Nails – Page 27 – Adventures in Polishland

Category: Nails

Born Pretty Store Brush Set Review & Nail Art FAIL!

Posted on May 20, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Today’s post is a review of a brush set from Born Pretty Store that led to a nail art fail! I was so excited to receive this set, as I am not a nail art expert and I thought this set would help me create beautiful designs. Well, the set is great, but let’s be real – special brushes aren’t going to magically improve my art skills! I wasn’t going to include my manicure fail, but I wanted to show it so you can see that not all nail polish bloggers are professionals, and because it took me a lot of time and effort to even create this look. Let me just jump right in and share the brush kit and manicure with you!

This brush kit comes with six nail art brushes and a dotting tool. The brushes come in all different sizes, and the set even includes a fan brush. The dotting tool is quite small, but definitely a great tool to have in your collection. This set retails for a very affordable $5.46, and can be purchased HERE. The brushes all seem to be very nice quality, though because this is my first nail art brush kit I can’t compare the set to others.

I experimented with a lot of the brushes in this set, but unfortunately couldn’t get any great results yet. I think this is definitely a practice makes perfect type of thing! For the manicure you see below, I used this angled brush. I attempted to do a striped design.

Well, here’s my manicure fail! I began with Zoya Rooney as a base color, and Rocha for the stripes. I waited until Rooney was dry before painting on my stripes. The brush itself was fine, but my hands were so shaky that I just couldn’t get a straight line. These are my art skills at their finest!

All in all, I’m still glad I got the chance to try out this brush kit from Born Pretty Store. I’m sure with practice my nail art will improve, but I hope you don’t mind that I shared my fail manicure with you today. Believe it or not I worked hard on it! If you have a difficult time making your nail art look good, you are not alone! Don’t get discouraged – you can still get beautiful nails with stickers, rhinestones, etc. Have you ever had a fail manicure? Tell me about it 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.

Products I’ve Used Up #3

Posted on May 18, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! It’s time for another round of products I’ve used up where I share mini reviews about all of the different products I’ve used the last couple months. I actually finished these products up a few weeks ago, but am just now getting around to posting this entry. That means another one is probably not too far behind. Nonetheless, let me share my empties with you!

NAIL CARE

CVS Strengthening Polish Remover – I am always going through nail polish remover! This is the purple formula that you can find at the drugstore. It was alright, but I’ll be going back to normal acetone. That stuff really works!
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Rockstar Pink – I went to use one of my all-time favorite nail polishes just to discover it was all dried up! What a bummer! I used this so much during my senior year of college that my suitemates knew it was my signature polish. At some point I’ll be repurchasing this. [BUY]

HAIR CARE

L’Oreal Triple Resist Reinforcing Shampoo – I really love this line from L’Oreal. It’s super affordable, and my hair reacts well to it. If you are looking for a good shampoo from the drugstore, I highly recommend this line.
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment – If you’ve been reading Adventures in Polishland for a while, you know I love this hair oil! I’ve repurchased it again, so I’m currently working on my third bottle. I know this is expensive, so I always buy it when I get a percent off coupon from CVS! [BUY]

MAKEUP AND MAKEUP REMOVER

Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium – I absolutely love this eyebrow gel! It fills in your brows while keeping them groomed. I used it on days where I wanted just a bit of color on my brows. I wish it wasn’t so expensive or I would repurchase it for sure. [BUY]
Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray – You can tell it took me a long time to use up my De Slick setting spray because this is the old packaging! It lasted me nearly a year, and I’ve already repurchased the All Nighter version. I definitely recommend these setting sprays! [BUY]
Simple Cleansing Wipes – I haven’t been using makeup remover wipes as much, but I did go through another pack of Simple wipes. They’re not my favorite, but they get the job done! [BUY]
Almay Lash Care Eye Makeup Remover Pads – I loved these pads! They do an excellent job of removing that stubborn mascara, and they’re very gentle. I would definitely consider repurchasing these in the future. [BUY]

