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Friday, November 5, 2010

Review: Sally Hanson French Manicure Kit

I realize I do a TON of nail polish reviews on this blog, but since I'm trying to grow out my nails and keep getting bored with whatever color I have on, I'm always changing polishes, and therefore need a growing collection (at least that's how I justify it. Hehe...).

Recently, I thought I'd take a break from the dark fall colors I had picked up and try a classic French manicure for a sophisticated, pretty look. But I can't afford to go to a salon every week right now, so I decided to do it myself. Normally, I'm terrible at doing my own French manicures because my hands are just not steady enough to control an awkwardly sized brush and draw a thin straight line at the end of each nail. I was prepared for the worst, ugliest French manicure ever.

However, Sally Hansen's French Manicure Kit is a fantastic product that makes French manicures WAY simpler than they ever were before. Each kit comes with two pens: a white 'tip' pen and a sheer color brush pen. There are a few different colors or shades available for he sheer pen, but I like pink, girly French manicures, so I chose to buy the set in Le Bon Bon (3471).
On sale for $6.29 at Walgreens

The kit is pretty self explanatory. First, you draw the white edges onto your nail with the white marker...
It dries pretty quickly, but I've found that I get better results if I let it sit for 5 minutes or so before applying the sheer coat. Once I'm sure it's fully dry, I apply the sheer pink polish to the whole nail. I'd recommend two coats, but let the first one dry before going back over each nail...
To be honest, the polish does come out a bit streaky -- probably because the brush isn't exactly high quality -- and it can chip really easily. I don't think this is an ideal replacement for an actual manicure at a salon that looks clean and neat for days on end. But because this process is so easy and takes very little time (and money), I really would recommend it for quick fixes in between salon sessions or as a classy manicure for a semi-important function. Here's what my final manicure looked like...
On camera and from about a foot away, it actually looks pretty good. I think for its functionality, this kit is really worth owning because it's perfect for a quick fix or temporary elegant look.

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