I was out shopping one day and something caught my eye as I was walking past the cosmetics department: bright, colorful boxes full of Sally Hansen nail products. I immediately went over to inspect. "Hmm, six great nail colors, two treatments and some tools, eh? Looks awesome! I have to have this!"
Since the set was $9.99, I decided I could wait to get it- it didn't seem to be in danger of selling out- the shelves were packed with these Sally Hansen Nail Glam party things.
I came home and asked the ladies on Makeup Alley's Nail Board if they had seen these, and they warned me that there was nothing good inside. I had a hard time believing that there was nothing good inside this bright, colorful, fun-looking box of polish, but now I know that I was wrong. Very wrong.
I couldn't get this kit out of my head, and I ended up buying four of them- two of the large, and two of the small.
Just look at this box! How could I pass this up?! I needed this! The box says:
13 Amazing Nail Essentials
Get Great Stuff!
Your Party Pack Includes:
6 Great Nail Colors
2 Nail Treatments
5 Manicure Tools
____________________
13 Amazing Nail Essentials
I mean, look up close at what the lady on the package is wearing:
Blue, hot pink, red, purple and silver 'skittles'! Wow, this is just the coolest nail gift set ever!!!
But I must have been a naughty girl this year, because all I got in my stocking was a big fat lump of FAIL:
WTF?!!!!! What the hell is this?!?! Where are the bright cheerful colors advertised on the front of the box? WHY WOULD YOU PLAY THIS CRUEL JOKE ON ME, SALLY HANSEN?! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?!?!?!
Look at this! Out of the six "GREAT NAIL COLORS" I was supposed to get (oops, left one out of this picture! It was a duplicate and it's pictured below), this one was completely clear:
No, you're not imagining this. That bottle of clear nail polish clearly says Sally Hansen Nail Color on the front. Yes, Nail Color. What color is this, exactly?
But, hey, it's not all bad! Look! I got one of those amazing Sally Hansen Fire Opal Nail Glazes!
...NOT!
Seriously, what kind of a sick, demented joke is this? Putting clear nail polish inside a Fire Opal polish bottle. Some sadistic bastard must have created these nail sets. "They think they're getting a Fire Opal Nail Glaze but it's really just clear polish in a clever disguise! Muahahahahaaa!!! "
This just pisses me off. I try not to get too worked up over nail polish, but come ON! WTF IS THIS SHIT?!?! ARE THEY SERIOUS?!?!?! Does the package not clearly say, "Get Great Stuff!"? Does it not say, "Nail Glam Party Pack"? I don't know what kind of party they had in mind... a wake? Whatever party they're having, I'm glad I wasn't invited.
How about we take a little peek at what the other sets had inside.
Like I said, I got two of each kit. This is the second large kit. Let's see here, we have pale pink (duplicate from the first set), clear inside a Fire Opal bottle, yet another clear, ugly mauve, ugly coral, boring ugly mauve red in a square bottle (also a duplicate from the first set).
Here's one of the smaller kits:
Oh, this one is a Nail Glam Salon. How special.
I think this salon probably won't be in business very long. Two sheer pinks and a red. Tres chic, no?
What's even worse is that none of the bottles even have labels:
They're all completely blank. No shade names. Nothing. You aren't even allowed to know the name of the ugly colors you got in your kit.
It's like they just took whatever leftover bottles they had sitting around and filled them with the lamest polishes they could think of. Instead of just throwing out what they couldn't sell, they packaged it up in a deceptive little package and sold it for $10! Genius! Make them think they're getting what's advertised and then watch the disappointment on their gullible faces as they open the box only to find clear, pink and mauve!
I have always thought favorably of Sally Hansen. They consistently make some of the most beautiful and creative polishes of all. I have so many awesome Sally Hansen polishes. Nail Prisms, Fire Opal and Star Opal Nail Glaze, Magical Nail Makeup, Salon, Lacquer Shine, Xtreme Wear Hard As Nails, Chromes, I could go on and on. How could a company that has made such incredible and unique products sell such a horrible and deceptive box of garbage? It's not like they have a shortage of good polish to put in those boxes! At least give me one out of six! If I got one good polish out of one of those boxes, maybe just one Magical, a Prism, or even just a color that's not pink, mauve or red, I would be a happy girl. But no. Nothing. At all.
I wouldn't have a problem with these Nail Glam sets if they weren't so deceptive. The box is bright and colorful, decorated with blocks of vibrant colors. The model is clearly seen wearing several different shades of polish. The box even says,"Nail Glam" and "Get Great Stuff!". It is false advertising, plain and simple. If the box had said, "Boring Pink and Mauve Nail Salon" or "Grandma Gertrude's Ladylike and Uninteresting Nail Party Kit" or "Polishes We Put In The Wrong Bottle And Can't Sell Because They're Defective Super Awesome Happy Fun Time Value Kit" I wouldn't be complaining. But I am complaining because that's not what it says on the box. The box is bright pink and blue and says Nail Glam Party Kit. It's a lie.
I have no tolerance for false advertisement. The consumer gets screwed enough as it is even without false advertising. This really gets my panties in a bunch. Bright packaging. Model with cool polish. Claims of "glam" and "great" product. Clear nail polish being sold as a color. Fire Opal bottle filled with clear polish. Am I over-reacting? Should I not be upset about this? This is deceptive and dishonest! Of course I should be upset about this!
So, I suppose this is my warning to you, my fellow nail junkie. Beware of false advertising or anything that seems to good to be true.