Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Mani/Pedi

Beauty time saving solutions - all about it.  The last gel manicure I did took me over an hour to do with the cleaning up and curing time, not something I can commit to all the time.  I was excited to see Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish system and hunted down for the set with Birthday Suit.  The set is a good deal for both items, but most of the sets that were left in stores were colors I was not feeling and waited until I was able to snag the last one with Birthday Suit at my neighborhood Walgreen's.

After removing my current gel manicure and polish on my toes, I applied 3 coats of the color allowing each layer to dry for about 5 minutes.  Maybe this color was just too streaky, but I still wasn't pleased with how this didn't level after 3 coats.  Then I applied a layer of the top coat and was out in the sun for 5 minutes. Even after the top coat, it didn't level off and the brush dragged on a nail during top coat application.  These were semi-dry to the touch after curing and was still careful throughout the rest of the day.

I can't wear the same polish for just over a week, so this test shows my nails over the course of  a week which was tough because it started to lift/chip.  Not too noticeable when its a nude color, but it still bugged me!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

You can see a dent/mark on my index finger where the top coat brush dragged.

Day 6 This was when I really couldn't stand it because the nail growth was becoming more apparent and the edge lifted on the thumb.  Still pretty much intact, but not perfect.

Day 7 Barely made it 7 days, but I was so happy to take this off.  This was post shower, so the heat and water made it peel more.  This was an easy removal, just acetone and a cotton pad.

What the website says:

• Up to 14 Days of Color & Shine
• Easy Removal
• No light needed

The ONLY TRUE 2-STEP GEL Manicure with no light needed.  Over 45 shades that wow! And its only from Sally Hansen.

Pros:  -Easy 2 steps
          -No curing time needed
          -Great colors selection
          -Durable polish

Cons:  -Took 3 coats for desired opacity. Even then, it was still streaky, but I didn't want to put another coat             of color.
           -Dented & nicked - Day 2 I already had some dents and nicks.
           -Top coat not that shiny

Cost: $15.99 @ Walgreen's - I found a $2 coupon in the mail

Would I recommend this to a friend:  Sadly, no. :(  For the first time impression, I was not too pleased with the results.  I would like to try another color of Miracle Gel to see if that makes a difference and also see how the top coat pairs with other brands of color.

What was your impression of Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel polish?  Did it work for you?

I did enjoy these other reviews on Miracle Gel:

The PolishAholic: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Wine Stock Swatch, Review & Wear Test
This didn't work for her as well.  In a short amount of time, the wear was terrible.  On day 3, the top coat was extremely dull and you could see the nail bed lines.

beautygeeks: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel + Color Collection Swatches
This review kept me on the hunt for the Birthday Suit set, even though the swatch isn't there, this is a very complete write up of how the polish system works, tests she has done with other polishes and feedback from other testers.

And another one - Finger Paints Special Effects in Twisted

Because I needed this one. Finger Paints Special Effects in Twisted. Might have to do nail night tonight! I can't believe I didn't pick this one up earlier with Asylum, Mötley and Flecked. I opted not to get Flashy based off Jen's review that it is similar to Essie's Luxeffects Shine of the Times (I already snagged that!). Check out Jen's reviews (http://www.thepolishaholic.com/2011/12/finger-paints-special-effects.html?m=1) and stay tuned for my next MOTW with Twisted.

Flakie obsessed!

Finger Paints Flecked over Julep Toni. Pass me a flakie over a shattered polish please!

Got em! Finger Paints Special Effects

Called and asked at Sally's in Burien if they could pull Flecked, Mötley & Asylum for me and they did. The last Treat Yo Self for 2011...maybe. ;) Thanks again Marquita!

Interesting Tidbit

I'm in DT Seattle today and decided to stop by American Apparel to see if they had Office in stock. Well, the lacquer had been pulled due to the glass bottles combusting from high heat!! I didn't see any of this info listed on their website and would find it useful if they did post something to warn consumers. They will definitely be hearing from Leilei about this. Instead of Get Jesse, Get Leilei to do some investigative work!


