I haven’t experienced a ‘bad nail day’ but weeks and months of horrific nails. They were constantly splitting, chipping, breaking at the first impact, even the contact with any household chemical was fatal. I needed something fast and effective, so I prayed Saint Sally Hansen.
Was the right ‘saint’ to invoque?
Sally Hansen Advanced Hard as Nails strengthener: product & packaging
Sally Hansen Advanced Hard as Nails is a fortifying nail treatment available in two versions:
clear and natural tint, the one you see in this post. This nail strengthener comes in a 13.3 ml bottle with a regular brush applicator which is compact and quite functional.
Formula & shade
The formula of this Sally nail care product contains nylon, retinol, Omega 3 and soy extract. This formulation has been developed to protect and strengthen your nails (nylon and retinol), improve and fill (Omega 3 and soya) your nail ridges for stronger and smoother nails. It’s a rather liquid, easy to apply treatment which dries like a regular nail polish. Its greatest point is its shade: this version of the Sally Hansen Advanced Hard as Nails comes in a very delicate skin-pink nuance, which is very evident in the bottle but looks natural and very shiny once applied. It gives your nails a healthy look.
How to use
Said that it’s like a nail lacquer, then you should know how to use this treatment! The recommended amount is 2 or 3 coats on clean nails; each coat should be completely dry before the next one.
PROS
- reasonable price tag (from a regular price of $2.99 in the US up to £5.99 at Superdrug, UK),
- easy to apply,
- reasonably fast-drying,
- shiny finish,
- smooth and natural look.
CONS
- no long-lasting effect,
- breakage,
- not a good base coat.
My final ‘pros&cons’ section speaks for itself. I was quite disappointed and tried different dosage for this nail treatment, but nothing good happened. I picked this strengthening treatment for three reasons: the brand, that lovely pink tint and its price, which was further reduced at that time (less than £4). What happened exactly? I used 1 coat, then 2 and 3 coats, I tried for weeks, but I found no durable improvements as my nails kept breaking with incredible ease. I wasn’t able to let them grown as I was used to. In particular, my left nails were damaged continuously, and I stopped to wear nail polishes at all. From these pictures, it’s clear how my nails look neat but are extremely damaged on my left hand.
I tried to use the Advanced Hard as Nails as a strengthening base for my nail colour, but nothing changed. The situation was paradoxically awkward: if my nails looked on point and shiny on the day of the application, they started to feel softer and softer, leading to the inevitable breakage, the next day. I cannot explain this; this Sally Hansen treatment is still a mystery to me. I gave it to my mom hoping she can shed some light on that…
Valentina Chirico aka Valens
