Nail Polish Reviews – Page 24 – Adventures in Polishland

Category: Nail Polish Reviews

My First Manicure in 2014 featuring JulieG Silver Bells!

Posted on January 8, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! I’m back today with a new blog post after not polishing my nails for over two weeks! The holidays were just so busy that once I took off my old manicure, I decided to take a bit of a polish break. Soon I’ll be testing out all sorts of new polish goodies for the new year, but to break my polish hiatus, I grabbed one of the Holiday Frosted Gumdrops from JulieG. Let me share my first manicure of 2014 with you!

JulieG Silver Bells is a silver nail polish with silver glitters and a textured finish. The formula was good and manageable, but a bit on the thick side. I suggest three thin coats for full opacity, as I wore for my manicure. Silver Bells dries very quickly, and looks stunning! I’m not usually a huge silver nail polish fan, but the sparkle in Silver Bells makes it wearable and perfect for winter.

All in all, I’m really liking Silver Bells, and I’m glad it got me out of my nail polish funk! I’m excited for the coming year, and can’t wait to continue trying and testing more nail polish and beauty products. I hope you’ll join me on my Adventures in Polishland as I soar into my second year of blogging!

You can purchase JulieG polishes for $3.99 at your local Rite Aid or on the Jesse’s Girl website HERE. I purchased mine from Groupon!

My New Year’s Beauty Resolutions for 2014!

Posted on January 1, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday, and Happy New Year! Today I’ll be sharing my New Year’s Beauty Resolutions with you, and encourage you to participate as well. Whether it’s budgeting money, taking better care of your skin, or simply trying out some new products, New Year’s is the perfect time to set some goals for the year ahead, even when it comes to beauty. Let’s celebrate the start of 2014 together with some beauty resolutions! Make sure to stay tuned to the end of this post to learn how you can get involved, and share your resolutions with the beauty community!

MY BEAUTY RESOLUTIONS

Always Remove Makeup Before Bed

I’m usually pretty good about removing any makeup I’m wearing before bed, but there are those nights when I find myself under the covers ready to catch some z’s and I’m not getting up again to wash my face. While I know it’s best to go through a complete nighttime skincare routine, I’m pledging to at the very least use makeup remover wipes to get makeup off my face before bed. Did you know that for every night you don’t remove makeup your skin ages 30 days? I’m combatting that with PONDS Evening Soothe Wet Cleansing Towelettes at the moment.

Take Better Care of My Hands and Cuticles

Despite being a nail polish blogger, my hands are far from perfect! My cuticles deserve some extra TLC, so I’m hoping to get moisturized this winter and stay that way throughout 2014. I received this Burt’s Bees Honey & Grapeseed Hand Cream as a gift, and it’s the perfect product to help me begin taking care of my hands. It smells great, and is 99% natural!

Use an Eye Cream in My Skincare Routine

I’ve received a few eye creams as samples in the past, but I recently purchased this full size tube of First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream. I may be a bit young to start an anti-aging skincare routine, but I’ve noticed that I do have a lot of wrinkles under my eyes, and that is most likely due to dryness. I’m hoping this cream will help take care of that sensitive area that I’ve been neglecting.

Floss Teeth Daily

A beautiful smile starts with healthy teeth! I think many of us are guilty of not flossing daily, and that is going to stop. I’m grabbing this floss that I already have, Reach Cleanburst, and starting a new daily flossing routine!

Reorganize My Nail Polish Collection and Try the Untrieds

Last but not least, I want to tackle my nail polish collection! I’ve let it get all jumbled and disorganized the past several months, and I hope to go through it, weed out the polishes I don’t want, and try all of my untrieds. Above is a photo of just a few untried polishes I have laying around. Keep an eye out on my blog – you’ll probably see them soon!

SHARE YOUR BEAUTY RESOLUTIONS!

