Complete Salon Manicure

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure [854 - Powder Room] Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - September 28, 2025

Sigh... here we go again. Another Sally Hansen... why do I keep torturing myself like this? This is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, shade 854/Powder Room!
 
 
 
Well, Notino had huge discounts and that included Sally Hansen, so I guess this is as good a time as any to finally finish them off. By that, I mean, try out one from each of the ranges available. I don’t know why shade 015/Steel My Heart was separate from this when both are Complete Salon Manicures, but oh well. So I guess this is my second nail polish from that range; diametrically opposite in colour and lightness, though! Whereas the previous one was dark steely blue, this one is very light champagne. Different texture as well! I originally wanted a different shade, but it sold out. Then the second one I wanted sold out... guess I will get this light champagne then. I love the look of champagne as a colour, but it never meshes well with my skintone when it’s a nail polish. Oh well. This range is one of those nail polishes that offer both colour and care, as it is enriched with oils to care for the nails. This would be awesome! Now, let’s see how good this nail polish is, I am not holding my breath though...
 
 
 
Packaging: very chunky bottle, just like 015/Steel My Heart. There is something nice about having such a thicc bottle. It exudes a certain charm. It’s also very heavy. I like the shape; it’s curvy in all the right places – by that, I mean that it has a curved top right near the cap. This makes it stand out from other nail polishes that tend to have rectangular bottles. The cap is very tall and closes very tightly, so you don’t need to worry about the nail polish drying out too soon. I like this black band that it’s got at the bottom of the cap, it’s a cool detail! The bottle itself is sparse on details, having just a name sticker and some information in the back. 
 
 
 
The text is white, which helps it stand out from the light champagne colour of the polish. Oh, also, the cap is a fingerprint magnet! It goes from clean to hellishly smudged in no time. Pretty nice design for the bottle, I must say.
 
 
Source: www.sallyhansen.com
 
Ingredients: vitamin E, arginine, panthenol/provitamin B5 (as calcium pantothenate and pure panthenol), lysine, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seed oil, zinc sulfate, kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) extract, hydrolysed keratin, biotin, caffeine, hydrolysed conchiolin protein for nourishment. Unfortunately, it contains parabens: methylparaben, propylparaben. But it is 3-free (DBP, formaldehyde, toluene). Another interesting thing is that this nail polish contains Lithothamnion calcareum algae extract and diatomaceous earth. Okay wow! I read that this is a caring nail polish, but I didn’t expect to see quite so many active ingredients! Not just keratin and zinc (and conchiolin) for stronger nails, but also amino acids, B vitamins and even caffeine! I never thought about having caffeine in nail polish, but I guess it could help the nails! Also safflower oil, which also helps. This ingredients list sounds like a powerhouse, we’ll see how good the rest of the nail polish is but, so far, so good! Refreshingly good! Just one note... uh... I found two very different ingredient lists; one on Amazon, and one on Sally Hansen’s website (which I used here). The latter one lacks 90% of all these goodies, so... I don’t know which one is the “correct” one. I don’t think Amazon would have wrong information for Sally Hansen, would they? I am going to assume this one is the “correct” one because I can feel my nails getting stronger with each day that I am wearing this nail polish. The scent is, broadly, like most nail polishes, but it also has an interesting creamy note in the background. It’s still way too intense to keep sniffing to find out (and all the solvents probably aren’t good for the ol’ gray matter), so I’ll stop trying to deduce what this creamy note is. The expiration date is 30 months after opening. 
 
 
 
Colour: icy sort of champagne colour. The base is a frosty faint rosy champagne, and the shimmer looks like it’s silvery. In terms of named colours, it is similar to either alabaster or Pantone's “Tofu”, but, obviously, much more metallic and satiny. In most lighting, it looks almost silvery, with some yellow pigments, but in good, bright light, you can start to see the rosy tones present in it. It is also quite similar in colour to pearls... duh! Why didn’t I think of this before? Like a softly greige coloured pearl, because not all pears are blindingly white. Whatever this colour may be, it is extremely elegant. It would fit right in with any sort of formal occasion, especially weddings. Oh yeah, this would be a great colour for the bride! 
 
