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2018 Nail Polish Project Pan | Nail Polish I Want to Use Up This Year

Posted on February 13, 2018May 24, 2018 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! I recently did another round of decluttering my nail polish collection, and I found a few polishes that I’ve used up quite a bit. It inspired me to do a Project Pan with some nail polish this year! If you are new to the concept of a Project Pan, it is when you pick some products in your beauty collection to focus on using for a specific period of time. My goal is to empty the polishes in this blog post by the end of the year! Let me show you the seven nail polishes I picked for my 2018 Project Pan!

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

Please note that I used a black marker to draw a line on each product so I can see my progress throughout the year.

Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Hedge Fund

One of the polishes that inspired this project is Hedge Fund, a gorgeous army green with a metallic gold shimmer. This is one of my all-time favorite nail polishes, and I’ve used about a third of the bottle already! I want to use this up because I don’t think this nail polish is vegan, and this polish is also discontinued. I will probably focus on this polish a lot during the fall.

Julep in Susie

I also have another green polish in my project, this time a mint green from Julep. Susie is one of the first Julep polishes I ever owned, and I absolutely love it. Now that I’ve owned it for almost six years (wow!), I think it’s time to finish this up once and for all. It should be easy to empty this, as the bottle is small and I’ve already used about one third of it.

Julep in Brandt

I am also including the Julep shade Brandt from the Fall 2012 Trina Turk Collection. This is a beautiful off-black nail polish, and I feel like I haven’t used it because I am saving it. However, this is such an old polish that I’m ready to enjoy what’s left of it. I might use this polish a bit this winter, but this is another one I will focus on in the fall.

Zoya in Arizona

I wanted to include a Zoya nail polish, so I went for the one mini polish I have in Arizona. This is a bright orange cream, and I think I can get a lot of use out of this in the summer. Arizona will be a bit of a challenge since it is almost full, but I think I can do it!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma

The next polish is also a fun and bright shade in Grandma from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I love this nail polish, but I also own another one in my collection that is nearly identical. Since this polish is quite old, and I’ve already used a bit of it, I decided to include it in this project.

Milani in White

Similarly, I own two bottles of white nail polish, so I’m including one of them in this project. My favorite white of all time is Fantom from the brand LVX. Thus, I’m holding onto that one and hoping to use up this white from Milani. It is going to be a challenge to empty this nail polish, but I’m hoping to wear it in combination with other polishes to get some good use out of it.

Milani in Blue Jay

Last but not least is another Milani polish in Blue Jay. I also tend to hoard blue polishes, so it’s time to use up one of them. I absolutely love this polish, but it’s from an old and discontinued collection, so it’s time for it to go. I chose this shade of blue because it is a bit more muted than many of the others in my collection, so I think that makes it more wearable for any time of year.

That wraps up my introductory post for my 2018 Nail Polish Project Pan! I’m so excited to see if I can empty these seven polishes by the end of the year. I also think this will be a great learning opportunity for me, as I get to see how much use I can get from a single bottle of nail polish. I will make sure to check in a few times throughout this year to let you know how my project is going!

Join my Project Pan by using the hashtag #PolishlandProjectPan on social media!

Dare to Compare | Milani Canary vs Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic

Posted on April 15, 2016March 19, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! The second round of my nail polish declutter project has officially begun. I’m now going through each color family and seeing if I have any duplicates of the same shade. I decided to go through my yellows first because that is the color family from which I own the least amount of polishes. I noticed that Milani Canary and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic looked quite similar in the bottle, so I decided to put them to a swatch test! Let’s take a look at each polish individually, and then side-by-side.

First up is Milani Canary, a yellow mustard nail polish with a creme formula. Canary has a good formula, but it was a bit on the streaky side. I applied two coats to achieve opacity, and I do like the result. Canary is a discontinued polish, so you can’t purchase it in-store any longer. I definitely keep that in mind before decluttering a polish!

Next up is Traffic from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. This is also a yellow mustard creme polish. I purchased it at Sephora a few years ago because I wanted to try this vegan and cruelty free brand. Unfortunately, the formula on Traffic isn’t that great. It is pretty watery, and a bit streakier than Canary, but still workable. I did some research and it seems like this polish is also discontinued, but it’s still available from third-party sellers on Amazon HERE.

Here is a side-by-side look of Canary and Traffic. I’m wearing Canary on my pinky and ring fingers and Traffic on my middle and pointer fingers. While I could tell a very slight difference between these polishes in person, you can see from the photographs that they are virtually the same in shade. When I went into this comparison, I thought I would keep one of these polishes in my stash. As it turns out, I’m going to declutter both of them! While I do like this shade of polish for the fall, I have a deeper toned mustard polish with an excellent formula that I would reach for over either one of these. Thus, both of these polishes are going to be destashed!

