Senior Special Projects producer Meaghan St. Pierre tested the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Red Eye to see if it really gives users up to 14 days of color.
I don't often spend money to get my nails done at the salon, but I truly enjoy when I do because I love the look of a professional manicure.
When I do splurge on the a trip to the nail salon, I often choose the shellac or gel option because I want my nails to look nicer longer and feel like I got my money's worth. Those manicures typically last two, even three weeks for me.
I jumped at the chance to try products that claim to give you up to 14 days of color, similar to a gel manicure. Myself along with two Local interns tried out the following products:
Essie Gel Couture
Color: Pearls of Wisdom
Claim: Up to 14 days of flawless color and shine. No lamp required. Easy removal
Cost: 2 bottle kit $18.50 at Ulta Beauty, Kohls and $18.49 at Target
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel
Color: Red Eye
Claim: The No. 1 no light gel system. In just two easy steps get up to 14 days of color and shine. More chip-resistant than regular nail polish
Cost: The color and top coat are $9.99 each at CVS, $7.49 each at Target, $15.99 for the kit at Walgreens.
Wet n Wild 1 Step Wonder Gel
Color: It's Sher-Bert Day
Claim: The first gel formula that doesn't require a top coat and cures without a lamp, this nail color breakthrough is about to become your nail MVP. Provides up to two weeks of color and shine in 1 easy step.
Cost: $4.99 at CVS
For this unscientific product test, I wore the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Red Eye.
The polish went on great and looked beautiful. I was very hopeful that this product would live up to the claim that I would get up to 14 days of color and shine.
It went on easily, I had to apply two coats of the color, and let nail dry for five minutes. Then I applied the top coat. The product says let natural light do the rest.
Unlike shellac or gel manicures at the salon, this polish did not require me putting my nails under a UV light to let the polish cure.
We applied the polish on a Friday afternoon and I went home for the weekend doing my normal daily tasks. Over the weekend, the polish continued to look great and I received many compliments on the color.
The polish held up until day four when I started noticing chips. Unfortunately by day five I was disappointed because the chipping was significant on many of my fingers.
If it wasn't for this product test, I would have removed the polish at this point. Since we were doing this for a story, I kept the polish on to see how it would progress.
By day eight, my nails looked terrible compared to the other two participants wearing different gel polishes. I had big chunks of nail color missing off my nails.
On day 11 of the test, I had had enough and took the polish off.
I did think the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel product worked better than regular nail polish and if I was going away for the weekend or had a wedding or another event that required my nails to look nice for a few days, I would use it.
This polish retails for about $15-20, and since I get to use it more than once, I would consider using it as I would regular nail polish. I would not use it as a replacement for a professional gel manicure from a salon.