Sally Hansen

Rainbow Nails and Bright Lips, Funfetti Cake, and the MAC Makeup in “Promising Young Woman”

March 23rd, 2021 by Karen 16 Comments

skittles mani mac all fired up — It’s a rainbow of color

For the record, it’s very, very awkward to take a picture of yourself that has your hands in it and have it look natural! Why do I feel like my paws look bigger than my head here? ?

I haven’t worn rainbow nails in a minute, but I absolutely HAD TO after we rented Promising Young Woman last weekend. It’s a thriller starring Carey Mulligan as Cassie, a young 30-something woman who experiences something traumatic that leads her to drop out of medical school, move back in with her parent and…pursue other ends. I don’t want to give away too much, but it involves some revenge.

Cassie wears a pastel rainbow manicure throughout the movie, and it’s front and center at a few key moments.

I’ve been reading about the styling for the film, and it turns out that the manicure was writer/director Emerald Fennell’s idea, and fun fact for ya — she’s the lady who plays Camilla Parker-Bowles in The Crown!

Symbolically, Cassie’s nails and makeup represent both her armor and a weapon. Her sweet girlishness at times conceals her anger.

I just wanted to wear rainbows on my hands to have a little fun, but I definitely appreciate using makeup as armor.

Pink: Smith & Cult Plastic Beach
Orange: Chanel Orange Fizz (no longer available, try Chanel Cruise)
Yellow: Sally Hansen Lemon Heaven
Mint Green: Sally Hansen Prince Char-Mint
Baby Blue: Essie First View

Near the end of the film, there’s a scene with Cassie in a candy-colored wig putting on a bright lipstick, and dagnabbit, even without my glasses on, and consequently being half-blind, I knew it was MAC. The movie’s makeup artist, Angie Wells, used MAC All Fired Up Retro Matte Lipstick.

I’m wearing it here with MAC Beet Lip Pencil.

Speaking of bright and colorful things…I got a gluten-free sprinkle boxed cake mix and a matching sprinkle cake frosting (both by Pillsbury) at Target a few weeks ago to make a cake, and you know what? It was pretty darned delicious. Both the boxed Funfetti cake and the frosting were surprisingly tasty and flavorful (I could really taste the vanilla). The cake was also light and fluffy, and the frosting spread easily.

Everything was so good that I went back to the store and got more for the next time I have to bake something last-minute!

You know that I’m totally 100% down to bake a cake and make frosting from scratch, but sometimes it’s sooooo nice to have something easy around for when you get a hankerin’ for cake.

While we’re on the topic of baking, look what I found at Michaels…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

More #MismatchedManis: Essie Gels Coutures and Sally Hansen Miracle Gels in Blues and Brights

May 18th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

sally hansen miracle gel fish teal braid mintage — Sally Hansen Miracle Gels in Fish-Teal Braid and Mintage

Mismatched manis should come with a warning: once you start, ya can’t stop.

At least that’s been the case on my end of the keyboard!

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to wearing a single color on both hands ever again. 🙂

sally hansen miracle gel apollo you anywhere lemon heaven — Sally Hasen Miracle Gel in Apollo You Anywhere and Lemon Heaven

essie beau tie surrounded by studs — Essie Gel Couture in Beau-tie and Surrounded by Studs

I’ve just about #mismatchedmani’d all the colors in my collection of Essie Gel Coutures and Sally Hansen Miracle Gels, which means the next thing to do would be to collect more colors… Right? That’s solid logic in my book.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

#MismatchedMani Should Totally Be a Thing

April 29th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

Since we went on lockdown, I’ve been wearing mismatched nails, with one shade of nail polish on the fingers on one hand, and another shade on the other, and ya know what? I’m completely convinced now that the #MismachedMani trend (It’s totally a thing now.) will forever change nail hoarding habits as we know them.

Now maybe, just maybe, I’ll finally get around to wearing some of the nail polishes in my collection that I still haven’t worn?!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day. Here’s an e-hug. ?❤️ How are you doing this morning?

Product Spotlight: Sally Hansen Sheer Color Therapy Nail Polish

March 30th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

If you like pastel paws but don’t want to go full-on painted Easter egg, these sheer Sally Hansen polishes hit the spot. They’re from Sally’s moisturizing Color Therapy lacquer line and are $8.99 each.

Fighting crabbiness one stroke at a time! Now, I’m not saying that the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Sheers will solve all your social distancing dilemmas (like, why is it so hard to find baking soda at the store right now?!), but they should help in a couple key areas, like if your nails need serious TLC! The moisturizing argan oil-infused Color Therapy formula helps reduce chipping and splitting.

