Girly Post: Nails on the Road

If you're like me, you like to travel light and efficiently when you fly. That means packing only the essentials and that usually means I can't squeeze in nail polish, base coat, and top coat in my little zip-top bag of liquids. Enter: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips; I'm not sure how they make these but you know they're really nail polish by how they smell. The kit comes complete with a wooden stick (to push back cuticles and press down the strips), a nail file with a buffing side and a smoothing/sanding side, and 16 strips in different sizes to suit different sized fingers and nails.

The directions are rather simple: clean and buff nails, choose a strip that fits your finger, peel off the backing (there's something protecting both sides of the strip), stick to your finger, crimp and smooth out the strip, pull off excess, and file until smooth. And that's it - there's no drying time so you're good to go immediately after application. These suckers last a good week or so and are a perfect way to bring a manicure on the go without having to deal with packing liquids.

There are a bunch of different designs, from impressive patterns to just regular solid colors if you want to keep it simple. I got mine from Target for under $10, so it's still cheaper than a professional manicure, though, pricier than 1 bottle of polish. But again, it's the whole convenience factor you're paying for. I chose these checkered strips in honor of being in Florida - you know, it's NASCAR nails.