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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Review & Swatches: Sally Hansen Summer 2014 Limited Edition Palm Beach Jellies Triple Shine Collection

So you know I was QUITE excited when I first showed you the display for the new limited edition jelly polishes from Sally Hansen (click here to see what the display looks like). I've been trying to find these in my area ever since my original post and then, as luck would have it, I received the entire collection for review.

I realize that jellies aren't for everyone, and some of you tend run away from sheer polishes like this. But since I'm a huge fan of jelly sandwich manicures, I was really excited to see an entire jelly collection from Sally Hansen (I think the last drugstore collection devoted entirely to jellies was the L'Oreal Miss Candy Collection from Summer 2013). Also, Since the OPI Sheer Tints are getting so much buzz lately, I was curious if these Sally Hansen polishes might be similar, especially since Coty owns both Sally Hansen and OPI. So let's jump in and take a look:

Sally Hansen Summer 2014 Limited Edition Palm Beach Jellies Triple Shine Collection
(retail : around $4.50 each, 0.33 oz.)

First, something you may not know about these:

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Do you see those little white dots in the photo above? That's iridescent micro-shimmer. Very, very, sparse and very, very subtle micro-shimmer  runs throughout every polish in this collection. You cannot detect this shimmer on the nail though, unless you're viewing your nails at just the right angle and only in certain lighting situations.

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Vitamin D-light
(One coat, no top coat)

In the photo above, I wanted to show you what ONE coat of Vitamin D-light looks like (this is the one of the most pigmented shades in the collection),. It's very similar to what the OPI Sheer Tints look like after one coat. This is probably not how most of us prefer to wear our jellies, so here's another pic:

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 Vitamin D-light 
(Four coats, no top coat)

The photo above is the same color after four coats. You can see that the saturation is better, but it's still quite sheer. Vitamin D-light looks like it's going to be orange in the bottle but, on my nails, it turns into a sheer, maraschino cherry color.

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Water Melon
(Four coats, no top coat)

Water Melon is a cooler-toned red than Vitamin D-light but, as you can see above, it's still quite sheer after four coats.

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Jell-ous?
(Four coats, no top coat)

Jell-ous? doesn't have as much of a berry undertone to it as Water Melon and it's a tiny bit warmer than Water Melon (but the two shade are quite similar).  I used four coats and no top coat for this photo.

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Grape Jelly
(Four coats, no top coat)

Grape Jelly is a lavender-purple on the nail even though, in the bottle, it looks like it might be more of a "blurple".  I used four coats and no top coat for this photo.

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Ice Mint
(One coat, no top coat)

Ice Mint, the only blue shade in this range, is the sheerest shade in this range as well. So I wanted you see what it looked like after ONE coat (above). It's pretty much clear at one coat. Here's what it looks like after four coats:

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Ice Mint
(Four coats, no top coat)

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Sea Through
(Four coats, no top coat)

Sea Through is the only green in this range (I used four coats and no top coat for the photos above). It's also the first shade in this range that I attempted to use for a jelly sandwich. For this jelly sandwich, I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Pixel Perfect (which is now part of the permanent Xtreme Wear collection--yay!) for my glitter polish:

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After eight coats of polish

The manicure above required four coats of Sea Through followed by one coat of Sally Hansen Pixel Perfect, and then three additional coats of Sea Through (eight coats of polish total). I didn't bother to apply top coat because I just felt like it was going to take a long time to dry, and I didn't like the look of it so I removed it right after the last coat. 

I'm sad to say, the Palm Beach Jellies are not conducive to jelly sandwiches. After a total of seven coats of Sea Through (with a glitter coat sandwiched between them), my nails still didn't have that glitter-suspended-in-jello look to them that is the signature of a jelly sandwich manicure. Because these polishes are so sheer, they just require too many additional coats to give you that jelly-sandwich look. I think that I would have had to apply two, or maybe three additional coats to the manicure you see above to get it to the level that you can get with just three coats total from other jellies (other Sally Hansen jellies, included).  

BUT ALL IS NOT LOST!

