Tag: neutral

Zoya Nail Polish Naturel 3 Collection | Swatches & Review

Happy Tuesday! Today I am excited to share my thoughts on the complete Naturel 3 Collection from Zoya Nail Polish with you. The Naturel Collection contains neutral shades from light to dark, and this spring there are six new polishes added to the line. All of the polishes are cream formulas, which I really love. If you work in a professional environment, or you simply love to wear more natural nail polish shades, this is the collection for you! Let me share my swatches and full review of Zoya’s Naturel 3.

As mentioned above, all of the polishes in the Naturel 3 Collection are cream formulas. I am wearing two coats of each polish in the swatches, and I am not wearing a base coat.

First up is Tatum, a warm cream shade. Tatum applies beautifully, and I really like how it dries to a high gloss finish. I can see myself wearing this shade daily, as it is close to my skin tone, but just a bit warmer. Tatum is also a great staple to have if you do a lot of nail art.

Next up is Cathy, a dusty rose pink shade. For some reason Cathy looks a bit brown on my nails, but it is still a gorgeous nail polish. I see Cathy as a polish that will look beautiful on any skin tone, and it also is a great transitional shade between seasons.

If you are looking for a more purple-toned mauve, Jill is the polish for you! Jill’s formula is a bit thinner, but it is still opaque in two coats. I recommend doing thicker layers with this polish, or you may need to add a third coat.

Now we are moving onto the three darker shades in the Naturel 3 Collection. First up is Mary, what Zoya calls a raisin shade. I really love Mary, and I’m surprised that I do! I’m not usually a person to wear brown nail polish, but this one is beyond stunning. Plus, it is very pigmented and nearly a one-coat formula!

Next up is Gina, a medium brown shade. I love how Gina looks on my nails, but the formula of this polish is a bit tacky. This is the only polish in the collection that I really had an application issue with, but it still dried to a smooth finish so it’s really not a problem.

Last but not least is Debbie, a rich plum brown shade. Debbie is definitely my favorite in the collection. I love how pigmented and dark this polish is! This will be a polish I wear a lot this coming fall.

All in all, I’m loving the Zoya Nail Polish Natural 3 Collection! As always, the cream formulas are great, and there is a wide shade range. Of course, I also love that Zoya’s polishes are vegan. You can buy the Naturel polishes on Zoya’s website HERE for $10 each. You can also see my reviews of the first two Naturel Collections HERE and HERE.

Which Naturel 3 shade is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

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

Back to School Week | Drugstore Nail Polish Kit

Happy Monday! It is officially the first day of Back to School Week here at Adventures in Polishland! I thought it would be fun to share with you a drugstore nail polish kit for back to school. This kit contains six different nail polishes that I think are the absolute basics to have in your collection. If you have these six polishes, you will be able to create the perfect manicure for any situation! Instead of telling you specific nail polishes that I think you need, I’m going to tell you general categories and share a nail polish for each category. This will make more sense as the post goes along, so let me share this kit with you!

Back to School Week | Drugstore Nail Polish Kit

THE WHITE POLISH

SinfulColors – Snow Me WhiteSinfulColors – Snow Me White

First and foremost, every nail polish kit needs a basic white nail polish. White can be worn alone, it can be used in nail art, and it can be used under any nail polish to make the color more vivid. I highly recommend Snow Me White from SinfulColors because it retails for just $1.99 but has an amazing formula as well. I did a full review of this polish, so click HERE if you want to learn more!

THE NEUTRAL POLISH

Wet 'n Wild Megalast – Bite the BulletWet ‘n Wild Megalast – Bite the Bullet

The next necessity is a neutral polish, whether it be a beige, brown, grey, or taupe. Neutrals are perfect for interviews, your internship, or any other professional event. I like Bite the Bullet from Wet ‘n Wild Megalast because it is a mauve polish that is still neutral, but has a hint of color, too. The Megalast line is also $1.99 at drugstores, and comes in a wide range of shades.

THE GLITTER TOP COAT

Milani Cosmetics – Rainbow PrismsMilani Cosmetics – Rainbow Prisms

It’s always great to have a glitter top coat at the ready as it dresses up any manicure. I layered one coat of Rainbow Prisms from Milani over Bite the Bullet, and you can see how my professional manicure turned into a fun one instantly. Whether you’re going from day to night, or simply want to change up your nails without redoing them completely, a glitter top coat is a must. I love any holographic glitter like the one shown here, but a multi-colored glitter is a good choice, too.

THE FAST-DRYING FORMULA

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri – Blue-AwaySally Hansen Insta-Dri – Blue Away

Make sure you have at least one polish with a fast-drying formula in your kit! We all have those moments where we are running out the door while simultaneously hoping our nail polish doesn’t smudge. This is especially true when going back to school, whether you’re the student or parent! My favorite fast-drying formula is the Insta-Dri line from Sally Hansen. The line offers a plethora of different shades, but I picked one of my favorites to show you here. I also recommend the NYC New York Color In a New York Minute range.

THE DARK AND VAMPY POLISH

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri – Night FlightSally Hansen Insta-Dri – Night Flight

With fall around the corner, dark nails are sure to be on trend once again. You’ll want to have a dark and vampy polish in your kit, but it doesn’t have to be black. Feel free to choose dark purples, maroons, greens, or anything else that suits your tastes. I chose to go with Night Flight, a dark blue polish. Of course, it has the same Insta-Dri formula that I love as well.

