Sally Hansen Salon Effects "Kitty, Kitty" Nail Polish Strips

Priscilla remains unimpressed

I've been wanting to try Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips, the more wallet-friendly version of Minx and Incoco nails, ever since they came out a few months ago! For those who don't know, they're real nail polish strips that you simply peel, apply, and shape, without dealing with the hassle of waiting for your polish to dry. The main draw, however, is that they come in pretty, intricate patterns, that would be difficult for the nail novice to duplicate on her own.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Kitty, Kitty

The kits cost between $8.50 - $10.00 each depending on where you buy them (they're available at Target, Walmart, various drugstores, Amazon, etc.), and each box comes with 16 nail strips in assorted sizes, a cuticle stick, and a mini file/buffer.

Put your paws uppp

I've been super into gold and glitter nail polishes lately, and I am a cat blogger after all, so of course the first design I had to try was the aptly titled golden leopard/cheetah print, "Kitty Kitty"! I'm a pro when it comes to applying nail polish, but I was nervous that they'd be difficult to put on, and I'd end up ruining the whole box. However, I'm pleasantly surprised to report that was not the case at all!

Nails did!

After you select the correct size strip for your nail, you peel the front protective covering off, before removing the back. I found it easy to position each one, as they are sturdy enough to not flop all over the place, or fold over and stick together. After pressing down firmly, the instructions say to gently stretch each one for a perfect fit. In some cases I pulled a little too hard, resulting in either wasting the other half of the strip, or causing it to break off too close to the tip of the nail, which has led to some premature chipping. My advice here is to pull very, very gently and rely on the file to shape the tip, not the pulling. Once they're correctly fitted, the final step is to remove the excess and shape the nail with the included file.

It's nice that you don't have to wait for them to dry like regular polish, although I'd say it probably took me the same amount of time, because I was trying to be really careful. They're supposed to last for up to 10 days, but I've heard that they can keep for even longer (I've only had then on two days so far, so I can't say yet.) When you're ready to take them off, you remove them with nail polish remover, but I'm curious to see how that works, because I usually need dynamite to get off my regular gold glitter polishes!

Overall, I have to say that I LOVE the darn things! They look so awesome, and to be honest, I can't stop looking at my nails! They were way easier than I thought to put on, and now I can't wait to try some other designs, particularly Girl Flower and Cut It Out! I have short nails, so I was able to get two nails done out of most of the strips, so I have plenty left to do at least one more manicure.

I also lurve the idea of wearing them on just a few nails at a time (as seen on The Dainty Squid), instead of as a full set. Besides saving money, it's also a really cute and easy way to make a manicure really pop! Boom!

So what do you think? Have you given them a try? My next nail quest is going to be painting my own cheetah print, using this handy tutorial from Hello Giggles.

*I have no affiliation with Sally Hansen. The strips were a lil' gift from my awesome mom!