January 2015 – Page 2 – Adventures in Polishland

Month: January 2015

Oleavine Beauty 100% Natural French Green Tea Infused Beauty Sponge Review

Posted on January 12, 2015August 8, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have a review of a cool skincare product to share with all of you. Lately I’ve noticed sponges become increasingly popular in the beauty community when used as a facial cleansing tool. I got the chance to test out the Green Tea Infused Beauty Sponge from the brand Oleavine Beauty, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts! Let’s jump right into the product details and my experience.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT

Like with most skincare reviews, I like to include a direct product description from the brand so that you can read the claims associated with the product. When it comes to the 100% Natural Konjac Fiber Ultra Soft Beauty Sponge, Oleavine Beauty states:

“No other beauty sponge will work so hard for you! This luxuriously soft sponge gently exfoliates, cleanses, and is naturally pH balanced. The French Green Clay helps absorb excess oils, impurities and acne causing bacteria while leaving your face refreshed and radiant. Even preps skin to boost the absorption of your favorite serums and creams.”

Oleavine offers the sponge in a few different varieties. I chose the French Green Tea Infused Sponge, but you can also choose from Bamboo Charcoal Infused, French Red Clay Infused, or the Original Pure White. Because my skin has been struggling with clogging and breakouts after the holidays (too much junk food!), I thought the green tea would be great for me.

MY EXPERIENCE

The Beauty Sponge arrived shrink wrapped. It is about the size of my hand, and has a string attached so you can hang the sponge up to dry. I was surprised that the sponge did not grow much when I soaked it in water. However, it did get extremely soft! I cannot even begin to describe how soft and luxurious this sponge felt on my skin. It glided over easily, and felt so, so nice. My skin has been dry and flaky, and I couldn’t believe how soft and smooth it felt after using this sponge just one time! I really loved the process of cleansing with this sponge and can’t wait to continue using it!

While this Beauty Sponge can be used with cleanser, I chose to test it without any additional product. I was again happy to see that it removed my makeup and left my skin clear and soft. I have to say this product lives up to all of the brand’s claims! Plus, I love that Oleavine created a product that is 100% natural and vegan.

WHERE TO BUY

You can purchase the Oleavine Beauty Konjac Sponge with French Green Tea on Amazon HERE. The original retail price is $24.95 but as I write this post it is on sale for just $10.00! That is such an amazing deal! It can be reused over and over again, and is perfect for the most sensitive skin types. I truly can’t recommend it enough. I will definitely be using this as part of my regular cleansing routine. Please let me know if you would use this sponge or have used something similar in the comments!

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

5 Marsala Nail Polishes You Already Own | Pantone Color of the Year 2015

Posted on January 4, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Now that 2015 is in full swing, it’s time to embrace the new Color of the Year! Every year, Pantone deems one color shade to be the Color of the Year. This year is Marsala, an earthy wine red that looks to me like a deep, dusty mauve. You can read all about Marsala on the Pantone website HERE, but today I’ll be talking about Marsala nail polishes! I’ve raided my own nail polish stash to find the shades that match up best with 2015’s new color. Let me show you the five Marsala nail polishes that you might already own!

Milani Color Statement Nail Lacquer

Mauving Forward [REVIEW] [BUY]

Mauving Forward is an affordable polish that fits nicely within the Marsala family. It definitely has some purple undertones, but the pigmented formula is great. Plus, this new range from Milani can easily be found online or at your local CVS store.

Milani Limited Edition Textured Creams

Mystery Mauve [REVIEW]

If you purchased Mystery Mauve from the limited edition Textured Creams collection last fall you are in luck! It is a great Marsala shade, plus it has that fun textured feel. Time to dig out your bottle from last year!

Zoya Naturel Collection

Normani [REVIEW] [BUY]

If you prefer more muted nails, try Normani. It’s a bit lighter than Marsala, but still similar to that gorgeous hue. I highly recommend this shade for those with a fair skin tone!

Zoya Naturel Deux Collection

Aubrey [REVIEW] [BUY]

Another great pick is from the second Zoya Naturel line. Aubrey is a much more pigmented mauve, and is one of the closest matches I have to a true Marsala in my collection. Aubrey is also a polish that can be worn in any season.

Julep

Aisha [REVIEW] [BUY]

Finally, if you prefer more of a bold shade try Aisha. It’s definitely brighter than Marsala and has some berry tones to it, but it’s for sure in the Marsala family. Try adding a matte top coat to soften the look if you want.

All in all, as Pantone embraces a new Color of the Year we can reach into our nail polish collections to find our own Marsala polishes. There is no need to splurge on new releases (though you are more than welcome to do so if you wish!). Even if you don’t have a perfect Marsala match, any mauve shade will do. Leave your favorite Marsala polishes in the comments so I can know what you’ll be rocking in 2015!

Some of 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 First Manicure in 2015 featuring Maybelline Color Show Holographic in Blue Blaze!

Posted on January 2, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! It’s now 2015 and that means another year of new manicures! Last year I posted about 2014’s first manicure (see that review HERE), so I figured it was fitting that I continue the tradition. I raided Momma Polishland’s nail polish stash again and discovered a lone Maybelline Color Show polish from the Holographic Collection. I decided to put it to the test to see if a drugstore brand can get that holographic formula right!

Blue Blaze is a silvery-blue polish with a metallic formula. It does have some holographic shimmer mixed throughout the base, but I would not call this a holographic polish at all. The formula felt just like a metallic – it was patchy and pulled easily. However, it did build up well. I applied three thin coats to get the look you see pictured. I am happy with the result, but I would definitely label this polish a metallic and not a holographic.

I took these pictures in direct sunlight to ensure that any holographic effects would be captured. As you can see, there is a bit of shine, but no strong rainbow prism effect. Thus, while this is a good polish with a unique color, it does not compare with the holographic formulas we know and love.

You can find Maybelline Color Show Holographic in Blue Blaze for sale on Amazon HERE for about $4.50. I’m quite interested to know your experience with this range of polishes if you’ve tried them. Did you get a strong holographic effect, or did they apply more like a metallic for you as well? Let me know in the comments!

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