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my New Year’s Beauty Resolutions for 2014! Now it’s your turn! Share your resolutions with me in the comments, or use hashtag #NewYearsBeautyResolutions on social media so I can see your posts. If you’re a blogger, you can add your link to the inlinkz widget below. Let’s start a movement of positivity in the beauty community as we ring in 2014! Happy New Year!

Julep Lena: The Wear Test

Posted on December 30, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Julep Lena: The Wear Test

Happy Monday! Today I’m doing something a bit different, and that is a true wear test of one of my polishes. I recently posted about my experience at the Julep Pop-Up Store in NYC (see that post HERE), and I received a couple comments warning me that Julep Lena is a stainer. I was quite surprised to hear that news, so I decided to put my nails to the test! Let me share my experiment with you, and how it turned out!

My experiment began with two base coats – Sally Hansen Double Duty and Sephora Collection. I used Sally Hansen Double Duty on my right hand as a control, and then painted my left hand as follows: one coat Sally Hansen, two coats Sally Hansen, one coat Sephora, and two coats Sephora (I wore one coat of Sally Hansen on my thumb). Because one of my commenters mentioned that she used two coats of base coat, I wanted to do the same to see if it made a difference. Once my base coat was completely dry (a very important step!), I applied Lena in two coats.

After three full days of wear with no top coat, I had slight tip wear and just one substantial chip in my manicure. I was a bit nervous to take off my polish, but to continue my experiment I grabbed two removers to test out as well – CVS Strengthening Polish Remover and Julep Acetone Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover. I used the CVS remover on my control hand, and the Julep remover on the experiment hand. Are you ready to see the results?!

Ta da! No staining at all! The only places you can even see remnants of the polish are under the nail on my ring finger (where I accidentally got polish stuck during application) as well as a tiny bit on the ring finger’s cuticle. Other than that, I did not experience any staining whatsoever, and both nail polish removers worked equally as well. I am thrilled with the result, and glad I don’t have any stained nails!

All in all, my Julep Lena wear test turned out well! Of course, I’m not 100% sure why others experienced staining, but it could be due to an old formulation, body chemistry, or even the type of base coat. Whatever the case may be, you should be safe to wear Lena with either of the base coats I mentioned. My biggest tip is to just make sure it is completely dry before applying Lena. You always want to have a strong, impenetrable base for your color no matter what polish you’re using. Please be sure to let me know in the comments if you’ve tried Lena, and what your result was. Also, if there are any polishes that you want me to do a wear test on, let me know that as well!

Zoya Nail Polish Naturel Collection for 2014

Posted on December 28, 2013May 23, 2020 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Today I’m excited to share with you the Zoya Nail Polish Naturel Collection! This six-piece collection is replete with natural, rose-toned neutrals that are subdued yet stunning. If you’re looking for the perfect neutral polishes, the Naturel Collection is sure to be for you! Let me show you these beautiful polishes!

Zoya Naturel Collection

First up is Chantal, what Zoya describes as a “French Vanilla” shade. Chantal has a good formula that is opaque in two coats. I painted carefully to avoid streaking, and finished up with a glossy topcoat. The result is a flawless finish! I’m quite impressed with Chantal, and I know this polish will be perfect for nail art as well as a day in the office.

Next up is Taylor, a beige polish that is just a bit darker than Chantal. Taylor has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. It’s nearly the same color as my skin tone as well! If you are looking for something subtle and chic, Taylor is a fabulous pick.

Zoya Rue is up next, and it is a beautiful blush pink shade. I’m not sure if I just have a soft spot for the name Rue because of The Hunger Games, or if this polish really is that amazing (reality: both are true!). Rue’s formula is absolute perfection, and the color is just so dainty and feminine. I think Rue is my favorite in the Naturel Collection!

Next up is Brigette, a light mauve polish that is just a bit darker than Rue. Brigette also has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. Plus, the pigmentation is just right. You really can’t go wrong with Brigette!

