Purchase Review & Comparison: Incoco vs. Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips

Again, sorry for the lack of posts and slow responses to comments. I've been sick for about a week now but in actuality have not been myself for several months. I finally went to the doctor yesterday and while I don't have a sinus infection, I do have sinus congestion so he told me take a different decongestant and prescribed a nose spray. In just 24 hours, I feel great! I don't feel like I'm in a fog anymore, don't have a dull headache and can actually breathe in air unconstricted. I didn't realize that I wasn't breathing in much air before. I'm actually feeling a lot like my old self and have energy again.

As promised a few posts back, I am here today to do a comparison between the Incoco brand nail polish strips and Sally Hansen nail polish strips. It was in this post that I showcased my NOTD using Incoco. This is my manicure after nearly two weeks of wearing it.

As you can see, my nails had grown and actually were getting too long that they were bugging me. It was time to cut my nails and remove this manicure. I'm always amazed by how long lasting these polishes are because I normally chip my nails within the first 24 hours.

This is what the Incoco nail strip packet looks like.

The cost of the pack is $13.00 but if you buy 3 or more, the cost goes down to about $10.00 each. (There are two sets of the strips in the pack.)  Also included, but not pictured, is a mini cuticle stick, an emery board, nail polish remover packet and some sample nail strips. The sample nail strips come two strips to a pack. These are great for if you are first starting out with this system because it gives you a chance to play with it and not use your pack to do the trial.

Sally Hansen nail strips is in a box and is like this:

What is not pictured is the 2nd packet of nail strips. The cost of it is an average of $10.00 per box. It also includes a cuticle stick and an emery board.

My nails after applying Sally Hansen nail strips.

For Sally Hansen, when I was peeling the nail strip off of the backing, it didn't peel off cleanly. Part of the side of the strip stayed stuck on the backing. For me, that is no problem because I have really tiny nails but for those with wider nails, it might be a problem if it sticks like that. I don't know if this means that there is more sticking power to it than Incoco, but I didn't experience this problem with Incoco.

A blogger friend commented that she can't apply the Sally Hansen nail strips because it looks bumpy on her. I didn't have this problem either although I did find that I couldn't reposition the strips after it stuck to my nail. Again, it could be that it just has more sticking power to it than Incoco, which in some ways is good. With Incoco, I am able to put it on lightly and slowly and carefully manipulate it into position.

I'm not sure if it's my imagination or not but I also think that Sally Hansen is thicker or has a more plastic-y feel to it than Incoco. The length of each strip is the same for Incoco and Sally Hansen. If your nails are relatively short like mine, I find that I can use one strip for both hands' nails. For example, I can apply the pinky-sized strip to my right hand, flip it around and apply it to my left hand. This way, each pack will last for two manicures instead of one. You can view Incoco's "how to apply" instructions here. While it does take some practice to apply it easily, for me it is so much better than spending time painting my nails and waiting for it to dry completely. I always end up smudging it or ruining it somehow. I also have problems waiting for each layer to dry properly so that's probably why it chips so easily.

My own personal opinion is that I prefer Incoco over Sally Hansen. Somehow, it just feels like it's a better quality nail strip. I think that Incoco's collection of designs and colors, are much more elegant than Sally Hansen's. Sally Hansen has glittery strips that are really glittery or design prints that are actually quite busy, like the one that I applied. Both wore well on me and lasted nearly two weeks before any chipping or peeling occurred. That is a miracle for me because I use my hands a lot and am really rough on my nails.

In Hawaii, there is an Incoco kiosk at Ala Moana Shopping Center, which is where I first discovered this nail polish concept. A kiosk just opened at the mall which is close to me, which is a good and bad thing. I just purchased a Christmas design, which will be my new manicure. Unfortunately, I don't know where I put it so I can't take a picture of it right now.

Have you tried either or both? What are your thoughts about it?

*Kat*