Beautiful NYC – Page 2 – Adventures in Polishland

Category: Beautiful NYC

Show Team Spirit with a CoverGirl Fanicure! #DRBigGame #CollectiveBias

Posted on February 6, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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Happy Thursday! Today I’m excited to tell you all about a fun event I attended at Duane Reade last week. P&G and CoverGirl are celebrating female fans by offering team-inspired nail looks for spirit all season long, and to prepare for the Big Game, CoverGirl gave free manicures to Duane Reade customers. Let me tell you all about the Fanicure event, and show you how to create one of your own!

The Fanicure event was so much fun! I chose to get a Seattle themed manicure, since I’m still bitter about New England losing to Denver in the playoffs. My manicurist used three CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss shades in Sapphire Flare, Appletini, and Snow Storm to create the look. With a smooth finish, even color and glossy shine, this polish can last as long as a week with no top-coat required!

I also got to hang out with some other great bloggers! Make sure to head over to their blogs to see the Fanicures they got as well.

Momma D and Da Boyz, Beauty 101, and Adventures in Polishland

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN FANICURE!

While I was at Duane Reade, I also picked up the shades that correspond with my favorite football team, New England. Each of the 32 teams has its own custom nail gloss bundle to ensure fans can really show team spirit. New England’s CoverGirl colors are Snow Storm, Ever Reddy, and Sapphire Flare. At the Duane Reade where I was shopping, the CoverGirl display was upstairs on the second floor in the Look Boutique.

Next, I got started on creating my own Fanicure. I began with applying Ever Reddy as a double accent nail, and Sapphire Flare on my other nails. Once that was completely dry, I used some striping tape and then finished up with Snow Storm. I am loving the completed look! It was easy to create, and I’m ready to support my favorite team in style.

All in all, I had a great time at the Duane Reade Fanicure event, and I’m loving the New England Football Fanicure I created. You can create your own Fanicure by visiting the CoverGirl website HERE and seeing what nail polishes correspond with your favorite team. Either shop online, or stop by your local drugstore to pick up these fabulous and affordable polishes at just $5.49 each!

You can also catch up on Big Game news by stopping by the Duane Reade Big Game Social Hub HERE. This is a hub where Tweets, Instagram content, and Vine videos using the #DRBigGame hashtag are congregated in one place. Duane Reade is the perfect place for all your game day needs, including nail polish!

Be sure to let me know what you think of my Fanicure in the comments!

Deck Your Legs with Duane Reade Hosiery this Holiday! #DRPartyLegs

Posted on December 18, 2013December 16, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

CB-sponsored-post-black-600 Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to share with you some fashion looks for upcoming holiday parties. Up until now you’ve been rushing around buying gifts, decorating, and not spending one moment to yourself. If you’re in need of some last minute outfit ideas, I’ve got you covered! Back in October, I discovered that Duane Reade sells an amazing line of tights. If you’re a girl on the go much like myself, stop by your local DR Hosiery department and grab some tights! Let me show you the outfits I put together for the holidays!

Before I headed to the store, I rummaged through my closet to find some outfit inspiration. When I had a couple dresses picked out, I knew that I wanted some heavy tights and something a bit more fancy. As always, Duane Reade was stocked up with all different kinds of tights from which I could choose. Just look at the hosiery department! (Don’t mind the boxes on the right, my store is remodeling!).

Outfit 1 – Office Party

First up is an outfit that I created with an office holiday party in mind. I began with a maroon dress that has faux leather detailing, added some black pumps, and, of course, some DR Legwear! In this look, my tights are a thick, ribbed material. It’s difficult to tell from the photographs, but they are quite textured and warm. I would say they are one step away from leggings. To finish off the look, I grabbed a simple, black blazer from my closet as well. I always err on the conservative side when it comes to fancier events, and in the winter it’s always safe to dress in layers!

