NEW Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Shades

More new core stuff!  I love LE's, don't get me wrong, but I also love trying out stuff I know will be sticking around.  Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri is a line that people seem to either love or hate, especially their wide brushes.  I don't mind the brush, and Zeus loves it.  I know a lot of people love Insta-Dri's for doing children's nails too, since the wide brush and quick dry formula make for easy application on fidgety fingers and toes.  They've been doing LE shades fairly regularly over the past couple of years, but these are the first new core shades I remember them adding since I got back into polish.  There are eight new shades, though I only bought six.  I stood there with all eight of them in CVS when I found the massive "I Heart Nail Art" display (see smaller ones on Nouveau Cheap) back in November, but I wound up putting a nude called Sand Storm and the minty Jade Jump back.  The nude seemed a bit too cool-toned and minty shades look weird on me.  The six I did buy are a great range of colors and finishes.


Chartreuse Chase is a pastel yellow-toned green with a subtle blue shimmer.

Pastels.  I thought maybe since I like yellow-greens that a pastel one might work for me.  Sadly, I don't think it does.  This is three coats, since the formula's a little on the sheer side.  The shimmer is pretty, but the color isn't flattering on me.  Luckily it stamps well and you'll see it again tomorrow along with most of the other shades in this bunch.


I-rush Luck is a medium green cream.

I love the color of I-rush Luck, but the formula didn't live up to the "one-coat coverage" that Sally Hansen claims for Insta-Dri.  This is two coats.  Honestly, a lot of them aren't one-coaters, but I mostly buy them for stamping.  I had some pinprick bubbling, as you can see.  It was only obvious in bright light and a third coat on the index nail covered it completely.  I might wear I-rush Luck on its own again or as a base for something, but it's great for stamping too!


In-prompt Blue is a medium blue cream.

Like all of the best and boldest blues, In-prompt Blue is STINKY!  That sulfur stink is the price we pay for glorious blueness.  This time one careful coat does cover.  The pinprick bubbles happened here too, but again were only obvious in bright light.


Grease Lightning is a dark blue-toned gray cream.

Not a one-coater either, this is two coats of Grease Lighting.  I love the color, and not a hint of bubbling for this one.  I can absolutely see myself wearing this again.



Go For Gold is a yellow gold foil.

One-coater!  Not even a careful coat.  Great coverage, but tricky cleanup.  The little foil bits wouldn't come off for anything.  The cool thing about Go For Gold is that the base is yellow-tinted to pull the foil to an absolutely perfect yellow gold.  Gorgeous!


Grape Shifter has medium silver holo and small red-violet hexagonal glitter and tiny sky blue microglitter in a clear base.

over Taffeta

I don't think I've ever worn another Insta-Dri glitter, but I was very pleased with the application.  No dabbing or placing needed.  I don't always like glitters this busy, but something drew me to Grape Shifter.  It's not the easiest to pair with a base, since it's got a lot going on.  I first wore it over Taffeta, one of the new Satin Glam shades, but the purple base and red-violet glitter didn't contrast enough.  I tried it again over Grease Lightning and liked it way more.

In this combo the silver gets a little lost at times, but the microglitter, red-violet, and holo rainbows really pop.

Bottom line: Only Go For Gold and In-prompt Blue are one-coaters.  In-prompt Blue and I-rush Luck both bubbled, but not terribly and an additional coat seems to fix it.  I've stamped with all but Grape Shifter (obviously) and they all work wonderfully!  I'd recommend all five for stamping and my strongest "as-is" recommendations go to Go For Gold and Grease Lightning.  Grape Shifter applies well without dabbing or placing.


As hinted, you'll be seeing five of these six again tomorrow.  I love Insta-Dri's for stamping, far more than for wearing on their own.  The wide brush covers the image easily without the repeated strokes that can cause bubbles.  They dry fast enough not to smear, but not so fast that they don't transfer.  The color and finish range is awesome too!