Sally Hansen Halloween Insta-Dri Polishes 2014 - Swatches and Review

Hi beauties!  Today I have swatches of the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Halloween collection to share with you.  There are 4 polishes from the set but I have 3 to share with you today

Scaredly Matte

I'm so in love with this matte from the collection. It's a black matte with a slight slick finish, so it reminds me of leather. This is a photo after it dried for about 30 minutes with no base coat. It did pretty well covering my ridges but they are still somewhat visible. I wore 2 coats here. 

Pumpkin Queen

A bright happy orange, perfect for Halloween. My picture mutes its a little, it's more of a bright tangerine cream (think Reeses Pieces orange). It was pretty opaque with 2 coats but I wanted to make sure there were no streaks so I applied a third coat. 

OMGhost

Okay I have to admit that I partially wanted this one because of the name.  OMG is a marshmallowy white cream. I used 2 coats to make it opaque.

I really like the fun colors for Halloween or anytime of the year. I'll definitely wear the black and white year round. I'm not sure if they are good for stamping because I haven't tried them out yet but most polishes from the Insta-Dri line are perfect for stamping.

The Halloween Insta-Dri's are limited edition and are available at retailers that carry Sally Hansen.  

~ Press Sample~

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Review - Purplexed 6 Day Results!

Hey beauties! I wanted to share the results of my Sally Hansen Miracle Gel nails with you. The color I choose is #570 Purplexed from the Fired Up Metallics line. It's a gorgeous deep purple with a hint of shimmer. I applied 2 coats, without a base coat, and 1 coat of Miracle Gel Topcoat.

The polish dried within 1 hour. I was concerned I would nick it on something, but it dried without dents.  The shine of the topcoat did dull somewhat once completely dry. I was tempted to reapply the topcoat throughout the week, to enhance shine, but I wanted to use it as recommended.

Here are the results after 6 days of wear.  My pointer finger nail was already broken, so the polish chipped off more dramatically on that nail.  The other nails of more reflective of how the polish wears over time.  

I must admit it was nice to have my nails done throughout the week without having to worry about polishing them. The results were good.  I had minimal tip wear and the manicure could have lasted longer if my pointer nail wasn't broken.  

The results are not as shiny as UV gel nails, but the system does create a long lasting manicure without the need to re-polish.  I think the results would be even better with a lighter color, so that tip wear is not as obvious.

The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes are available at retailers that carry Sally Hansen. The price in my area is $9.99 per polish, but the set that contains color + top coat ranges from $14.99 to $16.99.

~ Press Release~

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel - Press Release

The technology behind Miracle Gels.

INTRODUCING MIRACLE GEL

THE REVOLUTIONARY NEW GEL MANICURE SYSTEM WITHOUT THE LIGHT

THINK: The fusion of color and science

WHAT IT IS: The first salon-quality manicure that combines pure nail color with high techno gel...exclusively from Sally Hansen. Love the high shine, glossy look of a gel manicure but could do without the complexity of LED lights, time consuming removal, and expensive price tag? Now, Sally Hansen, the leader in nail color innovation, is making manicure history with an entirely new way of thinking about long lasting nail color. Its new, patented Miracle Gel, is the first ever part lacquer, part gel manicure system that delivers up to 14 days of lasting color and shine in just 2 easy steps. Simply apply two coats of the Miracle Gel Color Coat, followed by the Miracle Gel Top Coat, to achieve the most convenient manicure, ever.

THE TECHNOLOGY: The Miracle Gel manicure contains patented Tube Technology. This allows a higher level of actives and continuous care ingredients to release into the gel lacquer film, prolonging the integrity of the filmresulting in beautifully durable, shiny nails. The advanced Color Coat, which is a combination base coat and nail color in one, and Top Coat formulas contain an oligomer, and the Top Coat also contains a photoinitiator. The photoinitiator in the Top Coat formula reticulates with the oligomer contained in the Color Coat, thus curing the formula without the need of an LED/UV light. As the manicure cures over time, it becomes more durable due to the increased hardness of the film. So LED/UV lamp curing is not necessary, only natural light. Then, when you’re ready to change up your look, Miracle Gel comes off easily with both acetone-based and acetone-free nail polish remover – no soaking, wrapping, scraping, or filing necessary.

THE COLORS: Available in 47 new and of-the-moment shades, cutting-edge Miracle Gel gives you a whole new way to think about color. Today’s color trends don’t follow rules, they make their own. Day or night, summer or winter, the hottest nail looks defy boundaries and capture timeless beauty with a playful, joyful confidence. So go ahead and embrace the pleasure of Miracle Gel’s color palette that complements all skin tones with fresh color categories.

