One of the products I received in my Spring Beauty VoxBox from Influenster was the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish in Kitty, Kitty. The style isn't exactly what I would have picked for myself but it was fine for a trial.
The kit comes with a wooden cuticle stick, a 3 textured nail file, instructions, and two air-tight packettes of the nail polish 'stickers'.
The set up and application process is really simple once you get the hang of it. First you get your nails ready just like you would prior to any at home manicure. File and shape your nails, push back your cuticles with the provided wooden cuticle stick, then smooth out the top of your nail with the white side of the provided nail file. Lastly, wipe clean the tops of your nails with nail polish remover to remove any stray dirt or dust particles. That part is very important to make sure the polish sticks correctly!
Now, you're ready to adhere your nail polish. Go ahead and open one packette and size out all of the strips you'll need for each nail. When you have all of the correct sized lined up in front of you, peel the clear plastic backing off of one, place it on the appropriate spot on your nail (I like to start with the pinkie and work my way to my thumb) then smooth out the surface to make sure you get a custom fit. Be sure not to pull too much, though! You don't want too much stretching and warping. Once the polish is secured, use the orangey part of the nail file to bend the polish over the edge of your nail and file the excess off. Do this for the rest of your nails. Voila! You're done.
This product is pretty nifty if you're looking for a complex design and don't want to pay big bucks at a salon. Would I pay the $10 for a regular wear any old day of the week? No. Would I pay the $10 for a special event? Sure, why not. I was pretty impressed by the fact that I could use my hands immediately after putting these on. That was a mega bonus.
My nails grow pretty quickly as it is so in about 4 days time the polish had grown out a considerable amount and the part near my cuticles was catching on my hair/clothing so I had to go ahead and take it off. I was pretty impressed with the fact that it only had minor chips in it considering I work with my hands at a dry cleaners and am constantly tagging, typing, and using soaps.
The tricky part to this product was the removal. If anything kept me from purchasing it again it would be the removal process. I tried using a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover but it wasn't taking it all off no matter how long I left it on for. I even tried scraping parts off with the wooden cuticle stick. I eventually broke down and soaked my nails in a bowl of nail polish remover. After probably a minute or more of soaking each nail I was able to use a clean cotton ball and scrape most of it off but the texture was very gummy and sticky. It got ALL over my other fingers and didn't want to come off. It probably took me about an hours time to get it all off; way longer than it should have to remove nail polish.
If you want to give them a try (why not? it's a pretty good, lasting product!) then you can order them here :
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Website
I may end up buying a box of these again for a special occasion but I just don't have the financial means to spend $10 every time I want to change up my nail polish. (which is pretty frequently)
*disclaimer: i got this product for free as a part of influenster's voxbox program. i reviewed this product for a badge on their website. all opinions are my own. all pictures belong to me.