There's something else that you CAN do with the Palm Beach Jellies, and it's pretty darned awesome:

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After seeing several bloggers do a "watercolor manicure" with the OPI Sheer Tints (click here for a pretty one by Brooke), I decided to attempt one with the Palm Beach Jellies. And this is how it turned out!

For my base coat, I used an opaque, sparkly white polish (but you could totally use a non-sparkly white creme). After my base color dried, I started with Grape Jelly (the purple shade) and applied a DROP of polish onto my nail. I then used my brush to sort of spread the drop of polish around a bit (much easier than it sounds). I then repeated the process using Water Melon, Ice Mint and Sea Through.

After my nails dried, I then topped them with Out The Door Holographic Top Coat (if you want to see what it looked like BEFORE my clean-up and the holo top coat, I posted a pic on my Instagram here). 

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But I have to admit, I love this WITH the holo top coat the most, and I freely admit that I stole this idea from my pal Jen of The PolishAholic who did it here using the OPI Sheer Tints (thanks for the great idea, Jen!). Here's a macro:

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You can see some bubbles in the blue region of my nail above, but that's only because I went WAY too thick with my drop of polish. Other than that, I'm in LOVE with this look, and it's so ridiculously easy to do. There's very little fussing or precise application needed, because the texture and sheerness of these polishes really lend themselves to this type of manicure. It's almost as if they were MADE for watercolor manicures. In fact, I think that Sally Hansen should have played up the "water" element with these instead of calling them jellies, especially since they're part of the Color Destinations Collection, which is beach-themed.

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Additional thoughts...

The formula of these polishes is the same throughout; they are very easy to apply and they're not too thick and not too thin. They also dry at a good rate (even after four coats, it didn't take an excessive amount of time for them to become dry to the touch).  I have heard some rumblings about the OPI Sheer Tints and how they are a bit thick and stringy (like a thick top coat) and that you have to wait until the first coat dries completely before applying the next, and so on. The Palm Beach Jellies are NOT like that. They are not high-maintenance polishes to use, and you won't have to do anything special with them (aside from applying several coats for better opacity).

How the Palm Beach Jellies compare to the OPI Sheer Tints: I know that a lot of you were hoping that these Sally Hansen jellies would be dupes for the OPI Sheer Tints. There are actually NO color-dupes for the OPI shades in this collection (three separate nail bloggers who own both collections have confirmed this to me directly) and you know what? I'm actually HAPPY about that. Why, you ask? Well since Coty owns both Sally Hansen and OPI, to me it would feel like they were "cheating" if they basically just gave us the exact same colors in both collections. I appreciate that they gave us totally different colors in the Palm Beach Jellies collection, and a completely different formula as well. When it comes to jellies, I'm all about variety.

FINAL VERDICT: I thought I would be crushed when I discovered that these polishes aren't good for jelly sandwiches, but then I discovered how amazing they are for creating watercolor manicures. So now I couldn't be happier with them. More saturated jelly polishes can be challenging to use for watercolor manicures, because they won't give you a water-like effect. It's best to use sheer jellies for watercolor manicures, and these are definitely Very Sheer Jellies. I think that Sally Hansen maybe should have marketed these polishes as "watercolor" polishes instead of jellies (especially since they're part of a beach-themed collection!) but regardless, I think they're great for a specific purpose. Are they for everyone? No. But if you're the type who likes to be creative with your manicures and you're drawn to watercolor-type nail art, then I think you might want to pick some of these up when you see them at your local drugstore. I personally can't wait to continue playing with them.

Have you spotted the Palm Beach Jellies (or any of the other polishes in the Color Destinations Collection) in your area yet? In case you missed it, there are Salon Effects, Insta-Dri, Diamond Strength and other polishes in the Color Destinations collection as well. You can click here for links to photos.

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.Blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews. For more information, click here.
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44 comments

  1. I picked my up today and I too was disappointed to find that they aren't true jellies but similar to the OPI sheer coats. However after experimenting with various applications, I agree with you that they are fun and versatile! I love your swatches!

