Adventures in Polishland

Author: Adventures in Polishland

Ipsy v. Birchbox: Round Seven | September 2013

Posted on September 29, 2013September 27, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Subscription Sunday! It’s time for the battle of the beauty subscriptions with another Ipsy v. Birchbox post. I’ve really enjoyed these monthly reviews, but this will actually be the last one (at least for a while). Make sure to read through to the end to find out why!

First up is my Ipsy Glam Bag. September’s theme is Classic Beauty, and the cosmetic pouch this month is blue with a black lace print. I definitely think the bag is cute, but not my favorite that I’ve received. Let me show you what is inside!

I will describe these products for you from left to right.

Elizabeth Mott It’s So Big Mascara – $8.00 – I love mascaras, but how many can a girl own? I got another mascara sample from Ipsy just last month. Eventually I will get around to trying this out!
Cailyn Tinted Lip Balmin Big Apple – $19.00 – I’m no stranger to Cailyn now thanks to these subscription services. This is a tinted lip balm in a bright red color. I love that it comes with its own lip brush, but red lips are not my go to. This will be nice for special occasions.
Freeman Beauty Paper Face Masks – $5.97 – I’ve been wanting to try paper face masks for a long time, so I’m super happy I got these. Unfortunately, my first try was a disaster! The mask was dripping everywhere, and it didn’t fit my face well. Plus, my skin burned after just a few seconds of having it on. I will give the others a try, but I did not like my first experience!
NYX Eyeshadow in Pure Gold – $4.50 – This eyeshadow is a nice, shimmery gold color, and I have been wanting to try more NYX cosmetics. I don’t wear eyeshadow often, but I’m happy to try this out.
Starlooks Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil – $12 – This is the second black eyeliner I’ve received from Ipsy, so now I am stocked up for a while, especially since I rarely wear eyeliner. I’m debating whether or not to even open this to be honest!

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $49.47

OVERALL OPINION: I’m pretty bummed with this month’s bag, even though it has a high retail value. I keep getting the same items over again, and the same brands. I am very happy to get the face masks, even though I didn’t like the first one. Now I know what I think of them!

RATING (1-5, 1 BEING WORST AND 5 BEING BEST): 2

Now moving on to my September Birchbox! This month the theme was Heritage, but I find that Birchbox themes are pretty open ended.

Again, I’ll describe the goodies from left to right.

Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream – $6.00 – I have wanted to try this hand cream for so long after hearing a bunch of beauty bloggers rave about it. I’m not disappointed! It smells amazing, and is not greasy. I might have to save up my Birchbox points to get the full size.
Davines This Is a Sea Salt Spray – $10.80 – This product really intrigues me! After one try, I’m pretty impressed. It helps give your hair beachy waves without looking frizzy. I’ll have to give this another go soon!
Yes to Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes – $2.13 – I love makeup remover wipes, and can’t wait to try these. The sample size is great, with eight wipes. I think I’ll save this for travel! I know I love the Yes to Cucumbers towelettes, so these should be nice, too. Plus, I love getting a product I can easily repurchase at the drugstore if I like it.
RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in Hedge Fund – $10 – You already know how much I love this polish! I wrote an entire review on it HERE.
Yes to Grapefruit CC Cream – N/A – While foil packets are never my favorite item, this CC cream is my monthly extra, so I guess I can’t complain! I’m not able to determine the value, since there is no size amount on the packet, but the full size is $15.99.

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $28.93

OVERALL OPINION: The retail value of this month’s box may not be as much as Ipsy’s, but I am loving the products! The nail polish is amazing, and I really wanted to try the hand cream. Plus, I know I will use the makeup wipes.

RATING: 4

There you have it! My winner for the month of September is Birchbox! After seven months of subscribing to both Ipsy and Birchbox, I’ve decided to cancel my Ipsy subscription. Not only did it only win my battle round one time, but I am not enjoying the products as much. My decision to cancel was made easy – when my credit card information changed, I was never ever to change it on Ipsy’s website! It seems every time I check, they are always in “Billing Mode”. I took this as the opportunity to cancel and move on. I will still be continuing with Birchbox, and will post those unboxing reviews each month!

You can subscribe to Ipsy HERE and Birchbox HERE. Each service is $10 per month.

This post contains affiliate links. Subscription boxes purchased by me. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Zoya Zenith Collection for Holiday 2013

Posted on September 27, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have a review of the complete Zenith Collection from Zoya Nail Polish.The Zenith Collection will be released in just a few days on October 1, and contains six beautiful shades for the holiday season. Let me show you these gorgeous polishes!

