Before the weekend hit, I painted my nails a grand total of six times. And it's not that I didn't love the various colors or brands I used ... but none of the finished results really seemed right. So I kept removing the polish, becoming increasingly frustrated, until I realized: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Speed Dating were sitting right in front of me.
Immediately, my mood lifted. These nail polish strips just make manicures so easy. I love the array of sizes offered, from tiny to huge, so they're perfect for any nail shape. And this glittery, oversized heart design in particular is just so fun and flirty that even though it's nowhere close to Valentine's Day, I couldn't help myself.
And here's the best part. I applied them on a plane in under 10 minutes, while we were taxiing down the runway. No mess, no cleanup, and no topcoat required (although I did paint them with Seche Vite once reaching my destination, which gets rid of the jagged feeling at the edges).
In conclusion? I HEART this manicure!
This particular design was a limited edition for Valentine's Day, but many other designs are available for $9 each at drugstore.com.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Cross My Heart: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Speed Dating
Monday, February 20, 2012
Mani of the Week: Sally Hansen Commander in Chic Complete Salon Manicure with Nails Inc. Special Effects Electric Lane Holographic Glitter Top Coat
Well, my manicure this week sure is a mouthful! I'm wearing two polishes again, but they both have pretty long names! I'd been staring at Sally Hansen Commander in Chic Complete Salon Manicure for awhile -- it had been in my stash for at least three months -- but I just hadn't gotten around to trying it. So, I went for it! I decided to spice it up with Nails Inc. Special Effects Electric Lane Holographic Glitter Top Coat on two nails.
The Sally Hansen color is a gorgeous plum-taupe-chocolate brown combo that's creamy and super glossy. I did have some application problems and a lot of streakiness, which I smoothed out with three coats -- two, then a top coat, then a third! I also am not a huge fan of the brush, which is big, flat and pretty hard to use on smaller nails. With all that being said, I do like the color, though you can see the application problems especially on one of my ring fingers. I also applied CND Stickey Base Coat and Seche Vite top coat, even though Complete Salon Manicure technically has a base coat and top coat baked into the formula -- I just don't trust a manicure without my standbys.
I'm in love with the Nails Inc. top coat, though I would say it's more like a polish than a top coat -- it completely covers the polish beneath it in just one coat! But I love the multiple colors of glitter and the evenness with which it applies.
What's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comments!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
My Birthday Party Mani: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Misbehaved and Bling It On
My birthday is this coming Tuesday (!!) and I'm having a little get-together at my apartment tonight! I've been running around all week like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get ready, so I finally took a beat yesterday and concentrated on making my nails look amazing. I decided to try out Sally Hansen Salon Effects for the first time, and I'm loving the results!
I chose Misbehaved (a gold and black latticework design that reminds me of my Minx experience) and Bling It On, a fabulous sparkly pink. As you can see, I made each hand different -- one is concentrated around the gold and black with just a hint of pink, the other is the opposite!
These strips were extremely easy to apply and I love that there are so many sizes. Each package comes with 16 strips, in addition to a cuticle stick, mini file and buffer -- and they really do have enough options to fit every single nail! The strips I've tried in the past are always too big to fit my pinky and too small to fit my thumb, but these were all, to quote Goldilocks, just right. Plus, application of all 10 nails took less than 10 minutes and there's no drying time involved, so I was able to go about my day immediately!
If you're looking for a fun way to change up your manicure in a flash, Salon Effects is definitely the way to go. I can't wait to show off my nails at my birthday party tonight!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Lusts of the Week
I am beat this week. I'm not sure whether it's from the craziness of Fashion Week, or the fact that I've basically been running around for the last three weeks straight, or that I'm still getting settled in my new job. But whatever it is, I'm totally jonesing for some relaxation ... not that I'm going to get any, with my high school reunion coming up this weekend! (Where did the last 10 years go?) In any case, I've worked a bit of time into my schedule to come up with a few Lusts of the Week for you!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Lusts of the Week
What a lot has happened since my last edition of Lusts of the Week, huh? The amazing Michael Phelps won a staggering eight gold medals, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson went one and two in the gymnastics all around ... it's definitely got me thinking of products that are gold medal worthy! Check out what I'm totally putting on the medal podium this week.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lusts of the Week
How many products do you try in a week? Five? Ten? Fifty? I try tons ... we're talking in the 75-100 range -- and while I love a lot of them, some definitely fall by the wayside. But you know those products that you try and just fall head-over-heels for immediately? The ones that make your heart race, your breath quicken, your pulse speed up.
To that end, I've decided to create a new feature on The Beauty of Life -- Lusts of the Week. Each week I'll be bringing you a few products that are so fabulously fantastic, I just have no idea how I ever lived without them. Without further adieu, here are this week's lusts and musts!