I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the worst when it comes to manicures. Aside from the fact that my nails easily bend and break (making chips inevitable), I can never keep the polish just on my nails during application. I always end up splashing a bit of whatever shade I’ve selected onto my cuticles, resulting in a messy manicure. Sure it only takes a day or so for the excess polish to shed off of my skin, but it’s still not something worthy of showing off on Insta. In fact, I’ve been called out about it in the comments section a few times.
While I lack the precision and patience to lay down a layer of polish as perfectly as salon manicurists, there are a number of solutions. The newest addition, Sally Hansen’s Big Polish Guards Cuticle Protectors, was released in January at a time when I barely bothered with painting my nails to avoid making a mess of my hands, drying them out in the process by scrubbing off the polish peeling from cuticles. I was instantly on the hunt to get my hands (or rather my fingertips) on the stickers and managed to score a sample before they hit the shelves.
Sally Hansen Luster Shine Nail Color in Plume, $8.47, available at Walmart.com
Once I popped them out of the box, I psyched to discover that there were at least two sets of guards per box, and each of the pink tabs came in different sizes, allowing you to measure prior to application. Applying them on one hand was easy. The material was soft and super flexible so it could stretch it to wrap all the way around my nail bed before crossing the tabs under the free edge of my nail. And the glue was strong enough to stick to skin but gentle enough to not rip anything should you need to adjust the guards. I got a bit ambitious and tried applying them to the other hand which caused some of the tabs to lift a little but stayed put once pressed in place again.
I quickly slapped on a clear base coat but was delighted to see that even that stayed within the boundaries of the cuticle guards. But the true test came down to color. I picked an oldie (and discontinued) but a goodie: Sally Hansen’s Lustre Nail Color in Plume, a metallic gold duo chrome hue with a subtle green shift. A little thicker with time, the polish could get a little glommy as I painted each layer but didn’t slip under the cuticle guards. The guards kept the polish from slipping around the sides as they dried, but it, unfortunately, couldn’t stop threats from above as I smudged the edge of a nail or two. (Welp, I can’t keep still even when my nails are wet.)
Final Result!
After an hour or two of drying (for good measure), I finally unwrapped each guard revealing a mani that I could be proud of! No sloppy sides, no polish under my nail, and not a drop on my cuticles, just a crisp clean line right at the edge. While I’ll admit that this isn’t the most cost-effective for a weekly mani, sticking the guards back on their plastic backing could allow for them to be used a few more times before the glue gives out. I’ll be keeping these on hand — pun not intended — for any special occasions when I can’t drop in at the salon or when I need my nails to look spectacular for a #ManiMonday snap on Instagram!
Sally Hansen’s Big Polish Guards Cuticle Protectors, $5.49, available at Target.