Overview: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear (Part 3)

We must push forward... ONTO PART 3!! Tally-ho!


Thus, I will finish off my first series 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.


21. Wet Cement - a light cement grey creme.
This polish has a fairly decent formula - it can apply a little watery, and the first coat is incredibly sheer - more like a wash of color. But the second coat really packs a punch - and three coats will give you the most even, opaque, and pigmented look you can get. This particular shade can look very muddy and/or dead on my skin tone. It's not one of my most reached for polishes in general, but great for nail art and for those rainy days. It has a very speedy dry time though, which I appreciate. No shimmer or glitter in this one either.
4 out of 5 stars - * * * *

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

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

No flash - natural sunlight.

22. The Real Teal - a teal that leans on the green side with bright green and blue shimmer throughout. 
Funtabulous formula - very pigmented, smooth, even, opaque. The dry time is super speedy, and two coats is about all you need to achieve maximum pigmentation and opacity, though you could get away with one generous coat. Probably one of my top 3 favorites from this line. A must-have for everyone; the perfect teal shade for spring (and friendly on your wallet too!)
5 out of 5 stars - * * * * *

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

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

No flash - natural sunlight.

23. Teeny Greeny Bikini (limited edition) - a pale, almost muted green shimmer with small silver glitter throughout.
Because of the shade and finish, I really don't wear this color at all. Unfortunate. The formula is super watery, so be careful. It applies very sheer with the first coat - this is definitely a 2 to 3 coater. This polish is jam packed with shimmer and glitter, so it's a bit of a pain to get off when you're finished with it. The dry time is on the speedier side of average. The shade is very muted - almost pale, which makes me feel like I've done something wrong in application (which I haven't, it's just the shade of the polish). Overall, not my favorite polish - Sally Hansen could've done better with this one. 
3 out of 5 stars - * * *

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

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

No flash - natural sunlight.

24. Deep Blue Sea (limited edition) - a denim blue shimmer with small silver glitter throughout.
I'm not a huge fan of the finish, but it's all right. Definitely not my favorite shade either. Same problems as Teeny Greeny Bikini. Watery consistency, sheer application, jam packed with shimmer and glitter. The color is very muted - almost pale, which kind of throws me off. It's softer than your average blue, which makes it a little more wearable for every day, I suppose. Not the hugest fan of this one.
3 out of 5 stars - * * *

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

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

No flash - natural sunlight.

25. In the Spotlight - a clear base with prismatic bar glitter throughout.
The formula is pretty runny for me. In the bottle, the glitter appears more dense and intense, but it takes several coats on the nail to get it built up enough. Can leave the nails rough from the texture of the bar glitter. It also seems that after a first coat dries, the second coat of glitter catches on the rough patches of the first and that's where the second batch of glitter is deposited. This one makes me so unhappy, since Disco Ball was everything I wanted in a glitter and more. In the Spotlight is a severe let down in comparison. The dry time is about average. Meh, wouldn't purchase this one again, unless Sally Hansen upped her game on this one.
2 out of 5 stars - * *

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

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

No flash - natural sunlight.

Such pretty sparklies... *sigh*

26. Virtual Violet - an iridescent violet, with strong blue shimmer throughout.
A bit streaky for me, dabbling a little too closely to a frosty finish. A thinner formula, but by no means watery. The first coat is incredibly sheer, basically just a wash of purple-y/blue-y duochrome-ness. The application is patchy and uneven, and you would definitely need 3 or more coats to achieve a satisfactory finish. Bleh. Wouldn't purchase again - maybe it would be nice as a duochrome top coat to another purple/blue polish??
2 out of 5 stars - * *

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

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

No flash - natural sunlight.

27. Lime Lights (discontinued) - a sheer iridescent shimmering green.
This one applied weird for me - VERY watery. It is also super sheer, which would make it a better iridescent top coat to another color than a base color. It also applies unevenly, with the shimmer clumping up in certain parts of the nail and not others. The shimmer is beautiful though... which makes it worth it, inandof itself to have. I don't reach for this one very often, but I'm happy to have it on hand - just in case. The dry time is average, if not a little slower than average.
3 out of 5 stars - * * *

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

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

No flash - natural sunlight.

28. Marine Scene - a medium blue shimmer.
Another polish with a weird formula. This one applied unevenly and somewhat streaky - you definitely need two or more coats to build up the color on this one. The shimmer is pretty, but it's definitely not a polish I reach for. I don't know why - it leaves a lot to be desired. The dry time is speedy though, so I suppose that's a plus.
2 out of 5 stars - * *

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

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

No flash - natural sunlight.

29. Power Pink - a medium candied pink shade with bright pink and purple shimmer throughout.
This polish has a somewhat thicker consistency than the other polishes. It's not thick like Green with Envy or White On, but it's a little less smooth than some of the others. It packs great pigmentation and opacity - you could get away with one generous coat of this in a pinch, though I'd recommend two coats for a flawless finish. It has an almost duo-chrome finish, and I consider it a lighter and brighter sister to Pink Boa. The duo-chrome is pretty understated except in the bottle and very strategic positions, so it's a great 'everyday' color. It dries very quickly too!
5 out of 5 stars - * * * * *

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

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

No flash - natural sunlight.

30. White On - a stark white creme.
Very reminiscent of painting white out on your nails... did anyone else do that in elementary/junior high/high school?? Craptacular formula. Globs up; streaks; takes forever to dry - in fact, even when you think it's dry, it's usually not and then it smudges. This is one of those polishes that you can own for 2 weeks, and in 2 weeks you need to throw the bottle out because the formula's gotten too bad to work with. If I were to base my entire opinion of this line on this one polish, I'd never buy them again. Blech. On the upside, however, this is a very pigmented white - it comes off very opaque. I know that most whites have similar problems, but I'm positive that this one is the 'black sheep' of the bunch. Good for in a pinch and nail art.
2 out of 5 stars - * *

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left - 2 coats, Right - 1 coat

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

No flash - natural sunlight.

Shades I have owned, but no longer have:


Black Out - an intensely pigmented black cream.
Also a craptacular formula. Globs up; streaks; takes forever to dry. Gar. Good for the first few weeks you own it and then everything goes downhill from there. Another 'black sheep' of the Xtreme Wear line. Don't base your opinion of these polishes on Black Out and White On. They are anomalies.


And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this series everyone. Please comment and give me feedback - I'm all ears!!
xoxo