Review: Sally Hansen Nail Effects

These things have been around for a while now, and have gotten the seal of approval from some lovely friends of mine (hi Carolina! hi Jenn!), but I never picked them up until last week. While there are a few designs in the permanent collection that are really lovely, I kind of flipped for the Halloween designs.  My favorite designs were silvery spider webs, and red fishnets.  I went with the red fishnets because I think i can paint spider webs on my nails with the tools I already own.

The instructions were easy enough, and the kit included everything one needs to apply the stickers (mini nail file, wooden cuticle pusher). My only qualm was the little wooden cuticle pusher-- it kind of made my cuticles ragged. Next time I've just going to use my cuticle remover.  The only thing I didn't do well enough was stretching these to fit my nail beds, so on some of them there is a smidge of bare nail on the sides.  Not a big deal-- just something I'll know for next time.

While I love that there is zero drying time with these, what really impressed me was the wear time.  So far I've been wearing them for 9 days, and they're still going pretty strong!

9 days in!

I do have chips, but only on my thumbnails. The right thumb had an accident when I was cutting veggies for dinner, and the left got chipped because I was using it as a tool to pry something open.  Had  my nails not been abused, I'm sure they'd still be blemish-free.  PS: In case you're wondering, there isn't a topcoat on these babies, so the shine and sturdiness of the stickers isn't due to an outside product.

Left thumb, right thumb.
(no my right thumb isn't actually freakishly bigger than my left.  sorry to disappoint.)

All in all, I'd highly recommend these if you're into nail art but can't afford to go to a salon, if your art skills are lacking, or just want a quick polish job but don't have the time to wait for anything to dry.  These come in a variety of designs, and some solid colors too.  (Sally Hansen also makes nail stickers in a really sheer pink color, but they're not called Nail Effects, and they come in different packaging.  I noticed them with the bottles of top coats; etc. so if you're into something more natural, you may want to seek those out! Sorry I didn't remember the name of these)  I personally wish they would come in classic red for when my nails are a wreck and I suddenly have to look presentable for something.

Check your local drugstore for these, especially if you're interested in the Halloween designs! Actually, my Duane Reade had the "Holiday" designs out too. THEY ARE AWESOME! More about them another time.

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to post them below!