SKINCARE

Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips – These strips are amazing! I try to use them once per week to clean out my pores. I do recommend them, but read all of the instructions before use so you don’t damage your skin. I’m working on a new box now! [BUY]
Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away Cleanser – I got this free sample of this cleanser and I did like it, but wasn’t amazed by it. I didn’t see a huge difference in my skin when I used it, so I don’t think I’ll repurchase it. I do like the other products in the Olay Fresh Effects line, though! [BUY]

BODY CARE

CVS Hand Sanitizer – I always keep a small hand sanitizer in my purse or school bag. You never know when you’re going to need to clean your hands on the go!
Bath & Bodyworks Hand Sanitizer in Mango Paradise – I also used up the sanitizer that lives on my desk! I got this last year for free with a coupon at Bath & Bodyworks. It did smell nice, but I prefer unscented sanitizer. For that reason, I’m not going to repurchase it.
Lady Gage Fame Perfume Sample – I absolutely love Lady Gaga’s perfume! It smells amazing, and I’ve used up all the samples of it that I’ve gotten with Sephora orders. At some point I’ll probably purchase the full size. I highly recommend it! [BUY]
Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Body Wash – I splurged on some Philosophy body wash a few months ago, and I’m glad I did! This one smells just like vanilla cake, and is a great treat. I would get it again during a sale event, but it’s a little expensive for every day. [BUY]
Dove Go Fresh Deodorant in Revive – I’ve used Dove deodorants for a long time since they are affordable and worked well for me. However, I think my body has become used to it, so I’m on the hunt for a great new deodorant. Let me know your favorite in the comments! [BUY]

And those are all of my empties for my third Products I’ve Used Up post! Please let me know what products you’ve recently used up that you are going to repurchase in the comments!

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

Zoya Bubbly Collection for Summer 2014

Posted on May 14, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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!

First 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.

Next 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 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!

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!

Binx 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!

Last 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

Posted on May 12, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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!

First 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!

Next 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 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.

Rooney 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.

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!

Last 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

Posted on May 5, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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!

Falling 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!

All 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.

Gold 3D Nail Art + Born Pretty Store Giveaway!

Posted on April 27, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Today I have another post reviewing nail art supplies from Born Pretty Store, and a giveaway for all of you! Born Pretty Store keeps track of every time one of you uses my coupon code, and decided it was time to thank all of you for being customers. First, I’ll show you a look I created with some gold, 3D rhinestones. Then I’ll post information about the giveaway at the end!

I’ve tried out some fancy nail art supplies from Born Pretty Store in the past, but these 3D gold rhinestones certainly take the cake! I really liked the swirly design, since it reminded me of a G-clef. Unfortunately, my nails were a bit too short to fit the rhinestone! I made it work, though, and painted my nails with Julep Morgan. While Morgan was still tacky, I carefully pressed the rhinestone onto my nail. As the polish dried, the rhinestone was locked into place, but for a bit more security you can always add a touch of eyelash glue.

I also put a rhinestone on my thumb in a diagonal. I think it looks awesome, so I took a rare thumb photo! If your nails are long, I think these rhinestones would work wonderfully for you. They were just a bit too long for me, but I still liked the fancy manicure I got. What do you think of it? You can purchase a pack of 5 rhinestones for just $2.63 HERE. For the additional 10% off, use my coupon code FZL91!

GIVEAWAY

Born Pretty Store provided me with two products to give away to a luck one of you! One person will win a pack of Ferrari nail wraps and a pack of Hello Kitty nail stickers! Because these products don’t contain any liquids or hazardous chemicals, the giveaway will be international! Please read all of the rules set forth in the Terms & Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. The giveaway prizes are courtesy of Born Pretty Store. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Yi Kou Nail Wraps from Born Pretty Store

Posted on April 22, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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.

Each 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!

I 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. Have 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

Posted on April 15, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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!

The 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!

I 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

Posted on April 7, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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.

Each 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.

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!

Application 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.

All 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

Posted on March 31, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

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!

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!”

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.