ManiMe: An Honest Review of the Nail Polish Stickers
I first tried ManiMe gel nail polish stickers in 2020 when it was clear I wouldn’t be going to the salon for my bi-weekly manicure. Set on a quest to find the best nail polish, I compared a few of the Instagram famous brands for a thorough comparison (check out the post if you want to see how ManiMe compares to Ohora). Two years later and I decided to try ManiMe again and I can say I’m happily surprised. Keep reading below for my complete ManiMe review.
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Table of Contents
About ManiMe
ManiMe launched in 2019 when founder Jooyeon Song, originally from Korea, saw a need to eliminate the pain point of going to a salon to get a professional manicure. Along with her business partner, David Miro Llopis, she created an idea for custom-fit gel nail polish stickers using 3D technology.
According to ManiMe,
Our stick-on gels are made of 100% Korean gel, similar to what you’d get in a salon. The only difference is that our manis and pedis can be applied in minutes, removed in seconds, and do not cause harm to your nails or require UV-curing. Also, our gel is non-toxic (10-Free) and cruelty-free.
ManiMe.co
How ManiMe Works
ManiMe sets themselves apart from other gel nail polish sticker companies because they are customized to fit your fingernails. There is no guessing which sticker to use for each nail since there is only one sticker for each fingernail. They do give you five extra in case you make a mistake while applying.
Once you purchase your product, you will then upload photos taken with your phone of your fingernails from multiple angles. It’s as easy as that! It took nine days from the time of purchase for them to arrive in the mail.
When they produce the stickers they make them longer than the images you upload to allow for nail growth. I was a little concerned because I had just cut my nails, but the stickers were more than enough to account for a longer nail length.
What I Bought
I bought custom nail stickers in the color Kyoto, a very light purple shade, for $15 and the Max Top Coat No. 2 for $8.
How to Apply ManiMe
After prepping your nails with the included alcohol pad, to remove any residue, you simply take the sticker from the plastic it arrives on and place it on your fingernail. I found it to work best to pull the sticker off from the far end (not cuticle side) and then place it on my fingernail cuticle side first.
A practice set of stickers comes with the nail so I defintely recommend practicing because it can be a little tricky until you get the hang of it.
They recommend wrapping the end of the nail down around your nail and then taking the provided nail file and filing the excess sticker off. That didn’t work great for me since I like to keep my nails on the shorter side. The second option they recommend is to use nail clippers and this worked a lot better.
After wrapping the excess sticker around my nails I took a nail clipper and clipped the sticker AND my nail together. If you are going to go this route then you will not want to shape your nails prior to application or they’ll be shorter than you want. Think of this as when a hair stylist cuts your hair while it’s still wet or once it has dried.
Once the stickers are applied and the excess has been removed you can stop at this point but I used a top coat over it to help seal everything in place and give an extra glossy shine.
ManiMe Nail Polish Results
This is an honest review of ManiMe nail polish stickers and I will be absolutely honest. I had mixed results. I actually bought two sets of stickers to test them twice before writing the post and had two different experiences. It’s most likely user error, but let me start with the pros and cons and then I can get into the different results.
Pros
- Zero drying time for stickers
- Perfect cuticle lines (no post-polish clean-up)
- Variety of colors and nail art to choose from
- Much more affordable than salon manicure
- Easy process to order
- Quick removal with zero damage
Cons
- Takes some practice to apply flawlessly
- Has a rubbery feel, not like a cured polish (this is a major difference in ManiMe vs Ohora)
- Need to plan in advance to allow for creation and delivery time
- Shows nail imperfections (like if your nails have any ridges)
Now, for the mixed results. The first time I applied them not using a base coat and you could see a horizonal ridge I had in my nail (I think from trying press-ons), but the stickers looked great other than that. The second time I used them I applied a base coat first (the Olive & June Ridge Filler) but there were some creases in the stickers at the end of the nail. It was almost as though there was an air bubble that I couldn’t get out and the stickers just didn’t lie flat against my nails.
What was consistent in both cases is that with the use of the top coat there was no gumminess around the stickers like there was when I first tried ManiMe in 2020. Also in both cases my nails lasted around 4-5 days until they started crackling or peeling. ManiMe claims they can last up to 10, but that hasn’t been my experience.
How to Remove ManiMe
ManiMe is very easy to remove and didn’t cause any damage. They just peel off! I found it easiest to peel them off at the end of a shower. When I didn’t have a base coat on they came right off with zero residue. When I did have a base coat on, it took a little more prying to remove them and I needed to use nail polish remover to eliminate the residue that the base coat left behind.
Final Verdict of ManiMe Gel Nail Polish Stickers
I absolutely love that ManiMe are custom fit and you don’t have to spend any time picking which sticker goes best on which nail. There may not be an easier, and more cost effective way, to have fun designs and nail art. My only complaint is that application isn’t always flawless, but I think with some practice one could get very good at applying the nail polish stickers. If they have a design that I like I would buy them again.
If you loved this ManiMe review, check out these other beauty posts:
How to Wear Lola’s Magnetic Eyelashes and Eyeliner
Saie Beauty: A Review of the Clean Beauty Brand
Olive and June Nail Polish Mani System Review
DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. Because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.
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