Outfit 2 – Cute and Casual

If you’re more of a cute and casual girl like me, this second outfit may be more your style. I began with grabbing a purple dress and black cardigan, and then added on some super cute bow and polka dot tights! I am obsessed with how adorable these tights are, and I think they can dress up any outfit. I also showed this look with both boots and flats – comfortable footwear that still looks put together. If you’re worried about the cold in this outfit, wear a pair of opaque tan tights underneath the patterned ones. No one will know your little secret!

Show Us Your Party Legs Contest!

Now that I’ve shown you some holiday outfits using Duane Reade Hosiery, it’s your turn to head to the store and show off your party legs! Duane Reade is hosting a contest on Facebook where you can win some fabulous prizes. Simply go to the “Show Us Your Party Legs” tab on Duane Reade’s Facebook Page HERE to enter!

All in all, I really love all of the tights I’ve tried from the Duane Reade Hosiery line. They fit me really well, and the possibilities are endless with all of the great colors and patterns. Of course, I love that these tights are fabulous and affordable as well! I only spent $16.98 for the tights I showcased in this post. I never thought I would buy and love tights from the drugstore!

What are you wearing for the holidays? Let me know in the comments!

Beautiful NYC | Julep NYC Holiday Pop Up

Posted on December 13, 2013December 12, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I’m super excited to bring you the second official post in my Beautiful NYC series. I’ve labeled a few other posts into this category if it was an NYC event, or simply some shopping I’ve done around town, but today I’m highlighting the Julep Pop Up store that is officially opening today! I was lucky enough to be invited to a special Maven night at the store yesterday, and heard from the wonderful Jane Park – Julep’s CEO and Founder. As a huge Julep fan, it was really exciting to meet Jane (who is extremely nice, by the way!) and learn a bit more about Julep as a company. Let me show you some photographs I took inside the Pop Up shop!

Julep NYC Holiday Pop Up — The nail polish was separated by style profile. Look at how gorgeous the displays are!

Favorite Beauty Products — Helpful signs shared about the Maven program, and you could even vote for your favorite beauty products!

Modern Beauty — Of course, the beauty and skincare products were for sale as well!

Check out this cool nail polish bottle flowing from the ceiling!

Maven signatures — All of the Mavens were asked to sign this placard with our favorite nail polish! It will be brought back to Maven headquarters. Can you spot my name?!

Adventures in Polishland was here! — There I am! I chose the nail polish Drew!

The Pop Up store sells all the Julep polishes and products you love, plus some gift sets for the holidays. One great thing about the store is that you are able to build your own custom Maven box, and you can build as many as you want for the $19.99 price. Of course, I built my own custom box!

I decided to build my own It Girl box, complete with three nail polishes, and then grabbed the Julep Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover. While this remover is definitely a bit on the expensive side, it is my all-time favorite remover, and I decided to treat myself. If you would like a complete review just talking about that remover, let me know in the comments!

The first polish I grabbed is the same one I added to the Maven sign – Drew. I’m not sure why I didn’t already own this polish, because it is perfect for me! Drew is a bright pink creme, with just a flawless formula. I applied two coats, but it was nearly a one coat formula. I could literally wear this every day and not get sick of it! I really do love my pink nails.

Next up is Bette, a gorgeous purple polish that leans towards fuchsia. Bette has a “crelly” formula that is not quite a creme and not quite a jelly. It applied really well, and I am wearing two coats in the photos. Bette is very similar to a limited edition Wet ‘n Wild nail polish that I own, but I’m so happy to have this one because that bottle is halfway empty and not available any longer. Plus, Bette definitely has a better formula!

Last but not least is Lena, a beautiful teal polish with subtle gold shimmer. When I first spotted Lena at the store, I thought it was a creme polish, but I actually love the shimmer added in! This polish is also a winner because it has a one coat formula! I just love when I make that discovery! Lena also reminds me of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Any other fans out there?!

All in all, I had a great time exploring the Julep NYC Holiday Pop Up and attending Maven night! If you will be in NYC during the holiday shopping season, be sure to stop by! The shop will be open starting today, December 13 through December 22. It’s located at 102 Fifth Avenue, amongst several other places to shop. You can find more details on Julep’s website HERE. Be sure to let me know if you visit the Pop Up!

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

Julie G Meet Up at Rite Aid in NYC!