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New polish! American Apparel Nail Lacquer

Hit up American Apparel in DT Seattle to check if they had polish and they did! I was sad they didn't have Office though. :( But I did pick up these 3 lovelies for $15! I will be back for Office!


(L-R: Peacock, Rose Bowl, Dynasty)

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Lemming! American Apparel Nailpolish - Office

Photo source: www.americanapparel.com

I haven't been lemming anything, but I remembered running across this while online Xmas shopping and now I really, really want this, American Apparel Nailpolish in Office. I wasn't able to indulge in the Chanel Jade Nail Colour and plus I wouldn't be able to foot the $23 without any guilt. I think I can manage the $6 price tag for these. I may end up buying the Nail Polish (3 pack)s since it is a better deal and on sale for $15 (reg price $18). I can buy the entire set with an $18 savings! Maybe I will spread purchases out rather than attempting to spend $90 on nailpolish now. :/ Oh how I am tempted and will probably just give in.

Nicole Nailpolish - Shimmy, Shimmy

A return for me at a store is 95% of the time an exchange rather than a return. Its $ already spent and so I can shop and not feel guilty about it. Haha! Sneaky, sneaky. Well, I had to return a couple of things at Marshall's and ended up leaving with 3 things. But at least they were still less than what I returned. One of my picks was this Nicole nailpoilsh in Shimmy, Shimmy.

I've definitely been in to dark polishes lately, with the exclusion of a few pale shades.


I actually picked this up by accident instead of another color that I was eyeing, which I'll be going back to get! Gorgeous eggplant with tons of microfine shimmer.


I can't wait to use this during a NOTW! I have so many nail products to feature for NOTWs! What colors have you been drawn to this season?

NOTW: Nails Of The Week - Julep's Lucy & Lippmann's Devil In A Blue Dress

Starting something new! NOTW! Nails Of The Week. I've been doing my own manicures since #1 I'm a ballah on a budget and #2 I stopped getting acrylics done. I do miss having the perfect, fake nails, but they wreck your real nails. DIY manis can be nerve wracking and relaxing at the same time, but I do enjoy spending my Sunday nights doing my nails. I've been doing the "odd one out" nail for a month now. The left ring finger nail. Why? Because it is on that damn finger that's why. Visual reminder of that. *smirk*
I recently just had Pumpkin Glycolic Pedicure at Julep and was given a bottle of the vernis of the color used to paint my toes. The deepest red Lucy from their Fall colors. Great time to have matchy matchy tips and toes, along with the odd one out. I used Lippmann's Devil In A Blue Dress from the Party Like A Rock Star set that was featured in last week's Matte Nails+1 Shiney post.

The odd one out is subtle & I like that! While I did like the run with Sephora for OPI's What's A Tire Jack, matte polishes wear more quickly. I know that my manicure will last this week with maybe a few small chips, but nothing bothersome like last week's manicure.

Tip for cleaning up the edges: dip your orange wood stick into nail polish remover and swipe along the cuticles & sides for a cleaner edge. The vernisseurs at Julep use this method and I found it works better than those "pens" with nail polish remover in them to clean up the edges. Those can be too big for smaller nail beds and you risk smearing!

Matte Nails + 1 Shiney - OPI & Lippmann Polishes

Back to darks! I love Fall/Winter dark nailpolishes. While they can be messy to apply, they make my tips look HAWT! This season, matte is back! Make up & nail polish included. I wanted to give it a try & see what it would be like to have some murdered out nails. Bring it!

I picked up the Lippmann Party Like A Rockstar gift set last Christmas and just bought Sephora for O.P.I.'s What's A Tire Jack, a black matte nail laquer.

Sephora for O.P.I. What's A Tire Jack?

Lippmann Collection - Party Like A Rockstar. L-R Good Girl Gone Bad, Devil In A Blue Dress &Addicted To Speed Topcoat.