First up is Belinda, a dark purple polish with blue and magenta shimmer. Belinda has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. It was difficult to capture the shimmer on camera, but in real life this polish shines so beautifully. Belinda is definitely one of my favorites in this collection.

Next is Seraphina, a silver metallic polish. Seraphina has a good formula, but I found it very difficult to apply due to its color. The silver is very sheer, and was hard for me to see during application. I therefore had to be really careful to make sure I was staying inside the lines. Besides that, Seraphina is opaque in two coats, and is a nice silver for the holidays!

Cassedy is up next, and it is a stunning pewter polish that shifts to blue and green depending on the light. Cassedy has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats, and I am loving how unique it is! I wouldn’t necessarily call this a duochrome, but it clearly has a color-changing quality. Cassedy is very edgy, and would look great for a rock star look. Next is Payton, a cranberry jelly polish with scattered holographic glitter. Payton has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. Plus, application is amazing! Payton is such a beautiful polish, and it is a great alternative to the bright, Christmas red around the holiday season.

Dream is up next, and is a blue jelly polish with scattered holographic glitter. Dream is literally a dream polish. It has the perfect formula, and is opaque in two coats. Dream is definitely my favorite polish in the collection, and I think it is so gorgeous. I love the dimension and sparkle!

Last but not least is Mosheen, a glitter top coat mixed with holographic bars and grains. The base is just slightly blue, so I layered two coats over Zoya Blu to get the look in the photos. Mosheen does have a good formula, and I had no problems with application. Mosheen is a nice polish to add a bit of sparkle to any manicure!

All in all, I’m loving the Zoya Zenith Collection! I love that the polishes are unique, and different from typical holiday collections. I would also like to see more polishes like Dream and Payton in the future! You can purchase these polishes starting October 1 on Zoya’s website HERE for $8 each.

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

HeadBlade Razor | Made for Man, but Great for Woman!

Posted on September 25, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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Happy Wednesday! Today’s post is a first here at Adventures in Polishland – we’re talking about about something cool that is made for men! Now while most of us ladies shave our legs on a regular basis, we usually stick to the aisle at the drugstore with pink razors and floral scented shaving creams. Normal, right? Well, when I heard about an innovative product being sold at Duane Reade stores here in New York, I was definitely intrigued. HeadBlade is a razor that was created to make it easier for a guy to shave his head. I have no interest in getting rid of my long locks, but it turns out HeadBlade can also be used on legs. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and shopped in the men’s aisle at the store. Let me share my shopping experience with you!

#DRHeadBlade #cbias #shop I shopped for the HeadBlade at the Duane Reade location on Broadway and Houston Street in New York. As soon as I headed to the store’s lower level, I found the section I needed! Let me be honest – I was a bit embarrassed to be shopping for a men’s razor and shaving cream, but I got over that and picked up the items! You can read more about my shopping experience over on my Google+ Page!

As you can see, the HeadBlade Razor is so cool! It is basically a little, wheeled car. The razor itself contains four blades, and the head is interchangeable. I also grabbed the HeadSlick Shave Cream. I don’t typically use shave cream, but I was definitely up for testing these out together.

#DRHeadBlade #cbias #shop I’m happy to report that I had a great shaving experience using both the HeadBlade Razor and the HeadSlick Shave Cream. The razor is so easy to hold because of its rubber finger grips, and it glides easily along the leg thanks to the wheels. I love that the razor’s head is flexible as well, so it moves along the curves of the body to get all that hair. As for the shave cream, I found it had a very good consistency – not too thick, not too runny. It is more of an oily texture, and has no scent (which I really appreciated!). And, to be frank, it was a bit fun using a car to shave my legs!

All in all, I’m so glad I stepped outside of my comfort zone and tried out the HeadBlade. I’m now wondering what other products are made for men, but great for women as well! If you’re on the hunt for a new razor, I would definitely check out HeadBlade. The razor retails for $13.99 and the shave cream is $6.99 here in New York. Not only will your legs be smooth and hair-free, but maybe the man in your life can use it, too! You can find more information on the HeadBlade website HERE, and feel free to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Let me know what you think in the comments – would you ever buy the HeadBlade? Are there any “men” products that you like to use?

RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in Hedge Fund from The Crowdsourced Collection

Posted on September 24, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! I will have a full unboxing of my September Birchbox up on the blog this Sunday, but I just had to show you the nail polish I received in my box. This month Birchbox teamed up with the new brand RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer to bring each subscriber a nail polish in her monthly box. I wasn’t sure how great the polish would be, but the bottle shape was cool, and I got an on-trend color. Imagine my surprise when I loved the polish! Let me stop talking and show you the polish in all its glory!

