Just about everything claims to be high-definition today, from T.V.’s, to cameras, to makeup, so why shouldn’t nail polish companies get in on the action? Sally Hansen did with their HD Hi-Definition Nail Color. It has been around for a while, and since I haven’t reviewed any Sally Hansen products beyond their Salon Effects, here we go.
It’s been a few months since I first tried the new nail art decals, their ubiquitous presence in almost every store nail aisle making them difficult to ignore. After my frustrating initial experience, I didn’t think I would ever try them again. Yet there I was in Sally’s, standing at the checkout all poised and calm as the sales clerk rang up my Art Club Glam nail art decals in Mad For Plaid. On the real, I felt like a six-year-old at Dairy Queen anxiously waiting to get my dipped cone (personal favorite)! I couldn’t wait to try them out! I just knew they would look as perfect in real life as I already imagined they would in my head.
You know where this is headed, right?
I am not a fan of fast drying nail polish. It always turns out bad. Like me trying to bake a cake from scratch bad. No pigment, creasy eyeshadow bad. Someone ate the last Thin Mint bad (shout out to the Girl Scouts).
It’s that bad.
However, I really, really, really wanted to try the Wet N’ Wild Fast Dry Polish. I haven’t had much luck with any of Wet n Wild polishes, but this new line looked interesting. It purports to dry in 60 seconds, but that didn’t interest me. The colors did. They looked really bold and bright, and I love bright and bold colors.
The first one I tried was Teal of Fortune.
Teal of Fortune
Once again I had to go with the glittery polish. I can’t help it. The second one that I tried is a color that reminds me of Orange Crush soda called 9.0.2.1. Orange…
9.0.2.1. Orange
I have soooo many positive things to say about the polishes. I have to say first of all though, that it doesn’t really dry in 60 seconds. It dries about average, 2 minutes. Which is fast compared to some polishes out there, but it’s not 60 second fast.
Otherwise, I love them. How much do I love them? Let me share the ways:
The one draw back is that there aren’t a huge range of colors. I counted 18. Which is decent, but I need a SELECTION! Doesn’t matter though, cause these are my new faves. Wet n Wild should be applauded for this affordable, long lasting line of nail polishes. Especially for that perfect brush.
Interesting fact I thought I’d share. Browsing the Wet n Wild website, if you notice the names of the polishes (all except for poor “Orange” UPDATE it is actually called 9.0.2.1. Orange, and I heart it even more now), they are all inspired by some T.V. show, like “Sage in the City” or “Saved by the Blue” and even “Silvivor”.
Corny, and I LOVE it! I heart them even more. You can browse at the complete list here.
Did Wet n Wild nailed it or failed it?
You already know. They definitely nailed it!!!!
I gave in. I decided to live in the “wild side”, and finally try Essie nail polish. And I can’t say that I’m disappointed. Not having an OMG, screeching and texting- all- my- folks- raving -about- it moment either, but I enjoy it.
I was drawn in by the opaque colors. There was a hint of iridescence, and I liked that it was just enough to give it a touch of character. I also decided that it was time to try something different, and tone down the polish every now and then. I don’t always have to be so extra with my polish. So I bit the bullet, and bought Jamaica Me Crazy.
Coat Azure and Jamaica Me Crazy
I absolutely, positively, adore shimmer nail polish. If companies are trying to get me to buy their polish, just throw some type of glitter in there, and it’s sold! It’s my nail polish achiles heel. My lacquered kryptonite. I have zero defenses against it.
So when a hint of sparkle caught my eye while browsing the Milani makeup line, my attention was instantly drawn towards it. And there it was. A ruby red nail polish, with tons of glitter. It reminded me of the glitter and glue tubes we used for arts and crafts back in elementary school. I loved those! I was sold.
Like any other nail polish aficionado, as soon as I got home, I put in work. I hurriedly rubbed off the old, and excitedly applied the new. My anticipation grew with each layer (with glittery/shimmer polish I always apply three layers to get as close as possible to the color in the bottle). After fanning, waving my hands up and down, and blowing my breath all over them, my nails were sufficiently dry. I raised my hands up to the light to admire it. And…
It was ok.
Where do I begin. Let’s start with color. I did admire the color. It looked about 90% of what was shown in the bottle. The glitter isn’t all bam in your face, but it was decent.
Yes I know I have polish on my finger...I'm messy!
The first thought that popped into my head was that my fingernails looked I had dipped them in blood. Strange I know. The red was very vibrant.The finish was matte, and rough to the touch (I always run my fingers across my dried nails to feel the finish), so it required a topcoat. That is somewhat annoying because it takes forever to remove, but it’s minor.
As I applied the polish, I noticed that it was thin. The good thing about that is that it took about three minutes to completely dry between each coat. The bad thing about it is that I knew it wouldn’t last five days without some signs of wear and tear. Even with being extra careful with what I did with my fingertips (no cleaning that required vigorous scrubbing, or using my fingernails to open things), the polish still began to slowly wear away by the beginning of the third day.
All in all, I did like the color a lot. I do wish that it had a longer wear time, but it’s not horrible. I would buy it again if I happen to be shopping and it catches my eye, but I’m not making any special trips to repurchase.
I paid about four dollars. On the website, it’s advertised as 4.49.
LacquerGlamour 