Press Samples & Personal Purchases
I received a few springy polishes to swatch from Sally Hansen recently, and decided to just evolve the post into a whole "my picks" mini swatchfest of Sally Hansen polishes perfect for spring!
First up are a couple of their new Color Therapy polishes they sent. For my first go-around with the Color Therapy line I am very pleased. I can't attest to the wear time or nourishing values because I didn't wear them long enough, but they performed really well otherwise!
Shea Dream
First up is a nice goldy yellow with a somewhat metallic finish. I was immediately wowed, because it dried almost instantly! It dried dull but not fully matte, in two careful coats. The second coat caught and dragged a few bald spots on a couple nails so some needed three to even everything out. I was pleasantly surprised at the opacity, I expected this one to be sheer but it was very nice!
Rosy Quartz
I was kind of disappointed in this one solely for the fact that I was really looking forward to getting that gorgeous, grayed-out, dusty pink color on my nails. Still this will get a lot of use from me. I've tried so many sheer beige polishes I can't even tell you, but they're almost always crap. Off the top of my head, I can only think of a couple I've been fairly pleased with: both warmer toned, Essie Made to Honor and OPI Put it in Neutral).
This Rosy Quartz, though, applies so smooth and evenly (float your polish after the first coat because it drags a little - possibly a trend with this line?), I love it! You don't get that patchy look most sheer beiges give, requiring you to use five coats to even it out, rendering it useless and looking stupid. This is one of those perfect French mani base polishes. The exact type of polish I love to wear when I either can't decide what to wear or don't feel like wearing anything at all but still want to give my nails a little wash of color and the protection of a polish in lieu of going bare. Plus I feel like the pink tint helps to hide yellow stains.
Being so base-heavy, it dries nice and shiny. I'm showing three coats here to see how it'd build up, but I think I prefer it at one or two, I can't decide.
Pink Blink
Pink Blink is everything you'd expect from this Sally Hansen line. Besides typically being good stamping polishes, the Insta-Dri polishes have basically become known for being super smooth, creamy, and highly pigmented. Pretty much perfection in a bottle when it comes to formula, ease of application, dry-time, opacity, the whole nine yards. I needed two coats for this one.
This next group of polishes have been some of my favorites for decades! I want to preface by saying I don't know if any of these are available anywhere anymore or not, as most of them I purchased upwards of ten years ago, but if you find any of them, rest assured they'll be great!
Blue-Away
This is one of the very few polishes I've ever finished more than one bottle of. Currently my second bottle is on its last leg with a backup in waiting. At this point, it is nearly a one-coater, but two from fresh stock.
It is the best bright but calming sky/baby blue, just plain beautiful! I think I use this more than any other light blue in my entire collection!
Lickety-Split Lime
Again, I'm nearing the end of my second bottle with this one, it is another winner! My picture is showing it a little too enthusiastically. It is slightly lighter with a more dusty tone to it in person. Again I needed two coats but almost could have gotten away with one. This is the ultimate spring green color, it is the color I think of when I think "spring green".
Presto Pink
Here I needed two creamy coats for opacity. I've used this polish so much it has pretty much been retired into being solely a stamping polish because it is almost empty, therefore making it thick and opaque; great for stamped images. Still it is a pretty bubblegum pink.
Lacey Lilac
The sole Xtreme Wear in today's post. I recently destashed a bunch of these to my nieces because I had plenty of dupes and preferred other formulas, or never used them, but this baby is one that is here to stay! This is another one that I am on my second bottle of. Two coats of an absolutely perfect pastel purple cream. I actually forgot how much I love the formula of this polish. It is the ideal level of fluid....ity? Fluidity, is that a word? Liquidityness? *Insert words describing pristine application and formula here because English and I aren't getting along today*
Oh the textures. I've never gotten over them! Especially those high-grit textures with intense (usually gold) sparkle! I adore every single one of the "sugar shimmer" or "sugar coat" polishes, but these two specifically make great spring colors (the pink too but I think we've established that pink is a great spring color in my book today, so I opted to leave that one on my shelf).
Royal Icing
Unfortunately this one wasn't quite opaque in three coats (it took four, ass seen in the macro) but it is still so pretty and I love the pink sparkle/blue base combo of this polish even if it isn't the best!
Mint Tint
First and foremost Mint Tint is that perfect pistachio color that I adore but don't see often! Another two-coats for this one. It isn't the sparkliest, especially sans glossy topcoat, but it is a pretty one I always seem to forget about somehow!
That is it from me today. Which was your favorite that I shared? Or if you have another season fave, let me know what it is!