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! This past Saturday I had the amazing opportunity to meet YouTuber Julie G at Rite Aid in New York City. Julie has her own nail polish line with the brand Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics, and they held a meet up to show off the new Holiday Frosted Gumdrops Collection. I was so excited to meet Julie. I’ve watched her YouTube videos for a while now, and I love her nail polish line. Adventures in Polishland is all about fabulous and affordable nails, and Julie’s line retails for just $3.99! Let me show you the nail polish I wore to meet Julie, and all about the event!

I knew that I had to wear a JulieG nail polish to the event, so I chose Hot Cinnamon from the original Frosted Gumdrops Collection. Hot Cinnamon has the perfect formula, and is opaque in two coats. I love the bright red color, and how sparkly it is! It’s definitely perfect for the holiday season. Little did I know my nails would be even more festive thanks to Julie!

Yes! That’s me with Julie, and those are my nails on her Instagram! When I arrived at Rite Aid, Julie was all set up to give manicures to her fans using her polish collection. She used two of her new Holiday Frosted Gumdrops to create some nail art on my nails – Gift of Gold and Mistletoe. I love how it turned out!

Here are some more photographs from the event. It was such a fun time!

Image Courtesy of Jesse's Girl Cosmetics — Getting a Manicure from Julie! (Image Courtesy of Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics)

Jesse's Girl even gave us goodie bags! — Jesse’s Girl even gave us goodie bags!

All in all, I had a wonderful time at the meet up! It was so great to meet Julie, and talk about all things nail polish. I recently ordered the full JulieG Holiday Frosted Gumdrops Collection, so keep an eye out for that review soon. Until then, stop by your local Rite Aid to pick up polishes from the JulieG line, or shop online HERE. Thank you again to Julie, Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics, and Rite Aid for the wonderful experience!

Winter Wonderland Week | Glam Holiday Makeup #DRHoliday

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

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Happy Monday! Winter Wonderland Week continues today with a makeup look. To create my festive face, I grabbed some new products to get glam – Duane Reade Holiday shopping is not just for gifts! On an every day basis, I keep my makeup simple and natural, but for the holiday season it’s fun to be a bit more glamorous. If you’re a busy student, a mom on the go, or simply looking to spice up your beauty routine for a holiday party, I have a few tips for you!

My first step was going shopping for some new makeup. I headed to the Duane Reade store at 40 Wall Street here in New York City. If you’ve never been to that Duane Reade location before, definitely stop by. It has a huge beauty department called the Look Boutique, and you can even get a professional manicure right in the store! The photo below is just one section of the Look Boutique! Look at how gorgeous and bright the store is!

I had a difficult time deciding which new makeup products I wanted to purchase for my holiday makeover because there was so much from which to choose. I finally settled on some goodies from the Boots No7 line. This brand is from the UK, and is making its way into Duane Reade stores around the city. The display (shown below) featured testers so I could swatch the colors on my hand before purchasing anything. Let me show you what I picked up from No7!

The first product I picked up is the No7 Lipgloss in Number One History. I’m always hesitant to try a red lipstick, so I thought this lip gloss would be perfect for the holidays and still be in my comfort zone. Plus, the packaging is adorable and was calling my name in the store. As for the formula, it is really nice, and feels creamy on the lips (no stickiness here!). This lipgloss is quite pigmented, so I wore it alone, but you can always layer it over a lipstick if you like. The retail price of the No7 Lipgloss is $9.99.

The next product I picked up was the No7 Natural Blush Tint Powder in Spice. I was sold on this blush as soon as I tried the tester in the store –the formula is so smooth and soft, and is extremely blendable. Spice was also the perfect shade for my skin tone. For just $9.99 I had to pick it up!

The last No7 product I grabbed for my holiday makeover is the Stay Perfect Trio Eye Shadow Palette in Cappuccino. This trio comes with gorgeous neutral and shimmery shadows – a bronze, a silver, and a light highlight shade. Just like the blush, these shadows have a super soft and silky formula. I’m also impressed with how pigmented they are. The shimmer adds a bit of sparkle, which I think is great for the holidays! This trio retails for just $7.99!

