Sally Hansen Salon Effects

So I don't know about you guys, but the nail salons in my area have no clue about nail art. They would never be able to do something as simple as this mesh pattern. They think that a few lines coming out on one side of the nail is "art." It's pathetic. They can't even do simple flowers. So in my mind, this far surpasses what is considered salon effect. ;)

I wanted to try these guys out for my trip. I knew I would not be able to change my polish as much as I normally do. So I wanted something that would at least look decent for several days. Great opportunity to do a wear test of these Salon Effects stickers. :)

I do have experience using these guys before. I think it was before I started blogging, so no pictures. :( I had a mixed review then. I tried the Denim print and it lasted for 3 days before I took it off just out of boredom, but I remember that they still looked pretty good! I was impressed.... Then I also tried the Laced Up design, and they peeled off within just a few hours. I think my application was a bit rushed though... So I'm hoping that was the only problem.

 This time I picked up Misbehaved because I needed something slightly neutral to go with so many different outfits. These are gold with a black mesh pattern. Similar to a Konad image, I get that.

 I was careful and took my precious time and perfectly prepped my nails. Made sure they were wiped with acetone to remove even the slightest bit of oils and residue before applying. I only had trouble with my ring fingers. I couldn't seem to find the right size sticker the first time around and had to remove and try a different sticker. Then they went on fine. My right hand thumbnail is a good bit larger than my left hand. (Long story involving a dog bite, and my mom saying she thought I'd be disfigured for life... Gee, thanks for caring mom, but why didn't you take me to the doctor then?! Lol) So because it's larger, even the largest sticker didn't truly fit the width correctly. It's not a terrible gap, but I notice it's there.

After I applied them all, I held them under the blow dryer for just a few seconds. Then I smoothed them down to be extra sure there was a good bond. I then applied a layer of topcoat and carefully wrapped the tips in the hopes to minimize wear. All in all, it took me about 30 minutes to finish them. A long time for some, but I was being super-extra careful, and hit a few snags.

I'll do my best to take pics of them each day of my trip to show you a proper wear test.

Don't worry, I'm packing a small makeup bag with some polishes and tools in the hopes that the girls I'm visiting with be interested in manis! And as a backup if my test fails early!