Sally Hansen Insta-Dri: Pretty Pastels!

Good morning all <3

I know, I know... pastels are played out for spring and summer. They have been for the past few years. And yet I still completely love them! There's just something about those candy-sweet shades that's calming and yet fun. So when I spotted these beauties in Target and Walmart yesterday, I couldn't resist!

Left to right: 450 Vandal Eyes, 440 Color Me Good, 205 Blink Pink, and 380 Leapin' Lilac

Background The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color (phew!) polishes promise a quick dry time, as the name implies. I've only tried one shade in the past (325, Peachy Breeze, not pictured) and thought it was a beautiful color that went on smoothly and lasted well with a topcoat.

Color These polishes are all a creme finish. The blue shade (Vandal Eyes) has a tiny bit of frost to it, but once applied to the nail, it doesn't show up. These colors are some of my favorites, and have become quite popular this past spring and summer. I still found these to be unique and different than any I already have in my collection, which is impressive!

Formula I'm especially pleased with the application and opacity of these polishes. All except the blue shade, they are extremely pigmented. You could easily get away with one coat. The blue shade is a little sheerer than the others, most likely due to the frosty color. With two coats though, it becomes a beautiful creme finish like the others. I would say these do dry fairly quickly, but I usually apply a fast-dry topcoat over no matter what.  These are smooth, creamy, opaque, and did not give me any trouble!

Brush The true sign of a makeup nerd: I rejoiced when I saw the brush on these! It's a wide style, shown below, which makes getting an even coat effortless. Just one swipe down the middle and one down each side gives a quick, easy, and beautiful coat of color. I'm quite snobby now about my brush, and definitely prefer these over the thin, round styles used in most other polishes.

Availability I've seen these in several drugstores, including Walmart and Target. I was able to snatch up the mint and blue shades at Target for $2.79 each on sale, while the pink and purple were $3.98 each at Walmart. Keep an eye out for the sale, but even at less than $4, these are a great value!

Verdict I love these, and will definitely be reaching them over and over throughout the summer. These are offered in a beautiful range of colors, and I find myself wanting to pick up a few more shades for the fall months. Great formula, color, brush, and price = a perfect nail polish in my book.

Update (one week later) Bad news! That beautiful minty color has been an absolute pain. After putting it on all my nails, I found it peeling off in huge chunks within one day. It's a very high maintenance color, and unless you've got a bulletproof top coat, probably not worth your time. Bummer! It was my favorite of these, but I noticed it chipped way faster than any of the others during my initial wear.