Sally Hansen recently came out with a new product as an at-home alternative to expensive salon gel manicures. Miracle Gel promises up to fourteen days of no-chip, no-fade color with no UV light needed. Being a nail polish fanatic, I decided to put this nail polish to the test.
This polish comes in over 45 shades; I purchased four shades and a top coat. The shade I will be reviewing today is called Combustealble.
Directions:
Step 1: Apply two coats of color, letting the first coat dry before adding the second.
Step 2: Apply special top coat, and let natural light to the rest. (Wait, I thought this was no light needed?)
First Coat:
After applying one coat, you can see that the polish is streaky and not opaque. This is not a polish that you can get away with using one coat.
Second Coat, Day 1
With two coats, it's a nice, shiny teal color that looks like it does in the bottle.
First Impression:
I like that the brush is broad and flat, allowing you to paint each nail in one or two quick strokes. The brush is similar to Sally Hansen Salon Manicure's brush. However, the brush does hold a lot of polish, so make sure to drip some off into the bottle. The polish is a little thick. The drying time was not impressive, and the polish is prone to denting and smudging. so be careful!
Now, I'll show you how my manicure looked day by day.
Day 2:
Other than some minor wear to the edges, my polish is looking good.
Day 3:
Still good!
Day 4:
I'm impressed. With regular nail polish, my nails don't last any more than two days.
Day 5:
Oh no, a chip! Well, I'll give the benefit of the doubt, because I kind of accidentally peeled the polish off. Oops.
Day 6:
Another chip. Sigh.
By day 7, my nails were chipping like crazy. But six days of wear is quite impressive to me. I do have a complaint though: the polish lost it's shine very quickly! It took on a dusty appearance.
I'm rough on my hands, I work two jobs where I wash my hands constantly, and six days of a no-chip manicure is a pretty big deal for me. Besides, by then I'm probably sick of the color and taking it off or redoing my nails anyway.
Pros:
Variety of shades to choose from
Wide, flat brush
Long-wearing
Gel-like texture
Easy to remove/does not require special nail polish remover
Cons:
Did not last as long as it claimed
Dulls quickly
Easy to dent or smudge
Thick consistency
Many people have mixed results with this polish, some saying it lasts only 3 days, while others say it lasts the two full weeks. I recommend reapplying the top coat every 3 days or so, to boost shine and keep your nails chip-free.
Miracle Gel is a good alternative for those who want to save a few bucks on a long-lasting manicure. At $8-$10 a bottle (and you have to buy 2), this polish is a little on the expensive side, but compared to $30 or more for a gel manicure at a salon, this is a steal. If you're looking for an inexpensive, long-lasting manicure, this polish is for you!
