Tag: fast dry nail polish

Dare to Compare Week! Day One – Dark Purple

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’m very excited because this week is Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland! One of my highest requested blogs is the comparison post, so I figured I would dedicate this week to that. From today until Friday I will share three nail polishes from a color family each day and see how they match up. I tried to pick a variety of colors from a mix of brands so that everyone can find something within budget. First up is dark purple, a color I have a lot of in my collection. Let’s see how the first three compare!

 

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Today’s Dare to Compare polishes are (from left to right) OPI in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple, and elf in Royal Purple. As you can see, they look quite similar in the bottle. Each is a dark purple with shimmer. The true test comes when they are on the nails! First I’ll show you each polish individually, and then how they look side by side.

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Polish Name: elf in Royal Purple

Price: $2.00 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good — brush strokes visible

Color Description: Dark purple that leans towards magenta, with magenta and silver shimmer

Bonus: Very strong shimmer effect!

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Polish Name: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple

Price: $4-6 in drugstores and department stores [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Amazing! Lives up to fast dry name.

Color Description: Very deep purple with magenta shimmer

Bonus: I love the wide brush!

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Polish Name: OPI in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not

Price: $8 at Nordstrom Rack or on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Flawless! High gloss shine when dry.

Color Description: Dark purple with magenta shimmer

Bonus: This is the first OPI I ever owned and is from a discontinued collection!

 

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Above you can see each polish side by side. From left to right is the elf, the Sally Hansen, and the OPI. These polishes are not dupes [“dupe” = duplicate in nail polish lingo!], but they are very close. Elf’s Royal Purple is definitely the lightest shade of the bunch, and has the most shimmer. Pronto Purple from Sally Hansen is clearly the darkest of the three. Although these do vary from one another in terms of color, you may find you prefer one shade over the rest. However, if you are looking for a great dark purple in general, I don’t think you can go too wrong with any of these! The elf formula wasn’t the best, but with a $2 price tag it is not much of a compromise. If I had to choose just one, I would personally go with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Pronto Purple, for the great formula and mid-range price tag!

Which dark purple nail polish is your favorite?! What is more important to you, price or formula?!

 

Some of the links above are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Milani High Speed Fast Dry Nail Lacquer Review & Giveaway!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have six beautiful nail polishes to show you from the Milani High Speed Fast Dry line. These polishes are designed to have a one coat formula that is perfectly dry in sixty seconds. You may already be familiar with these polishes, but Milani just released some brand new shades! Make sure you read this entire entry, because at the end of the post I will have a giveaway featuring all six of these polishes! Let me show you these High Speed pretties!

 

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First up is Quick Teal, a gorgeous teal green that leans towards blue. Quick Teal lives up to its name — it really is a one coat formula and dries in a flash! I was so impressed with the quality of the formula. Plus, the color is just stunning. I think Quick Teal is my favorite from the bunch!

 

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The next polish is Flaming Race, a bright red-orange polish. Just like Quick Teal, Flaming Race is a one coat formula that dries quickly. I just love this polish on me! It is great for the summer months due to it’s bright nature. It’s definitely on fire!

 

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Next up is Rapid Orchid, a very dark purple polish that looks almost black in real life. I did need two coats for this polish, as the first was a little sheer. While Rapid Orchid isn’t a personal favorite of mine, I think this polish is perfect for fall or winter. What an interesting take on a purple!

 

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Instant Pearl is the next Milani High Speed I have to show you. This polish is a metallic white that also requires two coats to achieve opacity. As with most metallics, brush strokes are visible on the nail. Instant Pearl has a pretty shimmer quality to it, and has strong undertones of pink. This is a very work appropriate nail polish!

 

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Next up is Pink Express, a baby pink polish. The formula on this one was quite streaky, and I applied two coats to achieve opacity. I was disappointed with Pink Express, because the color is very pretty. A third coat would have done away with the streakiness, but for a one coat formula I wasn’t going to apply another layer.

 

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Last but not least is Move on Mauve, a frosted, shimmery pink. I was excited that Move on Mauve had that amazing, one coat formula and dried very quickly. This is also a professional polish, and a shade that I think would look great with any skin tone. It’s quite the staple shade to have in your collection!

All in all, I am rather impressed with these High Speed Fast Dry polishes from Milani. Three of the six were true one coaters, and the only one I’m disappointed with is Pink Express. If you like what you see here, make sure to head on over to Rafflecopter to enter to win all six polishes! Milani sent me an extra set by mistake and is generously permitting me to give these away to one lucky follower. Please see giveaway rules and guidelines below. Also, these can be purchased at your local drugstore, or on Milani’s website HERE for $4.99 each.

Giveaway Rules!

  1. Giveaway is only open to participants with a USA shipping address.
  2. You must be 18 or older to win, or have parental permission.
  3. The giveaway will close at midnight EST on April 1, 2013.
  4. All entries will be verified. False or repeat entries will result in all of that participant’s entries being deleted, and that participant disqualified.
  5. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond. If she fails to respond, she forfeits the prize and a new winner will be chosen.
  6. I have the right to add or change the rules at any time during the giveaway.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE GIVEAWAY! GOOD LUCK!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.