Tag: pink

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 | Julep in Teri

Happy Thursday! It’s time to swatch another Julep nail polish! I wasn’t kidding when I said I owned a lot of them. Today I’ll be reviewing Teri, which is a polish that has survived a few declutters in the past. I’m know I’ve tested this polish a few times before, and it’s always stuck around because there is a lot missing from this bottle. Let me go ahead and show you this polish, and let you know if I’m keeping it this time.

Julep in Teri Julep in Teri

Teri is a peachy pink nail polish with a creme formula. The formula is okay, as it is very opaque, but is too thick to get a smooth application. You can see in the photos above that the polish is uneven. Despite the pretty color, it’s time to say goodbye to Teri. I just have no need for nail polishes that have less than good formulas. This is especially true when the polish shade is not unique.

All in all, I’m glad to be finally destashing Teri. The color is very pretty and looks good with my skin tone, but I’m sure I own something very similar in my collection. I’ll have to be on the lookout for it in the next stage of my declutter project, which you will find out more about at the end of Manicure March. Please let me know in the comments if you have any polishes that have survived multiple declutters. Why did you hold onto it? Did you eventually get rid of it? I’d 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 | Milani Color Statement Nail Lacquer in Cupcake Icing

Happy Wednesday! Today Manicure March continues with a nail polish from the current Milani nail polish line available in stores. I know a lot of the polishes I’ve swatched so far this month have been discontinued or hard to find, so I’m glad this one is readily available. I decided to give Cupcake Icing a swatch because although I love pink nail polishes, I never reach for blue-toned pinks. I wanted to see how the formula was, and whether it looked good with my skin tone. Let me share Cupcake Icing with all of you!

Milani Color Statement Nail Lacquer in Cupcake Icing Milani Color Statement Nail Lacquer in Cupcake IcingCupcake Icing is a pink creme polish with blue undertones. The formula is absolutely perfect! I love how smoothly the polish glides on the nails, and that it is opaque in two coats. I don’t know why I’ve avoided Cupcake Icing for so long – it looks great with my skin tone! I also think it would look beautiful on dark skin as well. I’m definitely keeping this nail polish. I need to wear it more often!

All in all, I am loving Cupcake Icing from Milani! I also love that this nail polish is fabulous and affordable, and available at the drugstore for just $3.99. I highly recommend picking it up if you’re in the market for a new pink polish! Pink is definitely my most owned nail polish color, but that’s just because it is so wearable. Let me know in the comments what polish color I’d find most represented in your stash!

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 | Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in LCD

Happy Sunday! Manicure March is going strong! I hope you’ve been enjoying my nail polish reviews thus far. Today I’m sharing a really fun review on one of the discontinued collections from Sally Hansen. If you’re like me and you still have a bunch of Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition polishes in your stash, here is your chance to see the magic within the bottle. Let me share my swatches of LCD, and the specific way I wear it.

Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in LCD Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in LCDFirst things first, here is LCD on its own. LCD is a pink metallic polish with a very sheer formula. It is packed with blue and purple shimmer as well. LCD has a good formula that applies nicely to the nail. However, it’s very underwhelming on its own. I layered three coats onto my nails, and my manicure is still really sheer. I really did not like LCD on my nails, but because it is so sheer I decided to do an experiment.

Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in LCDNext, I painted my pointer and middle fingers with a white base and my ring and pinky fingers with a black base. I layered LCD over the top, and that’s when the magic happened. Well, LCD looked like a pink mess over the white, but look at it layered over black nail polish! I got an instant galaxy manicure!

Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in LCD over BlackAs soon as I finished my swatches for the day, I did a full manicure with LCD layered over a black nail polish. I am so obsessed with this! I can’t believe the magic that was living inside this nail polish bottle for years. I own several other bottles of Sally Hansen HD polish, and I’m now ready to experiment with all of them. Needless to say, I’m keeping LCD in my stash because it is amazing.

All in all, I am so glad I tested out LCD as a layering polish. The directions on the bottle simply say to apply 2-3 coats to the nail, so I’m not sure Sally Hansen even designed this polish to work well in layering. If you own this polish definitely let me know how you wear it in the comments. Did you know how LCD looks over black?! I know I’ve said the word ‘magic’ too often in this blog post, but I’m excited about this one! It’s always nice to discover a nail polish that you already own.

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

Manicure Monday | China Glaze in Surreal Appeal

Happy Manicure Monday! Today I have another polish to share with you that I swatched during my great destash project. It’s no secret that I love pink nail polish. In fact, it’s the color of polish that I have the biggest variety of in my collection. I decided it was time to pare down my pink polishes, so I carefully picked out a few that I knew I had dupes of, or whose formulas just weren’t that great. I put China Glaze in Surreal Appeal aside, and decided to swatch it. I’m so glad I did! Let me show you this beautiful polish!

China Glaze  – Surreal Appeal China Glaze  – Surreal AppealSurreal Appeal is a neon pink polish that leans towards coral. The formula is excellent, applies smoothly, and is opaque in two coats. Surreal Appeal looks amazing with my skin tone, and I can’t believe I haven’t worn this more! I think it’s been about two years since I reached for this polish, but that’s due to the sheer volume of pinks I own. It got lost amongst all the other pretty bottles!

