

      Makeup by Candlelight

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  10. Those tattoos are really cool looking, but if they last just a few hours then I think it's not really worth it! I love your nails!!! xo

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    1. Aww, thank you so much!! I put it all down to Lemony Flutter cuticle butter from Lush :o) Xx

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  11. I was thinking it's a cool idea when I read that it only lasts a few hours!!! No way!!! They make dinosaur tattoo stickers for kids that last MUCH longer :p If that's the case, I'm definitely passing on them. Great idea but poor execution. I hope Ciate will either upgrade it or some other brands will!

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    Replies
    1. LOL - Everybody let's do the dinosaur... :O) Xx

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  12. very nice post!!! love this tattos!
    Visit my blog: Tu Nuevo Look
    Follow me Facebook Tunuevolook

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    1. Thank you so much, that's very nice of you :o) Xx

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  13. These look absolutely amazing! So cute! I think I would definitely stick to just one finger tattoo at a time.

    Rachael x
    All The Little Things x | Rachael McClenaghan

    Make Sure To Enter My GIVEAWAY! - 100 Followers Giveaway | Thank You To You All

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    1. Definitely, and it'll be fun to try the Bourjois version that's coming out soon too :o) Xx

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  14. Oh wow they look so cute - a nice alternative to nail art x

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    1. That's very true, a little bit more edgy :o) Xx

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  15. I love the idea of cuticle tattoos, adds that little bit of detail onto the nail design x

    daisy-drops

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    1. Definitely and it does add something a bit unique :o) Xx

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  16. How cute are those tattoo's? I'm not sure I could pull them off, but they're so sweet xx

    Gemma // Miss Makeup Magpie

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    1. :o) - thank you so much, I'm glad you like them :o) Xx

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  17. I like the idea but definitely more for an accent. I wouldn't have the patience for all 10.

    katespitz.blogspot.com

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    1. I think it might be a bit OTT as well, but who can say no to a little bow. Xx

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  18. Im your 2000th follower ! I love your blog and posts, And those cuticle tattoos are gorgeous <3

    Please check out my blog, bluebellsandblossoms.blogspot.com

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    1. Hiya Izzy! Thank you so much for visiting and for following, you have no idea how happy you've made me helping me reach no 2000! Thanks also for the lovely comment and hope to see you here again soon :o) Xx

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  19. That is a really cute idea! I've never heard of cuticle tattoos before.

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    1. Next time I think I'll try it with an edgier color :o) Xx

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  20. I've seen stamps on the nail before, but tattoos under the nail are even more adorable! Absolutely love this.

    Sincerely,
    Sabrina

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    1. Ah, I'm glad - if you try them, let me know what you think of them :o) Xx

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  21. These look great but it's a shame that they don't last too long!

    Rebecca Coco

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    1. Definitely, I'm glad I decided to do accent nails only :o) Xx

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  22. That's a little sad that they don't last very long. They are sooooo cute! I may have to try these anyway because they are too adorable!

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    1. If you get them to last longer than I did, let me know the trick :o) Xx

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  23. This is SO cute!! I love it!!!! :) Such an easy way to add a different touch to your polish xxx

    Layla xx

    www.sprinklesofstyle.co.uk

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    1. Completely agree, it does add something unique :o) Xx

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  24. I thought these sounded daft, but actually I really like them, they look cute!

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    1. They add something different to a nude look for sure :o) Xx

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  25. Replies
    1. I agree, it will be fun to try that one :o) Xx

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  26. This is such a great idea! I love the look you've gone for and I love the little bow tattoo too! :) xxx
    The Jolly Fashionista

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