Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Gunmetal January 26, 2012
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Nail Polish, Sally Hansen
1 comment so far
I passed over this polish SO many times. It always seemed interesting, but inevitably I’d find something else I’d want to purchase instead. Finally I bit the bullet and picked up Gunmetal. And I”m quite glad I did.
Gunmetal is a dark blue-gray with tons of shimmer. It is what I would call steel gray which makes the name rather appropriate. There is alot of shimmer but not so much that I would call this frosty. But it is definitely inching in that direction.
The formula is good. I did use 3 coats but realistically I could have gotten away with two. And as with all of the polishes from the Xtreme Wear line, it wore extremely well.
This does remind me a bit of OPI Light My Sapphire just quite a bit lighter.
Make sure to check out the macro shot below the jump 
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Purple Pulse January 21, 2012
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Sally Hansen
2 comments
Oh look, it’s yet ANOTHER purple nail polish! I clearly have a problem. A purple nail polish problem. Despite the fact that I know this, I continue to buy more. I just can’t help it!
Purple Pulse is a blue based purple with blue and red microgitter. The color is really quite gorgeous. And the formula is also fantastic. Two coats were all I needed for an opaque, even application.
One of the reasons I was drawn to this polish is that it looked very similar to Avon Matte Violetta. Matte Violetta is a GORGEOUS color but is an awful polish. So while Purple Pulse isn’t exactly unique, I’m glad I picked it up.
There is a macro shot below the jump
Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamonds & Rubies December 17, 2011
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Nail Polish, Sally Hansen
add a comment
My nails are as strong as diamonds! They can CUT GLASS! No seriously, Sally Hansen told me (and by told me I mean I read on their website….) that their Diamond Strength line of polishes has a “micro-diamond formula that instantly bonds to nails with a diamond hard protective shied to help stop breaking.”
I will address those claims later, but first the color. Diamonds & Rubies is, as you can probably figure out from the name, a red creme nail polish. The color is not particularly unique, but is a bit warmer than my favorite Summer reds, making it more appropriate for the cooler weather yet still flattering.
Application was fantastic. The formula is very pigmented and covers well in just two coats.
Now…as far as Sally Hansen’s claims regarding the polish….I don’t know. I’ve worn this polish twice. The first time I actually had a nail break. I don’t have brittle or weak nails so I rarely if ever have a break. Of course this polish was not to blame for the break, but it didn’t prevent breakage, either.
On the front of this bottle is also said “no chip nail color.” Of course, all nail polish chips, but I didn’t find this polish wore particularly well either time I wore it.
Basically….buy these Diamond Strength polishes for the color and nothing more!
Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect – Dune November 20, 2011
Posted by Katie in Sally Hansen.Tags: Drugstore, Nail Polish, Nude, Sally Hansen, Smooth and Perfect
7 comments
I have to admit I was intrigued by the idea of the Smooth and Perfect line when I first read it about here on Nouveau Cheap – which is one of my favorite go-to blogs for beauty deals and swatches for drugstore products. I’m always excited to try new brands and lines so I picked this up yesterday at CVS for a little over $6.
Even though I don’t have ridges, I though this might be a nice fit for me since I do have problems with a few nails splitting. Since I can’t find any information on the SH website, let’s tick through the claims on the display, shall we?
- Breathable/Allows 20% more Oxygen to Reach the Nails – I’ll go ahead and admit here that this reminded me instantly of Scrangie‘s April Fool’s Post – which had me immediately removing my nail polish and feeling like a complete moron afterwards) – my nails haven’t mentioned to me an increase in their oxygen intake so I’ll just have to take this one at face value.
- Porcelain Smooth Finish – sure why not. It does give a very smooth finish.
- Streak Free – Ahh… after 3 coats I still had a little bit of streak action going on, maybe with a 4th it’d go away.
- Promotes Stronger, Healthier looking nails – too soon to tell on this one and since I rotate through polishes so often, I doubt I’ll wear it long enough to find out – although it did say stronger & healthier looking…. not stronger & healthier nails.
Now, time for my opinions!
- Color: I’m a big fan of nudes so I was anxious to try another, this one is a very light nude it has the slightest bit of shimmer to it and can every so slightly pink at times – it translates well from the bottle and Dune is a great name for it. In some light’s it matches my skin exactly and it almost makes me look like I have corpse hands. I will say that the color is very elegant looking. My grandmother always tells me that your nails are meant to be an extension of your hands not an accessory – and that was the first thing that came to mind – she’d love this color.
