20 September 2010

hands down, the best nail polish ever

i have found the perfect nail polish on the planet. really, truly. 

the story goes like this. i never used to paint my nails. i didn't like the feeling of nail polish weighing my hands down. but i'd watch my mom paint her own nails every week as i grew up and loved clinking the bottles together and lining up her pretty polish collection when i was younger. i marveled at my oldest sister who kept a bottle of red polish in the car and would paint her nails real quick before backing out of the driveway. with four busy children, i suppose it was the only free moment she could get! i'd always attempt to gussy up for a special occasion and would end up completely frustrated as i'd smudge one or two fingers in the process and have to start all over again. usually i'd give up and have bare nails again at the end of the night.

then i got married, had a baby and found that painting my nails is a little like a mini mom getaway. because if i'm painting my nails it means the little one is asleep and i am doing something just for me. i cannot do dishes or fold clothes, i just have to sit and relax for awhile. plus it's a bit more instantly gratifying than sweating my way through a run on the treadmill. fingernails are something you can have control over; an instant way to feel pretty.

so i've collected a few bottles since then and still muddle my way through painting my own nails. practice makes perfect. the other day at target i landed in the nail polish aisle and found the sally hansen complete salon manicure line. i have come to like sally hansen polish even over o.p.i. and essie. so i gave it a go and i'm thrilled with the results. it goes on smooth and beautifully, like a professional manicure in only minutes. my current favorite color is commander in chic. it's this moody milky mysterious matte grey color. super duper pretty. not too dark, but dark enough. perfect for the change in seasons. and i am still not tired of wearing it. i also immediately liked clear'd for takeoff and a pale pinky shade, shell we dance. perhaps someday i might even try the bright blues.



the nail polish excitement doesn't end at the beautiful collection of colors. 1) the bottles now have a rubber grip around the handle for easier opening. genius. 2) this line is a whole manicure in one bottle. it claims to include a Base Coat, Strengthener, Growth Treatment, Color, Top Coat all in one coat. brilliant. it dries fast too. once i experienced the staying power throughout a long weekend camping trip, i am a believer. 3) the brush has been redesigned to create a thicker stroke. less smudging and faster painting time. after getting used to the new bristles, it's hard not to think this new polish is far superior to my old standards. am pretty positive you'll like it too.

so there you have it. i love to pass along an excellent find. (i received no free products from sally hansen, however i'd be happy to take some off her hands.) am wishing you a little me-time for yourself this week.

image via google images.

49 comments:

Anna Kristina said...

I'll have to give this a shot! I've always been pretty good about painting my toenails, but I gave up on my fingernails. I think it's time to try again!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I'm going on a vacation Friday and wasn't going to paint my nails because I'll be gone over a week and figured they be a wreck by the end of it. Might just give this a try. Perfect timing - thanks!

tawnya said...

That orangey red color in the picture is making me drool...

Hannah said...

I have a few bottles of this myself; including commander in chic! It reminds me of Sephora's Metro Chic which is my favorite color EVER.

I also own a pretty gold and silver. (Sporting the silver on my toes right now, actually.)

I love the wide brush. They are great!

Lindsay said...

thanks for sharing this! perfect timing, as i had given up on nails, but am going on a mini vacation at the end of this week/weekend, and this is wonderful! :)

Laura said...

Marta,

I was considering a shopping trip to Target...now it's a definite! Can't wait to try out some nice new colors for fall.

ag. said...

finding the perfect polish is never a simple task...so glad to have a good recommendation. i'll have to try this out!

Amanda said...

I tried this line and I wasn't a fan, but it was only once so I'll give it another try.

I haven't painted my nails in weeks, but I've wanted to and just can't seem to find the time. Your post has inspired me to make sure I find the time this week. Thank you!

Amanda said...

I haven't found the nail polish that I like the best, but I'll have to give this a try!

Christen E. Krumm said...

awesome! i have a turquoisey color in this brand! i do have to say that i love it!!

xo,
christen

Lissa said...

I love Sally Hansen! I'll have to try the Complete Salon polish.

Tee said...

I really want to paint my nails, but 1. I am a nail biter. 2. My nails are wide, and I feel self consious about showcasing it! 3. I'm like you...I just smudge them and it looks terrible!

I have always wanted such long and pretty nails, but with my Fred Flinstone hands, it just doesn't work for me! :( lol

Kristyn Knits said...

I think I need to repaint my nails! Thanks for sharing the find!

barrentree said...

Agreed! I love this polish! I have four colors (fairy teal, shrimply devine, midnight in new york, and grass slipper) and love them all!

A note: Grass Slipper will stain your nails a yellowy color. And I mean stain them for a very long time-nothing would take off the yellow hue. It's the only one I've had this problem with, and I love the polish so much that they are still my favorite!

sunny said...

Mark and Tiffany - look up manicures online. A lot of girls keep their nails pretty short.

I keep my nails short and my fingers are not the longest nor the thinnest :) What people will see is the pretty color that you paint your nails. And I enjoy taking a few minutes to do it. The payoff for me are the smiles each team I get a glance of the nails :)

Marta - I'm glad you posted this. I'd tried the line once and didn't like it but will give it another chance!

Shelly said...

I never used to paint my nails because I like them short and thought only long nails were worth painting. But in the last couple years I've learned how wrong I was - I love the way short nails look covered in polish! Now I try to keep some color (usually dark) on my nails all the time. It makes me happy to look down and see them.

Miranda said...

no way! commander in chic is my fave color too! ahh, nail polish twins.

i almost bought a bottle today of that beautiful blue shade on the left side of your pic, but i resisted. maybe next time. :)

LLK said...

