Polish Review: Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure

Alright so I only picked up one of these polishes so far, as a tester. The color is #230 Nude Now. I've been craving the muted quality since the neon bright colors have come back into style. Don't get me wrong; I love them. But something softer works better during the work week than neon pink fingernails (according to the people that do both the hiring and firing). I love that nudes are also a readily available option. The Complete Salon Manicure line is available at drugstores, including Ulta!

#230 Nude Now

Nude Now, indoor lighting

Nude Now, outdoor lighting

 

Here are some pictures of the polish both inside and outside. I applied four coats without a base and it was still a tad sheer. Next time I will try it with a milky base and see what I come up with. The true shade is somewhere between the inside and outside pictures. You can see it's still a nice cheery shade with a hint of peach. The formula is mostly creme, but there is a slight shimmer to it that adds some extra dimension. I like it. The brush was flattened almost into a super-mini paddle brush to help coat nails faster. It's okay but I would have preferred to just have a quality brush like the ones from OPI or China Glaze. Same traditional shape, but with a higher quality than drugstore brands. Some people might prefer this brush, but to me it was harder to be precise.

It's not fat, it's husky!
(NN on left, China Glaze's Chiaroscuro on right.)

The actual consistency of the polish seemed quite nice, though a little streaky at times. I'm assuming this is because it is a sheer shade. The dry time was longer than I need like. I'm a bit of a multi-tasker so fast dry times are a plus. So maybe this was just me being impatient. Maybe.

For the record, I purchased these items myself ;)

ELF in depth: Luscious Liquid Lipsticks

If you haven't heard about Eyes Lips Face, they are a cosmetics company whose goal is to offer quality makeup products at way affordable prices. They have a dollar line and a studio line. The studio line products generally sell from $3 to $6, topping off around $10. Last week ELF was having a 50% off sale for there studio line and, on a whim, I picked up some stuff from their dollar line (called the Essentials line), including a liquid lipstick. I ordered this in the shade Raspberry. I also ordered it in the shade Strawberry, but that was sold out. Boo. The product, in my opinion, compares nicely to high end products that I use regularly. The color pay-off is great and they apply very creamily. There is a hint of menthol, but it isn't overpowering at all (the tingly sensation isn't as intense as with Bare Escentuals' Buxom Lip Glosses- which I die for.) The color is a bit darker than the image implies and wasn't as sheer as I was expecting. It's very pretty but may look a little intense for everyday wear against my pasty-whiteness. There is a slight stickiness but it's more like a hydrating feel than tackiness if that makes sense. They are very moisturizing in my opinion! It has a very nice sheen finish. I even like the click-applicator since it applies the product evenly, but it does take quite a few clicks before product comes to the surface of the sponge (I thought it was broken at first! But no, I'm just a goob). All in all I will be ordering more of these! (Side note: shipping can be on the slower side. It took two weeks for my order to arrive, but it was packaged in a way that all of my items were in good condition and nothing was broken, and was well worth the wait.)

For the record, I purchased these items myself. ;)