I have been wanting to try Sally Hansen Salon Effects since I first saw them in the stores. They are sticky strips made of real nail polish that come in all sorts of colors and patterns. Recently, Fred Meyer had them buy 2 get one free, so I finally got some. Here's one of the ones I bought:
Cute! For my first try though, I decided to test out the red lace pattern called I Love Lacey for my first time around, it seemed like a fun choice for my birthday weekend.
I LOVE them. If they were more affordable, I would wear them all the time. As it stands, you'll pay $8.50 - $10 depending on where you get them, which seems pricey for a one time use. They do have sticking power though, so if you get your nails done at a salon it might be worth it to try these out.
I watched several videos on YouTube before applying them for the first time just to see what the process looked like. A few of the reviews seemed to think they were difficult, but I had no trouble at all. I found the entire process very easy. I did have to re-do one nail because I chose the wrong size and could see a gap on one side, but it was easy to peel it right off since I did it right away.
It took me about a half hour to apply these, which for me seems great. When I do my nails, it usually takes at least that long. I like to get good coverage and allow for plenty of dry time, and if I'm doing something fancy like french tips or nail art, there is often waiting time between layers.
First, sorry for the bad quality photos - they were all taken with my cell phone. They should be clear enough to see.
Here are the strips right after I put them on:
One of the great things about these is that there is no dry time! It's weird to be able to go about your business right after a manicure and not worry about smearing it or denting the polish. Sometimes nail polish can stay tender for hours and if you hit it or rub it the wrong way, it will ruin your manicure. I did put a clear polish top coat over these because I thought it would help them keep from chipping around the tips of my nails.
Here are the strips after wearing them for 6 days:
As you can see, they still look pretty great. One of my nails had gotten a slight chip at the tip, but it was barely noticeable. You CAN see grow-out happening, which is one reason it's important to get them as close to the cuticle as possible when first applying them. I found it to be slightly annoying after the fourth day or so, but I also realized it was not noticeable to anyone but me.
I did not do many dishes during the time I had them, but other than that I went about my routines as normal. I would say that these have really great staying power - I can totally see them lasting the 10 days listed on the box. Possibly longer, though the grow-out might start to be obvious at that point. I only lasted for 6 days in them because I'm a polish-a-holic and wanted to do a new color after that many days. If you want to try something fancy, but have no patience for polish or re-doing your nails every few days, these would be perfect!
Other than the price, the only downside to these is that they were a real bitch to remove. The box says the come off with regular nail polish remover, and they DO... but it took me almost 30 minutes to completely remove the polish from my nails. Part of it was that they come off weird, there were kind of... chunks? Goo balls. I'm pretty sure it was all a result of the sticky stuff that attaches them to the nails. It was stuck all over. Also, red polish is often difficult to remove from around the cuticles anyway, so that didn't help.
All in all, I still give them a thumbs up. I love being able to have a patterned nail without all the tape or strips or brushes or stamps - I'm not great at freehand. Compared to purchasing plates & stamps, these are also cheaper if you just want them for a special occasion.
Have you tried these? What did you think?
I am a small time blogger. No one paid me for this review, nor did anyone give me free nail polish (too bad!). These are just my opinions about a product I tried & loved.