 
 
 
It is very intense, despite being so light. This may be due to the highly shiny finish, but the colour itself is also very pigmented. Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful I think this colour is, this doesn’t change the fact that it washes me out massively. Like, real bad. My pale skintone just isn’t meant for this colour, sadly. It will likely look much better on a slightly darker skintone than mine. Doesn’t mean I won’t wear it again, I just love this colour way too much!
 
 
 
 
  
What a quaint little brush! However, don’t be fooled by its small size; this brush fans out very nicely when you paint nails, so it is able to coat the entire nail plate in polish with just 2-3 swipes. It makes the process of painting nails a child's play, since it applies nail polish ridiculously evenly and richly, so you are done in like, a few seconds! Talk about efficient! The brush is fairly precise although I did end up with a mess around my nails but that’s because I admit I wasn’t even trying to be precise. Also, my nails are still quite short, so that played a huge role in making that mess as well. As for the shape, this is a narrow flat brush, whose base and tips are the same width. 
 
 
I prefer brushes that are narrower at the base, but this shape is okay as well – evidently! The brush seems to be of fantastic quality; not a single stray hair or any sign of damage. It also picks up so much nail polish, it is crazy! Don’t forget to tap off the excess! I am so happy with this brush, is everything going to be this good with this polish??? Man, I sure hope so! It’s time already that at least one Sally Hansen ends up being good!
 
 
 
Wow, what a silky formula! It is extremely silky, although a little bit on the thin side. Better that than to be goopy from being too thick. I actually really love this formula, and this is shocking to me! Sally Hansens almost always have a bevy of issues, so it feels unusual to feel this good about one – so far, at least. The formula isn’t one bit runny; it stays in place and applies so perfectly that it takes just 2-3 swipes until nails look impeccable. It’s truly swipe and done, which, let me tell you, is not the case with most Sally Hansen nail polishes! The brush helps immensely with this even application, but the formula is just so gorgeous! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It ends up looking – no joke – literally perfect! Not even the tiniest amount of unevenness or streakiness. I cannot believe that this nail polish is this easy to use... and that or ends up looking so good. I am used to the opposite with Sally Hansens... what is going on? Is it opposite day?
 
 
 
 
  
  
One coat is semi-opaque; I can still see my nails underneath, but they are not too visible. Although the nail polish is perfectly even with one coat and the colour seems to be intense like it should be, the fact that it is semi-opaque means that I shall apply another coat. Things can only improve from here, right? Indeed! Two coats makes the nail polish completely opaque and it is still perfectly even. It just looks thicker and richer, without feeling too thick. I don’t even see any brushstrokes, which are a common problem with such pearlescent nail polishes. Wow, it just looks perfect! Literally! Though, I would advise against applying more than 2 coats, as it might become goopy then. 2 is really ideal. 
 
 
 
 
The texture is pearlescent; it’s got a high shine, but it’s also very finely grainy, which gives it so much depth. Though, it does look a bit dated. This colour fits very nicely with this pearlescent kind of texture, it really goes hand in hand. There’s also a fair bit of gloss, which gives it a sort of satin-like appearance. Beautiful! It also has a kind of gelly shine that males it look high-end and luxurious. I can see this texture being more than appropriate for weddings!
 
 
 

 
What the... what is this longevity? Am I seeing this right??? 4 days and literally no chipping or any sign of damage??? Wait... let me double-check the bottle again... no, yeah, this is a Sally Hansen. Wh—How could this be? A Sally Hansen that actually lasts and is completely life-proof? So, such a thing is possible... well, there we go! I painted this nail polish on Sunday (as I usually do), and didn’t use any base or top coats (as I usually do), and 4 days later, when I went to remove it, it was in almost pristine condition! Almost, because there was a teensy tiny amount of edge chipping on 2 nails, but even that was so small that I had to squint and get really close to my nails just to see it. So really, negligible. 
 
