Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

A while ago Sally Hansen introduced these Salon Effects nail polish strips, which are designed to last up to 10 days. They are available in patterns, solid colors and glitters. The look is similar to Minx, which you've probably seen on Beyonce or Katy Perry. The strips allow you to get the Minx-like look at home for a fraction of the price (however, the process to apply them is different).

I purchased a set of these (a bright flowered pattern) several weeks ago but had yet to try them. Then I found a coupon in this week's Red Plum mailing for $2 off the strips. I also had some CVS ExtraBucks laying around, bringing the cost of the strips down from $10 to $5.50. So I picked up the Kitty Kitty pattern, a metallic leopard print.

I am nothing if not subtle!

With some spare time on my hands (har har) Tuesday night, I decided to give the leopard print pattern a go. Here's what comes in the package with the nail polish strips:

16 nail polish strips, mini orange stick, mini file/shaper and instructions. The picture in the instructions indicates that you can just gently file off all the excess nail polish strip, but I suspected I might need scissors, so I got a wee pair out to do a bit of trimming.

The strips were not hard to put on at all, but it did take me some time - nearly an hour. They're not overly delicate, but you do have to be careful not to gouge them if you're using the orange stick to smooth out the wrinkles. And if your nails are very curved, you will have to be careful not to wrinkle the strips.

I was really happy with the results. It's nice to finish applying these and then just go on about your business without worrying about denting or creasing your manicure. Because I just put these on, I have no idea how they'll wear - I did put a top coat over them and used it to wrap the tips. So I'll have to report back to you about the removal process and how long these last.

Couple things: I had to trim the sides of some of the strips because there were not enough smaller strips to fit my nails. If you were careful and willing to do a lot of shaping, you could get two manicures out of one package; I don't really have the patience. The strips do get kind of stiff and difficult to work with if they're exposed to the air too long - I warmed them up by putting them between my palms or blowing on them. This just makes them a little easier to shape.

Even at full price, I'd definitely buy these again, but for me, I wouldn't waste my time on the solid colors. If I want a nice red creme on my nails I'll just take 10 minutes and paint them. The patterns are really fun, though, and I'll purchase them again for sure.

I've seen these at CVS and Rite Aid. Highly recommend!

I have something ridiculous to show you.

Having grown up in the 80s, I've always been wary of fake plastic drugstore nails. I think I bought some Lee Press-on Nails when I was in middle school. Do you remember those? No? Perhaps a visual aid will help.



I like how they come in "natural" and "glamour" length. Lee's idea of "natural" is more my idea of "glamour," but, whatever. I think at one time there was also a "sport" length, which I definitely remember buying.

Although as a teen, perhaps I should have been buying Miss Lee Press-on Nails. I definitely remember seeing this commercial on television.



I love this commercial. In particular I love the shot of the shoes - we called them "jazz shoes" - at the 15-second mark. I was crazy to have a pair of shoes like that circa 7th grade.

Anyway, I was never able to keep my Press-on Nails pressed on for more than an hour or so, plus, they looked terribly fake. (I suppose part of that could have been operator error.) So I've always been wary of the fake nails that are available in drugstores, because while fun and adorable, I figured there was no point unless you were going to glue them on.

Nonetheless, I saw a review of Nail Bliss nails on Scrangie and I had to have them. I figured I would just skip the adhesive tabs and glue them on. I bought the chrome ones in her review and also the faceted nails (SO AWESOME).

This weekend I finally had an opportunity to wear the nails. I couldn't commit to the glue, however, so I tried the adhesive tabs. And they worked great! These nails were crazy fun to wear.

AHHHH! I can't even stand how shiny they are. They were far too long for me right out of the package so I used nail clippers to hack them down to size and then gently filed off the rough edges. They are rather thick, plus using the adhesive tabs makes them somewhat thicker. Viewed close up, I suppose you can tell they are fake, but they didn't look tacky or jank. I felt like I had magical robot droid hands. They really reflect light, too, so if you were going to a concert or a club they would probably almost bling you to death.

I put them on at about 5 pm on Saturday night and removed them at around 7 pm on Sunday. They were fairly comfortable to wear although the thickness started to get to me after a while. I used a nail that was slightly too wide on one finger and that one was kind of sore while I wore the nails. But overall they didn't bother me, and they stayed on very securely.

Removal was easy. I just poured a few drops of pure acetone around the edges of each nail, waited a minute and then gently worked an orange stick underneath. They popped right off. A few of my nails were a little rough after that, but I just buffed them lightly. I did my nails with regular old polish right afterwards, and you can see that (aside from dry cuticles due to the acetone) there were no ill effects. (This is Funky Fingers Elephunk, a dupe to Color Club Wild Orchid.)

New OPIs, hooray!

So you may have heard some news recently about the Katy Perry collection from OPI. (That's a joke, because of course you've heard of it.) The collection is already out of stock at Transdesign and I totally missed being able to order Not Like The Movies, the only one I wanted from the set. Bummer. I suppose it's possible I'll find it out in the wild somewhere, but from what I hear this whole collection is flying out of stores so perhaps I shall just have to live without it.

Not to worry, there are other OPIs to get excited about. (And yes...I'm still in the throes of my OPI love...new collections can't come out fast enough for me as far as I am concerned.) For instance, the Serena Williams Glam Slam duo and the Texas collection. Yee-haw!

Sorry.

Anyway, here's the first color I tried from the Texas collection, It's Totally Fort Worth It.

Silvery gray with pink microglitter/shimmer. Quite pretty. When I was applying it, I had a sad trumpet moment when the first coat went on incredibly sheer. But it built well enough. This is three coats.

Perhaps work appropriate, if you have a more conservative office environment. Maybe just two coats if the office is super conservative.

Very subtle and delicate. I'm a sucker for most anything gray so this is win for me.

Except for this.

This is what Transdesign does to some of their OPI caps now. It's a gouge where a serial number should be. Kind of annoying, though not annoying enough to make me drive to Ulta and pay an additional $3 per bottle.

The other Texas colors I ordered are I Vant to Be A-Lone Star, Guy Meets Gal-veston and Don't Mess With OPI. Guy Meets Gal is a jelly and I think it's going to look super cute as a pedicure, should winter ever care to release its iron grip on Northeast Ohio.

As I mentioned, I missed out on Katy Perry but I did get the Serena Williams duo, which includes Black Shatter. Black Shatter is a crackle polish designed to be applied over dry nail polish, creating a shattered effect. I have to admit I didn't go wild for this one at first, but of course I ended up having to have it. I really liked the green in the Serena duo, so I just got the set.

Here's Black Shatter over Revlon Powder Puff, a squishy dreamy white with a blue flash.

AUGH. I love it!

Now I know a lot of people are excited about the upcoming China Glaze crackle polishes, but I won't be buying them. I will keep the few China Glaze colors I truly love (Emerald Sparkle, Stroll, Ruby Pumps) but owing to either body chemistry or some other whim of science, China Glaze just plain doesn't work on me. (I also hate their brush, but that's another story). So no Tronica, no Anchors Away, no crackles and no summer neons for me. I can't say I'm too sad.

I'll have to try my other Texas colors soon and let you know what I think!