Mani Monday with Meade: Dive In
Hi guys! It's maven Meade here stepping in for Jill on Mani Monday! So I've been traveling this week and am currently in lovely Madison, Wisconsin for a scientific conference. I decided this week to go with a nail polish formula that I already I trust so that I won't have to do any touch ups over the course of the three day conference. For this reason I decided to try out a different color from the same line as the "Peach Party" I reviewed last month. The line is Sally Hansen Triple Shine, and the color I picked for this week is #280 "Dive In".
Believe it or not, I packed two bottles of top coat (OPI and Seche Vite), a bottle of base coat (Seche clear) and a bottle of color polish into my silly little quart sized ziplock bag for liquid carry-on luggage and still had room for all the other little liquids that I take when I travel. Part of the reason this was possible is because this week's color polish - Sally Hansen Triple Shine #280 "Dive In" - comes in a conveniently small bottle for traveling (1/3 fl. oz. aka 10mL). Has anybody here ever actually finished a standard sized (15mL) bottle of nail polish? Let us know in the comments!
The main factors that I look for in a polish are 1) durability 2) color appeal 3) application 4) affordability. We already know from past experience that the formula for this collection has great durability, and for this particular color I can say already that this holds true. I'm at about 48hrs with no chips even though I've spent a huge amount of time typing, which we all know does some significant nail damage. I'd like to mention that you can enhance the durability of a polish in a variety of ways, but two of the most effective ways are to invest in a topcoat (or in my case, multiple top coats) and to keep your nails relatively short if that style also happens to appeal to you visually.
What about color appeal? Well color appeal is largely subjective, but I think in terms of why I chose this color for this particular week: I wanted a bright solid color that could both 1) offset the plainness of the business casual outfits I would be wearing to the research conference and 2) remain professional by not being especially ostentatious in color or intricate in design (i.e. nail art). This color evokes the aqua of perhaps the mediterranean sea and to me is very calming.
Let's talk about application. We reviewed the same formula for a different color (Peach Party) a few weeks ago and I gave a summary of application there, and this holds true for "Dive In". The brush is wide, which I love for your basic manicures because you can cover the entire nail in usually no more than three strokes, sometimes as few as one. The formula is a bit thin, but still only really requires two coats for complete coverage.
On the last point, affordability, this color is available on drugstore.com for $5. Now that's actually fifty cents per mL, which is only three cents cheaper per mL than your standard bottle of OPI which is usually $8 for 15mL, but I think the quality is comparable and that it's worth the price.
That's all, folks! Tune in next week for more mani madness!