Odette is the next polish in the Naturel Collection, and is a stunning orchid shade. Odette’s formula is fabulous, and (you guessed it) is opaque in two coats. I am just loving this purple shade, and would definitely wear this on a daily basis.

Last but not least is Normani, a brown-toned mauve polish. Normani is so unique in color, and has a great creme formula. I truly have nothing else like this in my polish collection! Normani is also a shade that I think would look good on everyone!

All in all, I am very impressed with the Zoya Naturel Collection. Not only do these shades work well individually, but they can be worn together in a number of combinations. You can purchase the Naturel Collection on Zoya’s website HERE for $9 each or $54 for the complete collection. Let me know what you think of these polishes 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.

Feminine Fall Manicure Set from ShopLately!

Posted on December 26, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I am very excited to share with you a shopping website that is brand new to me. It’s called ShopLately, and it’s part social network and part online boutique. I first heard about the site through some of my favorite YouTubers, and had to check it out for myself. Let me tell you a bit more about ShopLately, and show you what I ordered!

The ShopLately shopping experience is lots of fun! The website allows you to browse through products, or search for something specific. If you like something, simply click the heart button, and the product will be saved to your ShopLately profile. That way you never lose track of the items you love! ShopLately also features a number of great boutiques. Of course, my first order from the site had to be nail polish, so I grabbed a manicure set from the boutique Glint & Gleam.

I was so excited when my order arrived! Not only did I get it just four days after I placed the order, but it came packaged really well and I got a free gift! Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and found this cool necklace inside as well. I would have never picked it out for myself, but I’m excited to see what I can pair with it.

The item I ordered is called the Feminine Fall Manicure Set. For $17, I got a 4-step nail buffer, Miss Adoro French Manicure stickers, and two NYX polishes. I’ve never tried anything from these brands before, so I couldn’t wait to test these products out!

First up is NYX Nude Taupe, a beige polish with a creme finish. I am rather impressed with this polish! It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. The brush is also large and flat, which makes application smooth and easy. I surprisingly like the color as well!

Unfortunately, the Miss Adoro French Tip stickers were a bit of a flop for me. I attempted to create a gorgeous and glittery French manicure, but the darn strips just wouldn’t file as they should! The glitter was just way too think for the file to cut through. As you can see in the second photo, I was really trying to make these work. Alas, I tried to make the best of a bad situation and went for a half moon manicure instead. It looks somewhat decent, but the edges are not clean because of the filing incident. I was definitely disappointed!

Luckily, the other NYX polish in the set was super amazing! Femme is a light purple metallic polish. The formula is absolute perfection, and is opaque in two coats. I just love the unique mix of purple and silver in the polish, and the way Femme shines in the light. I have nothing else like this in my polish collection!

All in all, while I was disappointed with the Miss Adoro stickers, I am loving the two NYX polishes and the nail buffer. Glint & Gleam has definitely won me over with its great packaging and free necklace as well! I’m definitely going to do some more ShopLately shopping in the near future. I think my next purchase will be from the indie nail polish brand GlitterDaze, or Manna Kadar Cosmetics (you know I love her line!).

You can join me on ShopLately by signing up HERE today! For a limited time if you sign up with your Facebook credentials, you’ll get a $10 credit! To check out my ShopLately profile and see the products I’m loving, click HERE. Be sure to let me know what you think of ShopLately in the comments!

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.

Subscription Sunday | Julep Cynthia (The Best Things Really Are Free!)

Posted on December 22, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Subscription Sunday! Today I am excited to share with you a polish that I got completely free! As you know, I’m a member of the Julep Maven subscription program. Julep has a new incentive – if you get your Maven box three months in a row, they’ll give you a free nail polish! Let me show you the polish I picked as my freebie!

Cynthia is a beige nail polish mixed with holographic glitter. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, and dries to a satin finish. I knew Cynthia would be a unique polish, and it does not disappoint! I’ve worn it twice already since I got it, and even my friends at school commented on how much they liked it! In the photos above I’m not wearing a top coat, but if you want a glossy finish go ahead and layer that on.

