Product Review - Sally Hansen "Salon Effects" Real Nail Polish Strips!

 

 This review is on the Sally Hansen "Salon Effects" nail polish strips. I first used them in May this year on my birthday as a quick fix nail polish before I went clubbing (I ended up putting them on in the car in the dark on the way there..so the result was a bit rough!). They did the job for the night but they did come off quite easily the next day. I found that if not rubbed on thoroughly enough or if you do not wash your hands and nails directly before application they can peel right off in one strip once dried.



My first set!

 My next set was the gold glittery "Glitz Blitz", unfortunately I don't have a photo of me wearing this set but here is a photo of what the set looks like and the pack:

Glitz Blitz!

The "Glitz Blitz" is by far the best out of all that I have tried!! The glitter makes it thicker, stronger, and they have a much better adhesive quality than all the others. The box says that they are supposed to last up to 10 days but I found that the "Glitz Blitz" lasted for at least 3 weeks!! The glitter in these is very shimmery and much better than any nail polish would give you! The downside to the glitter nail polish strips is that they are quite hard to remove. You are supposed to use ordinary nail polish remover, but I found I would have to rub and rub and would still be left with flakes of glitter glued to my nail. But otherwise a BIG thumbs up on the "Glitz Blitz"!!

This next design is my second favourite, not only for the wicked leopard print pattern but also because these also lasted for weeks without chipping! Unfortunately I don't remember the name of these bad boys but they are definitely wild! Great strength, great adhesiveness, beautiful shimmer and colours, by far the best of the patterned nail strips that I have tried.

 

 Now the following design is called "Love Letter", the pattern is a series of black hand written love letters on a gloss white base. This set gets a thumbs up for a gorgeous pattern but thumbs down in every other aspect. I found this design to be hard to apply, the strips were very thin and tore easily and often, they were not very adhesive so they came off after a day or two. Over all I would only buy these if you were wearing them for a special occasion and not needing them to last more than a day or two.

Love Letters

OVERALL:

PRO's

• They can last for over 3 weeks without serious chipping!
• They  give great strength and support to weak nails
• There is a huge range of patterns, designs and colours
• Easy to apply once you get the hang of it
• Will get you truck loads of compliments!! :D

CON's

• They are on the pricey side! I pay around $15 (AUD) for a box at my local Priceline, each box contains 1-2 sets of nail strips.
• Some of the patterns can be thin and tear easily
• They do damage your nails, I found that when removing the strips, they would usually remove a layer or two of my real nail. My nails are quite hard so I could get away with it but for someone with thin nails this may be more damaging.
• Once you open a packet of strips you must use them straight away, they will dry out even if left with their protective plastic on, and will not stick to your nail.

TIPS & TRICKS!!

• If you have short to medium length nails and want to get the most out of a box of strips only open one set of strips (enough for one hand), you will get 7 strips. After applying a strip to one nail you will be left with half a strip, use this left over amount on another nail that is small enough to be covered by this remaining strip. Using your included nail file, file off any extra strip on the end and don't forget to rub the strip thoroughly onto your nail. I found that if planned well you can get two hands covered with only one hand's worth of strips! Save the remaining packet for another day!
• Another trick you can use with the glitter and some of the patterned strips is if you make a mistake or have any gaps you want to cover up, take some spare strip and stick it over the top, it will be almost invisible that you have doubled up and your gap will be covered!
• Finally, for some of the more flimsy patterns such as the "Love Letter" pattern, instead of using the cuticle pusher to rub the edges down, use the white side of the nail file, it is much gentler and wont tear or pull the nail polish strip.

I hope this helped some of you and let me know your experience or ask any questions in the comments below!

Have a great day!

Em xx