This green beauty is Hedge Fund from The Crowdsourced Collection. Hedge Fund is an army green metallic polish with a gorgeous gold shimmer. This polish has the perfect, one coat formula that dries quickly and doesn’t require top coat. And if this polish couldn’t get any more perfect, it does! The brush is so nice, and the cap is actually designed to give users a good grip for application. While that may sound silly, it works! I haven’t enjoyed a nail-painting experience this much in a while!

All in all, Hedge Fund is everything I could ask for in a polish! It’s perfect for fall, and I have a feeling it will be on my nails a lot this season. You may even see it in another blog post soon (hint hint). RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer is available exclusively on the Birchbox website for $10 per bottle, or $24 for the 3-piece collection. While this is a bit more than I usually spend for polish, I am definitely considering buying more! I’m saving up my money for this amazing brand!

I also entered this manicure in Birchbox’s #RuffianManicure contest! I would really love it if you voted for me. Just click HERE and then hit the “vote” button. Thank you!

Subscription Sunday | September PopSugar MustHave Box

Posted on September 22, 2013September 20, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Subscription Sunday! It’s time for what has easily become my favorite subscription service, PopSugar MustHave! Yes, this box is a whopping $35 per month, but I honestly believe it is so worth it. This month I happily received some items that I’ve been wanting to purchase, but just hadn’t got around to it yet. It was so great to get those items in my box, plus some more goodies. Let me show you what was in my September PopSugar MustHave Box!

First up is a book entitled P.S. You’re Invited… by Erica Domesk that features over 40 do-it-yourself projects. I am so excited to receive this book! I love DIY projects, and this book has some really unique ideas. Plus, it is a smart book, which means there are corresponding videos to watch online. I can’t wait to try out some of the projects! This book retails for $26 (but try Amazon for $17!).

Next up is the Botanical Coaster Set from Rifle Paper Co. I was desperately on the hunt for a cute but affordable set of coasters, but I couldn’t find any that I liked. I’m absolutely loving this floral pattern, and now I can stop using napkins as coasters! This set of eight retails for $16.00.

I was also looking for a great diffuser for my room! Imagine my surprise when this amazing, $46 diffuser from Barr-Co was in my box! This scent is a mix of milk, oatmeal, vanilla, and velvetier, and is so amazing. It’s light enough that it’s not overpowering, yet strong enough that my room smells perfect. This diffuser is definitely a Must Have product for the home!

The next item is a set Kitsch Headbands. These are basically yoga-style hair ties in headband form! A set retails for about $11.99, and I think this is a great item for the box. I also got a $25 gift card to Shoptiques, an online store. I can’t wait to spend it!

Last but not least, we have the food items! Yum! First is a pack of Sharkies, organic energy sports chews. Basically, these are like fruit snacks that give you a burst of natural energy. They were delicious, but so sticky. Be careful when eating them! I also got a bar of That’s it. This was so good, and just an apple and pear bar. I would definitely buy more of these. The retail prices for these items are $1.48 and $1.67 respectively.

All in all, my September PopSugar MustHave box has a total retail value of $128.14! Not only did I get two items that I was looking to buy, but I got yummy snacks that I’ve already enjoyed, and some bonus goodies as well. This box is the best! I highly recommend it. If you’d like to join, simply click HERE and enter code REFERFRIEND at checkout to get $5 off your first month. You will love it just as much as I do!

This post contains affiliate links. Box purchased by me. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Ipsy & Benefit Lash Bash | Thank You and Giveaway!

Posted on September 21, 2013September 28, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! I was recently selected by Ipsy and Benefit Cosmetics to host a Lash Bash party. You may have heard of Benefit’s REALvolution featuring the brand’s famous they’re real! mascara. This Lash Bash event encourages makeup lovers everywhere to put away the false lashes, and enhance your natural lashes with they’re real!

As a lucky Lash Bash hostess, I was sent a box of goodies to share with my friends. Because you, my blog followers, are the reason I even know about Ipsy and Benefit Cosmetics, I wanted to share the goodies with you. I am saving one of the goodie bags from my Lash Bash party for a follower.

