Tag: Manicure March

Manicure March Wrap Up | Final Results + What Happens Next!

Happy Friday! Today I am beyond excited to wrap up Manicure March with all of you. It was really fun to blog every single day for an entire month, and get back to the roots of Adventures in Polishland with nail polish reviews. If you missed any of the 31 posts, you can check them out HERE. I decided to do Manicure March to share with all of you my nail polish declutter project. Last year I began decluttering my nail polishes because I was feeling very weighed down by them. I absolutely love nail polish, and am still very passionate about it. However, I don’t want to hold onto them and not use them. I’m taking my time to pare down my nail polish stash to include only those polishes I absolutely love. I hope all of you are enjoying this adventure, and that you’re excited to see the final Manicure March results!

Manicure March Wrap Up | Final Results + What Happens Next!

Manicure March by the Numbers

First things first, let’s discuss the numbers. I swatched 31 nail polishes during Manicure March. I didn’t have a specific goal in mind for how many I wanted to keep versus declutter, but I was hoping to destash more than I kept. Here is the breakdown of results:

Polishes Kept: 14

Polishes Decluttered: 17

I feel great that I was able to destash more nail polishes than I decided to keep. Of course, the end result for me is to build a collection of amazing nail polishes that I absolutely love. I would have been totally fine keeping more if they fit that category!

What am I doing with the decluttered polishes?

The biggest question I’ve received since announcing my destash project is what I’m going to do with the polishes I no longer want. I’ve thought about this in depth, and I honestly want to leave myself with the least amount of work possible. I’ve come up with a four-step process to help me move the decluttered polishes out of my possession as quickly as possible:

  1. Recycle Bad Formulas – Did you know you aren’t supposed to throw out nail polish in the regular garbage? Nail polish needs to be disposed of at a household hazardous waste facility. Unfortunately, there aren’t any local to me based on THIS online research. However, every year Zoya puts together an Earth day promotion where you can send in your old nail polish to be recycled. I’m going to keep an eye out for the 2016 promotion, and will post about it on my Facebook Page HERE when the information is available.
  2. Give to Friends and Family – I always offer any products I have to friends and family first. It cuts down on shipping costs and gives back to those in my personal community!
  3. Sell those Worth Money – If I have any nail polishes that are worth money, I might try to sell them in nail polish groups. I don’t think any of the polishes I’ve decluttered thus far fall into this category, but some might make it into the pile later. I will not sell nail polishes I received for review. However, I may offer them to others if they pay the shipping fee.
  4. Donate to Charity – Finally, I will donate the rest of my polishes to charity. Many shelters accept gently used nail polish, so check your local area to see what’s an option for you. I plan on donating to PolishedGirlz, an organization I’ve heard amazing things about in the nail polish community.

What Happens Next?

Manicure March completed my first round of my declutter. I did a modified KonMari method in which I held every polish and quickly decided whether it was one that sparked joy for me. If it did, I kept it. If not, I put it directly in the declutter bin. If I couldn’t decide based on the polish alone, I swatched it during Manicure March!

My next round is going to be based on nail polish color. I’m going to look at each color family of polish and get rid of any polishes that are the same or very, very similar. You can expect some comparison posts to be coming your way during that round! After that I will see how my collection is doing, and perhaps create a round three.

That wraps up Manicure March! I hope you enjoyed all of my reviews and the fun discussions we had in each post. I really loved hearing your thoughts, so thank you to everyone who commented and shared with me! My regular blog schedule will be resuming tomorrow, but I promise there are more nail polish reviews coming your way very, very soon!

Manicure March | NYC New York Color Crystal Couture in Fashion Queen

Happy Thursday! It’s the last day of Manicure March, and I have the 31st nail polish review to share with all of you today! I’m closing things out with a polish from the fabulous and affordable brand NYC New York Color. I’m really trying to cut down on the amount of glitter polishes in my collection because I just don’t wear them regularly. I decided to test out Fashion Queen from the Crystal Couture line, so let’s jump right into the review!

NYC New York Color Crystal Couture in Fashion Queen NYC New York Color Crystal Couture in Fashion Queen

Fashion Queen is a yellow gold polish in a gold base. The formula is okay, but it is a bit on the watery side. I applied two coats, and my nail line was still visible. However, I didn’t want to add another coat because the polish was so goopy. As you can probably guess, I’ve destashed Fashion Queen. The gold was really pretty, but the formula isn’t worth it. Another nail polish hits the declutter bin!

All in all, I’m glad I am working towards minimizing my glitter nail polishes. I still have an entire box of glitters, so it’s not like I only have a few left. NYC New York Color is a great drugstore brand, and I still highly recommend it even though Fashion Queen isn’t my favorite. If you use NYC New York Color, please recommend you favorites to me in the comments! Also, make sure to check back here tomorrow for my Manicure March wrap up!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | A England in Love is Enough

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m reviewing another polish from the brand A England. As I mentioned in my last A England review, I am really impressed with this nail polish brand and am so glad I got the opportunity to review a couple through the American distributer Beautometry. That being said, I haven’t worn the polish Love is Enough since I reviewed it a couple years back. It was time to see once and for all whether it would stay in my collection!

