Maybelline may have solved one of my biggest beauty dilemmas with their Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers ($12.99, amazon.com). Often times, I’m too impatient to wait until my nail polish dries and, very unfortunately, end up with dented and ruined nails. Maybelline’s stickers don’t dent because they don’t need to dry, which makes them ideal for someone like me. However, there’s more to consider than impatience when talking about nails, so here’s a look at a comparison between Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers and traditional nail polish.

Overall, they both have their benefits and a place in your beauty routine, but Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers don’t usurp traditional nail polish for creating a pristine look.

Chemicals

Winner: Nail Stickers

No worries about chemicals in nail stickers — 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, acrylic acid (pictured above), and hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone are the only ingredients your nails come in contact with.

There’s been a lot of talk about nail polish chemicals — three in particular: toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP — and whether or not they’re hazardous to your health. The studies that demonstrate their dangers use them in quantities far, far higher than any amounts to which someone would be exposed. In fact, in those quantities, even some of the substitutes that natural nail polishes use like butyl acetate could be carcinogenic (Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology).

While the results aren’t in yet, it’s understandable that someone might wish to eschew traditional nail polishes until they’re proven safe. Nail stickers are a pretty good alternative to traditional lacquer polishes. These don’t contain any of those potentially problematic ingredients, just those in the glue: 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, acryclic acid, and hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone.

Durability of Nail Design

Winner: Nail Polish

Nail polish will definitely last longer than nail stickers.

Though I was able to wash my hands in warm water and didn’t have a problem with Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers, they certainly aren’t as durable as traditional nail polish.

The stickers are easily removed — they peel right off. I tested one of the adhesives by getting it a little wet and it’s sticking power, as one might assume, was compromised.

Once nail polish hardens, it only really comes off through chipping or nail polish remover. The lacquer is much stronger and more resilient against heat and water, making traditional polish a better choice for long-term nail looks.

Ease of Application

Winner: Nail Stickers

Nail stickers are much easier to stick on than nail polish — and easier to keep from getting messed up.

Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers certainly are simple. Application involves peeling the sticker and applying them to bare nails. Then, using the cuticle stick, move from the cuticle upwards pressing it onto the nail. Fold the excess at the top and file away any extra bits. The filing was surprisingly easy and took the extra sticker off without ruining the look of the nail.

Conversely, nail polish involves a steady hand and comparatively quite a bit longer for drying. It’s much easier to mess up overall. The most one needs a steady hand for Maybelline’s stickers is to ensure that they’re set properly on the nail.

Look of Nails Overall

Winner: Nail Polish

Overall, nail polish looks cleaner and smoother than nail stickers.

Overall, nail polish looks better. It may be more difficult to make look nice, but it has a smoother, most consistent aesthetic because the lacquer allows for some settling, whereas the stickers might bubble a bit depending on how you lay them on the nails. And while it’s more difficult to create vivid patterns, the pure look of the nail is better with a traditional nail polish. Yes, it’s harder, but it’s just a smoother finish.

One more issue that affect sticker-uses is sizing. There’s no way to get the perfect width for the stickers and so there’s bound to be some issues with getting the right fit. I personally found that some stickers were too wide, while others were too thin, creating a look that wasn’t as neat as I’d like.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers and traditional lacquer nail polish each have their own places in one’s beauty repertoire. On the one hand, Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers are best when you want an intricate design, a quick nail look for an event or just a few days, or something without chemicals. But, overall, if you want long-lasting and a shiny, lacquered finish, then traditional nail polish is your best bet.