Category: Nail Polish Reviews

Zoya Bubbly Collection for Summer 2014

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m bringing you another review of a brand new Zoya collection for this summer! You can read all about the Tickled Collection HERE, but today’s post is all about the Bubbly Collection. I am so intrigued with the Bubbly Collection! Each of the six polishes has what Zoya has coined a “liquid-metal, holographic jelly formula.” Confused? Understandable – these polishes are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, so let me go ahead and share them with you!

Zoya – Alma Zoya – AlmaFirst up is Alma, a tangerine orange polish with golden glitters. Alma is opaque in two coats, and applied quite easily. I was rather impressed with how smoothly the Bubbly polishes apply to the nail. Though they have a bit of a textured look, they actually dry to a smooth finish! I really like Alma, and think it can suit anyone.

Zoya – Harper Zoya – HarperNext up is Harper, a bubblegum pink polish with the same Bubbly finish. Harper is opaque in two coats, and is my favorite in the collection! I just love my pink polishes, and this is certainly a new pink for my collection. I can picture it in some awesome nail art looks now!

Zoya – Muse Zoya – MuseZoya Muse is definitely a surprise to me! I never would have expected a dark blue polish in a summer collection, but the gold and green undertones remind me of the ocean! I applied two coats in the photos above, and love the result. Muse gives a mystical and mermaid-like feel!

Zoya – Stassi Zoya – Stassi Stassi is next, and it’s a green polish that reminds me of dragon scales! Stassi is a bit sheer, so I applied three coats for opacity. Not only is Stassi fun for summer, but it can be worn again during St. Patrick’s Day!

Zoya – Binx Zoya – BinxBinx is a beautiful raspberry polish, and the name reminds me of one of my favorite movie characters despite its feminine look (if you know who I’m talking about, tell me in the comments!). Binx has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. I really like the strong pigmentation in this polish!

Zoya – Jesy Zoya – JesyLast but not least is Jesy, a vibrant orange polish. Jesy is my second favorite in this collection due to its great formula and very shiny finish. Just look at how the light reflects off Jesy in the photos! I applied two coats and was ready for the summer sun.

All in all, Zoya’s new Bubbly Collection is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before! The polishes have a jelly-like base that is filled with easy to apply glitters. Each contains a holographic sparkle, and I can definitely see the liquid metal look. I highly recommend this collection, especially if you’re looking to spice up your nail polish collection this summer! You can purchase the Bubbly Collection on Zoya’s website HERE for $9 per bottle. Let me know what your favorite is in the comments!

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

Zoya Tickled Collection for Summer 2014

Happy Monday! Today I have the first Zoya Nail Polish review for the Summer 2014 season! The Tickled Collection is complete with six creme polishes in bright colors that will have your fingers ready for the summer sun. Let me share these vibrant shades with you!

Zoya – Ling Zoya – LingFirst up is Ling, a true blue polish. Ling has an amazing one coat formula that glided on perfectly. I love how pigmented this polish is! I just love blue nail polishes, and it’s always great to have a one-coater in your collection. Ling is so awesome!

Zoya – Tilda Zoya – TildaNext up is Tilda, a light green that reminds me of guacamolé (yum!). Tilda also has a one coat formula. I had no application issues whatsoever. Tilda isn’t my cup of tea color-wise, but it’s certainly a great polish. I think it would look beautiful on darker skin tones!

Zoya – Rocha Zoya – RochaZoya Rocha is up next, and is a red polish with orange undertones. You guessed it – Rocha has a one coat formula as well! Plus, this is the perfect summer polish. I like that Rocha is not a true red, as the orange undertones make it truly unique.

Zoya – Rooney Zoya – RooneyRooney is the first of three pinks in this collection, and is a medium pink with blue undertones. Rooney did require two coats to achieve opacity, but has a great formula. This is a great every day polish, and is office appropriate while still being fun for summer.

Zoya – Kitridge Zoya – Kitridge

Kitridge is a super bright bubblegum pink. It has a very thin formula, and I applied three coats to achieve opacity. Kitridge is prone to streaking, but as you can see my third coat rid my manicure of any imperfections. If you’re looking for a girly manicure this summer, definitely reach for Kitridge!