THE COLOR COLLECTIONS: 
Flawlessly Nude: Five clean and natural skin tone colors elongate nails for a polished, minimal look. 
Love Pink: Seven pinks create the ultimate chic and confident nail statement.
Street Pastels: Muted meets edgy with this sweet, feminine collection of seven perfectly washed out pastels.
Runway Shock: Seven punchy, outrageously playful brights turn up the glam for a pop of intense, bold color.
Daily Delights: Seven yummy feminine colors that create a soft and creamy effect.
Mad Mod: Seven retro inspired shades to bring out your ultra-confident, graphic ’70s side.
Fired Up Metallics:Seven super saturated multi-colored hues create an intensely reflective collection bursting with fiery bright shimmer.

WHAT THEY COST: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Color Coat and Top Coat, $9.99 MSRP

WHERE TO FIND THEM: The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel collection is available nationwide August 2014 at chain drugstores and mass retailers nationwide 

Press Release

So Fierce!

I've had this beauty in my collection for a while and only decided to whip it out recently. Who can't fall in love with a name like So Fierce. But the color is what first got my attention. Sporting a fuchsia base with light blue and gold glitter and micro shimmer. The neon looses it's effect once applied over a creme polish but it's still beautiful.

 I usually only use the Insta-Dri's for stamping but I decided to try this as a base. I applied one coat over Berry Sweet. A dusty red/berry creme that stains like it's nobody's business. 

I love how this turned out!

Pink Roses

Hello everyone! Just wanted to share my nail of the day with you. For the base coat I used OPI Push and Pur-Pull. Then stamped using DRK-A image plate using Sally Hansen Lively Lilac, Presto Pink and Berry Swift. To add a little bling I stamped the tips with Color Club's Foil Me Once.

I hope you enjoyed this mani. Thanks for stopping by!

New Sally Hansen Insta-Dri and Xtreme Wear Fall 2013 - Swatches and Review

Hello lovelies! Today I have swatches from Sally Hansen's Fall Collection to share with you. I'm not sure if they're exclusive to Walgreen's but that's where I found them. And the best thing about it, they were BOGO 50% off! The Insta-Dri's didn't ring up on sale, but it's noted on the display so the manager honored it (50% off the regular price of $4.99).  The Xtreme Wears were on sale for $1.99.

There was also a mention of the Rent The Runway Sweepstakes on the display, where you can enter to win a 1 year supply of Sally Hansen nail polish  Wouldn't that be great! You can enter by going to Sally Hansen's Facebook page.

Anyway's on to the swatches. For the Insta-Dri's there is a collection of 8 foil polishes, which I only purchased six. I left behind a red and green I believe I may have dupes of. For the swatches,  I tried something different this time and included a swatch of a similar polish on my pinky finger.

Style Steel - Frosted caramel foil with reflections of pink. It looks more textured in person as if there's gritty pink sprinkles throughout.  Gorgeous 1 coater. My pinky is sporting OPI Pros & Bronze. 

Chop Chop Copper - Very thin copper foil. I'm wearing 3 coats and it was still sheer. OPI Pros & Bronze on the pinky again.

Pink Fast - I just loved this color in the bottle but didn't realize I already had a dupe.  Pinky finger Color Club Hot Like Lava.

Currant Trend - Magenta shimmer, not quite a foil. Lovely 3 coater. Pinky finger Klean Colors Metallic Fuchsia. 

No S-pear Time.  My least favorite from the collection. It reminds me of Christmas wrapping paper. Pinky finger Klean Colors Metallic Green. 

Quick Jean-ius. Gorgeous cobalt blue foil. Pinky finger Color Club Cold Metal.

For the Xtreme Wear collection, I only purchased 2 from the set. Yes. I'm surprised as well. I was really excited to see all of the shimmering glitters but upon closer inspection many of them felt dupe-y to me.   I could be wrong, but it just felt like I've seen them all before (think Deborah Lippmann Today Was A Fairytale, Boom Boom Pow, Revlon Sequins, Connect the Dots, and so on...).

Confetti Punch - medium dark blue hex glitter, medium light blue/green glitter, small pink glitter and pink micro glitter. I wish it was more dense but who can complain for 2 bucks. I applied 2 coats over Pink Fast.

 Confetti Cake - I thought this was the prettiest and most interesting from the bunch. Large black glitter, medium blue, navy and pink glitter, small pink glitter, pink micro-glitter. I may be missing a glitter or 2, LOL. Whatever the case, I love the mix and its my favorite from the 2 new lines. I applied 2 coats over Currant Trend.

Overall I think the X-treme Wears are a great and inexpensive way to slay your glitter craving. I just wish there were more unique combinations.  So many of them looked familiar to me.  I may go back and get the red/white and green/white glitter combos, but the others are pretty dupe-y in my opinion.