I can never thank my followers enough for your loyal support! The reason I am able to partner with brands and review their products is because I have people reading my blog. With that said, you may know that in July I had to move from a WordPress.com site to my own, self-hosted domain. When I moved, I lost all of my followers and website statistics, and had to start over from scratch. I really appreciate those of you who made the move with me, but I am still very far away from where I once was. With that said, I am hosting this giveaway solely for those who follow Adventures in Polishland. Please see all the giveaway details below.

Giveaway Rules

Follow Adventures in Polishland! Simply enter your email in that box on the right where it says “Follow Adventures in Polishland”. Only email followers qualify for this giveaway.
Prize is the goodie bag pictured above, and includes sample sizes of Benefit Cosmetics’ they’re real!, benetint, and sugarbomb.
Giveaway will run until midnight on Saturday, September 27th, giving new readers one week to follow.
Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed.
Winner will have 48 hours to claim her prize, or a new winner will be chosen.
If you have questions, email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com

I hope you will join me on my Adventures in Polishland!

Giveaway is CLOSED! Congrats, Gabriela! (She has claimed her prize.)

This prize is part of a package I received from Ipsy and Benefit. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

3D Bow Rhinestones from Born Pretty Store

Posted on September 19, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! I usually keep my manicures pretty simple, but every once in a while I like to dress up my nails. I was so excited when I received some bow rhinestones in the mail from Born Pretty Store. I think bows are so cute and girly, and couldn’t wait to add some flair to my manicure. Let me show you my fancy nails!

How awesome are these bows?! I knew I wanted a really feminine look, so I chose one of my favorite pinks of all time for the base color – L’Oreal’s Check Me Out. Then I let my nail polish dry a little bit before applying the rhinestones because I wanted the polish to be tacky, but at the same time I didn’t want to smudge my manicure. Once I was sure the polish was partly dry, I carefully placed the bows on my nails and pressed them down. And it was as simple as that! The rhinestones stayed secure and I love the result!

One of the reasons I love these bows so much is because they come in an arched design that fits the nails perfectly. This is something new for me, as other nail rhinestones I’ve tried have always been flat on the bottom, and thus didn’t fit my nails properly. It is so great that these bows are designed this way, I can’t stress that enough!

All in all, I am loving these bow rhinestones from Born Pretty Store! If you are looking to glam up your manicure, I highly suggest these. Plus, you can grab a pack of 10 bows for just $5.99 HERE. These rhinestones can easily be reused, so this is definitely a great value. For those who may not be as adventurous in nail art, these bow are a great option. As always, you can get an extra 10% off with coupon code FZL91 and there is free international shipping with every order. Happy Shopping!

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

Indie Spotlight: Oh Teally? and Fancy Schmancy from Amy’s Nail Boutique

Posted on September 17, 2013September 14, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Early this year I purchased a couple polishes from Amy’s Nail Boutique, and they have just been sitting in my collection waiting to be used. I finally tried them out, and I am super impressed! I wish I tried these out so much sooner. Let me show you these gorgeous glitters!

First up is Oh Teally?, a glitter top coat full of circles, squares, hexagonal glitters all in the color teal! I also spy a bit of a darker blue mixed throughout to add a bit more dimension. I layered two coats over Covergirl’s Mint Mojito, and I’m loving the result! Oh Teally? has a great formula, but I do wish more glitters applied with one coat. Thankfully, the polish isn’t thick, and two coats are the perfect finish! Oh Teally? is a must for all teal fans!

Fancy Schmancy is the other polish I purchased, and it is a mix of turquoise, gold, purple, blue and fuchsia glitters in all shapes and sizes! I layered one coat over butter LONDON’s Queen Vic, and I think it makes a great manicure! The colors remind me of fall, especially with the gold glitters mixed in. Plus, the formula was great and the glitters applied really easily. Fancy Schmancy is a winner!

All in all, I’m quite impressed with these polishes from Amy’s Nail Boutique. If you are looking for some beautiful glitters and more, head on over to the shop on Etsy HERE. I definitely look forward to checking out more of these polishes in the future.

This post contains affiliate links. Polishes purchased by me. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Subscription Sunday | August Love With Food Box

Posted on September 15, 2013September 14, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Subscription Sunday! Today I am reviewing the August Love With Food Box. While it is a bit late, I really wanted to tell all of you what happened with my August box. When I first received it at the beginning of the month, it unfortunately was a disaster! A cup of salsa had leaked everywhere, ruining some of the box. I snapped a photo and emailed customer service. Not only did they send me a replacement box, but they refunded my money for the month of August as well! It did take a while for the replacement to show up, which is why this post is so late. I think it’s really important that Love With Food’s amazing customer service was shared!