 
 
 
I used my nails to pry open containers, to pop open bags, and I wasn’t careful in general how I used my nails but still, it didn’t get damaged at all. Let me just check one thing... yup, the other Complete Salon Manicure did not have the fortune of having this insane level of durability. That said, this is a pearlescent nail polish, and that type of formula tends to last ages on my nails. Still, nothing can make it chip! Not even a hair wash! Yup, even after washing my hair, it looks like nothing had happened at all. No chipping, no scratches – oh yeah, did I forget to mention that it is almost completely scratch-resistant because the plentiful tiny shimmer conceals it? - and even the cuticle side looks like it was freshly applied! Insane, I’m telling ya! Now, why aren’t the others like this one...?
 
 
Wait, wait, wait... not only is it insanely long-lasting, it is also extremely easy to remove??? This nail polish is the gift that keeps on giving! I thought that, with all that shimmer, it would take longer to remove, but it just needs a few quick swipes and it’s completely gone – no leftover shimmer! That’s... that’s incredible! And it didn’t make my nails yellower, if anything, they seem to be slightly whiter now, huzzah!
 
 
I am also happy to report that my nails do, in fact, feel stronger after 4 days of wearing this nail polish. They are less bendy, but not brittle, just strong and hard. The longitudinal ridges are also slightly less visible and the nail bed looks more hydrated and smoother. Also, whiter. Wooow... I did not envision this going this well! But man am I glad!
 
 
 
All in all, finally, a Sally Hansen that I actually enjoyed using! And it’s not just good, it’s great! Fantastic, even! This is vastly different compared to the previous Complete Salon Manicure, which had a number of issues – issues that this one does not have! This one is virtually life-proof, able to survive anything you throw at it without chipping or getting scratched up. I was opening bags with my nails, opening containers with my nails, and washing my hair and none of that caused the nail polish to chip or get damaged in any other way. How marvellous is that?! After so many Sally Hansens that you couldn’t even touch because they’d start to chip immediately... now this is the level of durability I like to see! That said, most nail polishes that have this kind of pearlescent texture tend to last a ridiculously long time on me, for some reason. But I am still so impressed! Especially with the hair wash part because that is usually where nail polishes start to really chip, but not this one! You might think that it would be hard to remove, when it is so long-lasting and full of tiny little shimmer but nope! It is actually extremely easy to remove, taking maybe 5-10 seconds until the nails are completely clean. And no leftover shimmer! Nor yellowness! The formula is just so dang awesome; it’s a bit thin but it feels endlessly silky and smooth. Really luxe! It is enriched with a whole slew of good, caring ingredients, including multiple oils, and that is clearly evident in the way my nails feel after 4 days of wearing this nail polish: they are harder and stronger, but still flexible. And they look more hydrated. Oh, and the colour! Not my favourite out of the ones available, but this is the one I got, because the others I liked more were all sold out :( . It’s unexpectedly beautiful! In a sort of ‘bridal elegance’ kind of way; it definitely looks like it would fit right in with a wedding. It’s super elegant and sophisticated, with a gorgeous pearlescent texture, featuring millions of tint shimmer specks that give it some real nice texture. Because it’s pearlescent, it’s also got a high shine finish, in addition to being very glossy. The end result is a stunning texture that I cannot stop looking at! The colour is just as gorgeous, being a silvery champagne colour, similar to alabaster. Very chic! But unfortunately, it washes me out very badly. It just doesn’t mix well with my skintone. It is quite a powdery colour, isn’t it? So, suffice to say, this nail polish blew all my expectations out of the water; it is simply a high-quality, excellent nail polish, which is SO refreshing to see come from Sally Hansen! Hopefully not the last good one – fingers crossed! Oh yeah, I will absolutely give this nail polish my recommendation, it has more than earned it! Oh it feels good to finally be able to say that for a Sally Hansen...
 
 
 
Rating: 9/10
 
 
Would buy again? Oh YES (finally, I get to say that for a Sally Hansen!)





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