All in all, I am loving China Glaze in Surreal Appeal. Decluttering my nail polish collection is a slow process, and difficult for someone who is a collector and blogger. That being said, it’s refreshing to get rid of polishes that I’m not in love with, because now I can focus on the truly stunning ones like Surreal Appeal. You can purchase Surreal Appeal on Amazon HERE for around $6.00. I highly recommend you pick this one up for your stash!

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

Color Club Halo Hues in Cloud Nine

Happy Wednesday! I’ve recently begun to declutter my nail polish collection once again. It is definitely a huge project, and a difficult one at that. While I am a collector and blogger, I also don’t want to own too many nail polishes simply for emotional reasons. I’ve decided to go through one box of polish at a time and destash on a smaller scale. Part of my process includes swatching polishes that I’m unsure whether or not I should keep. I decided to share these polishes with all of you as I continue on this process! Today I’m featuring a polish I’ve never even tried before, and that is Cloud Nine from the Color Club Halo Hues collection.

Color Club – Cloud Nine Color Club – Cloud NineColor Club released its first Halo Hues Collection back in 2013, and I picked up Cloud Nine because I found it really beautiful. I was so excited when I picked it up, but for some reason never used it. Well, I am embarrassed I waited so long! Cloud Nine is a stunning pale pink polish with a holographic finish. It has an excellent formula that is opaque in two coats. The holographic effect is really strong, and definitely one of the best I’ve experienced. I don’t wear holographic polishes often, but I will be sure to reach for this one again soon!

All in all, if you can get your hands on a bottle of Color Club Cloud Nine, I highly recommend you do so! This polish is a couple years old now, so it is a bit more hard to find. Nonetheless, the lesson today is to try every nail polish you buy! I’m so glad I finally tested this one!

Do you own any Color Club Halo Hues? Let me know in the comments!

Julep Mystery Box Swatches | High End Nail Polish for $2

Happy Monday! It’s been a very long time since I received a Julep Maven box, or even purchased anything from Julep. I’ve been on a pretty tight budget lately, and nail polish is one of those things I can easily stop buying. That being said, Julep had an amazing sale a couple weeks back called Savvy Deals. This sale included a Mystery Box with 10 polishes for $20. I was on the fence about purchasing a box, but then my mom mentioned she was interested in the box, too. We decided to each put in $10 and split the polishes! I just couldn’t resist scoring some Julep polishes for $2 each when the regular retail price is $14. Let me go ahead and show you the five polishes I picked out.

Julep Mystery Box Swatches | High End Nail Polish for $2

Julep – Kelsey Julep – KelseyFirst up is Kelsey, a light peach creme polish. Kelsey’s formula is a bit difficult to work with, as were all of the creme polishes I received. It is thick, tacky, and took a long time to dry. That being said, the end result is gorgeous! I absolutely love how Kelsey looks with my skin tone. It is worth dealing with a troublesome formula for this stunning result.

Julep – Jules Julep – JulesNext up is Jules, a pastel pink creme. Jules also has a finicky formula, but it does dry nicely in two coats. I recommend using thin coats, and letting the coats dry completely before adding another layer. I do have other polishes in my collection that I would reach for over Jules considering the formula, but it’s still a gorgeous pink!

Julep – Princess GraceJulep – Princess GraceThe last creme I received is Princess Grace, what Julep calls a Papaya color. Princess Grace is the biggest disappointment for me, because I love the shade, but the formula is too much trouble. Unlike Kelsey and Jules, which I could work with, Princess Grace’s formula is too tacky and thick. I had to redo my nails to get a clean look, and they still aren’t perfect. I’d stay away from this polish!

Julep – Paula Julep – PaulaNext up is Paula, my favorite of the bunch! Paula is a purply-blue polish with gold shimmer. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, and is just beautiful. I can’t wait to wear this again!

Julep – Glam Roc Julep – Glam RocLast but not least is Glam Roc, a dark purple polish with multi-colored matte glitter. Glam Roc has a Stardust Finish, which means it is a textured polish. While textured polish isn’t trendy anymore, I still really like it and was glad to receive Glam Roc in the mystery box. Glam Roc has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, plus it dries really quickly. I’m going to wear this in the fall months for sure!

All in all, I’m pretty happy with my Julep Mystery Box! I only spent $10, but I got two polishes I really love, two that are okay, and only one dud. I still consider that a win seeing as Julep retails for $14 per polish. Plus, I used Ebates and got 5% cash back! The moral of the story is, you can still own high end polishes without paying the high end price. Simply keep an eye out for deals!

How often do you shop for high end nail polish? What are your savings tips?

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 | OPI Your Web or Mine

Happy Manicure Monday! I’m back this week to continue the Alphabet Challenge. Last week I didn’t participate because I just couldn’t find a brand or polish that began with the letter X. Luckily, I found an OPI polish this week that begins with Y. Your Web or Mine from the Spiderman collection is another polish that I got when I first began blogging, but haven’t worn in years. Let me show you this pretty pink!

OPI – Your Web or Mine OPI – Your Web or MineYour Web or Mine is a frosty pink with a metallic finish. This polish has a good formula that is opaque in two coats, but brush strokes are visible because of the metallic quality. I’m not usually a fan of frosty polishes, but Your Web or Mine is really wearable. I think it goes really well with my skin tone, and is definitely office appropriate. I highly recommend it!

The OPI Spiderman Collection was limited edition, but I found the same mini polish set that I own on Amazon HERE for just $8.99! You get four mini polishes and a collector’s box with the set. That is such a great deal for this OPI set!

What OPI Collection is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! 

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