All in all, I’m glad I tested out these polishes together. I discovered that they are dupes for one another, so if you own both of these feel free to declutter one! Make sure to let me know in the comments if you have a favorite yellow mustard nail polish. My go to is LVX Citrine, which is a deeper color than the polishes shown today. Stay tuned to the blog for more Dare to Compare posts soon!

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

My Top 5 Green Nail Polishes for Fall | #FallintoPolishland

Posted on September 14, 2015September 5, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today starts off a brand new series on my blog called #FallintoPolishland! Fall is my favorite season, and there are a lot of nail polishes that I especially enjoy wearing in the fall months. I decided to put together a few blog posts each featuring a particular nail polish family. Today I’m showing off my top five green nail polishes for fall. Green is one of my favorite colors, and I especially love it in nail polish form. Let me show you the polishes I picked out to share with all of you!

OPI – Stranger Tides [BUY]

OPI Stranger Tides is a beautiful muted green from the On Stranger Tides Collection that came out a few years back in celebration of Pirates of the Caribbean. Strander Tides has an awesome formula that is opaque in three coats. The muted shade is great for transitioning from summer to fall, and is perfect for those who don’t like dark shades. Stranger Tides is also office appropriate, as it can pass for a neutral shade.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics – Chlorophyll [BUY]

Next up is Chlorophyll from Obsessive Compulsive Cosemtics. This is a richly pigmented teal polish. Chlorophyll has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. This nail polish will look great on every skin tone, and looks beautiful when paired with a gold glitter. While Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is more of a higher end brand, the entire brand is 100% vegan and cruelty free. I highly recommend it!

Essie – Stylenomics [BUY]

The last creme formula I have to share is Stylenomics from Essie. Stylenomics is a very dark green that is nearly black. The formula is amazing and opaque in two coats. I really love Stylenomics, and wear it every fall. While this polish is from an older Essie collection, I found it on Kohl’s website! You never know where you’ll find older collections.

RUFFIAN – Hedge Fund [BUY]

Next up is Hedge Fund from the Birchbox Exclusive brand RUFFIAN. I’ve been in love with this polish ever since I received it, so if you’ve been an Adventures in Polishland reader for a while you’ve probably seen me gush over this in the past. Hedge Fund is an army green with gold shimmer. The formula is perfection, and so is the wear. It’s now only available for purchase in a kit, but if you’re interested I say go for it!

Julep – Marion [BUY]

Last but not least is Julep Marion, a deep teal polish with silver shimmer. Marion has an excellent formula that is opaque in two coats. It’s perfect for fall, and for the holiday season. Marion has a super glossy finish, so you can skip the top coat and save time. Make sure to shop using Ebates to earn 5% cash back when you shop on Julep’s website.

That brings us to the end of the first #FallintoPolishland post! I hope you liked seeing my favorite green nail polishes for fall. Next week this series will continue, so make sure to follow my blog to see when those posts go live!

What are your favorite green nail polishes for fall?! Let me know in the comments!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Nubar in Kristal | Review & Swatches

Posted on March 20, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! A few weeks back, I received a Nubar polish in my Beauty Box 5 (see that post HERE). At first, I thought it was a flakie polish, but it turns out to be a glitter top coat! Let me go ahead and show you Nubar Kristal!

Kristal is a glitter top coat in a clear base filled with holographic, hexagonal glitters in small and large. I layered one coat over Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred, a plain, black creme. Kristal has a great formula that applies smoothly. There is no need to fish for glitters, and a lot of glitters come out on the first coat. I sealed the manicure with Essie Good to Go! top coat.

I love how Kristal looks over Tarred – it’s almost like twinkling stars in a dark night. The holographic glitters shift from green to gold with hints of blue over the black base. It’s just gorgeous!

All in all, I’m really loving Nubar Kristal. I can’t wait to try it over different polishes, since I’m sure it will look pretty in many combinations. You can purchase a full size bottle of Kristal on Amazon HERE. Be sure to let me know what your favorite Nubar polishes are in the comments!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

DIY Chalkboard Nail Art – Fabulous & Affordable Edition!

Posted on May 10, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! If you are a nail art enthusiast, you may have heard about the new Chalkboard Manicure kit that Ciaté recently released. This kit comes with black nail polish, four water-soluble nail art pens, and a matte top coat, and retails for a whopping $25 on Sephora’s website HERE. I thought the idea behind the kit was cute and creative, so I decided that I would recreate the look using nail polishes that I already have in my collection. There is no need to go out and spend $25 on this kit when you already have the necessary tools! Let me show you how you can create a fabulous and affordable chalkboard manicure.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Any base coat
Any black nail polish
Various nail art pens
Any matte top coat

I am using, from left to right, the Sephora Collection base coat, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred, Revlon Nail Art Expressionist duos, L.A. Colors Art Deco, and butter LONDON Matte Finish. You can use products from any brand you choose, but these are the just items I have in my personal collection. That’s what makes this so great — I didn’t need to buy any additional materials! Now, onto step one!

