Showing our #DisneySide with DecalGirl Skins

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We received products from DecalGirl in exchange for writing this review.  The opinions expressed here are our own.

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Two Cell Phones, 1 Desktop Computer, 2 Laptops,  3 Tablets, 2 IPods, 1 LeapPad… We may not be the most high-tech family, but we’re definitely not the Flintstones either.  Being the Disney-lovers that we are, we’ve always wanted to show our #DisneySide by getting cool character cases or covers for our gear. Sadly, Disney’s D-Tech line is only for apple products (mainly the IPhone).

Enter DecalGirl.

DecalGirl offers an extensive line of Disney skins, with support for over 500 devices.  So no matter what device you may have, chances are that DecalGirl can give you a perfect-fitting skin to go with it.  We were given the opportunity to try some of these skins on our own devices.

I’ll admit that I had never heard of DecalGirl.com before this opportunity came along.  Before deciding whether or not to try them out, I headed to the website to see the selection of skins and to find out if they had them for any of our devices.

I was impressed at the range of devices they support, and they had a nice selection of Disney skins, including the following characters:

• Mickey and Friends
• Disney Princess
• Tinker Bell
• Cars
• Planes
• Monsters University
• The Muppets
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Frozen
• Toy Story
• Bambi
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Winnie the Pooh
• Phineas and Ferb
• Villains
• Tron
• The Lion King
• The Incredible
• Alice in Wonderland
• Wreck It Ralph

We ordered 3 skins from DecalGirl.  For my wife’s laptop, she chose a Tinkerbell theme.  For our daughter’s Kindle, she unsurprisingly chose a “Frozen” skin featuring Anna and Elsa.  Our son chose a Lightning McQueen design for the LeapPad that was handed down to him from his sister.  (He had no idea what he was choosing it for, but Lightning McQueen is pretty much his favorite when it comes to everything)

We received our 3 DecalGirl Skins in a large USPS envelope.  Each was individually sealed along with instructions.  A sheet of corrugated cardboard had been inserted in the envelope to keep it from being bent.

I was very pleased at the both the speed at which we received our skins and the care that was taken in shipping.

The first skin I chose to apply was the Frozen skin for Bella’s Kindle.  It came in a gloss finish.

Step 1 for all applications is to “clean your hands and device thoroughly.”  NO solvents or cleaners are supposed to be used on the device.  Simply use a clean dry cloth to wipe it down. Choose a well-lit and clean space to work.

Her skin came in 2 sheets.  One full sheet that would be applied to the back, and one border to be applied to the front.  As the instructions point out, working slowly and taking time to make sure you know how it all is supposed to line up is a good idea.  This will prevent you from having to peel it off and reapply unnecessarily.

The skins came off of the backing easily, and had holes in all the proper places so as not to cover the camera lens, power/volume buttons, etc.  I started in one corner and worked my way across and down from there.  The skin also has slits in the corners to help it fit over the beveled contour of the Kindle.

I found myself getting a little crooked at times.  Fortunately, it was very easy to peel back the skin from the device and reapply to correct.  You want to be careful not to pull too hard on the skin so you won’t stretch it.

Bella loves her “Frozen” Kindle.  Considering how difficult it is to find Frozen merchandise, this is a great alternative.

Next up was the LeapPad, to be covered with the Cars “Kickin’ Up Mud” design in a matte finish.

The difference between Gloss and Matte finishes is both visual and textural.  Gloss is not only shinier, but also feels a bit more slick.  The matte finish by comparison is duller, but feels better to my fingers.  The difference is probably minimal, but in my head, I feel like I’m less likely to have the matte finish slip out of my fingers.  

We got Bella her LeapPad two years ago, but she had since outgrown in and upgraded to a Kindle (with parental controls).  Her LeapPad has since been appropriated by her little brother.

It had seen a lot of use and had some obvious wear and tear, so I was hoping this skin would cover up some of that, give the LeapPad some “new life” and help make it his own.

Like the Kindle, the skin came in 2 sheets, one for the front as a border or frame around the screen, and one for the back.  Unlike the Kindle, this one needed to be applied in pieces, rather than one continuous sheet for each side.

It also had all the proper holes for buttons and the camera.

And since this early model ran on AA batteries, the skin was pre-cut to make sure the battery covers could be removed.

One disappointing aspect was that the skin only covers the front and back, but not the sides. The original purple style of the LeapPad clashes a bit with the red.

Jackson didn’t seem to mind at all.  He watched the whole process intently, and even proclaimed, “Wow, my NEW LeapPad!” when I finished!

Lastly,  we had the skin for Lisa’s laptop.

I had provided the dimensions of the laptop to DecalGirl and they sent an appropriately sized skin.  (Had they not had the exact size, we would have needed to trim it).

This one had no holes that needed to be aligned.  It was just a simple peel-and-stick… but the big question was, which way to put it on!!!

The other two skins had obvious “tops” and needed to be applied a certain way to fit properly. This could go either way.  So the options were to:

A: Have Tink facing “up” as the laptop was in its closed position, but upside down when opened and in use.

B: Have Tink upside-down when the laptop was closed, and then she’d be right-side-up when you opened it.

Lisa opted for B.  You can’t really control which direction someone will look at a closed laptop from.  It really doesn’t throw you off when you go to open it either.  So she opted to have Tink be upright when the laptop was opened.

My Thoughts…

Quality 

DecalGirl has been in business since 2003.  They say their products are “100% Made in the USA” and that they are of the “highest quality”.

These are our first skins, so I can’t make a comparison between these and other brands directly.  I can only tell you that the quality seems very good to me.  These are definitely not “stickers”, and I don’t expect them to start coming off on their own, or to get rips or tears easily.

It’s only been a few days, so we’ll see how they hold up the more we use our gadgets.

Protection

The protection factor is minimal when it comes to these skins.  It will help prevent some scratches, but it will make no difference should you drop your device on the floor.  DecalGirl does have a line of actual phone cases for a select number of phones, though.

Service

I’ve had no reason to contact their customer service yet, so I can’t speak to how their customer service is in that regard.  All of my emails to their representative regarding our order were responded to promptly and courteously.  That, and the efficiency with which our order was processed gives me a positive vibe on how they’d respond in the future.

Value

Is it a good value?  Ultimately, that’s the question it all boils down to, and the answer will be different depending on many factors.  But for what it’s worth, here’s my take:

I did some searching around the Internet to find other skins, and I found a few other sites selling them at comparable prices. There were even some selling for less, but without being able to physically compare them, it’s hard to say if those would be of the same quality.  My gut tells me no.  So you’re not getting robbed.

On top of that, if you specifically want a Disney skin, DecalGirl appears to be THE place to go. I didn’t see any other sites out their with a selection of Disney skins to match.

Conclusion

So, in my opinion, the value in these skins is the ability to express yourself and give your device some “character”.  Of course, if you can do that for less, it makes it a better value.  So with that in mind, we’re happy to tell you that from now through the July 15, 2014, you can save 15% off your total DecalGirl purchase by using the promo code: HOMEWHEREMOUSEIS15

I’ll be using the discount to order a custom skin with our blog logo on it for my netbook.

Do you have any experience with DecalGirl or other skins for your devices?  What skin would you choose if you could chooses any of their offerings?  Would you want a “Home is Where the Mouse is” custom skin?

As always, we welcome your comments and questions below.  Thanks for reading!!

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We received products from DecalGirl in exchange for writing this review.  The opinions expressed here are our own.

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