A England in Love is Enough A England in Love is EnoughLove is Enough is a really unique polish! The base color is a greenish grey, and it contains green, bronze, and silver shimmer. The formula is good, but a bit on the thick side. I recommend applying two thin coats for an opaque manicure. Love is Enough reminds me of dragon scales. It feels very medieval, which I know might sound weird. While this is a great nail polish, it’s just not something I would wear. It’s going into my box of destashed polishes!

All in all, I am going to be more mindful when trying nail polishes from the brand A England. Now that I know the formula is good, I need to really research the colors and check out swatches before I pick them up. Please share your favorite A England nail polishes in the comments with me, or let me know why you’re not a fan of the brand. I’d love to know your thoughts either way!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

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

Manicure March | Julep in Janel

Happy Tuesday! It’s time to swatch the last Julep nail polish of Manicure March. This time it is a polish that doesn’t look too exciting in the bottle, but I still felt the need to swatch it before decluttering it right away. I do find that sometimes nail polish looks really different on the nails than it does in the bottle. That can be frustrating at times, but I do love when the polish is even better than I expected! Let me share my thoughts on Janel with all of you.

Julep in Janel Julep in JanelJanel is a berry red polish with a slight magenta shimmer. The formula is excellent, and opaque in two coats. I’m not usually a big fan of shimmer polishes, but because the shimmer in Janel isn’t very strong I really like it. I also noticed that Janel looks lighter on the nails than it does in the bottle. I’m glad about that, because otherwise I wouldn’t like it with my skin tone as much. I’m keeping Janel in my stash for sure!

All in all, I’m so glad I decided to give Janel a swatch. It is a stunning fall color, and I think I’ll get some use out of it in the summer, too. During Manicure March I kept two Julep polishes and destashed two as well. Please let me know in the comments if you still like Julep nail polish, or have you been decluttering it as well.

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | China Glaze in Surreal Appeal

Happy Monday! We are in the home stretch for Manicure March, and today I’m revisiting the brand China Glaze. Earlier this month I tried Creative Fantasy, and found the formula to be quite bad. I wanted to test out another China Glaze in my collection to see how the formula compared. I love the shade of Surreal Appeal, but it’s not worth keeping if it has a bad formula. Let’s take a look at this bright nail polish!

China Glaze in Surreal Appeal China Glaze in Surreal AppealSurreal Appeal is a bright coral nail polish with a creme finish. The formula is good, but it is still a bit thicker and goopier than I would like. That being said, it’s not too challenging to work with, and I get a gorgeous finish in two opaque coats. I absolutely love the shade of Surreal Appeal. I’ve decided that I’m going to keep it in my collection for now, because I know this is a polish I will wear regularly. However, I’m going to see if I own another polish in this same color with a better formula. If I do, I will destash this one.

All in all, I’m glad I found a China Glaze polish in my collection with a beautiful color and decent formula. Surreal Appeal is so bright and fun, and makes me ready for the spring weather. Coral pinks are a go to shade for me in the warmer months for sure. I would love to know in the comments what nail polish colors you reach for once springtime is here. Do you wear polishes seasonally, or just based on your mood? Please share with me!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | SinfulColors Professional in V.I.Peach

Happy Sunday! Today’s Manicure March post features a polish from the super fabulous and affordable brand SinfulColors Professional. I was very excited to receive some polishes to review back in the fall. Unfortunately, many of the formulas weren’t great, but I ended up keeping them in my stash anyway. I decided to put V.I.Peach to the test to decide if the pretty color warranted a lackluster formula.

SinfulColors Professional in V.I.Peach SinfulColors Professional in V.I.PeachV.I.Peach is actually a yellow shade with a semi-matte finish. The formula is quite bad, to be honest. It is very watery and messy. Although it dries to a beautiful finish, it’s no fun dealing with V.I.Peach during application. I’m sure I can find another yellow nail polish, either in my collection or at the store, that has a much better formula. Although yellows and other pale shades are often tricky to get just right, I know they are out there!

All in all, I need to learn to destash polishes right away if I’m not loving them. I know some stores, such as Sephora, allow gently used beauty products to be returned to the store. I will have to do more research on return policies to see if any drugstores offer the same thing. That would ensure that I don’t have to worry about not liking a polish after purchasing it! Please let me know in the comments what you do if you get a new polish and then don’t like it. Do you return it to the store? Do you keep it? I’d love to know your thoughts!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

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

Manicure March | LynBDesigns in Ducky

Happy Saturday! I have another indie nail polish to share with you today. Since beginning my nail polish declutter project, I’ve noticed that many indie brands have unfortunately shut down. LynBDesigns is a brand that is still going strong today! I reviewed some polishes for her back in my early days of blogging, and wanted to revisit one from The Land Before Time Collection. I was smitten with this collection because it was based off a nostalgic movie series for me. Plus, the polishes were super cute. That being said, I just don’t wear these polishes often. I wanted to see how Ducky looked on my nails once and for all!