All in all, I’m really impressed with Julep Cynthia! It is unlike anything else in my collection! You can purchase Cynthia on Julep’s website HERE. Maven members will pay the discounted price of $11.20 and receive free shipping. If you’re not a Maven yet, what are you waiting for?! You get a box of nail polish and beauty products for just $19.95 per month, and you can try your first month FREE with code FREEBOX at checkout (just pay shipping). Stay tuned for more Julep posts on Subscription Sunday!

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

Manicure Monday | Milani Blue Jay + Daphine Polish Frosty

Posted on December 9, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! You may be surprised to hear that most of my every day manicures don’t make it onto my blog. I thought it would be fun to share with you one of my recent manicures. I actually wore it last Monday (through Thursday!), but it works for today’s Manicure Monday post as well. Let me show you what I wore on my nails!

I began by applying Milani Blue Jay as a base color. I reviewed this polish HERE in July, and I’ve been eyeing it in my nail polish collection ever since. While this is a limited edition polish, it is still available on Milani’s website HERE for just $4.49. As you may know, I am a huge fan of Essie Butler Please, and since my bottle is already showing a significant fill line, I decided to use another blue that I own. I think it was a great decision!

To complete my manicure, I added an accent nail of Daphine Polish Frosty (review HERE). I really wanted to experiment with Frosty to see what it would look like over different colors, and I’m loving it over Blue Jay! And yes, the photo above was taken at school while I was studying for my Evidence class. See, this really was one of my every day manicures!

All in all, I hope you enjoyed seeing my manicure today! I really loved this combination of bright blue and a bit of glitter, and I can’t wait to use Frosty over even more colors to see the result. If you would like to see more Manicure Monday posts, please let me know 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.

Products I’ve Used Up #1

Posted on December 6, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have my first ever “empties” post, where I talk about products I’ve completely used up. I love watching these types of YouTube videos, and thought I could share my empties with you in blog form! This is a great way to learn about a lot of products in a short amount of time! Let me share my empties with you, and let you know if I would repurchase them!

HAIR CARE

L’Oreal EverSleek Intense Smoothing Shampoo – I’ve used this shampoo and conditioner set from L’Oreal many times! I love that it is sulfate free, and really leaves my hair feeling soft and healthy. It retails for around $6 at the drugstore, and is a shampoo I return to every once in a while. I definitely recommend it! [BUY]
Klorane Dry Shampoo – After getting a sample in a Birchbox, I just had to get the full size version of this dry shampoo. It is amazing! It zaps the oil right out of my hair and makes it feel clean. It’s the best dry shampoo, and worth the $18 price tag. The only drawback is it does run out rather quickly. I plan on getting another one soon, though! [BUY]
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment – This is a new holy grail product! It has changed my hair for the better! My hair is much healthier now that I apply this oil, and I just love it. This travel size lasted me about six months, and it is worth it. I’ve already repurchased it! [BUY]

SKIN & BODY CARE

Sukí Face Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser – I got this sample in a Birchbox, and I loved it! This is a two-in-one cleanser and exfoliant, and it smells like lemons. It was pretty gentle as a scrub, and my face always felt great afterwards. The only reason I am not going to repurchase this is because the full size is $32.95. Otherwise, I love it! [BUY]
Lulah Body Wash in Magnolia Fig – I am just using up my subscription box products! I got this body wash in a PopSugar box, and it was so nice and luxurious. I loved the rich scent, and even the packaging is cute. At $11.25 I’m not sure I would repurchase this for myself, but it would make a great gift! [BUY]
Whish Exfoliating Body Wash – This is a body wash I wasn’t too thrilled about. While it had a pleasant scent, I didn’t like using a body cleanser with an exfoliant added in. I just prefer to do that separately. Plus, I had to use a lot of product to feel clean. I’m going to pass on this one! [BUY]
Burt’s Bees Hand Salve – This little tin contained a medicinal hand cream. I really enjoyed it for days where my hands really needed some extra help. It is quite greasy, but works well. It’s not my favorite hand cream, but definitely a good product. [BUY]

