Category: Nail Polish Reviews

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

This post is dedicated to all of the Mean Girls fans out there! If you’ve seen that movie you know that every Wednesday it is mandatory to wear pink. Otherwise, you won’t get to sit at the lunch table with Regina George and the rest of The Plastics. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, make sure to go watch Mean Girls right now!

In honor of Pink Wednesday, I have two nail polishes to show you. Both are, of course, pink! I normally wear bright pink nail polishes a la Barbie, but I tried out two pale pinks recently, and I love the understated look. Today you will see both of these polishes alone, and at some point in the near future you will see what glitter top coats I added on top!

 

 

 

The first pink I have to show you is Pink Wishes from CND Colour. This is a brand that is new to me. This polish was a gift from a fellow nail blogger, but it retails at around $7. Though not the most affordable polish brand on the market, you are certainly getting a good quality product! Pink Wishes has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I really like the application, and was surprised at how much I enjoy the light pink color. It reminds me of cotton candy! My only gripe with Pink Wishes is that you can see brush strokes a little on the finished manicure. Other than that it is a great polish!

 

 

The other pink polish I have to show you today is Jennifer from Julep, one of my favorite brands! While Julep retails for $14 per bottle, there are many ways to get this amazing polish at discounted rates. You can join the Julep Maven program HERE to get a box of goodies for $20 per month, plus keep a lookout for promo codes on Julep’s Facebook page HERE. I got Jennifer for $5 through a group order with other nail polish fans — quite the bargain! Jennifer is a beautiful pale pink that I expected to have a cream finish, but it is actually quite sheer. I have on two coats in the photos, and as you can see it is not fully opaque. Because I knew I would be layering glitter over it, I didn’t add another coat, but even with just the two I think it looks gorgeous! Jennifer is perfect if you don’t like overstated or “loud” manicures, but still want to be polished.

I hope you enjoyed my Pink Wednesday post! What are your favorite pink nail polishes?

Favorite Friday (One Day Late): Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! I fully intended to have this post up yesterday, but today will do! I wanted to continue on with my Favorite Friday series. Favorite Friday is when I use a polish from my collection that I love, but that hasn’t been used in a while. I have so many new and untried polishes, that it’s nice to have a reason to use one of my old favorites once in a while. Today I will show you Blue Me Away! from Sally Hansen that I used as a base for Different Dimension’s Think of All the Fellas That I Haven’t Kissed. You can see that entry HERE.

 

 

Blue Me Away! is another great polish from the very affordable line by Sally Hansen called Xtreme Wear. The formula is sometimes hit or miss with this brand, but I give Blue Me Away! two thumbs up. I applied two coats of polish to get the look in the photos. The formula was a little streaky, but two coats evened it up just fine. This polish does require some extra drying time, too. Other than that, it is a great blue polish! It is not neon, but it is definitely bright. This is a must have for anyone that loves blue!

You can find Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear at drugstores and department stores for around $3.

 

 

Zoya Ornate Collection for Holiday/Winter 2012!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Today I will be reviewing the 2012/2013 holiday collection from Zoya Nail Polish called the Ornate Collection. This gorgeous line is comprised of six polishes that are perfect for the upcoming holidays and winter months. Let me show you each of the polishes from the Ornate Collection!

 

 

First up is Ziv, a beautiful gold. Ziv is a metallic polish with a foil finish, and is one of two foils in the Ornate Collection. The color is multidimensional, with hints of yellow, silver, and a warmer gold, too. Ziv is opaque in two coats and dries very quickly. It is the perfect gold nail polish to have in your polish collection! It shines in the light, but can also be great for those who like neutrals. My only gripe with Ziv is that removal takes longer than usual due to the metallic quality of this polish. Other than that, it is a fantastic gold!

 

 

The other foil polish in the Ornate Collection is Logan, a stunning green with undertones of yellow and blue. Logan is truly the perfect Christmas green! I definitely plan on wearing this during the holidays. Just like Ziv, Logan is opaque in two coats and dries quickly. It was also a bit difficult to remove, but is worth it for the fabulous color. Logan is a very unique green polish, so if you love green this is a must have!