Zoya – Wendy Zoya – WendyLast but not least is my favorite in the colleciton, Wendy. Wendy is a coral pink shade. It has a good formula, but is a bit streaky with the first coat. My manicure evened out in two coats, and I just love the result! Wendy is bright and fun, and my friend even complimented me on my nails while I was wearing it. I just love it!

All in all, Zoya’s Tickled Collection is a great one! If you love creme polishes like I do, this collection is a must. I am amazed with the three one-coat formulas, and highly recommend you pick them up. You can purchase the Tickled Collection for $9 per polish on Zoya’s website HERE. Let me know what your favorite polish from this collection is in the comments!

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

Barielle in Falling Star

Happy Monday! I always love trying out new-to-me nail polish brands, and thanks to Conttonelle I got to try Barielle for the first time. I received Falling Star in my gift bag from the Spring Clean & Fresh Event (details HERE) and couldn’t wait to try it out. Let me show you this gorgeous polish!

Barielle – Falling Star Barielle – Falling StarFalling Star is a marine blue creme polish with rose gold glitter. The formula is amazing, and glides on so easily. Falling Star is opaque in two coats, and I was really impressed with how well the glitters apply. When I first saw Falling Star in the bottle, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but now I think it is just beautiful! It’s like nothing else in my collection. I would have never thought to mix these two colors together in one polish, but I’m glad Barielle did, because it’s wonderful!

Barielle – Falling StarAll in all, I’m loving my first Barielle polish! I will definitely need to make it a priority to try more. In the meantime, you can check out my friend Briana’s blog HERE. She is a Barielle guru, and does many reviews and nail art looks with this brand. You can also purchase Falling Star on Amazon HERE for $7.99. Let me know your favorite Barielle polishes in the comments!

The product in this post was provided to me as a gift from Cottonelle. This post contains an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

 

Yi Kou Nail Wraps from Born Pretty Store

Happy Tuesday! First, I want to take a moment and let you know that I will only be posting 1-2 times per week for the next few weeks. It is finals season at school, and the majority of my time will be spent studying. But don’t worry – I’ll be back to my normal schedule soon enough!

Now onto today’s nail polish post! I tested out some nail wraps from the brand Yi Kou for the first time. These wraps are available at Born Pretty Store, one of my favorite online retailers for nail art supplies. If you’ve been a follower of mine for a while now, you’ll know that I love testing out funky products from Born Pretty Store! I was so excited to try out these nail wraps in particular, because the design is perfect for spring.

Yi Kao Nail Wraps from Born Pretty Store | Adventures in PolishlandEach pack of Yi Kou nail wraps comes with two sheets of seven wraps. These wraps are super easy to apply – all you do is find the size that fits your nail, peel off the protective paper, and gently smooth the wrap over your nail starting at the cuticle. If you have any excess, use a nail file in a downward motion to trim off the extra. There truly is no drying time, and you have a complete nail art look in minutes!

Yi Kao Nail Wraps | Adventures in Polishland Yi Kao Nail Wraps | Adventures in PolishlandI am loving the final result with these wraps! The colors are bright and fun, and I really like the abstract pattern. I did seal the manicure with my Essie Good to Go top coat, just to make sure the edges were sealed down, and to give my manicure a “real polish” look. I wore these nail wraps for three days before removing them, and only experienced light tip wear. Removal was also surprisingly easy! I carefully peeled off the wraps, and they came off just fine without leaving any sticky residue. I’m not sure how that happened, but I’ll take it!

All in all, I am very impressed with the Yi Kou nail wraps! They measure up to the high end nail wraps that I’ve tried, but each set costs only $2.38! The design I’m showing you in this post is #K1026, but there are other designs to choose from as well. You can purchase these nail wraps HERE, and don’t forget to use discount code FZL91 to get an additional 10% off. As always, there is free worldwide shipping at Born Pretty Store. Born Pretty Store | Adventures in PolishlandHave you tried any of the Yi Kou nail wraps from Born Pretty Store? If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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

 

Mixing Nail Polish Trends with the Revlon Leather and Tweed Collection

Happy Tuesday! I recently spotted a new Revlon display at the drugstore, and decided to pick up a couple polishes. I’m still loving the textured nail polish trend, so when I saw the Revlon Collection was called Leather and Tweed, I knew it was for me! The collection features textured polishes for the “leather” and bar glitter polishes for the “tweed.” The combination sounded quite fun and unexpected. Let me show you what they look like together!