LynBDesigns in Ducky LynBDesigns in DuckyDucky is a green polish with green and gold glitter. The formula is good, but a bit on the sheer side. I wore three coats on its own, but Ducky can easily be used for layering as well. My immediate thought when I finished my manicure was: “This is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!” Then I realized that I have plenty of other green glitters that I would probably reach for over Ducky. As gorgeous as Ducky is, it’s just not what I wear regularly. Functionality trumps again, and Ducky is being destashed.

All in all, I think Ducky is a great polish, and I’m so glad to discover that LynBDesigns is still around today (shop HERE). I know that I can often get sucked into buying nail polishes when the collection is based off of something I love. For example, I own the entire Hunger Games collection from China Glaze, and The Big Bang Theory collection from Different Dimension. I need to remember to only buy nail polishes that I’m going to wear! Please let me know in the comments if you’ve ever purchased a polish because of the name or for some other reason besides the color itself.

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

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

Manicure March | Revlon Leather in Rock Chic

Happy Friday! It’s time to review another textured nail polish for Manicure March (I told you I loved these!). I purchased a polish from Revlon’s Leather & Tweed Collection during its release in 2014 for a specific blog post, and became obsessed with the polish at the time. That being said, it’s been quite a while since I wore Rock Chic, and I wanted to see if the formula changed over time. Let me share Rock Chic with all of you two years later!

Revlon Leather in Rock Chic IMG_3380Rock Chic is a royal blue nail polish with a textured creme formula. The formula has definitely decreased in quality from the last time I used it. The texture effect is much weaker than it was in the past. It now has a very slight texture, and it looks bad on the nails because it’s not an obvious leather effect. I’m definitely destashing Rock Chic from my nail polish collection. That’s a real shame, because the blue color is beyond stunning. Thankfully I have cream polishes in the same shade that will serve as a replacement!

All in all, while many of my textured nail polish have withstood the test of time, Rock Chic from Revlon unfortunately did not. I will be wrapping up Manicure March with more information about what I’m doing with all of the nail polishes I’m decluttering, but the ones with very bad formulas will be recycled. Please let me know in the comments if you’ve had to get rid of nail polishes because the formulas went bad. I would love to know!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | NYC New York Color In a New York Minute Quick Dry in Royal Chic

Happy Thursday! Today I have a review of another fabulous and affordable nail polish from NYC New York Color’s Quick Dry line. If you are on a tight budget, or simply looking to save money on nail polish, I highly recommend trying out NYC New York Color. I’ve had very good luck with the polishes I’ve tried from the In a New York Minute line. Plus, they go on sale very often at the drugstore. Let me show you Royal Chic and let you know if it’s surviving my declutter project!

NYC New York Color In a New York Minute Quick Dry in Royal Chic NYC New York Color In a New York Minute Quick Dry in Royal Chic

Royal Chic is a deep brown creme nail polish. The formula is really good, and the polish is opaque in two coats due to its rich pigmentation. If you are looking for a good brown, I think Royal Chic is a great option. That being said, I don’t like how this polish looks with my skin tone, and I know I won’t be wearing it. I thought about keeping this polish for nail art looks, but I do own brown polishes from Zoya that I will be keeping. I’m saying goodbye to Royal Chic!

All in all, Royal Chic is the perfect example of a great polish formula with a shade I just don’t like on me. I would love to know in the comments what nail polish shades you don’t like with your skin tone. Are there any nail polishes you’ve purchased because they looked great in the bottle, but then not on you? It happens to all of us from time to time! The good thing is there is no guilt when it’s a super affordable polish like NYC New York Color!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

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

Manicure March | JulieG in Sugar Plum Fairy

Happy Wednesday! Today for Manicure March I’m reviewing another textured polish from the brand JulieG. For some reason I never swatched all of the JulieG polishes that I purchased, so I’m finally getting around to that now. As I’ve mentioned throughout Manicure March, I still really like textured nail polishes, but I want to make sure I’m only keeping the ones I love and will wear. Let’s see what Sugar Plum Fairy is like, and whether or not it will remain in my collection!

JulieG in Sugar Plum Fairy JulieG in Sugar Plum FairySugar Plum Fairy is an indigo textured polish with silver shimmer. The formula is excellent! It applies very smoothly and is opaque in two coats. Sugar Plum Fairy dries rather quickly and is quite stunning on the nails. I know I won’t wear such a bold polish very often, but I need to keep this amazing polish in my collection. It is discontinued, so I wouldn’t be able to purchase it again. Plus, it looks really good with my skin tone. I just love it!

All in all, I’m so glad I am finally putting my JulieG polishes to the test. I’m very impressed with the formula, and the shades available are gorgeous, too. I definitely need to try out more polishes from the JulieG line, as it is fabulous and affordable in price. Please let me know in the comments what polishes from JulieG you’ve tried and recommend. I’ll be perusing the line at my local Rite Aid next time I’m there!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!