Salon Effects Prove Skeptics Wrong

Everyone has different talents. Some people are good at sports, some people are excellent cooks, and some people are good at nail art. I consider myself someone who is mediocre at the art of creating masterpieces on nail canvases, however when I took a trip to my local drug store and saw Sally Hansen Salon Effects: Real Nail Polish Strips, I learned that I, too, could be the next Picasso of nail artistry.

Salon Effects are real nail polish strips that stick to nails and wear like real nail polish. There is no drying time or waiting period for one coat to dry in order to reapply the next. The strips are marketed as virtually instant.

They come in 24 different shades, with cute names like Kitty, Kitty (a metallic leopard print), Skinny Jeans (a imitation-denim style) and more. I was quick to snatch up Cut It Out (a colorless floral print), Laced Up (a lace pattern), Glitz Blitz (a glittery gold), and Kitty, Kitty. Each of the colors and prints were adorable and I was eager to give them a shot.

I will admit, I was skeptical at first, but I was hoping that my $9 a box would not be wasted in vain. My fears were pointless; Salon Effects does exactly as it says. The box comes with 16 strips, a nail filer and a manicure stick used for pressing the strips. The box and instructions make the process to apply the strips a lot shorter than what it is. One definitely needs time on their side.

Before actually going onto apply the strips, one has to prep their nails. Removing nail polish, dirt, oil and other impurities from the nails using polish remover is the first “prep” step. After that, it is recommended that the nails are filed and shaped as necessary. Then the real fun begins.

The first step is to find sizes for each of the nails. At eight strips per nail, I felt safe knowing that my nail size was probably available. However, I was a little disappointed. The sizes were fairly large for my nails, but I learned later on that it was manageable and if the strips were too large, it did not make a huge difference.

After separating the strips by size, I began the application process. The strip is stuck between two protective layers, a plastic covering and a paper backing. Remove the plastic covering first, and then remove the paper backing, leaving the bare strip. The strip has two sides meant to be applied at the cuticle, a round side and a flat side, depending on the shape of your nail. I stuck the strip onto my nail and immediately began pressing it down firmly with the cuticle stick. After I felt the strip had been pressed down firmly enough, I began to crease the excess over the tip of my nail. The next step calls for the excess to be filed away using the nail filer. I was skeptical about this, too, so I combined peeling away the excess and filing it away for the desired effect.

I repeated the same steps over and over again with each nail. Peeling the strip off and reapplying it was easy and did virtually no harm at all. Although this entire process was super easy, it was super long and made quite the mess of my kitchen table.

Unfortunately, I did accidentally ruin one of my strips. While trying to peel away the excess, I ended up chipping what I actually wanted on the nail. I was disappointed, and thought my experience was ruined, however I noticed that I had a leftover strip of the next size up. I figured I would try it, although it probably would not fit my nail. I was right and wrong all at the same time. The strip was too big, but it was easy to trim with the manicure stick by pushing it down into my nail bed and tearing the excess. It is impossible to tell which strip was “too big.”

The box claims that these strips last up to 10 days. Although I have not had them on for that long, I did add a clear topcoat to them to reinforce their staying power, and so far so good.

Despite the fact that these kits are a bit expensive, I think they are well worth it, especially because I no longer have to pay $30 to get a unique design done at a salon. I no longer have to wait for what feels like forever for my nails to dry, and I do not have to fear getting wet nail polish all over my furniture and clothes. This is a process I can do virtually anywhere, so long as I have the time to do it. My biggest complaint? I wish that they had 224 different prints and colors, not just 24.