Nails Done Easy
Do you ever see something in the store and really want to buy it but you're just not certain that there is anyway on earth that it will 'deliver'. Yes? Well, that was the case here with
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. But I have to share how pleasantly surprised I was by the better than expected results I received! Every time I was in CVS I would pick up a box of these little gems, read the microscopic writing on the back then set them back on the shelf. I'd say to myself, "They can't possibly work" and "they are $10 a box" or "I have plenty of nail varnish at home" along with "stop being so frivolous with your funds" and the most obvious question "why am I standing here talking to myself in the middle of the store?" And off I'd be.
December 2011 rolled around and Matt's sister Tanya was visiting from Washington State...she is an avid collector of the newest, latest and the greatest things. I do adore her for that. She, like myself, does not have little ones to suck all of your earnings so readily out of your satchel, so she is forever purchasing goodies and giving reviews. As we chatted over some hot tea our talk quickly turned to nail colours. I believe mine at the time was 8 fingers of chipped black and my ring finger on each hand a chipping charcoal. She proudly displayed her impeccable manicure, waving 10 perfectly polished (or so I thought) fingers with tiny dots in a stunning grey and cream combo. I could have sworn I heard trumpets sounding and doves flying off to the distance. I quickly set my cuppa down, looked down at my 'mess' and began to slowly turn my fingers in towards my palms as I slid my hands into the pockets of my jumper. Smiling a shameful smile... all the while thinking to myself 'epic nail fail Skaggs..epic.fail'
I asked her when she'd had her nails done and at what salon because this nail technician was nothing short of an artist! Then she said it "oh these, this isn't paint..it's those Sally Hansen Colour Stickers"
I was almost sold, but I had questions! Questions I wanted answered and I wanted them answered NOW!
-How long do they last?
-Are they hard to apply?
-Ok, I had two questions, but still, I wanted ANSWERS!
"They say on the box they last up to 10 days" Tanya replied, as she wiggled her fingers in front of my face, "but I always get about 15 days or more...I'm actually tired of the colour or design way before they come off." Now she was just bragging. So I asked "They're probably really hard to put on, no?" She turned her palms to the sky, curled her fingers around and lazily shrugged her shoulders as she looked at her 10 tiny perfections, "no..fairly easy...I had the first set on in less than 20 minutes, Oh and NO dry time!" I was green with envy..I felt like a goon, all of that time wasted sitting around waving my hands like a mad woman, scooting various items around on the table top with my palms to get just the right angle to be able to pick it up. And here she was going about her daily business just moments after getting 10 fabulous nails! She must have seen the sadness in my eyes because she quickly reached into her bag and said "here, I've got two boxes of this teal colour because they were 75% off, so I scooped them all up...try these." And here came that light, ya know, the same one that was shining through the hole in the roof at Sephora?* Yeah, that one. *See NARS blog post if you are confused here.
I'd like to say that I immediately opened the box, put them one, tried them out...but no. I took them home, put them in my nail varnish box and there they set, for months. I came across them a few months back and just like Tanya said they were quick and easy to apply (you want to make sure your nail beds are swiped with some remover so that there is no oil or lotion on them) but that was really the only prep. They stayed on through dog washings, light dish washing (we have a dishwasher and I'm it's biggest fan!) my daily typing at work and at home, constant hand washing and many other daily things. The first set I kept on for about 12 days and honestly they still looked good, I just grew tired of the colour.
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Expect to pay about $10 a box but most of the time you will find them 'buy one get one 50% off' at CVS and often times they will put the out of season colours on clearance for 75% off. I suggest stocking up, I mean we all know summer is bound to roll around again.
They come in solids and patterns.
You get 16 nail polish strips in a box and you also get a mini nail file/buffer, a cuticle push and instructions
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| Misbehaved |
What's in the box
Application
Finished product
This is the set I just removed - 14 days out!
What do ya think? Will you give them a try?
