Nail Gems: A Tacky Trend...But I Kind Of Love It

A few years ago, the latest craze in the beauty world was nail art. All forms of nail bling became available on the shelves of Superdrug, from a wondrous range of special effect top coats, to fiddly nail wraps and stickers, and the more impractical nail gems. The trend has since died down a bit, with most of us opting for a more classic, muted nail style which doesn't end up restricting us in our day to day lives. However, when these Qwerkity nail gems* were popped through my letterbox, it somewhat rekindled my love for these trends...and I'm not even ashamed of it!

It needs to be said, there is little chance of creating a classy look with these gems. Not gonna lie, they do look like something you'd get for a 7 year old girl as a Christmas stocking-filler. Nonetheless, I must say that I do love a bit of tat just as much as the next person (something I have unfortunately inherited from my Nan). These tiny bits of talon-bling are so tacky, it almost makes them amazing.


Regardless of the packaging and the fiddly 'wheel of [mis]fortune' contraption which has led to me spilling all the gems over my carpet on many occasion, these are great if you love getting creative with your nails. I love setting aside a bit of time to pamper myself and get my nails looking tip-top, and playing around with nail gem designs are a really fun way of expressing that creativity. You can go from a simple statement nail look, to choosing an all out 'LOOK AT MA BLING' style. The possibilities are endless!

If you put any snobbery about looking cheap to one side, these gems are so easy to use and can actually jazz up an outfit quite well. It's a playful accessory which I can see being quite fun for upcoming festivals. Just whack on your base nail colour, get the gems you want to apply ready, slather on a clear top coat and (using tweezers) pop the gem into place. After gently pressing the gem down and letting the clear varnish dry, you're pretty much good to go. I have found an extra coat of clear varnish on top of the gem does help them stay down longer.

They may seem quite impractical (there's certainly no sneaky nose-picking with these on), but they are so playfully tacky that, well, I kind of love them. These only cost a mere £3.99, and after having a browse on the Qwerkity website, there are actually loads of funny beauty gift ideas that I've been cooing over.

Are nail gems a beauty trend you'd like to revive? Or should they stay firmly put in a 5 year old's arts & crafts box?

*These nail gems were sent to me for consideration by Qwerkity, however all views are my own. If I didn't like them or have something to say, I wouldn't feature them!

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