- Application & Formula: Application was so-so, the brush is a wide brush – very similar to the brush that comes with the Insta-Dri line – I think a smaller brush would have worked better for me. The polish went on very sheer at first and took about 3 coats to build up. While you can still see visible nail lines, for some reason it doesn’t bother me like it usually would.
- Overall: I wish I’d picked up another color, nudes are always so hit or miss with me. The line is all pastels and before I pick up another I’m going to wait for other reviews. The price in my opinion isn’t worth it – I see this as a $3-$4 polish. I’ve only found one nude that I absolutely love and that’s Sally Hansen’s Nude Now. I could see this as a nice toe color though which is probably what it will end up being for me or I may give it away since I only used it on one hand. We’ll see!
Have you tried anything from the Smooth and Perfect Line? I’d love to hear what you think! Also I’d love to know what you think of this longer type of review. Should we do more or do you prefer the short and sweet posts?
I hope you have a relaxing day.
Cheers!
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Kitty, Kitty November 19, 2011
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Nail Art, Nail Polish, Sally Hanen
add a comment
All of a sudden life has gotten so hectic! I blame it on the holidays. The holidays make people crazy and I am no exception. This year for Thanksgiving I am attempting to cook a whole turkey for the first time. I am terrified. Moral of the story, I knew I wasn’t going to have time this past week to do my nails so it was a perfect time to give Sally Hansen Salon Effects another try.
I am a sucker for anything leopard print; shoes, clothes, accessories. You name it, I own it in leopard print! I’ve even tried to do leopard print myself (which ended poorly…). So when I saw Kitty, Kitty it was a no brainer. I had to have it! Kitty, Kitty was also the perfect choice since metallics are a huge polish trend this fall and go with everything!
In terms of application and wear I had great luck with Wishnets so I was expecting the same great results with Kitty, Kitty. For the most part I was happy with the application and wear, but for some reason Kitty, Kitty did not wear as long as Wishnets. Perhaps I did something wrong when I was applying the polish strips, but the polish strip on my right pointer finger came completely off after only 5 days of wear (and is still floating around Uptown Charlotte somewhere….).
If you want more info about how to apply these polish strips and their durability I did an entire post on those topics that can be found here.
Make sure to check out the macro shot of Kitty, Kitty below the jump
Trick or Treat: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear – Pumpkin Spice October 30, 2011
Posted by Katie in Sally Hansen.Tags: 2011, Essie, Glitter, halloween, Orange, Sally Hansen, Xtreme Wear
add a comment
It’s almost Halloween! Even if you have already been to some Halloween festivities and have to return to the daily grind tomorrow like I do – you can still show off your holiday spirit with some festive nail looks.
After wearing the Salon Effects Ghoulie Girl for a week I was reading for a change – (by the way – Ghoulie Girl wore fantastically – I lasted 6 days and only had one teeny chip on the last day). So I present to you my Halloween nail look for this year. Pumpkin Spice is a great layering polish – I only tested it on it’s own once and knew the sheerness would irritate me – so I saved myself the trouble and put it on top of essie’s Licorice – which is my go to black polish.
The glitter distributes very evenly – I put on 2 coats of Licorice and 2 coats of Pumpkin Spice for this picture. If you can still find it – definitely pick it up. It’s a look I like a million times better than Hard Candy’s Mischief (Dupe of China Glaze’s Ick-a-Body) – which is just too much orange glitter for my liking.
A few other looks I’m loving: Cristina‘s Water Marble, Salon Effects in WishNets, and Brooke’s Candy Corn nails.
Happy Halloween (Eve!)
Trick or Treat: Sally Hansen Salon Effects – Ghoulie Girl October 26, 2011
Posted by Katie in Katie, Sally Hansen.Tags: 2011, Ghosts, Ghouls, halloween, Holidays, Nail Strips, Sally Hansen, Salon Effects
3 comments
Halloween perfection! How cute are these little white and orange ghosts? Or are they ghouls? Either way I got so many compliments today – probably more than when I wore Laced Up (my only other experience with the Salon Effects strips) and now I’m excited for Halloween.
I just put these on Monday night and this picture was taken Tuesday – I wanted to go ahead and post in case you wanted to run out and get these for any weekend parties (or trick or treating!).
