as you know, i’m always on the hunt for the latest and greatest beauty goodies to make your (and my) life easier.  so when i heard sally hansen had released complete salon manicure, a new polish that promises an all-in-one base coat, color and top coat, i had to try it for myself.

ordinarily, i shun the DIY manicure, and so my nails spend most of their days in an uninteresting semi-sheer nude that’s in no danger of showing its various states of disrepair.  i’m just too clumsy to apply bold colors myself, and i’m unwilling to commit to anything too exciting when i’m at the manicurist.  so i was curious to see if the new sally hansen product could make a color-switching convert out of me.

when it comes to application, i loved the brush – it seems slightly wider and more controlled than most.  it was a little too thick at the edges to do a good job on the borders of my nails, but that could have just as easily been due to my lack of coordination.  at any rate, instead of the normal 20+ minutes of applying base coat, waiting for it to dry, applying color, repeat, applying top coat, and prancing around with my fingers waving in the air for the next hour, i spent roughly 3 minutes applying a coat of “commander in chic”, a dark purple-grey-brown blend.  it was a little slow to dry, but overall, so far, so good…i could get used to the easy road!

after living with the results for a few days, my verdict is mixed.  the polish coverage is great – very similar to higher priced brands.  but i did find longevity lacking.  after 2 days, my nails weren’t looking as great, and by day 3, it was time to re-do.  but then, by day 3, i was also tired of “commander in chic,” so i didn’t mind at all that it was time to switch.  it took until day 4 for me to officially make the change, but i downshifted to “wet clay” (drying on my nails as i type, in fact), a pale greige from their new tracy reese color collection, which i love.

the biggest benefit i’m seeing is that if i get the urge to, say, go red for a night, i can switch with minimal time involved, and i won’t have that nagging annoyed feeling of having spent “all that time” on my nails, only to undo it all the next day.  ultimately, i know i’ll be reaching for complete salon manicure for new, trendy colors i want to try out on my own – especially since i can pick up any of these shades at my neighborhood walgreens.  but for my regularly scheduled (full-service) manicure, i suspect i’ll stick with the full routine.

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