Sally Hansen XTreme Wear Pep-Plum Swatches, Review

You might have seen lots of Radiant Orchid posts around the blogosphere, and I’m also going to feature products in this shade if I get a chance to try them. Yesterday while shopping for some light bulbs [so glamorable!] I spotted a partially raided display of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes, and my eyes caught a lone tube of Pep-Plum sitting in the corner, with the color eerily reminiscent of Pantone 2014 Color of the Year. I picked up the bottle and moved it to my phone screen to compare with freshly googled RO swatch, and at least in that light they seemed like a pretty close match. These polishes are only $2.50 a pop, so even if I hated it, I wouldn’t be losing much.

Sally Hansen XTreme Wear in “Pep-Plum”

Sally Hansen XTreme Wear in “Pep-Plum” – no flash

Sally Hansen XTreme Wear in “Pep-Plum” – no flash

Sally Hansen XTreme Wear in “Pep-Plum” – with flash

Surprisingly, I can hardly find any reviews or swatches of this polish online, you’d think there had to be plenty, considering how close it is to Radiant Orchid. In addition to Pep-Plum, 9 more new colors were added to Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Xtreme Color Classic collection in November 2013. This shade is best described as plum meets fuchsia semi-opaque creme with cool undertones.

Application was quite streaky, which is not at all what I was expecting when I saw the thick consistency. To even it out I would need to apply three coats, but ended up settling with just two, because I could already see bubbles forming underneath. To make sure it’s not just a user error, I repeated the routine twice, and each time I saw bubbles, so I either got a defective bottle, or the formula is just prone to bubbling.

Another con I discovered: it took forever to dry, even with Seche Vite top coat, that makes most of my polishes rock hard within minutes. I accidentally smudged a few nails because I assumed they should have been dry solid by now.

Aside from the formula’s shortcomings, this polish wears pretty well: with base and top coat I still see no visible chipping 6 days after the application, which is above average result for me. I do housework every day, so for me personally this is a pretty good result.

All Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Xtreme Color polishes are free from formaldehyde, toluene and DBP.

THE VERDICT
Overall, I think the color is great as a close match to Radiant Orchid, with a price tag that doesn’t bite, but the formula is prone to bubbling and takes a very long time to dry, thus increasing the risk of accidental smudging. The polish wears well, providing several days with no chipping.

PRODUCT RATING
78%, C+
Formula 7/10 | Application 7/10 | Pigmentation 8/10 | Longevity 10/10 | Product 7/10

PRICE & AVAILABILITY
$2.49, 0,34 fl. oz. Available at Target, Ulta, drugstores.

Ingredients:
Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Propyl Acetate, Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin, Alcohol Denat, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Silica, Acrylates Copolymer, Ethyl Tosylamide, Camphor, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Citric Acid, Dimethicone, Benzophenone-1, Diacetone Alcohol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Phosphosilicate, Tin Oxide. [May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), D&C Red No. 6 Barium Lake (CI 15850), D&C Red No. 7 Calcium Lake (CI 15850), D&C Red No. 34 Calcium Lake (CI 15880), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), FD&C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake (CI 42090), FD&C Yellow No. 5 Aluminum Lake (CI 19140), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Ultramarines (CI 77007), D&C Yellow No. 11 (CI 47000), D&C Violet No. 2 (CI 60725), Aluminum Powder (CI 77000), Guanine (CI 75170).