Makeup Monday: Maybelline Express Finish Nail Color

The Makeup: Maybelline Express Finish Nail Color, in Red Comet (180)
The Store: Meijer's (available in most beauty stores)
The Price: $3.50 USD

QUICK-DRY NAIL COLOR Wet to Set in 50 Seconds
ADVANCED WEAR® anti-chip color
EXCLUSIVE CONTROL-FLOW™ BRUSH

Pros: Dries quickly, Comes off easily.
When Maybelline says this polish is quick drying, they mean it. I dont know if it really was 50 seconds, but it was rather fast - which turns out to be a good thing, because I had to put 3-4 coats on to achieve some semblance of the color this polish is supposed to be. As noted later on, I chipped this polish pretty quick, but luckily it comes off rather easily with polish remover. Most red polishes tend to temporarily stain your nails, and glitter polishes tend to be very difficult to remove at all, and leave left over specks of glitter behind, but this color came off rather cleanly overall.

Cons: Chip Resistant? Color is prettier in the bottle.
Chip resistant MY BUTT. I managed to chip about half the polish off in one go just putting on my dress this morning. So, if you plan on wearing it out ...paint your nails after you're already dressed. I know I am hard on my nails, but that was a bit ridiculous!! The polish color is close, but not as true a red as it looks in the bottle. It tends to look a bit more berry-red on the nails, which left me a bit disappointed. The more coats you put on the closer the polish looks to the bottle color, but after 4 coats of polish, you nails start to feel too "built up".

The Verdict:
I liked the color enough to spend $3.50 on it, but I've honestly found better nail polishes at the dollar store, so I thick thats what I'll stick to in this case. I imagine if I would have used a topcoat it would have been a bit stronger, but my nails were already feeling mucky, and I didnt want to add any more layers to it.

Buy Online at Amazon.com

Makeup Monday: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color

The Makeup: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No-Chip Nail Color
The Store: Walmart (available in most beauty stores)
The Price: $8 CAD

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No-Chip NailCcolor comes in a hefty 36 shades, with nail perfection achievable after only two coats. The premise of this nail polish is that its chip resistant, fade resistant, and helps stop your nails from breaking. I put on two coats of "Pink Proposal" and decided to test out these claims.



Pros: Chip Resistant, Helps harden soft nails, Many shades to choose from.
Putting it simply, I am really rough on my nails. Most nail polishes dont last a day without chipping, due to the fact that I've got soft nails that bend/break easily, so when I heard about the claims this polish makes, I knew I had to give it a try. I have to say, I am really impressed with the wearability. It was a solid 3 days before the polish was chipped enough to be noticeable. It even survived me trimming my nails without chipping. My nails did seem not to be as soft as before while I had this polish on, and the effects still seem to last a little after I took the polish off as well. The large range of colors for this brand is definitely enticing.

Cons: Price, 2 coats didn't live up to expectations.
One bottle of this stuff (.45 fl oz) will set you back $8 a pop, which can get pretty pricey really quick if you decide you want more than one color. Looking at the color itself, if I chose any other than "Pink Proposal" (looks a bit like a French Manicure), I might be a bit disappointed. I am a tad on the impatient side, so putting more than 2 coats of color on is a stretch for me, but this color was pretty....transparent looking. I'd hesitate to buy any of the darker colors for fear that they might be a bit on the transparent side as well.

Verdict:
Proceed with caution. The price was a definite negative to me, but many women won't consider $8 a large investment seeing as the nail polish lasts so long. The product claims are right on the money, and it did feel like the polish did help my nails. Also, a word of warning...don't try and wear this polish on your toes. Lets just say the greenish undertone *isn't* flattering.

Sally Hansen Official Site