The idea of nail stickers isnt a new one. First, they were the cute little things you used to paste on your nails as additional decorations. Now, they’ve graduated to being pasted on your entire nail. I first bought nail stickers from Sephora because the idea of pasting your nail colour seemed fuss-free and convenient. Somehow, I never actually got about to using them.
Then, everyone started talking about the Sally Hansen Salon Effects real nail polish strips while I stubbornly resisted them. I continued resisting them because I was happy being old school and painting my nails. But eventually, I succumbed. I decided I would try out the Cut It Out floral design for Spring 2012. Flowers on my nails couldnt be better for the New Year! Plus, Watsons was having a 20% off the nail strips, so I only paid about SGD15 from the original SGD17.50! Yipee for discounts!
In each pack, you’ll find 16 nail stickers for you to find the perfect fit, a nail stick, mini nail file/buffer and detailed instructions; everything you need to DIY a salon effect manicure. Application of the Sally Hansen Salon Effects real nail polish strip is easy enough that I managed to perfect the application by the 4th nail. It’s really a simple technique of stick-and-go.
Peeling the strip off its backing, you’ll realise the strips are really quite thin and flimsy and need to be handled with care. But if you make a mistake pasting the rounded part at the base of your nail, you can gently wean the nail polish strip off your nail and readjust it without any loss in stickiness. Oddly enough, as much as I thought these were just stickers, they smell exactly like nail polish, though not as strong. I guess that’s why they call them real nail polish strips.
Because the strips are so thin, instead of buffing them like the instructions recommend, you can actually tear them off at the edges. On the first few applications, I made the mistake of pulling the Sally Hansen Salon Effects real nail polish strips a wee bit too much thinking they’d adhere better. But all I really did was tear the strip a little bit. Lol. I eventually found out a gentle tug is all that’s needed to ensure smooth and bubble-free application.
The Sally Hansen Salon Effects real nail polish strips are slated to last for up to 10 days but I couldnt decide if it was because of my weak nails or my rough and tumble that the nail polish strips chipped off at the nail edges like regular nail polish does within three days. I resorted to applying a top coat and to my surprise, found that I really liked the effect of the shine on the nail polish strips. It gave the nail polish strips a better finish. Perhaps if I had applied a top coat earlier, it would have preserved the condition of my Salon Effect manicure for longer.
Removal of the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips is identical to how you would remove real nail polish: you’ll have to remove them using a nail polish remover! My only gripe about the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips is the fit of the strips on the nails. Sometimes they dont cover your entire nail breadth-wise.
Otherwise, I simply love the ease of application of the Sally Hansen Salon Effects and the no dry-time. On top of that, you get all sorts of intricate designs without having to sit through 2 hours in the nail parlour. I think I’m going to search for more of these nail polish strips.
Have you tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips or any variation of these nail stickers? Would you give up your nail polish for them?
