Sally Hansen 420 Pacific Blue Swatch and Review (Comparison of 2009 and 2014 formula, and bonus nail art!)

OK guys, I read my post yesterday and thought it was a bit grouchy. But that's because I woke up with a fever today and all the phlegm town and ugh. But you know, it's way better now than later this summer (#becauseweddings) so I am going to just update here and then power through the day. And by powering through the day, I actually just mean sleeping on the couch watching World Cup and most likely falling asleep. I'm kind of bummed out I'll miss out on Cheap Tuesday burgers but you know what, I won't miss out on Cheap Polish Tuesday because this one is apparently a big deal. This is Sally Hansen Pacific Blue (which can be found for $2-3 at most drugstores).

(Wait there's two?) I'll get to that in a sec.









Admittedly, I was never an original owner of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue until recently. Either of them. But last week the nail polish community (as passionate as they are), exploded over seeing that their beloved 2009 formula of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue was reformulated. Not only was it reformulated, but the colour was completely redone.

Here's why the 2009 permutation was so loved:

+ one coater blue
+ non-staining blue
+ perfect medium toned blue
+ considered a "gateway polish"
+ rumours of a marijuana scent

Alright well I can never pass up a non-staining blue - that shit is almost unheard of. So I had to try it myself. Also a one coater? OK we'll see about that one. Here's my one coat swatch of the 2009 formula of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue with no top coat:









Let's take a look at the new 2014 formula. Apparently it's "disgusting and runny and terrible". Here's two coats of the *new* Sally Hansen Pacific Blue:









If you haven't caught onto the differences, here's a comparison swatch. One coater 2009 original Pacific Blue creme on my index and ring, and two coats of the *new* 2014 Pacific Blue:







CLAW of CTHULHU'S VERDICT: OK guys I get it. The 2009 Pacific Blue polish is awesome - it's just like you said - a non-staining, one coater perfect medium toned blue creme. I am definitely biased towards creme polishes. They're so versatile for use of nail art. I can see why it was called a "gateway polish" to get into the hobby because the formula is very sleek and allowed for so many creative endeavors into the hobby. Did it smell like marijuana? Ehhhh I dunno about that. I think if you look hard enough for it, you can smell it but it doesn't smell like straight up marijuana. (Yes I would know this because BC Bud, you know.)

Now the 2014 formula... Guys, let's be real. It's not as shitty as you guys are making it out to be. I don't like it. It's not my kind of blue, it's definitely not something I would go out of my way to buy. The formula is a two coater - which is honestly pretty standard for most of the polishes I own! I'm not a huge fan of polishes that have a hint of shimmer to them either. I definitely don't care for it much and the 2014 formula will never be a good nail art polish.

My personal final stance is mostly indifference. As an Essence fan, we see polishes in their line come and go, and some of them being great formulas as well. I feel that Sally Hansen should have gone one of two routes: 1) Completely discontinue Sally Hansen Pacific Blue 2009 formula; or 2) Continue producing Sally Hansen Pacific Blue in its 2009 permutation and introducing the "2014 Pacific Blue" as its own entity. Not 420 Pacific Blue. That really sucks for fans of Pacific Blue who are really gung ho. I would be pissed off too.

As a bonus, generally one coaters fare well as stamping polish and I think Pacific Blue did fairly decent over top of white, at least. I think that was pushing it a bit. Still, it reminds me of those white and blue chinaware! I used Nailz Craze NC03 and NC06 for these.





For whatever reason, I actually ended up buying two back-ups of Pacific Blue (2009 formula) (I feel like I shouldn't have to clarify that one haha). If I had to be honest with myself, I truly buy stuff when I am stressed out and the next month is definitely stressful.

What do you make of the great Pacific Blue debacle? Do you feel like people are making something of nothing? Is Pacific Blue one of your gateway polishes?