The first step in creating your chalkboard manicure is applying your base coat and the black nail polish. I used two coats of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred, but any black will be just fine. Make sure you let the black polish dry completely before moving on to step two.

Once the black polish has dried, take your nail art pens and add some fun designs to your nails. I stuck with the basics — a smiley face, a heart, and some abstract designs. You can use any colors that you wish for the “chalk” part of your manicure. I used white, pink, and blue since those are the colors I owned! After you paint on your designs, make sure you let them dry completely before moving on to the final step. You don’t want to smudge your nail art!

Last but not least, apply your matte top coat. Your nails will now have a super cool, chalkboard look! The best part is you didn’t have to purchase a kit for $25, but instead used affordable items, or better yet, polishes already in your nail polish stash. The only difference between this fabulous and affordable version and the Ciaté kit is that you can’t wash off the “chalk” art if you make a mistake. Other than that, the look is the same, and you will have just as much fun painting your nails and showing them off to friends. Who said having fabulous nails had to come at a high price?!

Let me know what you think of my chalkboard manicure in the comments!

Dare to Compare Week! Day Five — Red Orange

Posted on April 6, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Today I have the final installment in Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland. I have saved the best for last! If you are looking for a dupe, you have come to the right place, especially if you love red orange polishes! Let me show you the polishes up for comparison today.

From left to right, the polishes are Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma, Milani High Speed in Flaming Race, and Sinful Colors in Timbleberry. As soon as I lined these polishes up next to each other I was very excited. They already look like the same shade! Let me show you these polishes on the nail, first alone and then side by side.

Polish Name: Sinful Colors in Timbleberry

Price: $1.99 at drugstores

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Amazing formula and perfect application!

Color Description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: This is the perfect nail polish for summer!

Polish Name: Milani High Speed in Flaming Race

Price: $4.99 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 1

Formula: Great, one coat formula!

Color description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: Lives up to its fast dry, one coat name!

Polish Name: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma

Price: $10 at Sephora or $8 on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 1

Formula: Great, high gloss formula!

Color Description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: This is a 100% vegan and cruelty free brand!

Here we have each polish side by side. From left to right is the Sinful Colors, the Milani, and the Obsessive Compulsive. I cannot tell the difference between these three at all! Can you?! I honestly think this looks like the same polish. I think this is officially a dupe alert! I think the obvious choice is the $1.99 Sinful Colors nail polish, but if you prefer a one coat formula then the Milani may be for you. Of course, if you are a vegan then you will be purchasing the Obsessive Compulsive. The choice really is yours!

This concludes Dare to Compare Week! Have no fear, I will still do comparison posts when I find polishes that appear similar in the bottle. I hope you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. Some of the links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Indie Spotlight: Shimmer Polish Part III

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Today I have Part III of my Shimmer Polish review! In Part I and Part II, I wore each polish on its own. In this entry, you will see the polishes layered over another color. I used one very thin coat of each Shimmer to create the looks you see here. I love that these polishes are so versatile! Let me show you these gorgeous glitters.

First up is Jennifer, a mix of multi-colored pastel glitters with pops of orange and turquoise. I layered one coat over Zoya Blu. The pastel blue base really highlighted all of the glitters in Jennifer, and I think the two are a perfect combination. This manicure is perfect for springtime with an extra sparkle!

Up next is Karen, a mix of pink and purple glitters with flashes of holo hexagons. I layered one coat over Pronto Purple. Karen’s formula was a bit on the thick side, but I didn’t have problems with application. I thought a purple base color would be very complimenting. In the first two photos, you see my manicure with a regular, glossy top coat. On day two, I wanted to change things up a bit, and added my Butter London Matte Finish on top. I just love the matte result! It makes the glitters stand out even more.

Karina is a red and black glitter mix, with sprinkles of purple and holographic grains. I layered this polish over Julep Claudette, and it is the perfect combination! I think it looks like one complete polish. It’s a great manicure for Valentine’s Day, and for those of you who like darker colors. The black glitters really make this red color unique and edgy.

Last but not least is Linna, a gorgeous mix of green, red, blue, gold, and silver glitters. I layered Linna over Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Chlorophyll. The application was great! This is my favorite manicure from this post. I think these polishes are perfect together, and I have been loving green nails lately. I would definitely wear this look again in the future!

All in all, I love how versatile Shimmer Polish is! Each color can be worn alone as an opaque glitter in just 2-3 coats, or you can layer one coat over another polish for a unique look. Shimmer Polish sells on Etsy for $12 per bottle HERE. You can also like the brand on Facebook HERE.

Stay tuned for Part IV, the final post in the Shimmer Polish series!

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