I used Good Girl Gone Bad for my left ring fingernail. Odd one out...always.

And here's the result. I saw that Kim K. had done her nails in a matte black and had the tips painted with a topcoat, french manicure style.

Good Girl Gone Bad with Addicted To Speed Topcoat wears very well! I applied Zoya's Anchor Basecoat as well & so far no chips! Now for the downfall of What's A Tire Jack? It chips EASILY. Even with topcoat on my tips. :\ One day of wear and a couple of fingertips are already chipped. I'm going to have to make sure to wrap the topcoat under my nails better which might help with the wear. Other than that...I LOVE THE MATTE LOOK! It really looks like rubber on my fingertips. Hotness! Like I said before, no more acrylic nails for me. The raggedness is still growing out! From now on, its all me!

OPI - Holiday in Toyland: tiny toy box

I picked this up at ULTA after checking out their holiday collection and thought this would be a great purchase to see if I really like any of these colors. For $9.95 you get 4 bottles of polish with 1/8 fl. oz. While it's not neccesarily on the cheap side, it beats spending $8.50 for a regular size bottle and then not liking it. I wish this set had the color A Ruby for Rudolph. I am digging that color!



From the OPI website:
Glamour Game - Play it in style in this champagne gold.
Brand New Skates - A dark silver that’s cutting edge.
Little Red Wagon - A classic holiday red.
Don't Toy with Me! - A burgundy sparkle that’s seriously gorgeous.



Don't laugh at my swatches! So messy I know! The order here is actually backwards from how its packaged. Glamour Game, Little Red Wagon and Don't Toy with Me! are great for both tips and toes whereas I would just keep Brand New Skates on my fingertips. I am not too fond of dark blue, black or gun metal on toe nails. It looks gross to me!

There is plenty of polish in these little bottles for maybe about 2-3 manicures and pedicures. I wish OPI would offer their entire promos in little bottles like these!

Zoya Nail Products

I have seen Zoya nail polishes on a few blogs out there and was curious to try this brand. I'm very much an OPI kinda gal, but I have heard some good things about Zoya and I was reeled in by the promotion of free gifts with purchase. Haha! So Asian. I haven't seen Zoya in any of the beauty stores I frequent so I ordered online.

Your shipment comes packed carefully. I hate those peanuts! But at least they were the biodegradable kine.



Glimmer - I love this shade! I only swatched one coat, but you can build the color with a few thin coats for a more opaque look. For some reason, this bottle seemed less full than the others. :\ Ultra glitzy nude pink gold with glittering multi-color metallic sparkles. $6.50


Matahari on the left and Blair on the right

Blair - this one is my fave. Kind of washed out from the flash. Deep ruby metallic with subtle sparkle highlights. $6

Matahari - I kept smudging this nail, so hence the messy swatch! I was looking for something more purple but this color is still very pretty. Deep magenta purple frost with subtle metallic shimmer. I wish it was more purple like in the picture online. $6

I also picked up the Zoya Treatment Trio Cube. I wanted to try the Color Lock System of Anchor, Armor and Hurry Up. Some say that this system really holds their color down. After trying it, I wasn't impressed. I was chipping a few days after my mani. What I do like are the Hurry Up drops that accelerate drying time. I like my combo of Sally Hansen Hard As Wraps as a base, 2 coats of color and OPI Top Coat. $15


These were the freebies included! Qtica Intense Total Hydrating Therapy and the Remove+. The lotion I keep by the bed and slather on my hands before sleeping. It isn't greasy and makes your hanads soft! The only drawback is that the smell isn't that great. Tolerable, but not something I would purchase.

On the other hand, the Remove+ is an awesome product and I will definitely be purchasing more of this! It takes only one cotton pad to remove polish from 5 nails! I did a comparison with my store brand non-acetone remover, and it took almost one pad per nail to get the polish off! Waste! I plan on ordering the Big Flipper bottle for $9.99 in the near future. It is a push dispenser with a flip-top cap. Less mess and less waste.