I LOVE going to the nail salon.  I try to go every 3 weeks to see Taniel, my favorite manicurist at Embellish. Taniel was recently voted ‘Best Manicurist’ in Austin. She’s amazing! Her attention to detail is like no manicurist I’ve seen before. But, even Taniel can’t make my polish last the full 3 weeks between manicures.


Before I found the Sally Hansen French Manicure Pen, my french manicure would last about 5 days before it started chipping. I hate sloppy nails, but I also hate having to take off Taniel’s great polish job. I needed a way to touch up the small chips in my manicure and prevent it from getting worse.
One of my friends told me about a great french manicure pen she’d found before a last minute trip to Cancun. Her nails looked great, so I decided to try for myself.


I found the Sally Hansen French Manicure White Tip Pen at CVS for about $5.00. It also came in a kit with a base coat and a top coat. I decided to just try the pen and top with the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth polish in ‘Innocent Nude’ that I already had. I purchased the traditional size (rather than the fine) because I like a thick line for my French Manicures. I would suggest this for everyone because you can place the pen on your nail to your desired thickness.


I couldn’t wait to try it, so I opened it as soon as I got home. The directions on the Sally Hansen website say to start with bare nails. I already had polish on my nails, so I decided to disregard the directions and try it on top of polish first.


To get the polish to the tip of the pen, you’re supposed to press the tip into the lid for 30 seconds. This didn’t work for me. After 30 seconds, there was still no polish on the tip of the pen. So, I repeatedly pressed the pen into a piece of paper until the tip was saturated with the white polish. It took me about 10 times.


Since I’m right handed, I started with my left hand. I placed the pen on one side and rotated my finger as the directions suggested. This left me with a line that was uneven on each side. So, for the next nail, I started in the center and painted to the right. Then, I went back to the center and painted to the left. This helped me make my line symmetrical. One thing I noticed was how easily the paint applied. The pen just slid on my nail and it was easy to make a mistake if I wasn’t careful. I wondered if it had something to do with already having polish on my nails, so I decided to try it again on bare nails.


Once my nails were bare and dry, I tried again. This time, I stuck with the method I’d discovered worked best for me: starting in the center and painting to either side. The pen was working pretty well and I was painting fairly straight lines. The only problem was that I was leaving messy paint marks on my skin. I hoped they would wash off easily and didn’t worry about it. After I’d painted 3 fingers on my left hand, the pen started to get runny and clear. I closed the pen, shook it a few times, pressed the tip into a piece of paper and tried again. That seemed to fix the problem and it hasn’t happened again since.


Painting my right hand was a bit trickier. Luckily, the pen is rather thick and easy to hold.


After I finished painting both sides, I decided to do a second coat. Since I had started in the middle and painted to either side, the paint was a bit splotchy. I applied a second coat to a couple of my nails and noticed the polish was clumping. It seems I hadn’t let the first coat dry enough. After allowing my nails more time to dry, I applied the second coat. Painting the tips for the second time was much easier since I had a guide to follow. I was also able to correct some mistakes I had made the first go ’round.


I let my nails dry for what I thought was a considerable amount of time and then applied a coat of my nude polish. After a couple of nails, I noticed I was leaving white streaks on my nails. Seems I hadn’t waited long enough for the white tips to dry. After they were almost completely dry, I was able to apply two coats of nude polish.


After a couple of hand washes, the extra paint on my skin came right off! My manicure lasted about a week. Pretty good for an at-home attempt!


About a week after my first attempt, I got a real manicure from Taniel. She was nice enough to not make fun of my at-home attempt (well, at least not too much) and gave me a fantastic mani. After about 4 days, I’d chipped one of my nails. Using my Sally Hansen pen, I touched up the offending spot and applied a clear coat over the top and under the tips. It looked almost perfect! I had to do this to a few other nails within the next couple of days. But, I was able to prolong my manicure to about 8 days!


Since then, I’ve used the pen to give myself a full manicure a couple more times. Each time, my nails have looked better than the time before. I’ve received compliments and surprised responses when they find out I did the manicure myself.


So, in short, I definitely recommend the Sally Hansen French Manicure White Tip Pen.


My tips are:
Get the traditional tip so you can adjust the width of the line.
Press the tip into a piece of paper until the tip is completely saturated with white paint.
Shake and press the tip again if the paint starts to get runny.
Apply to bare nails.
Start at the center of the nail and paint to each side.
Allow the paint to completely dry before applying a second coat or a top coat.
Use to touch up your manicure as it starts to chip.
Don’t give up after your first attempt. It just takes a little practice!


Have you ever tried this product? What did you think? Have any other tips?
If you haven’t tried the product, what do you think?