 

 

Up next in the Ornate Collection is Blaze. This polish is the first of three polishes in this line full of holographic glitters! Blaze is a deep red color that Zoya calls mulberry. It is opaque in two coats, and I just love the formula! The three holographic polishes in this collection apply very smoothly and easily, but the downside is they take a long time to dry. I suggest giving yourself plenty of drying time with these polishes, because you are going to want to wear them! The holographic glitter is stunning! I am not a huge fan of red nail polish, but Blaze is another that is just perfect for Christmas. Very festive!

 

 

The next holographic polish in the Ornate Collection is Aurora. This is my favorite polish in this collection! Aurora is what Zoya calls a sugarplum purple, but I definitely see this almost as a pink. Nonetheless, Aurora is absolutely gorgeous! The holographic glitter just brings this polish to life. Like Blaze, it is opaque in two coats. Make sure to give yourself that extra drying time, but it is so worth it! I even got compliments on this polish while I was on the Subway! If I had to get one polish from this collection, it would be Aurora.

 

 

Storm is the final holographic polish in the Ornate Collection, and is a black polish full of that eye-catching holographic glitter. Storm is opaque in two coats, and has that same amazing formula that Blaze and Aurora have. This is a great polish if you are looking to dress up a black manicure. It goes with any outfit, and the glitters really stand out against the black base. Storm is an alternative for those of us who like something more exciting than the basic black polish. It reminds me a bit of Orly Rock Solid (see review of that polish HERE), but instead of a grainy finish, it is smooth as can be! I love the glossy finish.

 

 

The sixth and final polish in the Ornate Collection is Electra. This polish is a clear base filled with holographic bar glitters. I decided to layer it over Storm in the photos above. Believe it or not, that is just one coat of Electra! As you can see, Storm is still quite visible underneath, so I wouldn’t want to wear Electra on its own (but you certainly can!). I am personally not a huge fan of bar glitter, but if you are then this polish is for you! It is unbelievably shiny! I suggest lots of top coat with Electra to make sure all the glitters stay in place.

I hope you like the Zoya Ornate Collection as much as I do! It is perfect for the holidays, and is right on trend for the season. You can purchase the Ornate Collection for $48, or each polish individually for $8, on the Zoya website HERE. Zoya will even throw in a free gift on any order over $30! Make sure you have this gorgeous collection on your nails this winter.

 

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

 

OpenSky: A Place for Discount Polish & More!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

A few weeks back, I heard about a new shopping website called OpenSky and decided to see if they had some nail polish for sale. Luckily, I found some normally high-priced polishes at discounted prices and just had to snag them up! Today I will show you a polish from ncLA that I got. Stay tuned for future posts about the other polishes!

 

 

 

This gorgeous polish is Hello, I Love You! from ncLA. It is a jelly polish in what ncLA calls a berry color. I would say it is somewhere between magenta and maroon. It is a gorgeous color for fall! This polish is really pretty, but the formula was a bit off. It was a little streaky, so I had to apply three coats. It is also really sheer, as with all jelly polishes, and took a really long time to dry. I did wake up with linen marks on my nails even though I applied the polish hours before I went to bed. I tweeted about my problem with the formula, and ncLA even replied saying that this was one of their sheerest polishes. Even though the formula was not the best, I really love the color of Hello, I Love You! Because it is so pretty I want to use it over and over!

The best part is this polish normally retails for $16, but I scored this bottle for just over $3 after using my credits for OpenSky! When you sign up for the website, you get $25 in credit. Plus, when you sign up through Facebook you get an additional $10 in credit — that’s $35 just for signing up! There is a catch, though. In order to use credits on OpenSky you have to spend a minimum of $50. Still, that’s $35 in free credits to use! OpenSky also rewards its users for being social. Whenever a friend buys something, you get a $5 credit, too. It’s a great website to score deals on all sorts of merchandise. You can join by clicking HERE.

Have you tried ncLA nail polish? What do you think of Hello, I Love You!?

Happy Belated Halloween!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

I originally planned to have this post up on Halloween, but it got a bit delayed due to Hurricane Sandy. After polling my Facebook fans, I’ve decided that it’s better late than never. Let me show you the fun manicure I wore for Halloween!