Another reason I wanted to go ahead and post is that my thoughts on application are very fresh in my mind. First off, my experience was not as good as with Laced Up (nor as good as Alli had with Wishnets). So what’s the difference? I do know that my nails are not in very good condition right now – they’re dry, one is still splitting and my cuticles are in dyer need of a professional mani (ugh!). I didn’t use a base coat as Alli suggested, but did follow the SH directions exactly.
On two of the strips, they didn’t come clean off the backing – ripping down the sides. On my pointer finger, I had a chip within hours, but I also applied that one poorly – peeling it halfway off before realigning it – so please be careful when you place your strips! However, I have enough strips left over to fix that this evening. After it chipped I took nail clippers to it – which is why it’s a bit shorter than my other nails.
All in all, I’m not ready to place any blame on Sally Hansen and I’m going to chalk up my less than perfect experience to user error. I needed to prep my nails a bit better and be more careful when I was applying them. Overall, I love the design. I’d gotten it on a whim and wasn’t really excited about putting them on – but once they were on – oh so cute!
Overall: Love the look and I am SO excited to try some of the new winter designs that I saw at Target last weekend.
Edit: Despite my slightly imperfect application this wore amazingly! I work it before 6 days before I got twitchy and wanted to put on something different. Thumbs up!
Sally Hansen Salon Effects; Application, Wear and Removal October 24, 2011
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Nail Polish, Sally Hansen
2 comments
As mentioned in my previous post on Sally Hansen Salon Effects Wishnets, I resisted trying Salon Effects for a long time. Considering the high price of the one time wear polish product I was skeptical. Mostly I was skeptical of the application process and wear time. Turns out, I have become a big fan!
Application was super simple. Since I have shortish nails I was able to cut all of the strips in half so I’ll be able to get at least one more application out of a single box, if not two. All you do is match the polish strip that best fits the shape and width of your nail. Once you pick the nail polish strip, remove the plastic backing and line up the strip to the cuticle and slap it on!
A few tips that I found helpful.
- File and buff your nails a bit shorter than you would usually wear them before application.
- Push your cuticles back.
- Apply a base coat and let dry completely.
- When applying the nail polish strip put it as close to the cuticle as possible then to adhere it to the nail push the strip down in the middle from the cuticle to the tip, then work on the sides.
- When removing the excess polish, wrap the tip of the nail.
- Apply a topcoat, also wrapping the tips.
The wear I got from these polish strips quite frankly shocked me. I wore Wishnets for 9 days. 9 ENTIRE DAYS of not doing my nails. I almost lost my mind! The packaging says these strips can last up to 10 days but my nails were in desperate need of a fresh manicure after 9. I started to notice tip wear after about 6 days, and had some significant chipping after 9. There are pictures from all 9 days of wear below the jump.
Sally Hansen claims that these polish strips can be removed with regular nail polish remover. I tried that first and it ended up removing the red but not the fishnet pattern. These strips were removed easily using 100% acetone polish remover and a little effort.
Overall, I have been won over. I am a believer in Sally Hansen Salon Effects. In fact, I’ve already picked up several more designs to try. These would be particularly good to wear on vacation instead of dragging 7 polishes, a topcoat and a base coat with you to Malibu (not like I ever did that!).
Photos below the jump of all 9 days of wear
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Madame X October 12, 2011
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Nail Polish, Sally Hansen
add a comment
I spotted the new Asian inspired Prabal Gurung Limited Edition Fall 2011 Complete Salon Manicure Designer Collection display at CVS and to be honest at first look nothing really stood out. I passed the display during several visits to CVS and didn’t pick anything up, but slowly Madame X started to draw me in.
Madame X is a gorgeous pinkish red creme with an orange undertone. The formula is absolute perfection; opaque and even in just 2 coats.
This is a lovely year around red, but that being said it doesn’t seem all that unique. Madame X is quite similar to alot of the polishes in my Warm Weather Reds comparison post.
Fall Favorite: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Gray by Gray October 7, 2011
Posted by Alli in Sally Hansen.Tags: Nail Polish, Sally Hansen
2 comments
This polish was my Mac Blue India lemming killer. Turns out it didn’t really work….I spotted Mac Blue India at a CCO and just HAD to have it. But! Gray by Gray is a lovely polish for Fall. It’s unexpected but still subtle, which is what I love about it.
Gray by Gray is a dusty slate blue creme. It applies wonderfully in two to three coats.
Generally speaking I am not a huge fan of the Complete Salon Manicure line. It’s a bit pricey for a drugstore polish line, in my opinion. But this is a fairly unique color so I don’t feel so bad! Lol