Revlon – Rock Chic Revlon – Rock ChicThe leather polish I got is called Rock Chic, and is a bright blue textured polish. I first tried Rock Chic about a week ago, and didn’t have much luck with the textured finish. This time, I tried the polish without a base coat, and the texture showed up much better. While the formula applies very well, I did need two coats for opacity. Rock Chic takes a long time to dry, and I recommend waiting at least 10 minutes between coats. I do really love the blue color!

Revlon – Tweed Mini Revlon – Tweed MiniI completed the look with a double accent nail using Tweed Mini, the tweed polish. Tweed Mini is a glitter top coat with white, silver, blue, and black bar glitters. I applied one coat to my middle and ring fingers for this mixed-trend look. Tweed Mini has a great formula, and there is no fishing for glitters required.

All in all, I’m really liking this look! I never would have thought to mix textured nail polish and glitter in one manicure, but Revlon’s marketing worked on me. I think I’ll be mixing my nail polish trends more often! You can purchase the Leather and Tweed Collection at your local drugstore for around $5 each. Make sure to check the limited edition displays before these fabulous and affordable polishes sell out! Plus, let me know if you’ve ever mixed your nail polish trends in the comments!

Broadway Nails imPress Press-On Manicure in Straight Up

Happy Monday! Today I have a full review of the imPress Manicure set that I received in my Influenster Uni VoxBox (see that post HERE). I’ve never tried any sort of false nails before in my entire life, so this was definitely a new Adventure in Polishland for me! Let me tell you more about this product, and share my experience.

imPress Manicure Review | Adventures in PolishlandEach imPress Manicure comes in a cute, nail polish shaped bottle. In the photo above you can see the packaging, and how the nails look in the front and back. Each bottle comes with 24 nails in twelve sizes. I received the design called Straight Up in my box, and it is the short nail length.

imPress Prep Pad

imPress File  

The kit also comes with a prep pad and mini nail file. Unfortunately I didn’t see the prep pad until after I applied the nails, so I didn’t get the chance to test it out. I did use the file, though, and it was definitely helpful!

imPress Manicure – Straight Up imPress Manicure – Straight UpApplication of the imPress nails was very easy. All you have to do is find which sizes work best for you, peel off the backing, and press the imPress nail onto your clean nail. That’s it! It takes literally seconds to complete the manicure, and the result is a fun, nail art look with no mess and no fuss. That said, these nails are still not for me. I found this short length to be on the long side, and I felt like I was wearing “fake nails” to the point where it annoyed me. For example, I had a very difficult time using my iPhone with my imPress nails!

I also disliked that the nails didn’t come with a clean edge. One would think that fake nails would come perfectly shaped, but I had to file them, and even then the edges weren’t perfect. When looking at the Broadway Nails Instagram, I noticed that all of the imPress sets seem to have this uneven edging. I find that to be this product’s one major flaw.

IMG_5309All in all, I think the imPress Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails is a fun idea, and great if you want a nail art look in seconds. If you like long nails, these are also a great option. While the nails stay on very securely, they also peel off with ease, so you don’t have to worry about damage to your natural nails. You can purchase imPress nails at your local drugstore for $7.99 each. Let me know your thoughts on imPress 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.

My New Must Have Top Coat | Essie Good to Go

Happy Monday! Today I am excited to share with you my new, must have top coat. My friend Gina of charmnomgo gave me her bottle of Essie’s Good to Go to try out, and I loved it so much I purchased my own bottle. Many of you mentioned on Facebook that you’d like to see a full review of Good to Go, and that’s what I’m here to do!My New Must Have Top Coat | Essie Good to Go

Essie’s Good to Go is a top coat designed to give you brilliant shine in seconds. I’ve had terrible luck with other fast-dry top coats in the past, so I was definitely hesitant to try this one out. For some reason, many fast-dry top coats chip within just one day of being on my nails. Despite the beautiful shine they give, I just can’t depend on them if I want a long-lasting manicure. Thankfully, Good to Go is unlike those other top coats! I don’t know what the difference is formulaically, but it sure does the trick. It dries quickly, applies with ease, and gives my nails a shine that says “I bet you think I went to the salon today!”

