Sally Hansen • salon effects • Polishes

Where To Buy?

sabrunka on 5/16/2013 8:29:00 PM more reviews by sabrunka

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

A lot of people giving negative reviews did not use these properly in my opinion. First of all, wait several hours before doing any chores/dishes/showers! This IS nail polish, it HAS to set on your nails, it isn't magically perfect within an hour, seriously, wtf now! Haha I love them. I put them on and do not put my hands in water for at least 3-4 hours and also I put a top coat on and they last a few weeks, perfect! Worth the money. Easy to apply once you get the hang of it!

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Fabulouis on 4/11/2013 11:04:00 PM more reviews by Fabulouis

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I LOVE THESE! I always pick at my nails and nail polish doesnt last very long on my nails. I swim lots and the chlorine usually ruins it. I have gotten them in girl flower, cut it out, and teal with it, but I really want to try blue jeans. They last so long, and because I love the patterns so much i don't pick at them! I LOVE LOVE LOVE these and will definitely repurchase them again and again

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jep278 on 4/10/2013 7:25:00 PM more reviews by jep278

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

If you follow the instructions and use common sense, they DO stay on at LEAST 10 days - I've had them stay on for 2 weeks or more, and I'm a medical transcriptionist (typing 40 hours a week, plus my home Internet usage! I have used these FOUR different times (animal instinct, a pink and white camo pattern, and the pink glitter ones twice), and all four times they stayed on at LEAST for 2 weeks - my nails were growing out before they started to come off! You have to make sure you buff your nails first with the included buffer to give them a slightly un-smooth surface, make sure your fingers are not freezing cold, and stretch the strip ever so slightly before pressing them down. Then tamp them down with the included wooden stick. You can play with them too, like adding top coats with glitter, etc., and if you put them on crooked to where there's a blank spot, you can just use a remnant or a smaller one that you had leftover to fill in the spot, and it looks flawless! I intend on taking that idea and seeing if I can double-layer them for added oomph (such as with the glitter ones which are subtly translucent), or maybe putting the yellow on top of the blue halfway/making fat stripes? I bet you could cut out shapes and layer those, too, because they're so adhesive. Totally worth the price, which is anywhere from $6 to $10 for a set, and usually you can find them on sale places or find coupons, too. The holiday ones are adorable - currently searching for leftover St. Patrick's day ones, not sure if they exist, but since I love green so much... :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

babyblooey on 3/31/2013 2:10:00 AM more reviews by babyblooey

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I have just tested out a couple of sample strips from a magazine. The key to applying these is to make sure that your nails have no oil or dirt on them so go over your nails with nail polish remover. Then when you get the right position on your nails, gently press down and smooth over with an orange stick or the end of a makeup brush. If the sticker is having a hard time adhering to the nail use your other fingers to gently press and smooth over the sticker, especially at the tips!. The warmth from your fingers will help the sticker adhere. When you are sure the sticker is on your nail completely bend the sticker 90 degrees and file away!

It wasn't that hard to put the stickers on but i don't know how long they'll last. I can already see some areas lifting and maybe a top coat will fix that.

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jledea on 3/27/2013 1:47:00 AM more reviews by jledea

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Other    

Salon Effects " last up to 10 days" is false advertisement. I followed the directions accordingly to ensure the strips lasted as long as they claim on the package. It took me about an hour to apply the strips. Within the hour, I had dinner, washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, all of the strips have chipped/peeled off. It is possible that they can last up to 10 days if one does not do anything with their hands which is not realistic. I would not buy this product again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* JuliaLee67 on 3/13/2013 5:18:00 PM more reviews by JuliaLee67

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I wasn't sure about these because the results I got from my first attempt weren't the best, but since I've gotten the hang of applying them, I really like them. There really is a learning curve with these, practice does make perfect, and I strongly recommend reading and following the instructions to a T the first time you apply them, but I've used these literally dozens of times now and I've found a few tips that make application much easier. Your mileage may vary, of course.

1. Get a rubber-tipped cuticle pusher. The strips stick so much better when I use a rubber-tipped pusher instead of the wooden one that comes with the kit. Use it to push back/lift your cuticles and to "burnish" the strip once you have it properly placed on your nail. Burnishing helps the strip adhere better, removes wrinkles, and pushes any little trapped air bubbles out, and the soft rubber tip is gentle on your cuticles and won't tear the strip like the wooden stick will (I found this out the hard way).

