My very first (newly-reformulated) Complete Salon Manicure polish! All of the local CVS stores in my area now have the new Nail HQs, but no sign of Mermaid's Tail yet (that one seems to be surfacing only at select Walgreens locations at the moment). So instead, I picked up Black and Blue, which is a teal-based duochrome. Let's take a peek:
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Black and Blue
(retail: around $7.99, 0.5 oz)
Keep reading for swatches...
I didn't notice the little chip on the lid until I saw it in this photograph...
In case you were wondering if Sally Hansen changed the brushes when they reformulated this line, the answer would be NO. They're identical to the old brushes.
Now for some swatches. I took these photos in a variety of different lighting situations in order to show you the duochrome effect. (All swatches photographed after three coats of polish and one coat of clear top coat.)
This polish goes from deep teal to blue-green to blue and to purple, depending on the lighting and the angle.
(I didn't notice that I dinged the tip of my index finger until it was too late--sorry about that!)
Overall, I like this polish, but I don't love it. It's sheer and watery on the first coat, but the second coat greatly improves the opacity (although a third coat is really required, in my opinion, to give it the best opacity). This polish dries to a shiny finish (not ridiculously shiny, but about the same as other CSM polishes I own).
I don't know if I'm just "over" duochromes at this point, but I find that, for a brand new duochrome, I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic or different. There are lots of duochromes out there that go from teal to blue to purple, and this is a nice one if you don't have any similar shades already in your stash, but it's not an "Ooooh, I'm SO glad I bought this" type of color for me.
I think that, if I were to have found this at the drugstore about three years ago, I'd be freaking out and proclaiming it a must-have. But now that the marketplace is saturated with duochromes, this one doesn't quite feel "special" to me.
Dry time was good--it actually seemed to dry a little bit quicker than some of the original CSM polishes I own (but that could just be due to the fact that this shade in particular is sheer and thin). Other than that, I don't detect any real difference between this one and any of the other CSM polishes I own (pre-reformulation).
FINAL VERDICT: If you don't already have a teal/blue/purple duochrome in your stash, I think this is a nice option and I love that it will be so easy to find at the drugstore. But for those of us who already have lots of duochromes in our collections, this one might not be different or unique enough to warrant a purchase. Again, it's sheer and watery on the first coat but it does become dramatically more opaque on the second (I do think it requires three coats for perfection though).
Do you own any of the newly-reformulated Complete Salon Manicure polishes? Thoughts?
Thank you for this review! I will not be buying this one. I have enough sheer duochromes from SH already LOL! It is pretty on your nails, of course, but I am like you, I don't LOVE it...
ReplyDeleteGlad i'm not alone! :)
DeleteThis is stunning on you!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! :)
DeleteIt kind of looks like essie's dive bar....doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteYes, but the Essie is darker, and I don't think the purple in the Essie is as visible on the nail as it is in this one. Hope that helps!
DeleteLooks similar to Black Tie from the SH Diamond Strength line, perhaps a bit more teal leaning.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't think Black Tie has the blue tones that this one does. Also, Black Tie can flash pink at certain angles, whereas this one doesn't have any pink at all. Purple is so predominant in Black Tie, whereas you can only see the purple in Black and Blue at just a few angles/lights. Hope that helps!
DeleteGreat review! I think I'd rather pick up the SH Lustre Shine polishes over this one.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I haven't picked up one of those yet?? I was freaking out when they first came out and then I kind of forgot about them! Lol
DeleteThe Lustre Shines are so expensive for the amount of product you get that I've just been avoiding them. -_-
DeleteSame here, G. I love them when I saw them in Rite Aid, but completely forgot about them. I need to pick up at least one of them.
DeleteNiki: I wonder why we both did that? Lol!
DeleteHana: true...I would for sure wait for a good sale first. :)
It looks like a teal-er version of Stellar Notte by Borghese, perhaps a bit like Glacier Bay Blues by OPI too? duochromes always seem to be watery no matter the brand, I think a sheerness to the base is necessary for the duochrome to be visible. I've seldom met one I didn't love all the same ;)
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'll have to find my bottle of SN and see how close they are...I think you're right though, it seems much more teal and doesn't have that blackened look like SN, but they're similar!
DeleteAs for the OPI, I think that one is bluer...more of a navy/cobalt undertone I think, whereas this one is a bit greener.