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    1. Yay! I'm SO glad you played around with them and found another use for them! Were you able to come up with ways to use them aside from the watercolors?

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  2. Definitely drawn to the Grape Jelly, but I'm not sure if I'd want to get any of the others. Thanks for sharing with us :)

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  3. Thanks for the review! I'm not a fan at all since they are not good for jelly sandwiches. I do like your watercolor manicure, but I do not want to buy four of these to achieve it.

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    1. Same. I'm happy with my collection of L'oreal candy pop sheers :) so don't feel the need to hunt for these or the OPI now.

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    2. Totally understandable! And thank you. :)

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  4. I had the idea that these would be like the OPI and decided to wait for these to show up in stores. But i saw on Amazon that they sold a 4 pack of minis and couldn't resist. They are supposed to arrive Thursday. I can't wait to do water color mani as well as other things like maybe a fish tale braid! Thanks for this post G. Its good to know there are alternatives in the event that I run out on the minis

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    1. I'm so glad you finally found a good way to get them, since I know you've been looking high and low for them! :)

      I can't wait to see what you come up with after you play around with them, R.!!

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  5. Thanks for the swatches! I think they are too limited in use to add to my already bulging collection, but I do admire your watercolor mani.

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  6. Thanks for the swatches. Your watercolor nails are pretty.

    Thinking of the price point, I won't be buying these just to do the watercolor look, but if I see them on clearance I might purchase.

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    1. You are very welcome, and I'm glad you liked my mani! :)

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    2. These are on clearance right now at Target! I paid $2.28 for each!

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    3. It took a year, but I found some of these for $1.99 at Marshalls. The siliardead jealous and wartermelon. And othersI on triplethe shine line for $1.14 at Kmart. I topped watermelon over a silver polish. Looks wonderful. Kmart: Taheati. Pool party. Drama sheen. Oyster bar.

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  7. I wonder how good they would be for water marbling? I passed on these because I prefer more colored jellies. I have enough in other brands I don't feel like I'm missing out with these :)

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    1. Water marbling is my "final frontier" of nail art I have yet to try (someday, I'm sure!) so I have absolutely no idea if they would work for that. Sorry!!

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  8. I bought all of these but have not used them yet. This is a great review. I saw Jen's watercolor manicure too and figured that's what I'd do with these. Also, I'll probably layer these over a polish of similar color to make it more shiny. I agree these aren't foe everyone, but they are something different and that's why I couldn't resist getting them all. I've been underwhelmed by most of the Spring releases so I needed something to shake me up! ;D

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    1. Thank you, Carol!!

      And I totally agree. With all the pastel cremes this rime of year, and the endless parade of textureds, this feels like a breath of fresh air, in a way!

      (But don't get me wrong, I'm still loving those pastels and textureds. Lol!!)

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  9. How do you think these would work in a jelly sandwich with a non jelly base, glitter and then one of the jellies?

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    1. Honestly, I'm not sure you would ever get that jelly sandwich look that way. Since these are so sheer, the color from your non-jelly base would dominate the look, and it would request several (more than 4) vcoats to soften that and give it a jelly-like appearance. Does that make sense? I I've actually tried doing that exact thing with other very sheer jellies and it just looked like I applied a clear top coat in the end. I had to apply like seven coats before it started to take on that jelly appearance.

      Hope that helps! :)

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    2. Yes that definitely makes sense! Good to know!

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  10. Thank you for swatching! Those are just too sheer for me, but maybe if I find a great sale, I'll pick them up for layering. I'm very bummed about how sheer these are though, I was expecting a better color pay off.

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    1. You are so welcome! And yeah, I thought they'd be less sheer, but I'm so glad I found another use for them! :)

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  11. Thank you for the swatches! After seeing these both ways (on their own and in a watercolor mani), I will only get them if I see a REALLY good sale. I was hoping for a better color pay off on their own, but as I sit and think about the layering possibilities, that might make it worth it.

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    Replies
    1. You're so welcome! And yeah, part of me is thinking there might be an even cooler way to use these that I just haven't tapped into yet! Lol!

