Despite the fact that it still feels like late-summer outside, my fall wardrobe is unpacked (if not a bit underutilized), the trees are (slowly) changing colour, and pumpkins are everywhere so it's time to show some fall nails! Luckily, Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel nail polish in Wine Stock is not only the perfect shade for the fall, I can generally get almost a week worth of wear out if it.

But how?

Let me be the first to admit that I'm a bit of a nail polish addict. I currently have at least 100 full size nail polishes in my possession, and I can't even start to count the minis so don't make me try. So I don't often get my nails professionally done too often as I can generally do it better myself. I have, however, had gel manis, shellac manis, and even a Bio Seaweed Gel manicure before because I LOVE having something I could rely on during a busy time of year. But I always struggled with the cost and the removal process. It just seemed like too much to pay for polish.

So in comes Sally Hansen Miracle Gel with a great compromise. No, these polishes don't last for two weeks if you're a regular human who does dishes and types on a computer or does anything with your hands, but it CAN give you a SOLID week or so with only SLIGHT tip-wear. And in my life? That is nail polish GOLD.

How to apply Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

First, pick your colours.Beautygeeks has an amazing swatch library of all the pretty colours in this line to help you out. They have an array of classic shades, brights, reds, neons, nudes, ones with shimmer and some glitter too! Personally I own Wine Stock - a great brown-red, Red Eye - a classic tomato red, and Pink Tank - a pretty pink fuschia. I've been meaning to add more to my collection but these are three very classic and useable colours so if I really need a 7-10 day look, they do well!

Second, make sure you are applying on clean, bare nails. No base coat. I find I tend to make my coats on the thin side and do 2-3 coats, but I've heard other people who do slightly thicker coats can get a great colour in one to two. During this step, let your polish dry fully after putting your next coat on. It generally dries quickly so this shouldn't be a problem.

Third, put on the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat. It's a tad goopy so careful around your nail beds where the top coat can accumulate. But even this step takes very little time to dry! And that's it! No UV lamp or special gadget required. Go and enjoy your week.

For this look, I did 3 coats and top coat in less than 45 minutes.I'm VERY picky about waiting for my nails to dry before declaring myself 'safe' so with fewer coats you could probably get away with 30 minutes. Keep in mind I'm also watching TV when I do this and I'm not the fastest nail painter!

Then, voila! You have nails that will last a week. And if you're in a profession where you wash your hands a lot or use them a lot, it may not be a week but it's definitely more than regular polish! I also find that the removal is very easy, maybe slightly longer than regular polish, but still less than glitter removal!

Considering the cost of gel manis, and the upkeep required (long soaks vs returning to the salon for removal) Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel is probably one of my favourite long-wear nail polish products out there. You can often find duo-packs of the top coat and one colour at Winners for dirt-cheap, and they are often on sale at Shoppers Drug Marts or other pharmacies for $10-12.

Have you tried Sally Hansen Miracle Gel? What's your favourite colour?