Anyway, for the past couple years I've been posting pics of my manicures on Instagram and figured that I could post some of the nail art designs and polishes that I want to discuss more in detail on a specialized blog. I've battled depression for years and painting my nails is one of my hobbies and ways to express myself. Today I want to focus on an entire collection of Sally Hansen polishes themed around Crayola colors that's currently in stores.
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Back to School collection press image |
Sally Hansen collaborated with Crayola last year to release 12 polishes themed after crayons. This collection was called "Back to School." Being a lifelong Crayola (and rainbow) fan, I just had to get them all. I instantly ordered the entire collection online and fell in love with the whole lot. The Insta Dri line is among Sally Hansen's finest and they were great additions. I've used most of them multiple times for nail art and plain ol' manicures. Money well spent. Even if the polishes were crappy they'd be worth it as collectors pieces. I figured that that would be a one time collaboration and life went on.
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Spring Fling collection press image |
Imagine my surprise that there was a second collection released in the spring. Appropriately named "Spring Fling," it was a six polish expansion of pastel shades. When I spotted the entire collection at Ulta each color went home with me that day. Most of those had a similar formula as the previous collections with the exception of one with a more jelly type finish. Not as great as the first, but sequels are seldom as good as the original. Still great for nail art or collector shades. With this line out,I decided to make it my side mission to collect all the Sally Hansen Crayola colors. I wondered if there was going to be another expansion...
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola School's Out press image |
...Well, well. Indeed there was. And I didn't have to wait long for it, either. Released this summer, this newest collection was dubbed "School's Out." This was by far the scarcest release. I could not find this line anywhere. Not even at Ulta. Not even on Target.com (where I bought the original collection). It wasn't until I looked on Amazon that I found the entire collection. I'm not the biggest fan of buying drugstore polishes on Amazon, but made an exception here. Not only did I really want to "collect them all," but there was an additional 40% coupon. What did I spend to get six polishes? $14. Not bad at all! I have Prime too, so I didn't have to worry about shipping either. Sweet!
Without further ado, here are the six polishes.
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| Top, left to right: Apricot, Atomic Tangerine, Bluetiful Bottom, left to right: Inchworm, Razzle Dazzle Rose, Wild Watermelon |
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| Left to right: Apricot, Atomic Tangerine, Bluetiful, Inchworm, Razzle Dazzle Rose, Wild Watermelon |
Formula for most of these were the typical Insta Dri high quality. Only one needed three coats. One was even an one coater! Despite using fast dry top coat, they all dry shiny. I just top coat everything out of habit. I also decided to show how they all look with matte top coat on my ring finger just for kicks.
Apricot
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Apricot |
A peachy nude creme. This had the worst formula in the bunch. It was streaky and required three coats.
Atomic Tangerine
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Atomic Tangerine |
Bright orange creme. A near one coater, but still needed two.
Bluetiful
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Bluetiful |
Bright royal blue creme. I'm a sucker for these shades. Despite being the darkest shade in the collection, it was also the thinnest. It appeared watery on the first coat. However, it quickly built up and was opaque on the second coat.
Inchworm
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Inchworm |
Chartreuse creme. Such a cheery shade! It's also my top pick. Formula is a dream, only requiring two coats.
Razzle Dazzle Rose
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Razzle Dazzle Rose |
Fuchsia creme. This was the one coater I mentioned earlier. I normally dislike shades like this because they pull the yellow in my skin. This didn't do that, so that's awesome.
Wild Watermelon
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Wild Watermelon |
Watermelon pink creme. Another cheery shade that's perfect for summer. Unfortunately it had the second worst formula. It struggled to self level to the point that I had to redo my ring finger. I used two coats on all but my ring finger, where I derped and did only one. Still, the color sure is purdy.
Before I share some final thoughts, here are some quick comparisons to a couple shades to the previous Back to School collection.
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Atomic Tangerine vs Sally Hansen x Crayola Sunset Orange |
First things first, Atomic Tangerine versus Back to School's Sunset Orange. They are virtually alike. Atomic Tangerine is slightly darker and brighter, but they're close enough that unless you are a fellow collector then I'd recommend just grabbing one. I personally prefer the color of Sunset Orange over Atomic Tangerine by a smidge. SO is more orange juice-y to me.
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Bluetiful vs Sally Hansen x Crayola Denim |
Next, let's compare Bluetiful to Denim from the original Back to School collection. They are practically the same. If I had to split hairs, Bluetiful is slightly darker. Bluetiful is inspired by the newest crayon in Crayola's lineup (it debuted earlier this year), so I suppose that explains why they released it.
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| Sally Hansen x Crayola Wild Watermelon, Sally Hansen x Crayola Carnation Pink, Sally Hansen x Crayola Razzle Dazzle Rose |
Finally, a triple feature of two School's Out shades compared to Back to School's Carnation Pink. Wild Watermelon and Carnation Pink are the closest, but aren't dupes of each other. Wild Watermelon is more orange toned. Razzle Dazzle Rose is in another class of pink.
Overall, I like this collection. It's no Back to School collection, but it has some nice shades. I don't like that it has a couple shades so similar to previous collabs, but I can live with it. If I "had" to grab one polish from this collection, it'd be Inchworm. It's the most unique looking of the bunch and such a lively color.
Now I wonder that if there's another collection, what will be next? Basic black? Grey blue? How about indigo, blue green, or Macaroni and Cheese? Oh! How about Laser Lemon? I'd love to see Sally Hansen tackle a neon yellow. The marker version was the first shade to sear my eyes as a wee Kindergartener.
What do you want to see in a future SH x Crayola collab?
I bought my collection on Amazon Prime. You can also find Sally Hansen at major drugstore and retailers nationwide.
Thanks so much for this post! Excellent job showing the colors and comparing and contrasting the formulas and colors between the different collections. I picked up a few on eBay, which I loved, and wanted to add to my collection. Your blog helped me decide which other ones to search for! 🩷
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