And, is it just me, or is there something intensely empowering about a set of freshly painted claws? I feel like a tiny @ss kicker when my nails are done and I’m wearing big hoops.

These sheer shades, which are part of a sub-collection of the Sally Hansen Color Therapy nail polish line, are my new faves. There are only a handful of them, including cool-toned lavender Bare Tint, and cool light pink Bare Kiss, which has a hint of greige.

sally hansen bare kiss — Two coats of Bare Kiss, along with the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Corrector Base Coat and High Gloss Top Coat

sally hansen bare kiss 7 days — Bare Kiss after seven days of wear

Like all of the Color Therapy polishes, these have a flat, extra wide brush that fans across your entire nail to completely coat it with paint in one swipe… Not that I’ve got anywhere pressing to go these days, but manis and pedis are much quicker when I use this brush.

Also of note

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TLC for Needy Nails: The Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Beautifiers Base and Top Coats, and a BOMB Cuticle Serum

March 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Well, hello, nail polish. NICE TO SEE YOU, OLD FRIEND!

Now that I have a little more time to do something other than an occasional speed mani, I’ve been busting out the accouterments from the new Nail Beautifiers collection in the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Line.

Color Therapy is Sally Hansen’s line of moisturizing polishes infused with argan oil, and I started wearing them a lot after “the gel mani incident.” My nails needed some serious TLC, so I babied them for a couple months and only wore bare nails or Color Therapy until my nails recovered back to their former strength.

There are six treatments in the new Nail Beautifier family, including three base coats, two top coats and a Nail Cuticle Serum.

sally hansen give me a tint — I did this mani while I wrote this post! I used the Nail Corrector, followed by two layers of Color Therapy Sheer in Give Me a Tint, and topped it off with the High Gloss Top Coat. When it dried, I massaged the Nail Cuticle Serum around the base of my nails and my fingertips.

If you’re washing your hands 24/7 like I am…

The Nail Cuticle Serum ($8.99) is THE STUFF. You can use it on bare or polished nails — just apply to the cuticles and nail tips and massage until absorbed. It’s a thick serum, and it isn’t oily, so you aren’t left with slippery, greasy fingers afterwards.

I keep it on my desk and apply it whenever I get a chance, and ever since I’ve been doing this, my cuticles (which had been visibly dry and thirsty and came this close to going full-on raggedy) look and feel so much better.

sally hansen nail cuticle serum — So good!

If you happen to see this online or while you’re out, grab it. Your cuticles will send you a secret love letter ❤️?️ via carrier pigeon declaring their undying affection for your thoughtfulness.

All about the base

If you have some serious ridges like I did after the disastrous gel mani incident, then the Nail Corrector ($8.99), which smooths out dips and drops on the surface of your nails, is for you. It looks like a peachy cream in the bottle, but it applies as a very sheer, barely-there pink.

Do your nail tips chip and split easily? If so, the Strengthening Base Coat ($8.99), which, like the Nail Corrector, looks tinted in the bottle but goes on clear, would be a good choice. Added bonus: It doubles as a top coat in a pinch.

If you’re lucky enough to have healthy nails, grab the Nail Primer ($8.99). It irons out the nails surface just like the Nail Corrector but isn’t as aggressive with the smoothing.

Top it off

Two new top coats reinforce the strength of your nails and the durability of your mani while locking down your nail color. I’m a fan of the High Gloss Top Coat ($8.99), which has a reflective gleaming, glossy shine (so it looks wet even when it’s dry).

Some of my nails tend to split, so I’ll bust out the Strengthening Top Coat ($8.99) and use it on them for added protection.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. On my #stressbaking to-do list this week: SCONES.

I made some terrible ones over the weekend that were just dry and dense and gross and totally inedible.

My first attempt at scones, and for the record…they were terrible!

Do you have a fool-proof scone recipe or any suggestions? Do tell.

Unsung Heroes: Sally Hansen Wax Strips

July 16th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

sally hansen wax strip review — Smoother then a baby’s butt.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Ways to procrastinate when you’re sitting at your desk:

Pluck your eyebrows
Paint your nails
Fall into a YouTube rabbit hole of ’80s music videos
Wax your mustache with Sally Hansen Wax Strips

I used to use Sally Hansen Wax Strips back when I was a waxing newbie, when the strips came in stiff plastic, and you had to warm them up between your hands to soften the wax…

They weren’t all that great, now that I think about it.

The plastic was uncomfortable, and the wax always left a handful of fuzz, so it wasn’t completely effective, but it was convenient, and I could easily find the kits at the drugstore (plus, I hadn’t yet discovered the wonder of the Bliss blue wax in a cup).