I also picked up a new foundation because winter means that my skin is a bit lighter than it was just a few months ago! I’ve heard so many great things about the CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation that I had to pick it up. I got the shade Classic Ivory (or 810 if you use the number system), and it matches my skin quite well. This is definitely a medium to full coverage foundation, and I’m impressed with how flawless my skin looked when I put this on. It’s also an amazing value at just $13.49. This is definitely going to be my new go to foundation!

Here is my completed holiday makeover! As someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis, I feel so glammed up! I used all of the products mentioned above, plus the Revlon Grow Luscious Lash Potion in Blackened Brown and Rimmel Stay Matte in Translucent (which can be purchased at Duane Reade as well). For my hair, I just twisted it across my head and secured it with a bow.

All in all, I’m loving my completed look! I used products that are fabulous and affordable, and went a bit outside my every day makeup routine for the special holiday season. If you like, you can spice up this makeup look by adding some eyeliner, darker lipstick, and some bronzer. It’s definitely customizable! These makeup products also make perfect gifts this holiday season, so stop be sure to stop by the 40 Wall Street Duane Reade during your holiday shopping to grab these (and many, many more) cosmetic products. Stay tuned for more holiday posts as Winter Wonderland Week continues tomorrow on Adventures in Polishland!

Stay Moisturized this Winter with NIVEA and Duane Reade! #DRNIVEA

Posted on November 13, 2013November 16, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

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While it’s technically still autumn, we experienced our first snowfall of the season here in New York City just yesterday! As the temperatures drop outside and the heat is turned up indoors, my skin sure takes a beating (and I’m sure yours does, too!). I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect moisturizer to ensure that my hands and cuticles are not only in shape for blogging about nail polish, but feeling soft in general. With the holidays just around the corner, dry skin should not be an added something to worry about. I headed to my local Duane Reade store and picked up a couple products from NIVEA to combat my already appearing winter skin!

On my shopping trip, I grabbed the NIVEA Extended Moisture Body Lotion and NIVEA Lip Butter in Smooth Kiss. Both were easy to spot in the Health & Beauty sections of my Duane Reade store – the blue and white logo really stands out!

I couldn’t wait to give the NIVEA Extended Moisture Body Lotion a try. My poor hands needed some TLC! So far, I’m loving how this lotion works. It leaves my skin very smooth, yet not greasy. Plus, it is not fragranced, so it just has a fresh, regular lotion smell that won’t wrinkle your nose (perfect for those that can’t do scents!). Just as the bottle advertises, the NIVEA Extended Moisture Body Lotion is very long lasting. I’ll be sure to use this during the hectic holiday season to cut down on how often I need to apply moisturizer!

I was also really excited to try the NIVEA Lip Butter in Smooth Kiss. I’ve heard so many great things about these lip balms in the beauty community that I was wondering what I was missing. Normally I’m not a fan of lip balms that come in a pot (and not a tube), but this one is large enough in circumference that I’m not worried about getting the product under my fingernails. As you can see, it fits snugly in the palm of my hand.

As for my thoughts on the NIVEA Lip Butter, I’m loving it! Smooth Kiss is fragrance free, but if you prefer a flavored lip balm there are others from which to choose. I also find that it truly does have a buttery texture! It feels so nice and creamy on the lips. If I have any product left on my finger after application, I just rub it into my hands. I’m sure the extra moisture doesn’t hurt, right?!

All in all, I’m really impressed with these products from NIVEA. As we head into winter here in NYC, I know I will get great use out of them. Not only will they keep my skin looking fabulous during the holiday season, but the prices are affordable as well! The NIVEA Extended Moisture Body Lotion is just $9.99 for a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle, and the NIVEA Lip Butter is just $4.29. Make sure to stop by your local Duane Reade store to pick up these products today, and enter the Duane Reade and NIVEA contest on Facebook to win a trip to Time’s Square on New Year’s Eve! All details can be found HERE.

Be Boo-tiful this Halloween with Duane Reade Hosiery!