 

 

I began my manicure with two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Green with Envy. This polish is a creamy light green that is not neon enough to be called lime, but I would put it in that color family. I’ve had this polish for a long time and barely ever wear it because I thought the formula was a bit off. Imagine my surprise when I get this beautiful result on my nails! The polish was a little watery, but it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. When you pay around $3 for a bottle of polish, I think it is okay if it isn’t perfect! Overall, Green with Envy is a really fun green that I wouldn’t wear every day, but it was perfect for Halloween nails.

 

Next, I topped my manicure with two coats of this neon green, glow-in-the-dark pumpkin polish. These cute pumpkins can be found at Rite Aid drugstores around Halloween for just $2.99! I love that it is an every day affordable price. This polish is very sheer, so that is why I layered it over another green polish. The formula is easy to work with, but the disappointment is that it doesn’t glow in the dark very well. I was able to see the polish glow a bit, but none of my photos were able to capture the effect. Even though it didn’t glow brightly, it’s still a fun polish to wear!

 

 

Finally, I added an accent nail of The Koompa King from Dollish Polish. You can read more about The Koompa King HERE, but it is a glitter top coat that has orange and black glitters, so I thought it would be great for Halloween. It was the perfect touch on the lime green color, too!

I hope you enjoyed my Halloween manicure as much as I did, even though it was a bit late! What did you wear on your nails for Halloween?

 

Compare & Save: Sephora by OPI It’s Real 18k Gold Top Coat

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

One of the latest trends sweeping the nail polish nation is the 18k gold top coat. That’s right! You can wear real gold on your fingers if you’re willing to pay the price. For around $30 you can purchase a real gold top coat from a number of nail polish brands. OPI just released The Man With the Golden Gun ($30), Jessica Cosmetics has Gold Leaf ($29.95), and Zoya has the Gilty Box, which includes the gold polish plus a black & white polish for layering ($35). Because of these steep price tags, I was going to pass up on having golden fingers, but I lucked out! While at Sephora inside JCP a couple weeks back, I found the Sephora by OPI It’s Real polish on clearance for $8. I couldn’t believe it! I snagged that beauty up right away. Let me show you how gorgeous it is!

It comes in a fancy box!

 

 

 

I layered It’s Real over Julep’s Eloise (see Eloise HERE). I used one coat to get the look in the photos. It’s Real is in a clear base, so you can layer it over any polish to add some gold! What makes this polish really unique, is that the flakes of gold are all different sizes and shapes. You never know the exact look you are going to get! I really like the subtle, golden shine that one coat of It’s Real has, but if you want more just add on another coat. I felt really fancy having gold on my nails!

You can find It’s Real at Sephora stores and online HERE. You will notice that online the price of It’s Real is $15, so I suggest going to your nearest Sephora store to see if you can find one on clearance for $8 like I did. If you have a Sephora inside JCP near you, definitely check there first!

We should never have to pass up on a fabulous nail polish trend just because it is expensive! With a little searching, we can always find a more affordable (but just as fabulous!) option.

Essie Stylenomics: The Best Things in Life are Free!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

It’s true! The best things in life really are free! Have you heard of the website Klout? I’ll be honest, it is a bit confusing to use. Basically, you connect your social networks all in one place, and Klout measures how influential you are. You then receive a Klout score, and you become eligible for perks. Essie has teamed up with Klout on a few occasions to reward Klout members that are influential about nail polish, and I was lucky enough to score a free bottle of Essie in Stylenomics! Let me show you this gorgeous fall color.

Essie Stylenomics is from the Fall 2012 line by the same name. It is a very dark green polish that looked almost black on my nails. I applied two coats and had no problems whatsoever with the formula! It also dried quickly. I do wish that the polish was more green, but I think this is a great polish for fall. I love the cream finish, too. I definitely recommend Stylenomics! Make sure you grab a bottle at your local drugstore or department store before it is gone.

Also, be sure to join Klout HERE! You never know when you could get a free nail polish, too.

P.S. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered my giveaway! All winners have been contacted by email.

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Sephora by OPI It’s My Pink!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Pink nail polish is my all time favorite, and It’s My Pink! from Sephora by OPI is no exception. I received this polish in a grab bag I purchased in a nail polish swap group for $20. A lot of nail polish aficionados end up selling their unwanted (and unused!) polish in grab bags to clear them out. I got an amazing bag with two full size indie polishes, and lots of other goodies. The value was well over $20. I was also really excited to get It’s My Pink! in the bag. I had been eyeing it on Copious for some time!