Essie Good to Go over Zoya Dot Here is my manicure after three days of wear. I have Zoya Dot on as my color, and just one coat of Good to Go on top. As you can see, my nails still look amazing! Okay, so my cuticles are still in winter mode, but my polish is chip-free and super shiny. I’m beyond happy with the results!

All in all, I am so thankful that Gina made me try out Essie’s Good to Go! It retails for $8.50, which is a bit more than I typically like to spend, but because of its amazingness, I think it is worth every penny. I grabbed mine at Duane Reade, but you can shop on Amazon HERE or at your local drugstore. Let me know if you’ve tried Good to Go in the comments!

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

Nubar in Kristal | Review & Swatches

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!

Nubar – Kristal Nubar – KristalKristal 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.

Nubar – Kristal 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. 

L’Oreal Les Blancs Collection | Spot Me & Le Pastille

Happy Saturday! Today I’m excited to share with you some brand new polishes for spring. I am so ready for winter to be over, that yesterday I ran to Duane Reade with the mission of getting some new beauty products for the spring season. When I spotted the new L’Oreal Les Blancs Collection, I knew I had to grab a couple. I picked up the two glitter shades, and ran home to test them out. Let me show you these gorgeous polishes!

L'Oreal Les Blancs Collection

L'Oreal – Spot Me L'Oreal – Spot MeFirst up is Spot Me, a pale blue polish with black hexagonal glitters from small to large mixed throughout the base. Spot Me has a great formula! It applies easily, and there was no fishing for glitters. I was really impressed with the coverage in two coats as well. The finish reminds me of a robin’s egg. I really like it!

L'Oreal – Le Pastille L'Oreal – Le PastilleNext up is Le Pastille, a pink version of Spot Me. Le Pastille also has a flawless formula. I cannot stress how easily these polishes apply! It always makes me happy when I don’t have to do anything special to get glitters out of the bottle and onto my nails. I applied two coats of Le Pastille, and finished up with a layer of butterLONDON Hardwear top coat (as I did with Spot Me as well). I love the juxtaposition of the black glitters on a baby pink base.

All in all, I’m loving these two glitter polishes from the new Les Blancs Collection from L’Oreal! In fact, I might go back to the drugstore and purchase the creme polishes from the collection, too. As I mentioned above, I scored these polishes at my local Duane Reade, but be on the lookout for the spring display at your drugstore. The polishes retail for $6.49 each in NYC, but I noticed a $4.99 price tag over on Nouveau Cheap’s blog. Let me know what you think of these polishes in the comments!

Does it Work? | Ruby Wing Color Changing Polish in Kitten Heels

Happy Tuesday! This past Sunday, I shared my February Birchbox with all of you. One of the products was a Ruby Wing Color Changing nail polish. I received another polish from this line in a Birchbox last year, and unfortunately I couldn’t get the polish to change color (see that post HERE). I was excited to try out another in hopes that I could get the color changing effect to work for me. Let me show you what happened this time around!

Ruby Wing – Kitten Heels Ruby Wing – Kitten HeelsKitten Heels is a gorgeous, bright pink creme polish. It has a great formula, and is opaque in two coats. I truly love the color! But, as you can guess by me only showing one shade, this polish just didn’t change colors! According to the label, Kitten Heels is supposed to change to a red when I go outside. I was outside in direct sunlight for several minutes on different days and never saw any type of change in this polish. Part of me wonders if it is my body chemistry that is preventing this polish from changing color. I’ve noticed others on Instagram aren’t having issues, so I either got a bad bottle, or it’s just me!

While I am disappointed that I didn’t get the color changing effect to work, I still love the color of Kitten Heels. It has a great formula, and I’ll still wear it for sure. Please let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of the Ruby Wing Color Changing polishes and if they’ve worked for you. You can purchase the full size bottle of Kitten Heels on the Birchbox website HERE.