I don’t keep much nail polish in my house due to the fact that I am chemically sensitive to the ingredients.
 
My granddaughter who just turned 17 years old wanted to apply polish to her nails, so we made a trip to Rite Aid Pharmacy.  There we found Sally Hansen Salon Effects which is a nail appliqué.  I thought, ‘Great,” for I won’t have to smell polish or polish remover when we returned home.  Wrong.  Please read on to find out why.

Description:

My granddaughter, Sarah, chose Sally Hansen Salon Effects in the pattern “Check It Out.”  This is a black and white hounds’ tooth pattern.
The nail appliqués are made from real nail polish; hence, they smell like polish, but not quite as strong.  They are available in a diversity of high fashion patterns, from prints, glitter, neon, to solid colors.

Included in the box are 16 appliques (or strips),  a set of directions, a cuticle stick with one end slanted and one end pointed, a nail file with one end light pink in color with the opposite end hot pink.
 
The 16 strips come in an assortment of sizes and you have to choose which is the correct size for the nail on which applied.

The strips can stay securely on the nails for up to ten days,   Nail polish remover must be used for removal of the strips.

There is no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde in this product.

Directions:

It is suggested to apply the strips on warm hands for good flexibility and stretch.

To Prep:  You must start with clean, dry nails.  Push back cuticles with the flat end of the wooden cuticle stick.  Shape the nails with the hot pink side of the nail file.  Swipe nail polish remover over the nails to remove any excess dirt or oil.

Step One:  Select the best-fitting strip for each nail.  This is to assure that you don’t get to the last couple of nails and have only remaining strips that are the incorrect size.
 
Step Two:  There is a clear protective plastic cover on each strip and a backing which covers the adhesive.  Both are to be removed by holding onto the silver end of the strip.
 
Step Three:  Break the silver tab from the strip.

Step Four:  Place the strip against the cuticle line and hold at the center for maximum control.  Press strip to nail while gently stretching the strip for a perfect fit.  To bond the strip to the nail, the flat side of the cuticle stick can be pressed along the edges.  If the strip is too large, the pointed end of the cuticle strip can be used to remove the excess.
 
Step 5:  The excess top of the strip should be folded over the edge of the nail to crease.  The excess can be filed away with the light pink side of the file.

My Experience:

I didn’t apply the strips to my nails; however, I assisted my granddaughter when applying the strips to hers.  Her fingers and nails are very small and there was so much excess at the tips of her nails that I told her to cut a good amount of the length off with scissors before filing them off.  This worked out well.  She was happy with the look of her checkered nails.  As I said in the beginning of the review, I thought by applying appliqués, I would be avoiding chemicals.  However, the strips themselves had the scent of nail polish, although not quite as strong.  The nail polish remover she had to use to prep her nails had a strong scent.

My Take:

Being I am chemically sensitive, I thought I might try Sally Hansen Salon Effects, for I was under the impression that they were odorless.  I think I will stick to buffing my nails!

Cost:

A package containing 16 strips of Sally Hansen Salon Effects retails for $7.99 at my local Rite Aid Pharmacy.  You may sometimes find them on sale.
 
Ingredients:*

Nitrocellulose, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Bis (Glycidoxyphenyl), Propane/Bisaminomethylnorbornane Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Butyl Acetate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Polyvinyl Butyral, Acrylates Copolymer, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Shellac Cera/Shellac Wax/Cire De Laque, Dihydroxyethyl Cocamine Oxide, Benzophenone-3, Silica/Tin Oxide, (May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), D&C Red 6 Barium Lake (CI 15850), D&C Red 7 Calcium Lake (CI 15850), FD&C Blue 1 Aluminum Lake (CI 42090), FD&C Yellow 5 Aluminum Lake (CI 19140), D&C Yellow 10 Aluminum Lake (CI 47005) D&C Orange 5 (CI 45370), D&C Yellow 11, (CI 47000), FD&C Red 22 (CI 45380), D&C Red 28 (CI 45410), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Aluminum Powder (CI 77000)].

*Ingredients may change upon discretion of the manufacturer.

Thank you for reading my review.

Recommended: Yes