Sally Hansen Salon Effects : Take the Stage

I still have a full box I have given up trying to put on my nails, It not easy to use as it looks was really disappoints what a waste of money

So by now everyone would know how amazing Sally Hansen Salon Effects are and how simple they are to use, plus they provide you with an amazing manicure with the fraction of the cost. Recently Sally Hansen has joined hands with Avril Lavigne and created a full Sally Hansen Avril Lavigne Collection of Salon Effect polishes.

This amazing range comes with a perfect salon effect for everyone, there's one for every punk, one for every sk8r girl and one for every glam girl out there. I'm not much of a punk or skater girl so I chose a Sally Hansen Salon Effect - take the stage, which has a really glamourous touch to it.

The polish strips are black, with a high glitter in silver and black which changes in the light, it is really really sparkly and not for the faint hearted! I really loved the way it looks, on the box it looked like it had a texture, however it is absolutely smooth, and you actually only realise it after you've applied it.

So each box of these Salon Effects contains :
*A mini file which has three textures -
- White side which is smooth and meant for buffing nails
- Hot Pink which is for filing nails
- Light Pink which is for smoothing the edge of the polish strip
* A rose wood cuticle stick for helping clean nails and applying the polish strips with ease.
* 16 polish strips in all sizes, which comes in two air tight plastic containers of 8 strips each.

Extra things you will need:
* A longer nail file if you find it easier to use a longer one
* a pair of scissors
* nail polish remover
* cotton wool (Lint free wipes are better)

The process
If you have perfectly manicured nails you won't really need to stress much about this, however if you don't, then you need to make sure you use the nail file and cuticle stick. Remove all nail polish before starting.

First start of by pushing back your cuticles (use the slanted side to push back cuticles for a neater look with a longer lasting manicure), and use the other side of the cuticle stick to clean under nails. Be careful not to hurt yourself under your nail.

Secondly start by shaping your nails using the hot pink side, the Salon Effect polish strips look better on rounded tip nails and also stay longer on them. Once you've shaped nails, use the white side of the nail file to gently buff nails and give them a smooth finish for a longer lasting manicure. Don't over buff nails because it can hurt nails.

After you've buffed nails, wash hands and dry them to remove any oil residue in your nails. Then open ONE of the air sealed containers and pick out your sizes for one hand. - The reason I'm advising you to only open one is because if you nails are short, you can cut the strip later in the process and allow it to fit on both nails, leaving a sealed pack got another manicure.

Once you've selected your strips which fit perfectly (if they don't then it doesn't really matter because you can still fix them anyway), give nails a good swipe of nail polish remover to remove any oil residue on your nails which can give you a much longer lasting manicure than usual.

Now it's time to begin your perfect manicure! Start by peeling off the clear front protector, although the strip of polish is firm, be careful the strip doesn't tear, once you've removed the clear protector, remove the white backing, you'll now only be holding the polish strip, carefully using a scissors, cut the strip in half, leaving the other half of the strip on the blade of the scissors for later use.

Then place the strip carefully close to your cuticle so it looks neat and put pressure on the strip to smooth any lines. Using your finger tips, smooth out lines from the middle out to the sides. Once the strip is secure use the white side of the buffer to gently smooth in the polish strip - Not hard because it can damage the polish.

Then fold over any remaining part of the strip and use the light pink side to file the piece off, once you've completed, use the cuticle stick around the corners of your nail to get rid of any extra bits and peel away. Then carefully remove the other half of the strip of the nail polish and apply on the other nail.

Repeat the steps as followed for all nails, you should be left with three extra polish strips which will be able to cover for six nails, if you've made any mistakes or not happy with a nail, you can redo it by using the strips, because after a few days they will not be usable again.

Once you've completed your entire manicure, keep your manicure stick, mini file and extra pack of polish strips safe for another usage!

PRO's and COn's

PRO's
Stylish Nail Polish Strips
Long lasting - says 10 days but can last up to 2 weeks
You can get two manicures from one box
It's very simple
Foolproof
Available in a wide range
Available everywhere
Everything you need comes in the box

CON's
A bit expensive
Can chip now and then
Has a strong nail polish smell
An open pack with unused strips can't be used again
If the product is old, it becomes hard to use

I would recommend you try this product out because it is simple to use and gives you beautiful nails without an effort at all, manicures last up to two weeks which is amazing. A box retails for R89, however you can get two manicures from them which will cost you R45 per manicure which is really worth it. Plus they really trendy so you should really try them out. When you're ready to remove the polish strips you just remove them like normal polish, however if you're using a glitter polish like I am, it takes a little more effort.