Inque Nails - A Little Cheetah

I've been waiting to post my review of the Inque Nails appliques because I think I might doing something wrong when I'm applying them and I wanted to get it right before I fully review them. I love the designs, but I can't get them to last on my nails. But, I took these pictures so I might as well just post them...

The first design I tried on was this one, called "A Little Cheetah". I wore these the night I went to go see Rammstein- I had to have a special mani for that and these were just the thing!

I used the custom sized ones that were fitted to my nails. I removed all my polish, diligently cleaned each nail with soap and water, then alcohol and let them dry fully. I peeled each applique off the paper backing, lined them up onto the correct nails and then applied heat from my hairdryer while smoothing them down until they shrank a bit.

Despite being custom sized for my nails, they weren't an exact fit and I had a hard time getting each one to lie flat and not bunch up. There wasn't much excess material at the free edge, which is a good thing, but I still had to file a few down due to overhang. Here's how they turned out:


Such an amazing design, isn't it? A photo-realistic, bright/colorful textured cheetah fur pattern. They looked incredible at arm's length- such a detailed pattern that I don't think I could ever duplicate on my own. Seriously cool.

However, shortly after application they all started peeling. I tried reapplying heat to get them to re-adhere, but that really only helped them temporarily. By the end of the night, they had peeled up so much that they were driving me crazy. I only wore them for a day and a half before I had to take them off. This is what they were doing:

See how they're all peeled up at the tips? They're sticky underneath so they attract lint and stuff which makes them even harder to stick down again.

To remove them, I just warmed them under hot water and peeled them off. This left my nails a little rough, so I think I might have not heated them enough.

Could this be happening because I filed off the excess after I had applied heat and allowed them to cool? What am I doing wrong? I had really hoped to be able to wear these for a week or more, like I can with other appliques.

I double-checked the FAQ and Application sections on the Inque website and couldn't find an answer. (By the way, bells 'peal', but stickers 'peel'.)

So.... did this happen to anyone else? I know that lots of people have tried these but I can't remember if anyone said they peeled or not. Any ideas? Did I do something wrong? I really, really want to love these because the designs are incredible. I don't think I can deal with this much peeling, though!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, unlike the Sally Hansen or Incoco strips/appliques which are made of polish, these Inque appliques are printed vinyl stickers.

(These were sent to me for review.)