Posted on October 13, 2013October 21, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

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Happy Sunday, and welcome to Halloween Week here at Adventures in Polishland! Every day this week I will be sharing Halloween nail art ideas, and I’m kicking things off with a fun costume. Being a full-time student is busy and stressful, so when it comes to picking out a costume I want the process to be as simple as possible. After hearing about the items available at Duane Reade, I headed to my local store to stock up. My first task was searching through my closet for costume ideas.

When I spotted three leopard print dresses in my closet, I knew I would use one as my starting point. Many women own at least something with leopard print, so whether you have shoes, a scarf, or even a leopard print purse, this is a great piece to build upon. After choosing this dress from Express, I headed to Duane Reade with a leopard agenda!

Check out this amazing hosiery section at my local Duane Reade! Whether you’re looking for something sheer or opaque, nude or black, patterned or plain, you’ll find it here for an affordable price. I actually had a difficult time deciding which tights I would purchase, but finally picked out two pairs.

First, I grabbed a pair of Sheer stockings in the shade nude just to play it safe. Then, I grabbed some black tights with a fancy pattern. These tights retailed for $6.99 and $7.99 respectively, and had a handy size chart on the back (which is actually accurate!).

Here is a close-up of the patterned tights. It reminded me a bit of animal print, so I thought it would go well with my leopard theme. The style number of this pair is 89138A in case you’re looking to grab the same ones!

To complete my outfit, I made a stop in the Halloween aisle and the beauty aisle. No leopard costume is complete without some cat ears! This headband was just $3.99, so I couldn’t pass it up. For an added touch of leopard, I grabbed some Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Kitty, Kitty. For $10.99 I couldn’t say no!

Here is my completed Halloween costume! To transform my leopard print dress, I added the patterned tights, black ballet flats, a black cardigan, and the ears! My finishing touches include the Sally Hansen strips and a bit of black eyeliner for a nose and some whiskers. I love the end result! It is so easy to put together this outfit, and I’m feeling Boo-tiful! Plus, I love that this dress has pockets so I don’t need to worry about carrying a purse – I can tuck my essentials easily inside! To recreate this look for Halloween, use any of the leopard print items in your closet. Make it your own with a scarf or belt – the possibilities are endless.

All in all, I’m so glad Duane Reade made putting together a Halloween costume so simple! My grand total for this outfit was just $31.29, a bargain compared to most Halloween costumes. The trick is to use what you have, and then buy the extras. I’m also glad to know that Duane Reade has a full hosiery line for when I need a pair of tights. They are great quality, and so fabulous and affordable!

Make sure you head on over to Duane Reade’s Facebook page and enter the Boo-tiful Legs Contest to share how you are incorporating Duane Reade hosiery into your Halloween costume. You could win a spa weekend in NYC!

Stay tuned for the rest of Halloween Week!

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.

Street Fair Cosmetics: A Polish Lover’s Dream in NYC!

Posted on September 28, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Being new to NYC, I did some investigating online to see if I could discover some great places for affordable nail polish in the city. I came across THIS YouTube video that spoke about Street Fair Cosmetics, a family-run business that sells nail polish at street fairs throughout New York City. I knew I had to find this vendor, so I looked up their Facebook page and discovered they would be within walking distance from my apartment at a feast in Little Italy. I headed over a couple weeks ago and got some amazing polishes at extremely discounted prices. Here are some photos of the booth:

Look at all of the polishes! There are so many to choose from! Milani & Maybelline polishes are just $1 each, and Essie & Color Clubs are 3 for $10. There are lots of other brands and other cosmetics, too. I ended up spending $20 and got 11 polishes! I definitely find it helpful to set a budget before you go, because even though the prices are so low you can end up spending a lot. Also, this is a really popular booth, so be prepared to sift through lots of bins while other ladies are doing the same. It’s a bit like Black Friday on a smaller scale! I definitely plan on stopping by this booth again in the future.

Follow Street Fair Cosmetics on their Facebook page HERE to find out where they will be located! They currently have a schedule showing their locations through November. Happy Shopping!