I love this product too! I have Kooka Mango on my toes right now and it's amazing!

Anneliese said...

thanks for the heads up! i have found sally hansen to be a good product...but haven't tried this kind! i'll have to pick some up next time i'm at target!

Carol said...

Thanks for sharing the info about Sally Hansen. I haven't used their products for years so I'll have to give it another go. Glad to hear you are finding some "me" time!

Linda said...

I love what you filed this under "fetish." That just cracks me up! Hope you have nice plans for your birthday.

LMT said...

You have sold me on it! Now I just have to give it a try.

Cat said...

Great timing! We have a week end gateaway planed to the US (we're from canada and don't have Target) so this will go on my shopping list!

Andrea (Panda) said...

oooh thanks for the tip. i am always looking for new polish!

Anonymous said...

i also really hate the heavy weighed down feeling of my hands. i recently discovered american apparel nail polish which seems to work well, should you ever want to venture from this new found brand. :)

Kendra said...

Right after I had my little girl my husband was very busy with work and tons of school. He made me promise i would do something for myself everyday. I painted my fingernail and toe nails a lot! I will have to try the sally hasen polish!

amy is the party said...

Great review! I agree that Sally Hansen polish is just as good (possibly better) than Opi and Essie. I am wearing that exact shade of gray on my nails right now, in fact!

brooke said...

I always notice that classy ladies have their nails painted--never bare and scraggly like mine. I'm going to commit to good nails. I can't wait to try those fun colors.

talesofahummingbird said...

its always fun to grab that one little "just for me" item during a trip to the store....i know what's going in the basket next time and its not coming from the baby section, oh no! :)

Carla said...

As a kid, I marveled at the women in my life & their love affair with painting their nails. They did it perfectly and, like you, I was always a smudger. And like you, now that I'm a mom painted nails are such an indulging luxury. It makes me feel all pretty and sparkly and girly. Now once a week, I let my girlies play in the tub extra long while I start my mani/pedi. Once they're asleep then I paint them. Totally checking out this line!

Unknown said...

Will totally be checking for this next time I'm at Target. Been a long time since I painted my nails anything other than clear. I love my toenails being painted, but just haven't done my fingers in forever.

Crystal said...

I used to think that nail polish was weighing my fingers down too!! Now I like the look of 'cared for hands' that polish gives but I rarely do it for myself. Instead I now have garden and working with fruit hands - stained and badly in need of TLC!

Season said...

that mysterious grey color sounds amazing. next time i'm at target, i'm picking it up. thanks for the tip.

Casey said...

I'm starting to love nail polish again, my daughters want to wear it all the time so I put some on once in awhile too. I've always used Sally Hansen, I'll have to look out for these bottles, the rubber grip IS an awesome idea!

SewSara said...

i've started painting my nails again, too. except i go for the cheapest stuff usually. i'll have to splurge and try this kind :) thanks for sharing!

Brittany said...

wow, better than opi AND essie? i'd better try it. i've always considered opi the gold standard, but i'm swayed by the all in one bit. plus the fact that i have a few bottles i can't open, so that's a selling point too.

Janet Dillon Robinson said...

Oh my goodness!! I'm going to hit up Target TOMORROW. I am dying to see 'Commander in Chic' :) I definitely need a good transitional color as we enter fall. Thanks for sharing!!!! :]

Vanessa Rae said...

Thanks for the tip Marta! I actually shared my me-time moment today as well. Doesn't that me-time make doing the dishes a little bit easier? Happy Day!

Christine said...

i just discovered this nail polish too! it's so perfect that my nails look good even when i'm the one that painted them... usually they are a smudgy mess :)

Lena said...

Yes! Love this polish and love the commander in chic color too! Very mom moment I agree.

Emilie said...

Can't wait to try it. Thanks for the review!

Unknown said...

thanks for the recommendation! i tell my sister i don't paint my nails because i can feel the polish on them. she says i can't, but i can, really, truly.

JustMe said...

I checked out the Commander in Chic today... 'can't do grey. Someone will think that it looks cyanotic on me; I know it. That light blue-ish color appeared to be the most popular (which always makes me double-think, y'know?). I ended up with a lovely nude color (forgot the name) and I think I'm going back for the Shrimply Pink later. TFS!! :))

Amanda said...

I totally agree with you!! I've been slowly collecting the colors from this line ever since I tried one! I really love the newly designed brushes. Makes it so much easier when I don't have to clean up my mistakes afterward! It really is all about the small things isn't it?!

soknitpicky said...

Thanks for the tip! I'm wearing it now and really like it! It did take 3 coats, but each coat went very quickly thanks to the brush and the quick drying time!

Kari said...

I just took to painting my nails last week after years of sporty ugly hands. I'm loving it. And the color you recommended is exactly what I'd been looking for. Thank you.
I was going to leave a story here in comments, but it started to get long. So, I blogged about it in "ode to fall" and I linked to you today. Thank you.

sunny said...

I haven't gotten the Sally Hansen one yet (or two or three) but painted my nails the other day - quickly and with a $1.50 nail polish.

Should I be surprised that the next day at work I was smudging dark red nail polish on documents which looked like I'd been marking on them with crayons?!

Must get the sally hansen line ones ASAP!

summer said...

for real, when i sit down and think about painting nails, it is exactly like a getaway! i mean, who has time to paint nails? and yet, why not make time to paint nails?! it's such an awesome uplifter. and there's probably nothing as easy that helps you feel so put-together.

i must try this line, mart. thank you, thank you! i'm putting a bug in grant's ear (or rather a new item on my christmas stocking list).'

you always find the goods.

Jill said...

picked up "commander in chic" on your recommendation and i love it! nice find - thanks for sharing :)

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