Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat – Review

Allo!

I’m SOOO excited to show these to you all because these crackles are fantastic! I’ll warn you now, this post is going to be picture heavy because there are 6 different polishes to talk about. The only two that I will not be showing are Fractured Foil (silver) and Ink Splatter (black). Fractured Foil was already sold out at the Walgreens where I purchased the other colors, and I have China Glaze’s Black Mesh already so I didn’t feel the need to buy another black crackle.

I will say this though, at first I was really pissed off that I had bought these because they were not working for me initially. I tried Distressed Denim (blue) and it looked horrible and did not want to crackle. But I took a deep breath, removed the polish and tried again. I’m glad I did because the second time around these crackles really preformed! You just have to know how to get them to show you their best.

What Worked For Me:

First I applied my basecoat. I found that a ridge filling one, like Essie’s Fill The Gap, worked best for me. Then I applied 1-2 coats of my base color, a 1 coater or quick drying polish would be best. Then I applied a thin coat of quick drying top coat. I used Prolana/Olan Labs Quick & Slick top coat, which is probably my favorite top coat right behind Seche Vite. Though I’m sure any thin quick drying top coat will work as well for this step. After I let my nails dry for about 5-10 minutes I then applied a medium layer of the crackle overcoat quickly and covered my entire nail. I let the crackle work its magic for a minute or two and then I applied my beloved Seche Vite topcoat.

I hope that helps for anyone that is having trouble with these, they really are great. Now, it’s time for some photos!!

Antiqued Gold

Antiqued Gold was probably the trickiest when it came to getting a perfect crackle effect. Some nails definitely had more crackles throughout even though I applied the same amount of polish to each nail.

Close-up shot of Antiqued Gold.

Snow Blast

Snow Blast is probably my favorite, especially when I paired it with this pinkish base color.

The way Snow Blast crackled as it dried was absolutely perfect!

Distressed Denim

Distressed Denim is a cobalt blue with a jelly-ish finish to it which allows you to see a tinted version of your base color below it. The crackle effect on my pinky is a less pronounced because I applied a pretty thick coat of the polish accidentally.

Here’s a super-macro shot so you can get a better idea of the translucent jelly finish that Distressed Denim has.

Vintage Violet

You got to see a bit of Vintage Violet when I showed you my NOTD for Friday, but here it is on its own with a silver base. I was right about it having a shimmer to it, which gives it a dual tone effect depending on the way the light hits it.

Close-up shot of Vintage Violet, you can really see the violet/burple duality here.

Cherry Smash

Cherry Smash has an amazing crackle effect and the application with this one was a breeze. Though in hindsight I don’t think I would have paired it with yellow because now it just reminds me of McDonalds.

Fuchsia Shock

Fuchsia Shock, the hot pink crackle. It loses a bit of its brightness when paired with black. I think this would have looked better with a white base color.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed these crackle polishes. The final effect with Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat is an asymmetrical crackle finish that I am totally in love with. All of the other crackles brands I have used give a very linear crackle unless you change the direction of your brush strokes as you apply them. If anyone is having trouble with these I would highly suggest giving them a second chance or using my technique described above to see if you get better results. My favorite of the bunch is definitely Snow Blast, followed by Vintage Violet and Cherry Smash. :)

Purchase Info:

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat polishes should be hitting the stores in June, though some places (including the Walgreens where I live) have gotten their supply a little early. Where I purchased them they retailed at $6.99 per polish.