2. The strips are more malleable and will adhere better if your hands and nails are warm. The temperature of the room you're in when you apply these can also effect how well they stick: a warmer room is better, but not too hot.

3. The strips can be ~very~ gently stretched to fit all the way across the nail from sidewall to sidewall. You can also push your cuticles back and lift them slightly (be careful and don't push them back too hard or lift them too high), and the strips can then be placed just under the cuticle (you then press the strip to the nail using the rubber-tip pusher). This is great if you're not especially neat with liquid polish and tend to get it all over your cuticles, or if you don't like a gap between the polish and your cuticle. Placing the strips just under the cuticle also extends the life of my manicure, as it takes longer for a gap to show as my nails grow out.

4. In my experience, the solid neon shades are the thinnest strips, and thus the most fragile and easily torn. The non-neon solid shades are a bit thicker, followed by the printed designs, and the glitter shades are the thickest and the easiest of all the strips to stretch.

5. I don't use a base coat, but I do use a top coat. The strips chip within a couple of days without, but with top coat, usually I only get a little tip wear and my manicure lasts from 8 to 14 days. I apply a fresh top coat every 3 days or so if the strips begin to look dull.

6. Clean, dry nails before you start are a must. I recommend using alcohol, polish remover, or acetone to remove all traces of dirt and oil from the nail bed. Don't use polish remover that says "hydrating" or "moisturizing", as these contain oils that will prevent the strips from adhering.

7. The more recent designs (as of this review) seem to be easier to remove than the older designs. I use acetone to remove them, and I soak the glitter strips off. As you can imagine, this is very drying to the nails and skin so if you do it, rehydration via a good cuticle oil and hand creme is a good idea.

8. I can get two manicures out of one package if my nails are on the shorter side. However, I don't cut the strips in half beforehand (another lesson learned the hard way, lol), I apply the strip, file the excess away carefully, and use the excess for the other corresponding nail. If you have long nails or longer nail beds, you may only get one use per package.

As I said, your mileage may vary. For what they are, these are pricy, but there are coupons and sales for them pretty much any given day of the week, so if you shop around you can get a good deal.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

qkellie on 3/4/2013 8:28:00 PM more reviews by qkellie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This stuff is crap. It is cleaner and less time consuming to use polish. Ugh. So many tiny pieces of sticker and foil everywhere, and no size or shape worked with my small hands. I tried the French manicure style, so maybe the multi-part process was even more difficult to apply than solid colors. Will NEVER repurchase.

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kimiata90 on 2/24/2013 1:00:00 PM more reviews by kimiata90

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Green    

They were hard to apply, but I finally got them looking pretty good. Unfortunately, they started getting chips, etc. after only a few days, much like regular polish. Actually, it was probably fortunate instead of unfortunate, because it caused me to just go ahead and remove them after a week. I'm glad I did, because my nails underneath were pretty much ruined. Totally dried out, with ridges and a tendency to peel and split. It took months for my nails to improve, and that is because I just had to grow new ones. I would never use this product again.

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crissy42o on 2/23/2013 7:00:00 PM more reviews by crissy42o

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I want to start off by saying that I think this product is a bit overpriced. I got it as a gift and was glad that I did, because I was always curious but didn't want to shell out 10 bucks+ to buy it myself. I found the process fairly easy to get used to after the first couple nails. I was very meticulous in making sure that each nail polish sticky was completely flat with the stick before filing off the excess. I didn't even think to cut them in half (but I will definitely be doing that next time!) for two manicures instead of just one. I have long nail beds, and most of the stickies were just about the right size for my nails. For the ones that were a bit too big, I used the cuticle stick that came with it to carefully cut off the excess parts around the side of my nail that touched my skin. I then added three coats of clear top coat to set it. My SIL suggested I wait at least an hour before touching anything, and after a few minutes of being semi-careless, I understood why. I now have a few spots on the very tips of my nails where it rubbed off. It still looks really good though (and way better than I could ever do myself). Definitely not a product for perfectionists who can't deal with a few little creases or bumps. I would recommend this product to anyone who is awful at putting on nail polish like I am and is willing to spend 10 bucks or more on 1-2 manicures.