I figured, a low-key mustache was better than a bushy, full-on hipster mustache. *shrugs*

The wax in this newly revamped version of the kit is 10,000% better.

It comes in flexible paper (which molds to the curves of your body), and it tightly grips even the smallest bits of fur to lift everything off in a single pass.
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The Need for Speed

May 30th, 2019 by Karen 19 Comments

Never have I seen a truer statement than the one emblazoned on this tin I saw at CVS the other day.

Don’t worry; they’ll disappear before you know it.

Props to the person who thought of this, because you and I both know that it’s only a matter of time before those ties disappear into that household wormhole that swallows all of the black hair ties in the world and sends them to their mysterious final destination.

Where do they all go?

Until the scientific community figures it out, I will continue to work under the assumption that they go to the cosmic playground in the sky where angel kitties swat at them for hours on end.

I’ve actually got a black tie in my hair right now because I’m typing and painting my nails. ’cause that’s how I roll. Paint, type, paint, type…

Oh, noooo. Is that a nick on my thumbnail?

Wait — it’s not. WHEW! *wipes sweat off brow.*

As I was saying, I’m multitasking, even though I’m running the risk of accidentally denting a freshly painted paw.

Faster, pussycat

I recently figured out a way to speed up the process even more, because, frankly, who has the time? Why fritter away 30 minutes of your life waiting for paint to dry when you could be doing things like squats or watching a Keanu Reeves movie (I know I’ve been talking about him a lot lately, but can you blame a girl?).

Also, I think I finally nailed (ha ha ha) the “speed mani” thanks to these few products. I’m completely done in 15 minutes. FOR REALS. Everything dries super quickly, AND the mani lasts a long time. I’m talking zero-to-very-few chips for a full week.

It’s all about that base

It starts with Sally Hansen No More Stains Spray-On Base Coat, which is also fun to use.

Doesn’t it look like a travel perfume bottle?

You just spray the clear base coat on bare nails (one or two spritzes per nail), and the thin protective layer dries in less than a minute. You don’t have to be very precise about it (it’s like you’re spraying hairspray on the tips of your fingers). Just spray, spray, spray, and ya done!

T-minus 300 seconds

On top of that, I add a couple layers of a nude shade from the Essie Gel Couture line, and it doesn’t seem to matter which color I wear — tan, pink, peach, taupe. Whichever direction I choose to go, the end result looks so-fresh-so-clean, even after a week.

Duuuuude! I’m also all about the brush. It’s wider and flatter that a typical nail polish brush, so I can paint from base to tip in even, smooth strokes.

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Budget Beauty for $10 or Less: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Mauve-olous

April 17th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

sally hansen mauve-olous — After four days, this drugstore mani looks just as fresh as day one.

Hooray for budget beauty! In this new series, we talk about sweet finds you can get for $10 or less.

GAH. I’m getting really antsy to paint my nails with the Chanel Cruise colors. (That purple? It’s just calling my name.) So I’m gonna do that tonight, but before I go there, shout-out to my current nail polish situation, Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel in Mauve-olous, which is indeed marvelous.

OK, this is… I painted my nails on Friday night after one of those epic bathroom sessions that El Hub makes fun of me for, because I literally can spend almost two hours in the bathroom after I put Connor down to bed. He’s like, “What are you DOING in there? Did you fall in the toilet and get stuck? Now you can’t get out?” (Side note, no, that only happens to my Velvet Teddy Lipstick, ha! ? ) And I’m like, “Dude, I’m just living my best life in here, OK?” I was so happy to have some time to myself, so in celebration of that, I did a hair mask, a face mask, and I also painted my nails. ??

I did two coats of Mauve-olous on top of bare nails, and then the Miracle Gel Top Coat on top, which is the process Sally Hansen recommends, and look! — after four whole days, there’s only a little bit coming off at the ends of my nails (as to be expected). But really, no big chips. Sure, the shine has dulled, but the polish still more or less looks like fresh paint. I’m betting this could easily go six or seven solid days.

I’ll be wearing it again, for sure.

By the way, Mauve-olous is one of those colors that looks very different in different lighting. Like, I’ll go into the bathroom, and it’ll be peachy pink, but it’s mauve-rose in full sun. I think it’s really beautiful, and it’s affordable, too — about $8 a bottle.

Oh! — and another bonus of the Miracle Gels is that they dry relatively quickly. You don’t have to sit there for 45 minutes while you wait for your nails to dry. For two coats and the top coat, I’d give them 20 minutes to completely dry down.

It’s good stuff!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen