Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, $3

I've started to wear nail polish often, and I've found that my nails are starting to get weaker. I decided to try Sally Hansen Hard as Nails after reading favorable reviews on nail blogs. It's very reasonably priced for what it promises to do--strengthen your nails and prevent chipping, splitting, and cracking. It smells really strong, but it's very easy to put on and dries really quickly.

I've been wearing it under my nail polish for a while now. I've noticed that it acts as a really good base. No matter what color I use, it definitely stays on longer when I have this on underneath. By itself, it makes my nails look clean and shiny. And when I have it on, I feel like maybe my nails are growing stronger and breaking less. But when I take off my nail polish, I see it: peeling. This happened every time, even after clipping and filing the broken parts and trying again.

Final verdict
Cost: $3 is a good deal.
Base: It works as a really good base and keeps my polish from chipping (noticeably).
Strengthener?: I did not find it to actually strengthen my nails. Once I took my polish on, I could see my nails peeling!
Repeat offender?: I wouldn't buy this again. Part of me is tempted to keep using it because it keeps my color on for a long time, but the peeling is gross. And I have this bad habit of picking my nail polish off when I get stressed, and this stuff will take your nail along with it! I think I'm going to try taking my vitamins on a regular basis and maybe giving my nails a rest.

-T