THE PINK POLISH

Covergirl – Tickled Pink

Covergirl – Tickled Pink

Last but not least, I had to include a pink polish in this drugstore nail polish kit! Pink is my all-time favorite shade of polish. It’s classic, it’s fun, and it comes in a variety of shades. My favorite is a bright pink like Tickled Pink from Covergirl. I know red may be the ‘true’ classic nail color, but pink is where it’s at for me! Plus, pink is more youthful, so it’s great for the classroom. I even wore a bright pink on my first day of law school!

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That brings us to the end of this post! I hope you found it helpful as you do your back to school shopping. Make sure to hit the beauty aisle and the school supplies aisle! Use these categories to build your own personalized kit, and you’ll be set on nail polish for the upcoming school season.

What shade of nail polish will you wear to school? Let me know in the comments!

Manicure Monday | Julep Florence

Happy Manicure Monday! Last week all of you were so helpful when I asked if you knew of any nail polish brands that began with the letter F. Unfortunately, I didn’t own any of those brands (which I know is hard to believe)! I searched through my collection and finally found a polish whose name begins with an F, so I decided that would have to suffice for this week’s entry into the Alphabet Challenge! Let me show you Julep Florence!

Julep – Florence Julep – FlorenceFlorence is a beige nude polish with a creme formula. It applies well in two coats, but is a bit on the streaky side. I received Florence in my Julep Maven box way back in September 2013 (see that post HERE) and haven’t used it since then! I do really like this shade with my skin tone, but the formula definitely wasn’t the best. Nonetheless, I’m glad I was able to use it again for the Alphabet Challenge!

Julep – Florence

I have decided to destash Florence, as I have plenty of other nude polishes in my collection with better formulas. As I sit here looking at how gorgeous Florence is in the photos, though, I’m almost rethinking my decision! If I wasn’t so desperate to shrink my polish collection before I move in a few months, I’d definitely hang onto this one. What do you think – is Florence a keeper for you?!

Julep Beauty Inc.

This post contains an affiliate banner. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Zoya Naturel Deux (2) Collection | Transitional 2014

Happy Monday! Earlier this year, Zoya Nail Polish released the Zoya Naturel Collection, complete with six neutral shades (see my review HERE). Today I’m here to show you six more neutral polishes in the new Naturel Deux (2) Collection transitioning us from summer to fall. Whether you’re heading back to work after summer vacation, or simply looking to put away the neons as the weather gets cooler, the Naturel Deux Collection is perfect for you!

Zoya – Spencer Zoya – Spencer First up is Spencer, a light brown polish that Zoya describes as caramel. Each of the polishes in this collection has a creme formula, and is opaque in two coats. Spencer’s formula is very good, and the shade is a bit darker than my light skin tone. I would have never picked out Spencer on my own, but it actually looks quite nice on me. I highly recommend it!

Zoya – Chanelle Zoya – ChanelleNext up is Chanelle, a medium brown polish Zoya describes as almond cream. I applied two coats for the manicure you see above, and I’m loving the result! Chanelle has a great formula that applies very smoothly. This is a perfect polish for nail art as well!

Zoya – Emilia Zoya – EmiliaThe last of the brown polishes is Emilia, a dark chocolate creme. Emilia looks so rich and is very pigmented. It looks beautiful in two, opaque coats, and would look great when combined with Chantelle in one manicure. I think Emilia would work well with any skin tone!

Zoya – Marnie Zoya – MarnieThe Naturel Deux Collection also has three purple-based shades. Marnie is first, and is a deep plum color that reminds of the ever-popular oxblood shade. Marnie screams “professional” to me, and is perfect for a fall day at the office. I’ll probably be wearing this quite a bit!

Zoya – Aubrey Zoya – AubreyNext up is Aubrey, the perfect mauve creme polish. Aubrey is one of those polishes that should be a staple in everyone’s polish collection, even if you don’t wear it often. It has a great formula, and applies really well in two coats.

Zoya – Madeline Zoya – MadelineLast but not least is my favorite polish in the collection, Madeline. Madeline is a dusty rose shade, and is absolutely stunning! The formula is great, and I love the high-shine finish. I love the pink and purple undertones, and the cool tone for fall.

All in all, I’m loving the Naturel Deux (2) Collection from Zoya! These are the perfect polishes to help you transition from summer to fall, and great for those of us that need neutral nail polish for our jobs. You can purchase the Naturel Deux (2) Collection on Zoya’s website HERE. Each polish is $9 or you can purchase the entire collection for $54. Which polish in this collection is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

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

Keeping it Neutral with L’Oreal Greycian Goddess

Happy Friday! Today I have another fabulous and affordable nail polish to show you from the brand L’Oreal. This line of polish can be purchased at drug stores for around $6 per bottle, but I got this one at  a street fair in NYC where all L’Oreal polishes were just three for $5! You can learn more about Street Fair Cosmetics HERE, though they are now closed for the season. Let me show you one of the beautiful polishes I purchased from the fair!

 

L'Oreal – Greycian Goddess L'Oreal – Greycian Goddess

Greycian Goddess is the perfect grey nail polish with blue undertones. This polish took two coats to be opaque, and had a very good formula. I was impressed with how cleanly and evenly it applied! I also really liked the brush that came with Greycian Goddess. It was very easy to work with due to it’s long bristles that stayed perfectly in place during application. Greycian Goddess is an all-around great polish. Not only is the quality top-notch, but it is a nice neutral shade for winter. Instead of reaching for a tan or nude, next time you want a neutral nail, grab a grey! This shade is perfect for layering as well.

Greycian Goddess is the third polish from the L’Oreal Colour Riche line that I’ve tried. Just like the others, it is fabulous! If you’re looking for a more affordable polish with guaranteed good quality, I highly suggest this line. Plus, they are often on sale! Keep an eye out for coupons in the Sunday paper for added savings.