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  12. I love the manicure with the top coat. Gorgeous!

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  13. That's a huge relief to see you can at least use these for water color manis. And the price is right. Now if I can just find them!

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    1. I so hope you're able to find them soon, Lori! I can't wait to see how you can use these! :)

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  14. Thanks for your review on these. They do seem to disappoint. I think it would be more appropriate to call them tints not jellies. A great big THANK YOU for the link back to the 2013 L'Oreal line. I was looking for good jellies with a wide range of colors and managed to snag the full set on Amazon for under $15 with free shipping.

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    1. You're welcome! And wow, you got a great deal on those!!

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    2. thank you for the heads up..i too got a set for 14.95.

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  15. So glad you posted these swatches/reviews! I was super excited to use these in jelly sandwiches, but I'm not really a fan of watercolour manis, so you just saved me from buying- and then being disappointed by- the entire collection!

    Also seconding what gkay14 said, thanks for the backlink! I'm new to the polish world and will take any jelly recs I can get! (:

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  16. i was longing for a good jelly collection without spending too much,i even asked my walgreens beauty adviser to let me know when they are in,but after looking at swatches here and some other places sadly these are not for me.

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  17. Thank you so so so much for posting about this! I was disappointed by the lack of "jelliness." Thankfully now I have a whole new nail art look to try and the perfect polishes for it!

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  18. Thanks so much for the swatches & review! I think I'll stop looking so hard for these and try the watercolor mani with colors I already have. :)

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  19. Not good for jelly sandwiches! Looks like I will be passing on these then :(

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  20. G-girl... have you done a matte sandwich with these jellies? You know, put a matte coat in-between. Tonight I might try it with one of my jellies. None are as sheer as these are but I like to experiment too. Fun!

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  21. Wow! For some reason, I really, really like the look of Grape Jelly... never seen anything like it before, I guess. It's going on my to-buy list for a future clearance sale! =)

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  22. Since the are very sheer, I was thinking they could be used to paint on stamping nail art. Especially the technique everyone had been talking about by Messy Mansion called leadlighting. However, they may be too sheer. I'm going to pass bc even those these are meant to be sheer having to do 4 coats to see any color is not cool. The are so many beautiful sheer polishes out there that are still wonderfully pigmented. The point of the leadlighting is to have quick nail art and it seems these would increase the normal time. Have you heard of this technique? What do you think?

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  23. So glad I didn't waste my money... these are definitely too sheer for me and I typically adore sheer jellies. Good thing I bought most of the L'Oreal collection last year that were true jellies lol The water color look is very cool and different though! These remind me a lot of the old Revlon nail tints but are still less pigmented.

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  24. I will definitely be passing on these. I don't think I'd have enough use for polishes this sheer. If I want to do a watercolor style manicure, there's a technique involving regular polish and acetone that's worked fine for me. However, if you are looking for more ideas on how to use these "tint" type of polishes, I think you might enjoy this post where Marta of Chit Chat Nails played around with a few techniques: http://www.chitchatnails.com/2014/03/04/sheer-exploring/

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  25. So, I picked up two earlier this week, and used the watermelon shade, and I felt they were a touch too sheer. However, here's my thoughts on a base for the jelly sandwiches: if you're going to use a really sparkly glitter for it, a semi-sheer glass fleck base might work well. I have just about ALL the old Sally Hansen HD glass fleck duochrome shades, and I think they'd work out splendidly.

    The formula on these is so consistent and quite thin, so even if the excessive amount of coats is time-consuming to apply, it doesn't make them impossible to work with. They also would give a better pay off with denser glitters.

    I haven't tried it yet, but I think they'd work rather well for gradient manicures just by using the brush. They are sheer enough and thin enough to get a good subtle gradient, like how they work well for the watercolor mani.

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  26. I got Sally Hansen #295 Pixel Perfect and I truly hate it. I can wait ages and this nail polish will never dry. I have real jellies on my nails so it's possible to move these black and silver dots day after... Maybe the reason of it is that I don't use top coat, only dryer from SH but I'm not going to buy another product only because I need to cover #295.

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