NAIL CARE

Rite Aid Renewal 100% Pure Acetone – For some reason I’ve never used pure acetone to remove my nail polish before. Now, I’m hooked! This is the best nail polish remover I’ve ever used, and it didn’t damage my nails or cuticles. Plus, this bottle lasted me a long time because I didn’t have to use as much remover. I am definitely going to be buying this again! [BUY at Rite Aid]
Sephora Collection Base Coat – This is hands down the best base coat I’ve ever tried as well! It dries really quickly, and I love the large, flat brush. The only downside is that it can only be purchased on Sephora’s website, but I’ve already gone ahead and repurchased another bottle. At $6, I think it’s a steal! [BUY]

MAKEUP

CoverGirl Natural Lash – I use this clear mascara to keep my eyebrows in place! Now I don’t have crazy hairs anymore! Unfortunately I dropped this, and it dried out rather quickly. I did repurchase, though, and I love this product! It’s around $5 at drugstores. [BUY]
CoverGirl NatureLuxe Mascara – I also used up a black mascara from CoverGirl. I absolutely loved this one because it gave me natural and clump-free lashes. Unfortunately this line has been discontinued, but you can still purchase it on Amazon. I highly recommend it! [BUY]
Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara – Last but not least is another mascara! This is a high end one that I got in a PopSugar box. I absolutely loved it, and I was amazed how well it curled my lashes. I was so sad when it dried up because I’m not going to repurchase it at $19. It’s worth it if you can afford it, though! [BUY]

Those are all of the empty products I have to share with you today! I hope you enjoyed learning more about these products. Please let me know if you would like to see more Products I’ve Used Up posts in the future!

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

Color Club in Baldwin Blues

Posted on November 21, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I have a quick review of the nail polish I received in my November Birchbox (see that post HERE). I just love receiving polishes in subscription boxes because it allows me to try out brands I wouldn’t normally purchase. In fact, the only Color Club polishes I’ve tried so far are thanks to Birchbox! Let me show you the one I got this month.

Baldwin Blues is a dark blue creme polish. The color can be described as navy with a hint of turquoise – very unique! As for the formula, it’s great! Baldwin Blues applies with ease, and is opaque in two coats. I didn’t even have to apply top coat due to it’s glossy finish! I’m really loving this shade!

All in all, I’m impressed with Color Club’s Baldwin Blues! I definitely need to try out more Color Club polishes in the future. You can purchase Baldwin Blues on Birchbox’s website HERE. The full size polish is $8. Let me know in the comments what your favorite Color Club polishes are!

Sally Hansen Gold Roses from the Rodarte Collection

Posted on November 15, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! If you’ve been following Adventures in Polishland for a while, you’ll know that I love Sally Hansen nail polish. The brand recently released a Limited Edition collection for fall called the Rodarte Collection. At first I wasn’t too interested in any of the shades, but after hearing both MissGlamorazzi and FleurdeForce praise Gold Roses, I knew I had to pick it up. Luckily, I spotted the last bottle at Duane Reade, and put it on immediately!

Gold Roses is a metallic, rose gold nail polish. The formula is good, but due to its metallic quality it will show streaks. Gold Roses is actually opaque in one coat, but I layered on two to even out the streaking a bit. While I’m not usually one for metallic polishes, this one is just beautiful! I love rose gold jewelry, and rose gold nails are just as awesome. Plus, I think this is a fabulous color for the holidays.

All in all, I’m so glad I was able to find Gold Roses! It’s a gorgeous shade, and I have nothing else like it in my entire collection. Unfortunately this pretty number has been labeled the scary “hard to find” in the nail polish world. Make sure you check out your local drugstore to see if you can grab one. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes retail for around $7.99 each.