The color pay off with the Insta-Dri's is great and most of them only needed 1 coat, so you know what that means....they'll be great for stamping! The only 2 that gave me a little trouble was Chop Chop Copper. I believe it could be a 4 coater? I stopped at 3 and my nails were still see through. The other multi-coater was Currant Trend 3 coater? I stopped at 2.

I was so excited to find the new collections but I must admit I was a little disappointed to discover I had so many dupes. Overall I think the Insta-Dri's would be a great addition for anyone who loves foils or nail stamping. The glitters are just fun to play with and will make many glitter lovers happy :)

Easy Stamping and Gradient using Sally Hansen Sugar Coats

Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing a mani I did using the Sally Hansen Sugar Coats. For the base I used Royal Icing then sponged with Pink Sprinkles. I topped it off by stamping with Sally Hansen Flashy Fuchsia using a Bunny Nails Image plate.

I decided to sponge over the blue because you could still see my stains through the sheer formula, but sponging and stamping over them worked like a charm! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat and Sugar Coat Summer 2013 Collection Swatches and Review

Monster High DYI Nail Decals

Hello beauties! A quick post to share my nail of the day. I was in a playful  mood so I tried out my new Monster High image plate. I created nail decals by using the Messy Mansion method. 

For the base colors I used Sally Hansen Presto Pink and Brisk Blue.  For the accent nail I used WnW White  then topped it with the nail decal while wet. 

Here are the steps to make the decals. If you're familiar with stamping it's pretty easy.  Stamp the image and allow to dry. Then paint directly onto the stamper, allow to dry, peel off and apply to your nails.  Messy Mansion has complete, more detailed, directions on her website.  A helpful hint is to make sure your stamper is completely clean or the polish will transfer onto your decal.

To fill in the image I used Born Pretty's nail art brushes.  If you don't have a nail art brush, you can also use a toothpick but the results won't be as precise.

I hope you enjoyed this mani as much as I enjoyed looking down at my hands today :)  

Thanks to Messy Mansion for sharing this method. I see a lot more DYI decals in my future.

Best Red for Stamping

I sprang my knee this weekend, so I had a lot of sitting time.  I decided to go through my red polishes to figure out the best red for stamping.  Sounds easy, but with so many reds it took longer than I thought. I was more interested in red over black because most reds stamp pretty good over white.

Adele Hits the Red Carpet in Sally Hansen

At the 70th annual Golden Globes, glamorous nails were the ultimate accessory. Three of the night's biggest stars --Naomi Watts, Jennifer Lawrence and singer Adele -- manicurists turned to Sally Hansen to create their signature nail looks for the red carpet.

                                                                                                                    photo credit: ABC/Jeff Wespa/Wire Image

Celebrity Manicurist, Kimmie Kyees used a sheer coat of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in So Much Fawn with two coats of Complete Salon Manicure in Copper Penny layered on top of Adele's lovely nails.  Kyees finished off the look with an exclusive topcoat created for tonight that had gold in it to help enhance the color in Copper Penny for the best Original Song, Film nominee. 

Other artists also used Sally Hansen. Jennifer Lawrence wore Sheer Esctasy and Naomi Watts wore Arm Candy. 

 Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is an all-in-one formula that combines all the 7 benefits of a professional salon manicure—a base coat, a strengthener, a growth treatment, rich color, top coat, gel-like shine and chip resistance —in a single multi-tasking polish.  Complete Salon Manicure polishes retail for $7.99 and are available at local retailers.

Christmas Decorations Mani

Yesterday I created a mani for Adventures in Stamping Sunday Challenge. This week's challenge was Christmas Decorations.

For the base color I used Sally Hansen Pronto Purple and created the gradient with China Glaze Emotion topped with StudioM (Massini) True Passion.  For the accent nails I used a base of Color Club Foil Me Once and stamped with Pronto Purple using a fauxnad image plate.

A side view with my pink Angel.

I hope you like this Christmas mani. Have a great Christmas and wonderful Holiday Season!!!

Christmas Gifts

Christmas mani done using fauxnad image plates over Sally Hansen Jumpin' Jade and China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses. 

Super easy and quick. Inspired by one of my nail friends at Adventures in Stamping. Hope you like it :)

Happy Halloween!

 Here's my last Halloween mani for the week.  For this look I tried a layering combination. I used Sally Hansen White Veil over OPI Black Spotted over Maybelline Orange Blazes.

I really like how this turned out. Interesting but not too over the top for work.  

Be safe tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

Franken Danken

I tried to revive my mani for the week, Sally Hansen Loves Me Not, with a little glitter and a fresh topcoat.  Loves Me Not is great alone, but a little glitter took it to the next level. I love how it came out.  

Thanks for stopping by :)

Exciting $1000 Nail Art Contest by Sally Hansen!!!

