Manic.Monday: Commander in Chic

I have always been a fan of the Sally Hansen range of nail care products. I have tried several of them and find that they do exactly what they claim to do, and some of them have been staple items in my nail care drawer for a few years; e.g. the Nail Growth Miracle and the Miracle Cure - both excellent products! But it wasn't until the beginning of the year that I tried my first Sally Hansen nail polish and it was such a pleasant surprise that I have bought quite a few of the nail polishes since then (surprise, surprise - spot the polishaholic).

The product in today's post is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Colour in Commander in Chic 370. It's a beautiful pale rose khaki brown with a faint mauve undertone that makes it a really soft and feminine shade. It has something of a pastel tone over it, and it would look gorgeous to wear with an oversized pink coat or jacket to be right on trend.

The Sally Hansen Salon Manicure nail polish range is marketed as a bit of a technological marvel - yes... we are still talking about a nail polish... First of all they are a 5-in-1 product i.e. they contain base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color and top coat - that sounds very promising! Then the formula contains a "patented micro-encapsulated time-release technology" of caring ingredients that infuses the nails, nourishing them throughout the wear. I really like the fact that brands are trying to make the nail polish formulas as gentle and caring as possible for your nails, but since I apply a new shade every few days I simply haven't worn the Sally Hansen polishes long enough to be able to comment on whether I've noticed any significant improvements in quality to my nails - but the concept is definitely great.

The formula is nicely opaque and already after one coat you'll have a glossy satin look, although for a truly thick color I would recommend that you apply two coats. It comes with a very nice wide brush that fans out beautifully, which means that you get excellent and smooth coverage of more or less all of the nail.   

Commander in Chic - 370

Since the polish is a 5-in-1, in theory it's a real time saver and you can tell that Sally Hansen has tried to create a polish which can be used on the go. You can definitely wear the polish as it is with no separate base coat or top coat, without your nails being stained and the finish is also nice and glossy enough. Personally I always use a separate base coat and cop coat anyway, and I also like that the separate top coat adds even more high shine to the finished look. It could be that doing this, there's a little bit of an impact on the wear. On my nails the polish lasts approx 5-6 days before it starts to chip a little bit, which I think is really good, but I know that the product claims to be chip resistant for up to 10 days. I don't know about you, but I've never had a plain polish that's lasted that long with a perfect finish.

To sum it up - the Salon Manicure is a great formula that also cares for your nails and there is a rainbow of colors to choose from. If you haven't already tried this polish, have a look at all the tempting shades they offer, the next time you're in Boots or Superdrug - and that's an order!