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ToriBiohazard on 2/2/2013 3:04:00 PM more reviews by ToriBiohazard

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I decided to give these a try, they were on sale at a local store. The pre-cut shapes just did not work for my nail shape and curves. I found that instead of just cutting off the end of my nail, it kind of stretches and doesn't break off. The texture of the finish on your nail is just odd. Somewhat, sticky? I don't know. And when used with a topcoat, it just bubbles. Plus once you open the package, you can't keep the strips you didn't use =[
I'd rather spend the time on my nails!

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violetnights on 1/18/2013 1:56:00 AM more reviews by violetnights

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Salon Effects ohh how I love thee! There are the cutest colors and patterns and there seem to be new ones every week! I agree with the reviews that say these are not for perfectionists, as it is highly unlikely that the stickers will fit your exact size for every nail, so a sliver of your nails may show on either side, or the sticker may slightly cover your skin around the nails. Easy to apply and reasonably priced. The biggest con for me is that they do not lie as flat as polish does, so when I run my fingers through my hair some strands get caught under the sticker and break! Ugh!! I am trying to remember to use my finger tips only. But these are too much fun and I have bought many and will continue to do so!

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cawowinnose on 12/26/2012 3:21:00 PM more reviews by cawowinnose

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

I bought the new French Mani kit. I keep my nails short, so I had a hard time putting on the tips without it looking pretty ridiculous, and the color strips hardly stick! I've used one of the regular kits before and didn't have that problem.

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allers on 11/26/2012 2:31:00 PM more reviews by allers

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I'm on the fence with these. I decided to give them a try, but thought they were pretty pricey so I purchased a box on ebay for way cheaper than what they go for in store. It only took a nail or two to really get the hang of applying them. And the finished product was actually pretty cute. I got the houndstooth pattern because I'm an Alabama fan. I put them on my toenails because I figured on my fingernails would be overkill. I could do more than one toe from one strip because the strips are so long, so I had a lot of leftovers. I put the leftovers back in their hard plastic package, then in the small bag they came in, then a ziploc bag. Today I pulled out the leftovers to do my toenails once again, and they're all dried out and unusable. I know it says they dry out once opened, but you would think in that much plastic, they would keep. If S.H. can find a way to keep these from drying out once opened (because let's face it, even if I had done all finger and toe nails, there would still be leftovers) then I'd probably buy them again. But until then, this won't be a repurchase. I'm really glad I didn't pay full price for these.

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CBNegron on 11/13/2012 3:45:00 AM more reviews by CBNegron

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I want to start out by saying, if you are a perfectionist, these are NOT for you. Like most things, these take a lot of practice. My mom applied them to my right hand for me, and I applied them to my left hand - we both had a difficult time. Some pros are that they have various colors and patterns to choose from, decent wearing time (a week, give or take), double-ended stickers, depending on whether or not your nail bed is more round or square, and it includes a nail file, and orangewood stick. Some cons, however, are that these are almost impossible to get completely straight on your nail. It took me 4-5 times trying to set this in place, and if you messed up, it could potentially rip, or go on incorrectly causing ripples or bubbles. Fortunately, even after ripping a few of these, they were long enough that I could salvage the other half with a little bit of tweaking. After an hour of hard work, they were finally done and I am satisfied with the results. From an arm's length away, they look great, but upon closer examination, you can clearly see minor tears, and small edges of my nails that were too wide for the nail stickers. I may repurchase these in the future, but they were too much of a hassle to fully enjoy.

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Sdmarylou on 11/7/2012 1:45:00 AM more reviews by Sdmarylou

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Bought these strips in Metal Head and was disappointed.
1. The strips did not fit well.
2. For the price, $10, you can get a better, professionally done, manicure or a bottle of opi, Essie, Sephora, etc. nail polish.
3. Not easy to apply. As soon as I would get one side off the tape, the other side would snag.
4. Takes too long to apply. I could have very easily completed a painted manicure in the time it takes to apply.

Overall, I felt this product will give you a manicure, but one that's rough around the edges, and looks awful.

I do not recommend at all and wish I could get my money back.

