It’s been a minute since I’ve used Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure so I completely forgot that you can skip base and top coats with it. By the time I remembered, I had already used both with two shades, so all of the swatches have both base and top coats. In the five shades I tried for spring, I only disliked one of them and shockingly, my favourite shade wasn’t a blue. I think I’ve gotten used to the huge brush, so there wasn’t nearly as much cleanup to do this time.
Warm Regards
Warm Regards is a bright orange-red and while the colour itself didn’t bother me, the visible nail line did. You can’t really see it in the photo but even with two coats, it was extremely sheer. I can deal with VNL with lighter shades but not one this bright and noticeable.
Red Over Heels
Red Over Heels doesn’t really scream spring to me, but this dark, classic red was perfect with just one coat. I did notice that it got a little dull as it was drying, which was probably why I forgot you don’t need to use a top coat with this line. It looked much better with one.
New Suede Shoes
New Suede Shoes is a bright cobalt that’s usually going to fall somewhere in my favourites. And while I liked it a lot and got a ton of compliments on it, the formula wasn’t my favourite. The first coat looked awful but luckily the second coat made up for it.
Bluphoria
Another one coater, Bluphoria is a dark navy-gray that went on perfectly. I’ve definitely worn a lot of shades like this before but I always love them. I just prefer them in the fall rather than spring.
Happy Daze
I don’t even know what’s going on with me lately but Happy Daze was my favourite shade of the bunch. It’s a bright pink that I would normally not be drawn to, but I guess Toronto’s weird March weather is making me want something definitely spring like. This shade did survive me scraping sheets of ice off my car without gloves though.
Overall, I really liked these shades and was pretty impressed that I could deal with a ton of ice without a single chip. I don’t know how it would’ve gone without the top coat but I have a feeling it would’ve held up pretty well.