Review and Swatch: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 660 Pat on the Black

The last time I was at my local Amelia’s Grocery Outlet they had a small selection of this line of nail polishes. The colors were mostly pastels, but this color was mixed in too. Since I really liked the color I decided to pick it up for 99 cents.

Pat on the Black is a dark, blackish, purple/burgundy color. Apparently it’s close to Linkin Park After Dark.

The brush of this formula had been compared to my favorite Wet n’ Wild Megalast nail polishes, and while it is also wide it is thinner and “splays” when pressed. The edges are also more rounded. Because of this splaying action, there is a tendency for it to hold polish and then have it run out when you press it to your nail; it’s kind of like how a fountain pen works. This caused me to get a seriously flooded cuticle; like almost flowing off my hand. So, the brush can be good if you are carful.

The formula of this color was not the best, in fact, it actually was pretty bad. I expect opacity from such a dark color, but this needed three coats and even then there were some patches. It also has a thick consistency, which could possibly be just because of the age of the polish. While it was unopened; I do not know how old or under what conditions it took to get this to the grocery outlet. Because of the goopy-ness of it, it took a long time to dry. I waited five minutes, but after applying the top coat (which I admit wasn’t the best top coat ever) which was a bit thick itself, chucks of the polish got ripped off of my nail. This polish also chipped very quickly so that plus the patchiness meant it only lasted less than 3 days on my nails.

Overall, the brush has promise, but this color doesn’t. Maybe it was the age of the product or something, but the color was too sheer and patchy for me and didn’t dry fast enough because of its thickness. I don’t see myself spending the $6-$7 on this line regular price in the drugstore.