It’s My Pink! is from the Betsey Johnson line featured only at Sephora stores. The formula was great! I applied two coats for full opacity, and there were no streaks whatsoever. It also dried very quickly. My only complaint with this polish is that it did chip along the tips after about a day or two. Otherwise, I love this polish and plan to use it very frequently. I already used it as a pedicure, too!

Not only is It’s My Pink! a gorgeous Barbie pink, but it is scented! Once the polish dries, you will smell Betsey Johnson’s fragrance Too Too. The smell is not overwhelming, but is just enough for you to notice it. I loved the scent, and actually painted on an extra coat after a few days so I could revive the perfume. I know that a lot of people are not a fan of scented nail polishes, but this fragrance is so light that you should give it a try. This is an all-around fantastic polish!

 

I also finished up with an accent nail of OPI Nothin’ Mousie ‘Bout It from the Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection! This is a light pink glitter polish with hearts in it. I think it went perfectly with It’s My Pink! It gave my manicure a little something extra, without being too glittery.

If you love pink nail polish, I definitely suggest buying a bottle of It’s My Pink! The original retail price is $9.50, but Sephora has the Betsey Johnson line on sale for just $5 now. Try to find this polish before it sells out!

Favorite Friday: Neon Pink + Glitter

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I bring you a look created with two of my favorite nail polishes. Every Friday I like to use a polish that I love, but that I haven’t used in a while. I thought today would be the perfect time to use a neon pink with glitter over it. Remember when I got L.A. City Nights from Jordana? I knew that it needed to be used over pink! You can read that post HERE. Not only is today’s manicure fabulous, but I used polishes that both retail for $1.99 each! They can be found at your local drugstores.

 

 

I began with two coats of Plastic Flamingo by Spoiled. This polish has been featured many times on my blog already, but it is such a great neon pink! The formula is a little streaky, but it evens out with two coats. For just $1.99, there is no excuse to not have Plastic Flamingo in your nail polish stash. The best part is that neon pinks are still in for fall! I’ve spotted many girls sporting this color on the subway.

 

 

I’ve worn Plastic Flamingo alone a few times, but today I wanted some extra sparkle. Jordana Glitters in L.A. City Nights is a glitter polish with fine purple grains and small blue hexagonal glitters. I applied one thick coat over the neon pink, and then applied a glossy topcoat. I absolutely love the look! It is so fun! I wish I could capture the glitter better, but as you can see it is quite bright and sparkly! It is definitely the perfect manicure for the weekend, or any day! I love that Jordana nail polishes are sold for $1.99 also. How can you go wrong?

What do you think of my Favorite Friday manicure? Do you rock similar polishes?

Wet ‘n Wild Chrome Stay Outta My Bismuth — A Clearance Bin Find!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Drugstores are the perfect place to find fabulous and affordable nail polish, but the best place to look is in the clearance section! Not all drugstores have a regular clearance department, but if you’re lucky, you’ll find a bin with with some polishes on markdown. Sometimes the bin will be in the beauty aisle, other times it will be somewhere else in the store. I was thrilled to find this bottle of Wet ‘n Wild Chrome in a basket near the front of my local Rite Aid for only $1! I couldn’t pass up this gorgeous blue polish, especially when other stores are still selling the Chrome collection for $3.99. Take a look at Stay Outta My Bismuth!

 

 

Stay Outta My Bismuth is a gorgeous metallic blue polish mixed with gold shimmer. It is super shiny, and has a unique finish. The formula was different in that it wasn’t creamy, and wasn’t sheer. It applied evenly, though, and I only needed two coats to achieve opacity.  My one dislike about this polish was the brush. For some reason it was a bit fanned out, and that made it hard to get used to. Other than that, I loved this polish! It is like nothing else in my collection!

 

You can find Wet ‘n Wild Chrome polishes at your local drugstore or department store for $3.99. This is a limited edition collection, but I recently saw a full display near me, so they are still available for purchase. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find them in a clearance bin, too! If not, keep your eye out for a $1 off Wet ‘n Wild coupon that is floating around right now. Who doesn’t love the extra savings?!

Have you tried any polishes from the Wet ‘n Wild Chrome line? What are your best clearance finds?