A certain sheerness is necessary due to what is used in most cases to make cosmetics duochrome. If you were to make a opaque nail polish with douchrome effects it would be very thick usually. To show duochrome you'd have to use two to three times more duochrome ingredients. Sorry for butting in but I thought I'd voice a little. If you find a color like this that is too watery a website TKBTRADING.COM sells franken polish in basic colors that you could add drop by drop to an existing color to up the opacity. Like say this one you'd use about 5 drops of their basic blue and it would help. Just a little advice.
DeleteRegardless, I still think Black and Blue is pretty! I can't wait for mine to arrive in the mail!
ReplyDeleteGREAT photos by the way! (Loving your "new" camera right now.)
Aaaaw, thank you SO much, Michelle!! And I hope you like this one when you get it! :)
DeleteGreat review. It is a beautiful color, but I think the price is a bit too steep, though I am on the hunt for a pretty teal. The photos look great. I'm assuming this is the new camera?
ReplyDeleteYep, I used the new camera! :) thank you!!
DeleteAnd yeah, I would definitely wait for a sale. :)
Thanks for the review, G! Great pics. I like this polish, but I'm not obsessed with it.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, L.! And yep, i'm right there with you...like it, but definitely not obsession-worthy!
DeleteIt is a gorgeous color, despite many of us not actually loving it. I have to admit that I have seen better and am on the face with this, mainly due to the price point.
ReplyDeleteMy cash is so tight right now that I have to really limit myself to one or two special polishes. I'm compiling a list and this one might not make the cut, sadly.
I agree with the others in saying it does look quite pretty on you. +)
If this turns into a must-have for you, I'd wait for a good sale (you know there will be one eventually! Lol!).
DeleteAnd thanks so much, Isis! xo
What are you using these days for base and top coat?
ReplyDeleteI'm still very loyal to Orly Bonder for my base, but lately i've been switching it up on the to coat....i've been using Essie Good to Go because it dries SO quickly and is SUPER shiny, but I sometimes have issues with it bubbling. I also have been going back to my beloved sally Hansen Diamond Shine, which always works great for me. :)
DeleteI like how it looks like, I hope I can find it here @ PR
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope you can find it too!! :)
DeleteI had been over douchromes for so long...years actually...that now they are seeming new to me again. Anyway, IDK about this color collection but I have always loved the brush. It is the perfect size for my nail beds! I think I am going to wait on this line until they are clearanced or until the spring colors come out! Thanks for the photos. Are they with the new camera? They seem particulary (sp?) sharp!!
ReplyDeleteYep, all of the pics in this post were taken with the new camera! Thanks so much for noticing, R.! :)
DeleteThis color looks very pretty and it looks great on you, G. I asked in another post if they had changed the brushes when they reformulated this polish and since they haven't and I am NOT a fan of the brushes on the SH Complete Salon Manicure polishes, I'll just admire them on others. They do make some beautiful colors in this line...I just can't deal with that brush.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, I remember you asking! Sorry to have to be the one to tell you that they didn't. :( So sorry this brush doesn't work for you, sweetie!
DeleteG, it looks great on you! Like Crystal, I can't be having with that brush.
ReplyDeleteAaaaw, Jammies, i'm sorry to hear that. Bummer! :(
DeleteSo glad i found this post. This one caught my eye at target but it didnt have a sticker on it so i didnt know the name to google swatches. Pretty polish but i have similar ones.
ReplyDeleteIt's sooo gorgeous and I am a huge teal lover... but I already have a similar Barielle as well as Cirque Epoch which is the most wonderful teal/blue/purple duochrome.
ReplyDeleteI found mermaid tale at target! Hth!
ReplyDeleteI just tried it, and it's pretty good. It's not wow! worthy, but it's still nice. Now, the shade 'Whine Not?' is absolutely amazing-can't live without it. Ever.
ReplyDeleteso pretty, reminds me of Essie's Dive Bar. I wonder how close the two are
ReplyDeleteSaw these at Target last week!
ReplyDeleteG! How do you make your nails look so perfect when you apply a nail polish? Do you just have an amazingly steady hand or a special tool? 8-))
ReplyDeleteI snatched this up at Grocery Outlet the other day for $2 on a whim- I am SO not a blue-polish person, sorry G!- and I found to my surprise that I like it a lot! It's only the second duochrome polish in my stash though, and the third blue polish overall... Nice color though! =)
ReplyDelete