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ilostmypanties on 11/6/2012 12:33:00 AM more reviews by ilostmypanties

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Other    

I love this product so much. I do agree that it takes practice, but anything with your nails typically does. I applied mine with using nail polish remover and just the contents of the product (cuticle pusher/file) and followed the directions exactly the first time. Overall rating is a 4 because of how easy they are to apply, NO dry time, design selection, and that they actually lasted over A WEEK with only minimal removal at the very tip of only one nail. I don't use a top coat because I feel like once it dries it would sort of shrink up on the product causing premature peeling and an inaccurate fit. I gave a 5 for price because they're just about one of the most expensive drugstore nail products available, I think they're worth it because if used correctly you can get two full manis plus accent nails from one box (just make SURE to put the remainder of opened strips in a zip locked bag as air tight as possible). Packaging quality was nice because you can actually see what the pattern is without openin the package. LOVE LOVE LOVE this product I can't believe I've gone this long without knowing about these and ill definitely be repurchasing. If you aren't good at painting your nails, appreciate a good mani but don't want to break your budget at the salon I'd give these a try! XOXXmj

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kgloverii on 9/25/2012 12:10:00 AM more reviews by kgloverii

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Love these strips!!
Piggy-backing on what others have said:
1) there is a learning curve. Follow the directions EXACTLY the first time to get a feel for them. THEN, put a topcoat on.
2) after you've got the hang of it, you can open 1 pack of the strips -8 in a pack- and cut some in half and get a full hand out of 1 pack. So, TWO manicures per box. Make sure you put the second pack in a Ziploc.
3) after you've got it down, a base coat is a must. Orly Bonder for me, but there's no room for error when you start placing a strip with Bonder. Bonder makes them STAY.

I love the fun designs. Especially the one that looks like denim. Really fun but not wild. I buy them at Five Below for $3 a box, so $1.50 per mani is a steal.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* hhsrunner2005 on 9/23/2012 6:47:00 PM more reviews by hhsrunner2005

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

If I had done this review three months ago when I first tried these it would probably have been rated a 1. The directions/commercials make them look so easy, and gave me the impression that they would last for DAYS. Well, it may be just me but the first THREE times I tried these they were a complete mess. The ends of my nails would start to "chip" away within a few hours of putting the stickers on, and I was lucky to get the first three batches to last for 1 whole day. Well, I did my fourth attempt two days ago and I think I've finally gotten it down. After two days the whole sticker is still intact on all of my nails. I get compliments on them all the time. It just seemed to be more difficult for me to get the hang of. Practice made perfect. I also had to start "tweaking" the process to make it easier for me to do them and the results were great! Big problem for me though is the price, it's pretty high in my opinion. I would definitely buy them again though as they are not as frustrating as they used to be!<3

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123Budnik on 9/22/2012 4:38:00 PM more reviews by 123Budnik

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I saw this at wal-mart and decided to try them for my first day of school. I got the pink and brown plaid. they went on very easily and adhered well to my nail. it was a struggle to file the excess strip off of my nail. surprisingly, they did stay on my nails for quite a long time, with only minimal peeling. but the real struggle was when i wanted to remove them after a week. The packiging says "removes easily with nail polish remover." what a joke. It took me five to ten minutes of intense scrubbing to remove the sticker from my thumb. i spent over an hour removing the stickers.
Overall, this is a nice product, and is worth your money if you don't plan on removing it. I, for one, will not be buying this product again.

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seven12 on 9/20/2012 1:49:00 PM more reviews by seven12

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I like these polish strips a lot. I have a hard time getting anything to stay on my nails. Regular nailpolish (high or low end) usually lasts 1-2 days on me before I get a chip or two. I've even had acrylics and silk wraps pop off the same day they were applied. With some tweaking, I can keep these strips looking good for at least a week on my fingernails and a month on my toes!


The first time I used these, I followed the directions exactly. I had some lifting around the edges of my nails, which caused some chipping/peeling. When I apply them now, I only use half of them, because I have sort nails. I prep my nails by using a fine grit nail file to rough up the surface a bit, then I wipe each nail with np remover to remove the dust. I use regular scissors and start by cutting all of the stickers in half. Then I trim them around the sides to fit each sticker to each nail perfectly. Then I peel the backing off and stick them on, then remove the clear film. You have to make sure to rub the sticker over the entire nail and make sure it's completely adhered and flat. I then use a huge orange stick tool from Sallys to go around the tops of my nails and detach the excess sticker that is longer than my nail. I finish by using a glossy, fast drying top coat like Seche Vite.


Once you open these, they will dry out if you just put them back in the box. When I have some left over now, I seal them back up in their inner package using tape so I can use the extras later for accent nails. I think the price is slightly high, but can get several uses out of them, so that helps. Overall, I think they're fun and I like how long lasting they are. I will repurchase. I do wish they came in more solid colors, although I find the busy prints to be more forgiving (like if they're not cut perfectly).

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No