Showing posts with label the bad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the bad. Show all posts

14 July, 2014

Review - Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Pink Cadillaquer

Apologies for our delay on posting! We are hoping to be on a more consistent schedule from now on :)

I first hear of Sally Hansen's new nail polish line via one of my favorite blogs, Nouveau Cheap. The new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line promises 14 days of no chip nail polish. It's supposed to be like gel without the salon - no heat, no lamps. This is a 2- step polish program: you use your color, and then you use the topcoat. Easy peasy. It seemed too good to be true!
Especially for me - my nail polish - no matter what brand, topcoat, basecoat I use -  chips within 24 hours. It's almost guaranteed. I have tried almost everything to stop my nail polish from chipping so fast, as I hate having chipped nails so I end up redoing my nails almost every night - which damages my nail and cuticle. It's quite annoying. The only time my polish has lasted longer than a week is when I get a true, salon gel manicure.
Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled that I could theoretically buy 2 bottles of nail polish (retailing at just under 10 dollars each at all major drugstores) and get the same results! And, I absolutely love the wide range of colors in this new collection. Sally Hansen really pulled out all the stops with this new collection - the colors are fantastic, and it's quite unique to put out so many colors in a fledgling collection.
I picked up the shade Pink Cadillaquer and the Topcoat. I must have spent about 20 minutes pouring through all the colors and deciding which one I loved the most, but I chose this relatively classic light pink because I wanted something that would go with a lot of colors, that wouldn't be too in your face, and that I would enjoy on my nails for two weeks. I was very optimistic.
The application of this product was pretty classic Sally Hansen polish. Sally Hansen is one of my favorite polish brands because the polish colors are pretty consistently very close to one coat wonders. That's to say, I usually end up using two coats, but I know I can get away with one coat in a rush. It was a great consistency, and very easy to apply. I used two coats and got a lovely opaque finish. I didn't have to wait too long between each coat - I felt like the polish dried pretty quickly. I then applied the topcoat. I was expecting the topcoat to be quite thick, but it was very thin and easy to apply. I waited about 15 minutes and had no problem with drying time. So far, it was great. I painted my nails at 10:30 pm on sunday night.

On monday, I woke up, and washed my hair. Generally, when I wash my hair, I always always always get chips on my nails. I was absolutely thrilled to have no chips after my long shower.
Unfortunately, by 4 PM on monday, I discovered a chip. It's on my dominant pointer finger, which is where I always get chips first. I am not expecting this polish to last very long. It is now 8:30 pm. I only have the one chip, so I will keep it on for longer to see if it was a fluke, but I am so far disappointed as this polish does not do what it says. Unfortunately, I got a noticeable chip within 24 hours, which is very standard for me. I see no benefit in the Miracle Gel range, as the application was relatively standard, and this polish hasn't lasted any longer on me. This isn't necessarily a bad product, but it definitely didn't do anything special for me.
I will definitely continue updating this post as I see more chips. I am still hoping it is a fluke, because I absolutely wanted to love this and declare it an actual miracle. Unfortunately, so far, the Miracle Gel is not a miracle at all.

Xx Kate

02 March, 2014

Hair Chalk Let Downs

I love the idea of abnormally colored hair. Pink, purple, green, teal, blue, yellow, orange, silver, or anything really. That being said, not all colors/dye jobs are created equal. It takes time and commitment to have truly awesome colored hair. Unfortunately a permanent dye job is not possible right now so I decided to look into hair chalk.
Most of the options that I encounter resemble the pastels I remember using in elementary school that inevitably ended up smearing on every surface within an eight foot radius. So, when I saw that Bumble and Bumble would be releasing a limited edition, spray-on version, I was ecstatic. They were offering four colors (blue, pink, light purple, and a minty green) AND it was actually available at my neighborhood Sephora.
It took me a while to decide which color I needed and after a few in-store test sprays, I went with the minty green.
Immediately upon spraying it on my hair, I was disappointed. The smell was horrid and very potent and had definitely NOT been noticed when I had tested it at the store. But, I was willing to overlook the scent, figuring it would dissipate over time. Then the bottle ran out. I had managed to get it where I wanted but had anticipated being able to use it more than once after having spent $20. 
(The expression on my face is a representation of my feelings of this chalk) This was approximately twenty minutes after I had sprayed my hair and already I could see that the color was less vibrant than when I had initially sprayed. Which was a total let down seeing as I hadn't even left my house at this point. The chalk also rubbed off my hair and onto my outfit. :(
This is a picture from the following day, where the color is mostly faded. Unfortunately it still faintly smelled funky and had acquired a weird congealed texture.
I would definitely not reccomend this product to anyone. Despite the reputation the Bumble and Bumble has built with their products, the quality is just not found in their spray-on hair chalk. 

Jenna
xx.