Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail of the Day (NOTD)

     If I had a written out list of all my favorite beauty products, nail polish would be a close second to lipstick. I have two racks in my closet (let me know if you are interested in seeing my tips on storage) that are filled with an array of brands and colors. As I was browsing the local aisles of my CVS recently I came across a shade that really caught my eye from the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. In the bottle it looks like a milky, creamy, baby pink shade that would be perfect for summer. I owned nothing like it and decided to purchase immediately. After using it for the first time a few nights ago I am not going to lie- I was really let down! On my nails the shade came off darker with a hint of peach that I was not expecting. Maybe it was the lack of natural sunlight in the store but I honestly had high hopes for this shade from the way it looked in the bottle. I decided to share my thoughts with you because Emily Noel from Beauty Broadcast always says, knowing what didn’t work is just as helpful as knowing what did!

     Even though this shade disappointed me I want to say that I am a huge fan of the line and formula! The brush is my favorite (by far) of any nail polish (Essie and OPI included) because it is very dense and wide. The color pay off of the few shades I have is very opaque and rich after the typical two coats and wear is pretty typical granted my thin nails.

     These photos are meant to show you the products that I used during the whole process. I began by trimming and filing my nails then buffing them to get them even and smooth. I don’t do these additional steps every time I polish my nails but since it has been awhile since the last time I have I wanted to even everything out. I then wiped my nails clean with a cotton pad and nail polish remover.

     After my nails were prepped and ready I applied my Orly Bonder Rubberized Basecoat (I included this is a previous haul here). I am aware that this Sally Hansen formula is meant to include a base and topcoat (along with added benefits) but I still choose to follow my normal regimen. Having pretty difficult nails I like to make sure that I am taking all of the precautions in order to improve the lasting power of my manicure. After that dried I took this shade, First Kiss from the Sally Hansen Completely Salon Manicure line and applied two coats. I also think that the name is adorable, however it fits the color shown in the bottle more than the end result on the nails in my opinion.

From bare nails - one coat

     After the first coat my nail color was acceptable. Being a light color (or so I thought) I was impressed with its opacity. I am not a big fan of sheer polishes and with all of the dainty, light pink shades having to apply 3+ coats is a turn off for me. I did notice the color being a little darker and having a more peach or coral look after this first coat. In some lights I even found that this shade comes off as more of a brown neutral, which is very odd. The nail color also looked slightly streaky so I wasn't able to get away with one coat.

From one coat - two

     After the second coat the color was a little lighter and more vibrant than the initial application, I still was taken back by the difference in color though. I even took a minute to really glance at the color in the bottle before putting it away and that confirmed my initial thoughts of it looking totally different in the bottle.

     Here is the UV/Gel nail light that I spoke about in my recent tag post (see it here: question #4). It is from the brand Thermal Spa and is the UV Auto Gel Light Nail Dryer. I use it literally every time I paint my nails because I am always doing them at night. You know those times where you head to bed with perfectly manicured, dry (or so you think) nails and wake up to nails that are printed with the texture of your bed sheets... this prevents that! I simply apply my Seche Ultra-V top coat and set my nails under the light for 3 minutes. I have read articles saying that these types of rays can cause sun damage and possibly skin cancer on your hands so I try to limit my use to once or twice a week.

Incandescent light

     Inside the color comes off more nude. It is a pink shade with peach undertones that isn't bright enough for my fair skin in my opinion. I also want to quickly touch on the shininess of the nails after using the light pictured above. The first time I used it I was astonished with how professional looking the end result was.

 Natural light

     I actually prefer this shade outside. It comes off more pink which is what I was looking for when I purchased it. Even though the look of this polish is more similar here to the bottle than it was inside, it is still no where near the creamy, milky, baby pink shade that I was looking for.

     As for wear, this product did not impress me. It chipped after about two days and I took it off. I usually have a problem with polish staying on my nails but this formula didn't seem to have any better staying power than other popular formulas.

     Even though I went back and forth about keeping this color I am going to return it. I already own Essie's Cute As A Button and even though this shade is more neutral, it is less appealing to me. I could see myself reaching for this occasionally but it definitely will not be a go-to color. When I take the time to paint my nails I want it to be a special, noticeable color that I enjoy having on my fingers! This was not the baby pink shade I was hoping for so I will have to continue my search for that perfect color that complements my skin tone.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!
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Love, Lacey