Overview: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear (Part 1)

I thought I'd start a series on my nail polish collection!! It is fairly large (not as large as some, but still... in comparison to the people I know, I have a museum...) and I imagine the best way to review these polishes is by grouping them up by brand and giving a breakdown on each color.


Thus, I will start with one of my favorite brands: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear. They are the polishes that are sold in the cylindrical bottles with the white? silver/chrome? black? caps. I seriously have no clue, Sally Hansen keeps changing them on me. EITHER WAY - they are in the round bottles.


Each bottle contains 11.8 mL (0.40 fl oz) of product. This collection has a large variety of colors - approximately 30 shades are available in a variety of finishes including glitter, shimmer and cream (according to SallyHansen.com). There are also 5 discontinued shades (Emerald City, VIP Pink, Shooting Star, Lime Lights, and Ocean View).


Sally Hansen describes these as polishes in fun and trendy shades. 2-3 coats of polish are recommended with this particular line. They boast a "easy-grip, easy-glide brush designed for complete control."


First of all, the packaging. Simple, standard. I like it. They don't come in some weird funkylicious, oddball-esque shape that are awkward to store. The bottles are made of glass, and believe you-me, I've dropped these suckers on concrete and they haven't busted open. They're pretty indestructible, if you ask me. The handles are always changing, but I've never had a problem with them. Out of the white, silver, and black handles though, I prefer the black. The brushes are standard - they are skinny, and streamlined. I have no issue with the packaging.


I own 30 permanent shades, including 2 discontinued shades and a couple of limited edition shades.


*Note: all of these pictures were photographed without a top coat or a base coat. You're seeing the real deal in these photographs*
*Also note that I sawed my middle finger open with a large bread knife yesterday - I apologize for the gore that is my nasty-licious hand.*

So without further ado...

1. Green With Envy - a lime green creme, although on the nails it leans an almost grassy green creme.
This one has an almost runny application, yet the formula is goopy. It's difficult to work with, and you have to expend extra effort to get an even application. This particular polish also dries EXTREMELY slowly in comparison to the other polishes in the Xtreme Wear line. On the upside, it's intensely pigmented, and in the right circumstances, you could probably get away with one coat. It's not a color I'd regularly wear, and I mostly keep it around for nail art purposes.
3 out of 5 stars - * * *

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Can you see the bubbling on the left finger?

With flash.
(Flipped around) The right nail is the one with 2 coats,
after 10 minutes of 'drying' it smudged after I snapped these pictures.

Without flash - natural sunlight.

2. Fuchsia Power - a bright medium pink creme. 
Fantastic formula. This is the way I wish all of the Xtreme Wear polishes applied. Smooth and insanely opaque - I always use two coats with this one, but you could get away with one if you really wanted to or were in a rush. I find that two coats really evens out the application overall and gives you a great solid pink finish. A great shade for all occasions. It comes off more subdued on your nails than in the bottle, I find - borderline raspberry pink on the nails. I also love the fact that there's no shimmer in this one. Great wear time on this polish with a top coat. This is my second bottle, and I will definitely be repurchasing.
5 out of 5 stars - * * * * *

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Without flash - natural sunlight.

3. Blue Me Away - a bright medium blue creme.
This polish has a nice consistency - thin, but spreadable and buildable. It's very smooth, and you can go with one coat or more, because it's pigmented and opaque enough. I prefer 2 just for good measure. My biggest beef with this one is that it stains my nails like crazy, even with a base coat. This isn't really a color I paint my nails with regularly, it's more of a color I use for nail art purposes. It dries okay - you want to try to achieve the thinnest coats possible, because it seems like any excess polish that you get on patches of your nail takes forever to dry.
4 out of 5 stars - * * * *

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.

4. Sun Kissed - a medium orange creme.
You definitely need two coats with this one - it applies medium-sheer the first coat, and the second coat really amps up the pigmentation and opacity. Three coats would probably be best though - just to even everything out. This polish has a very runny consistency in comparison to the others - almost a little too watery for the color it is. A really fantastic orange, though (not too pumpkin-y!) - great for summertime, and no shimmer in this one either. It dries really quickly as well - HUGE plus.
4 out of 5 stars - * * * *

With flash.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats.