Hello beauties! Please find the press release for Sally Hansen Magnetics below, along with information on how to enter their Magnetic Nail Art Contest for a chance to win $1000!!! How cool is that? 

INTRODUCING MAGNETIC NAIL COLOR

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Magnetic Appeal.

WHAT THEY ARE: Create a gorgeous 3D nail art effect in just seconds using these magnetic polishes. This unique formula has been specially developed with metallic particles to create a pattern on the nail using magnetic forces. As the magnet is held over the nail, the iron filings in the formula gravitate toward the magnet forming the pattern/design secretly hidden in the magnet for an astonishing finish!

Applies in 2 Steps:

Step 1 – Apply 1 coat of base coat. Shake Magnetic Nail Color to activate. Remove overcap with magnet and set aside. Apply 1 coat of Magnetic Nail Color to all 10 nails and let dry.

Step 2 – Apply a thick second coat of color to 1 nail and immediately hold the built-in magnet over the nail. Rest the guide just below the cuticle without touching the wet nail polish. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat for all 10 nails and let dry. Finish with a top coat.

AVAILABLE SHADES: Ionic Indigo, Red-y Response, Kinetic Copper, Silver Elements, Golden Conduct, Electric Emerald, Graphite Gravity, Polar Purple

WHAT IT COSTS: $9.99 each

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Drugstores nationwide

How to Enter Sally Hansen's Magnetics FaceBook Contest for a Chance to Win $1000!!!

FOLLOW THESE BASIC STEPS TO BE ENTERED INTO THE #GETMAGNETIC CONTEST:

1

Register your name, e-mail and username on Sally Hansen's Facebook App: https://apps.facebook.com/sallyhansen/

2

Visit the Instagram app, snap a photo of your nail art and include #GetMagnetic into the caption

3

Show the "Love!" for your favorite nail art photos on the Facebook App: https://apps.facebook.com/sallyhansen/

The contest ends on 9/17 and the grand prize is $1000! 

~ Press release and Nail Art Contest information provided by Sally Hansen's PR ~

X Out™ Nail Project

Happy Monday!

Today I have a special mani to share with you that I worked on for the maker's X Out™.  If you haven't heard of X Out, it's an acne medication created by the makers of Proactiv.  For each blogger that participates in the Nail Project they are donating $200 to the Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center. I thought it was a great cause so I didn't hesitate to participate. I hope you enjoy this mani inspired by their packaging and manifesto.

To create this mani I used a white base and stamped using Fab Image plate 1,Wet N' Wild Black, OPI Pack Your Booty Shorts and Sally Hansen insta-dri in Brisk Blue.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, Happy Polishing!

Pink Nail Spam!

Hello Beauties!

I apologize for my absence. I've been busy enjoying my new found freedom after graduation but I've been saving up manis to share with you.  

Nicole by OPI Paparazzi Don't Preach stamped Sally Hansen Night Flight using  DRK-A Image Plate. Night Flight looks black but is actually a midnight blue. I love these two together. 

Icing Candy Shop. Multi-glitter in a pink base. I was a little underwhelmed with this one.  I'm not sure why but it seemed like I could have topped any pink with a party glitter and achieved the same effect.  Plus my bottle was previous used which turned me off a little. 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects. I tried to freshen up my nail stickers after a few days of wear so I stamped it using my new FUN2 Image plate and Color Club Where's the Soiree.  It came out pretty cool but the stamping was not thick enough to completely cover the flower.  I'm sure it will look better on a solid color.

And those are my nails for the last few days. I hope you enjoyed them :)

Until next time. Happy Polishing!

NOTD: Golden Rainbow Flowers

I wanted to share yesterday's mani with you. I started out with a muted green but wanted to make it more vibrant. I added a nail foil on top then stamped with Cheeky image plates, the 26 bundle, using Sally Hansen insta-dri in Pronto Purple. The ring finger is accented with Claire's glitter crackle polish.

A closer view to show details. The foil crinkled slightly but still looks good underneath the stamping. It reminds me of the foil used to wrap Hershey's kisses.

I hope you like this design. Until next time, Happy Polishing!

10 Day Challenge - Day 9

I'm joining a new challenge group and I wanted to finish up the 10 Day challenge while working on the other challenges as well. I have several favorite color combinations but I decided to go with pink, purple and blue.

The colors I choose were: Color Club Sweetpea, Hydrangea Kiss and Sally Hansen Bewitched. The stickers are from Ebay. For stamping I used my new DRK-A image plate. I purchased my image plate from the lovely Rhonni in the Adventures in Stamping group on Facebook.

You may have noticed my new nubbins. I broke two nails and the nail wraps were high maintenance so I decided to start over. I feel awkward but I'm getting used to them.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy polishing!