Manicure Monday: Making Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips Go Farther!

I'm sure all of you have seen those Sally Hansen Nail Strips at the drugstore. If you've tried 'em out I bet you loved them! If you didn't, it was probably because you thought 9 bucks was a little too much for a one time nail look.

I happen to love the nail strips! They last for at least a couple weeks without chipping and are really simple and quick to apply. Because they last so long and I've found a way to get more uses out of them, I can justify buying a whole bunch of them. (That DOES justify stocking up, doesn't it?!)

SO! You've put them on all 10 fingers, they look great, but you find you have some left over. (They come with multiple sizes so that you can match each nail size perfectly) What do you do with those? Throw them away?! Of course not.

Use them for accent nails!

 Left: Essie Ballet Slippers, Right: Essie Sand Tropez

I love doing this because sometimes I just don't feel like doing a bunch of tedious nail art, or breaking out the tape. Nail polish strips are a quick way to get an incredible and fun look without the time commitment. Call me a cheat; that's okay.

Tips:

♥ If they're too large for the nail you want to put them on it's really simple to make them fit - I line up one side perfectly and then smooth everything out to the other side. Then I just make sure to really push the overlapping part down into the side of my nail with the flat side of the wooden stick that comes with the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. Make sure to keep it flat against your nail and you basically cut off the excess using the crevice between your nail and flesh as a guide.

♥ When your nail polish starts to give out just change to another color and keep the nail strips because they will last a great deal longer than your regular nail polish. Changing to another color that goes with the design will create a whole new look! This is why I love designs that go with a lot of different colors. The Tri-bal It On design is my favorite to wear with bright colors for summer

Making them last:

Make sure you apply these onto clean nails; no base coat. Slightly buffing the top of the nail helps the nail polish strip to stay. I also apply a top coat over the strips and make sure to get all of the sides covered because you're more likely to experience peeling rather than chipping with these. I also take the brush to the tip of the nail and seal in that edge too.

Important!

Because these are "real nail polish" strips, they dry like real nail polish! Make sure to put your extras into a zip lock bag with no air to keep them fresh. If you don't, you will find that they just turn into a dried sheet of nail polish - sad day when I discovered that!

Share if you try this! I'd love to see what spin you put on it! Instagram/Tweet @icingontheface