Without flash - natural sunlight.

5. Cherry Red - a true red creme.
A beautiful red for any occasion - not too dark, not too light. It has a great smooth formula, that applies without streaking or glooping up on the brush. You can definitely get away with one coat, though I apply 2 for posterity. It can stain your nails and/or your cuticles, so just be aware of that. It dries really quickly (yay!!).
5 out of 5 stars - * * * * *

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.

6. Deep Purple - a deep royal purple base with bright blue and pink shimmer throughout.
This polish has sort of a weird formula - it's very thin, almost watery in consistency. Sometimes you get an almost opaque application, and sometimes it's very streaky, patchy, and uneven. You definitely need two coats for this one - though I feel that two coats is enough, you don't have to go for three. Meh. The color itself is really pretty, but it's probably not one I'd jump up to buy again - although I think I got this one as a gift, so... Overall, it's okay, it's not a color I reach for very often. The drying time is okay - shorter than Green with Envy and Blue Me Away, but longer than Fuchsia Power.
3 out of 5 stars - * * *

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.

7. Disco Ball - a clear base jam-packed with oodles of small hexagonal prismatic glitter.
I would call this a party on your nail, though it can dry to leave your nail feeling rough and textured. You can combat this by applying several layers of a top coat after you're done to even out the rough patches, though. The glitter isn't too obnoxious or gaudy, but it does pack a nice punch and looks beautiful by itself or layered over another polish. When I say 'jam-packed' I really do mean it - this isn't like those glitters that you need fifty zillion coats of to build up the glitterness... this one delivers right off the bat. The formula (in the bottle) is quite gloopy, and at times it can apply the same way on the nail - gloopy, sticky, difficult to spread - while other times, it applies like a dream. Weird, I know. Depending on how thick you make your coats, the drying time will differ - the thicker the coat, the longer it takes; the thinner the coat, the shorter. Still, I'd say that the drying time is pretty speedy. I love this one.
4 out of 5 stars - * * * *

With flash.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

With flash.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.

8. Flirt - a deep burgandy shade with almost indetectable red shimmer throughout.
One coat of this polish gives you a really pretty (noticeable) wine color on your nails, two coats gives you a very vampy burgandy finish. This polish is definitely a 2-3 coater, though. Despite the pretty wine color that one layer will give you, it's streak-tastic, which isn't really ideal. The shimmer in this polish is pretty much indetectable, except (basically) with binoculars. The consistency is very thin, but it spreads nicely. It dries really quickly, which makes me crazy happy. But you should also be aware that it can stain your nails and cuticles a little bit. I don't love this shade in particular, just because it's a little too vampy/gothic for me and what I like/my style, but it is really gorgeous for the fall and winter seasons.
4 out of 5 stars - * * * *

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.

9. Celeb City - a foiled silver. 
Fan-freaking-tastic polish. I love this color, hence the reason I have only half of a bottle left. It looks so amazing on your nails, and you get compliments on your manicure like nobody's business. It's very shimmery and very opaque - you can definitely get away with one coat of this bad boy, though I personally go for two, just to make it pop that extra bit. It's not streaky despite the intense shimmer, which I love. It's very metallic in nature, and looks great with or without a top coat. The drying time is average - the newer this bottle is, the faster it dries. It's by no means forever, but it's not quick like Fuchsia Power either.
5 out of 5 stars - * * * * *

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

Without flash - natural sunlight.

10. Plum Power - an incredibly shimmery plum shade, that almost leans frosty.
This polish is a dream to apply - it goes on incredibly smooth, and the formula is perfect. Spreadable and buildable. I freaking love the formula. It's not streaky or gloopy or patchy. I'm not wild about the color itself, but this is definitely a shade I'd consider an acceptable 'fall/winter' polish for me. Even though the shimmer in this polish almost leans frosty, you don't get streak marks, which I appreciate. There's almost a blue/purple duochrome to this polish in certain lights, which also makes it a really unique pick.
4 out of 5 stars - * * * *

Without flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

With flash.
Left - 1 coat, Right - 2 coats

Notice the duochrome?

Without flash - natural sunlight.

This ends the first part (of three) of my Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear polish collection. I hope everyone enjoyed it!!! Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!!
xoxo


All photos were photographed and edited by myself.