Here is a sneak peek of what the August Box looked like. It was Backyard BBQ themed!

Sahale Snacks Fruit & Almond Crunchers – I actually haven’t tried these yet, but it’s a mix that you can pour in yogurt or enjoy on its own. Sounds like it will be yummy!
Project 7 Save Mints – I got mints from this brand in a PopSugar box and loved them! The packaging is so cute, and the mints taste really good. I was happy to get another tube.
Aunt Sally’s Creamy Original Pralines – Oh my! This is so delicious! I am thinking I need more of these because it was that good.

Rip van Wafels Caramel Filled Amsterdam Wafel – Yum! These little wafels can be placed over a hot beverage like tea so it gets soft to eat. I loved this so much!
Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust – Unfortunately this is the one product that is not for me since I don’t eat meat and this is a dry rub. It says you can use it as a spice packet in general, but it’s not really my thing.
Harvest Snaps Snapea Crips – I love these as well! I’ve tried them before, and I already repurchased two bags of these. I highly recommend them.

Last but least is a bag of BOPS Sea Salt Crisps. These were good, too, but I don’t think I would repurchase them. I prefer other chips better!

All in all, I did enjoy this box and the great customer service I received from Love With Food. I never got to try the salsa after all, because that wasn’t included in my replacement. While I do love this program, and think it’s fun to get these goodies every month, as of right now I did cancel my subscription for financial reasons. If you can afford the $10-12 per month, I do highly recommend the service. I will definitely consider joining again when I have the money! If you’d like to join, use code FBGIFT at checkout and your first month will be just $2! You can join Love With Food HERE.

This post contains affiliate links. Subscription box purchased by me. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Beautiful NYC | Birchbox Local

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I am very excited to launch a brand new series here at Adventures in Polishland called Beautiful NYC. I’ve been a New York City resident for just over a year now, and I sometimes find it difficult locating unique places to shop for nail polish and all things beauty. I thought it would be fun to highlight shops and events around the city and share them with all of you! To kick things off, I headed to the first ever Birchbox Local shop.

Birchbox Local is located at Chelsea Market, a super hip, indoor market with food, shopping, and more. I’ve never been there before, so I loved being able to visit a new part of the city on this Birchbox adventure! I planned on taking lots of photos of the shop once I got there, but it was so busy inside I couldn’t get any good pictures! Let’s just say this shop is super cool. In the front is the bar where you can build your own box (pictured below), and then the rest of the space is dedicated to more beauty products, and even a section for hair and makeup services. The Birchbox online shop literally came to life!

Of course, the main reason I wanted to head to Birchbox Local was to build my own Birchbox! For $15, you can customize your own box with a total of five samples. I couldn’t wait to pick out some goodies! There are literally 45 different samples to choose from!

Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow – $22 – Gimme Brow is a brow-volumizing fiber gel to fill in eyebrows while keeping them groomed at the same time. I got the shade light/medium, and imagine my surprise when I discovered that this is the full size product! This one item alone is already worth more than I paid for the box!
Color Club in Savoy Nights – $2 – I couldn’t leave without putting a nail polish in my box! I grabbed this gorgeous silver glitter from the soon-to-be-released Winter 2013 collection from Color Club. Yes, this nail polish isn’t even released yet! I estimated the price compared to other Color Club minis.
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment – $3.23 – This oil is now one of my go-to hair products! I am running low on the 1oz bottle I got in an Ipsy bag, so I grabbed this sample size to last me even longer. I know I’ll love this product! It’s amazing!
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in Light – $10 – I’ve heard so many great things about Smashbox primers that I knew I had to grab one! The shop had every variety, but I decided to get the oil free one because my skin gets oily throughout the day. I can’t wait to try it!
beautyblender – $19.95 – I almost fell on the floor when I saw that we could add beautyblenders to our box! Plus, when I checked out the sales girl gave me a sample size of the blendercleaser to go with it! I absolutely love my beautyblender, and I could not pass up the opportunity to grab another at such an amazing value.

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $57.18

Wow! What an amazing value for just $15 + tax! Not only did I get some amazing products, but I had a great time, too. All of the sales girls at Birchbox Local were really nice, and I honestly wish this shop was open all the time! If you live in or are planning to visit New York City this weekend, I highly recommend stopping by Birchbox Local. All the information you need to know is located on the Birchbox website HERE. Keep in mind they only take cards (no cash).

I hope you enjoyed this post, and stay tuned for more Beautiful NYC reviews! Let me know in the comments if there is a specific place you would like me to visit and write about.