October 29, 2014

Well my friends, this will be my first unsatisfactory product review. I don’t like doing this and feel bad giving a product an unfavorable report but I want you to trust my opinion and in order for this to happen I must share with you the good and the bad. After all, I don’t want you spending your money on something that I don’t feel is worth it. And so I bring you Sally Hansen Miracle Gel formula. The product is made up of two separate nail polishes, a color and a clear top coat, which can be sold pre-packaged together in only a handful of colors (which in my opinion were awful choices) or separately with an array of 45 colors. The big to-do about this product is that it is the first at home gel nail product that does not involve the use of an LED light. This is huge for those of you who can do your own nails and love the gel formula. There are other gel formulas on the market for at home use, including two other formulas by Sally herself as well as other companies, but all involve the use of an LED lamp, which is an additional cost and can be pricey.

For those of you who are new to gel formula, the benefit of this type of nail polish application is both the staying power and the glossy finish. Oh and as soon as its applied, you can do anything with minimal waiting time. This is ideal for someone going on vacation or someone who used to like acrylic nails for the color staying power. It is important to note that it is not recommended to do gel nail polish applications back to back, especially since removal involves soaking of the nails in acetone polish remover, which is incredibly drying to both nails, skin and cuticles.

I was really excited to try this (actually really excited is QUITE the understatement). How excited was I? I am almost ashamed to tell you the lengths I went to get this but I will tell you because we are all friends here. I went to not one, but TWO local CVS stores to get it. The first surprisingly didn’t have it at all and the second only sold the top coat in the awful color prepackaged duo sets. So what did I do? I picked the color I wanted separately and looked up on my trusty iPhone if my local Target had the clear top coat in stock (side note if you ever want to see if Target has an item in stock before you travel there, their website has this feature- genius!). So I drive the ten extra minutes to Target, which I can’t stand because its constantly busy and never has parking. I talk myself twice into keep making the trek, get in the door, race over to the nail section only to find NO CLEAR TOPCOAT. Nothing. No colors at all! Did I let this stop me, you ask? Nope. I found a sales associate and told her my plight and waited until she came back out to tell me there was a box of 12 left and if I gave her a few minutes she would bring them out for me. You can imagine my giddiness. Finally, with it in my hand, I paid and rushed home to try this.

Maybe it was the build up of all the great reviews I had read about this product that has me disappointed. My trusty go-to source Allure Magazine had written several great web reviews on it and they have never steered me wrong. One review had given the product a fantastic rating, saying that it outlasted a salon gel application and never budged on the side of the nail. I do not agree. I think this nail polish is ok, not horrible, but not up to the hype and certainly not worth all the effort I put into purchasing it (but then maybe no beauty product is). I don’t find it any different than any regular nail polish application and I certainly don’t think its as glossy as a salon gel application. If you are looking to try an at home gel product and haven’t tried anything yet, I would say go ahead and try it since you don’t need an LED lamp but if you are looking to give up your monthly salon gel appointment for this product, don’t. If you are looking for just a new nail polish and top coat, you have nothing to lose as the price is the same as any of Sally’s, Essie’s or OPI’s nail polishes and it can be removed with regular remover. Bottom line: don’t go out of your way for this product- I already did for both of us 🙂

If you are interested in learning more about the product and where to buy it, click the image below.

Maureen