beauty

My best friend Angela and I went to see Supernatural. Supernatural is a play set in New York that captures the testimonies of seven women as they explicate their natural hair journeys. Through their hair experiences, you come to appreciate a culture of people questioning beauty conformity, fighting it, and learning to accept themselves and others, as created.

I was initially intrigued because the story included a bi-racial character. However, when it came to the bi-racial character, I felt like they breezed over some topics that could have been explored more, perhaps without even realizing it. There was a story there that didn't get shared.

We went au natural for the show!

Let me go back to me and Angela. You see, Angela and I have been friends since third grade.  And yeah, she’s pretty awesome. Between the two of us, we have tried just about every hair product out there. We’ve been through thick and thin together and have logged years and years of conversations about hair, and other things. Growing up, Angie was the only person with hair like mine, and although our hair differed from each other’s, it was unique in that it was bi-racial hair.  Over the years, conversations about hair lent way to deeper conversations about ethnicity, identity… and beauty.

Through it all, I have come to value natural beauty and respect store-bought beauty as well. I’ve also come to really understand that external beauty is fleeting. And well... there is so much more to all of this--perhaps it's better left for another post. Supernatural was a great experience and provided a good look at natural hair, through the perspective of black women.

Details
We bought our tickets through GoldStar at half-price // Show was held in Los Angeles at The Attic //Angela and I have hair-chatted for over 20 years and our latest thing is sharing YouTube videos. // Here’s one of our favorites: Shameless Maya's Curly Hair Routine

beauty

Why are they called cuticles, if they're not cute?

I first came across Sally Hansen MIRACLE GEL™ polish at a CVS by my house. I was instantly sold!  A gel polish that I can use at home.. and it doesn't require a UV light?! Tell me more! The only problem was that it was $10 a bottle and I needed to buy at least two to try it out. (You need to purchase a bottle of color and a bottle of the clear top coat.) After staring longingly at the display case, going back and forth, my husband recommended that I hold off, research it a little, and find out if it was truly the miracle that it claimed to be. This was the smart choice, especially considering the fact that my tampon run had already turned into a $40 beauty supply shopping spree. Funny how that time of the month can make a woman feel so ugly.

Bathroom selfies sure aren't the same.

So... I went home and did a little research. Girls were raving about this stuff! About a week later, I went to a Target by my work to pick up a couple of bottles. They were selling it for $7.99. The only problem was, they were all sold out.  I tried the Target by my house--sold out! Apparently word had gotten around.

Finally, I found it at Walmart and hurried my happy little self home to try it. Okay, I may have opened the first bottle while I was in the car.

How it Works

First, you coat your nails with your choice of color. After drying, you apply the clear gel coat two times. I was generous with this because I like the appearance of the thick gel.

Pros and Cons

PRO It definitely lasts longer than the usual dollar nail polish I buy, and probably a few days longer than the expensive polish that I don’t buy. Does it last the advertised 2 weeks? It didn't for me, but it may for you. I got a good week out of it.

PRO The brush. Sally Hansen makes thicker, flat brushes which I love because I can usually get the polish on in two, overlapping swipes.  I just feel like their brushes are easier to manage.

PRO The shine. The shine is equal to several coats of a clear protectant. You will be amazed by how much light bounces off of your nails. I was pretty generous with my application.

PRO Easy to remove. The polish removed just like regular nail polish does.

PRO It makes your nails strong. At the end of two weeks, my nails were much longer because they didn't catch any hangnails or break. (Albeit, they're not as rock-hard as professional gel nails.)

CON The colored polish is a little thin, so it takes a couple of coats to get the coverage you'll want.

CON Limited colors at some stores. According to Sally Hansen, they make 45 colors, but the locations that I went to only had 5 or 6 (or 0) and most of the colors were bold. Personally, I don’t want green nails for more than a day or two. 

The Bottom Line

For girls who love to go to the salon, this may not be for you. It is definitely not an exact substitute for gel manicures. For us girls who are looking for a step up from the usual chipped DIY polish, this could be a home run. The only question I have… can you put the clear coat over your other non-Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes?

**Update:

 I applied the clear coat on top of my regular polish and would like to share that it didn't mess up my nails, but it also didn't seem to work as well. This may have  been because the polish I used was a lighter color, so feel free to experiment with this on your own! The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish that they sell to go with the clear coat made my nails much more shiny and lasted longer.