Category: Nails

New Milani High Speed Fast Dry Nail Lacquer for 2014

Happy Wednesday! Not only is Milani releasing the amazing Gold Label Specialty Nail Lacquers this month, but there are also three, brand new colors in the High Speed Fast Dry line. These polishes are designed to be a full coverage, one coat formula. I first tried this line back in March (see that post HERE), and I was so excited when I saw the new colors. Let me show you the three new shades for 2014!

Milani – Aqua Brisk Milani – Aqua BriskFirst up is Aqua Brisk, a bright aqua creme polish. Aqua Brisk is definitely a perfect, one coat formula. I’m really impressed that such a light colored shade is so opaque in one coat! Plus, the bright color is beautiful and right up my alley. I’m obsessing over Aqua Brisk for sure!

Milani – Sangria Rush Milani – Sangria RushNext up is Sangria Rush, a deep berry creme polish. Sangria Rush is also a one coat formula, living up to Milani’s claim! This polish is definitely a rich shade, and very on trend for this winter. I see a lot of women rocking polishes like Sangria Rush around NYC!

Milani – Blue Zoom Milani – Blue ZoomLast but not least is Blue Zoom, an electric blue creme polish. Blue Zoom is a polish after my heart. I just love bright blue nail polishes, and this one is amazing! Blue Zoom is a true one coater, and I can’t get enough of it. With its high-shine finish, I won’t even need to worry about top coat!

All in all, I am loving these new High Speed Fast Dry polishes from Milani! They are all truly one coat formulas, and the colors are just beautiful. They are available at CVS stores for just $4.69 each. You can also purchase them on Milani’s website HERE. Have you tried any polishes from this line? If so, let me know what you think 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. 

Flashy Fingers with Nail Rock Sequin Manicure

Happy Monday! One of the items in my January Birchbox was a nail art kit from the brand Nail Rock. Of course, I had to give it a try! This kit is designed to give you a sequined manicure. I’ve never tried anything like this before, so I was definitely intrigued. Let me show you what is inside the kit, and the fancy fingers I created!

Nail Rock Sequin Kit in GreenThe Nail Rock Sequin kit comes with one bottle of Rock Polish Grip and one nail sequin pot. My kit is in the shade Green. I love that the price tag is just $7.00 – over half off the competing product made by Ciaté! This kit also comes with a direction sheet, that explains all you have to do is apply two coats of the Rock Polish Grip, and dunk your nail into the pot to complete the look.

Nail Rock Sequin Manicure Nail Rock Sequin ManicureHere is my completed manicure! I followed the directions, and I think the result is pretty awesome. I actually really like how it turned out. Of course, this is not a practical manicure for daily life, but if you have a special event you want some extra bling for, this will definitely work! I highly recommend laying down newspaper or a paper towel before opening the sequin pot. Even though I was careful to not spill the sequins, they still migrated a bit outside my paper towel. Removal, however, was a breeze. All you need is regular nail polish remover.

All in all, I thought it was so fun to try out this sequined manicure. I felt so flashy with my nails decked out, but I don’t know if or when I’ll recreate the look. Nail Rock does have several other nail art kits, which can be purchased on the Birchbox website HERE. Have you ever tried a sequined manicure? Let me know in the comments!

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

Geometric Rose Garden Nail Art featuring Nail Stickers from Born Pretty Store

Happy Saturday! It’s still officially winter, but my nails are ready for the spring! Born Pretty Store sent me some beautiful rose nail stickers to review, and I decided to put together a geometric rose garden manicure. I’ve been really inspired with nail art lately, so I hope you like what I’ve put together. Let me show you the rose stickers and the look I created.

Gold 3D Nail Art Stickers | Rose DesignHere is the sheet of nail stickers from Born Pretty Store. The sheet contains 28 golden rose stickers in a few different designs, and retails for just $2.22 HERE! Instead of just placing these on a solid background, I thought it would be fun to use both green and pink together to symbolize the flower and stem colors.

Julep – PaytonI began my manicure using Julep Payton as a green base. You can see my full review of Payton HERE, but I thought the bright green color and creme finish would be the perfect base for my rose garden!

Julep – DrewNext, I let Payton dry completely, and then used scotch tape to mark off sections of each nail. I did a different design on each nail, but you can do each nail the same if you like. Once the tape was in place, I used Julep Drew as my pink, rose color. Before Drew dried, I carefully peeled off the tape. I have a few minor mistakes, but no worries – my roses can go right on top of the less-than-perfect parts! I let Drew dry, and then used butter LONDON Hardwear Topcoat to even out the edges.

Geometric Rose Garden Finally, I added a rose nail sticker to each nail. It is so easy to use these stickers. All you have to do is peel and place! I followed up with another layer of top coat to seal everything in place. I chose to use a sticker on each nail, but this look is customizable to you! Use the stickers on an accent nail, or use the same design on each nail. The sticker sheet has enough stickers for 2+ manicures, depending on how many you use.

Geometric Rose GardenAll in all, I am really loving this geometric rose garden nail art! It is simple to create, yet looks funky and feminine at the same time. As always, you can purchase fabulous and affordable nail art supplies on Born Pretty Store’s website HERE. Use discount code FZL91 for an additional 10% off. Let me know in the comments what you think of my manicure!

Born Pretty Store | Adventures in PolishlandThe 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. 

Pinspiration | Dry Brush Technique featuring Milani Gold Labels

Happy Tuesday! I was loving the new Milani Gold Label Specialty Nail Lacquers so much that I knew I had to create a nail art look with them. I browsed through my Nail & Beauty Inspiration Board on Pinterest for ideas, and settled on the Dry Brush Technique. I first learned of this nail art method on The Lacquerologist back in December, and Pinned the blog post for later. I love the easy tutorial that Emily created, and knew I’d be trying it out at some point. Let me show you the look I created!

Dry Brush Nail Art Dry Brush Nail ArtTo create this bright and funky manicure, I followed Emily’s tutorial and used polishes from the new Milani Gold Label line. I began with a base color of Popping Pink, and used Vivid Violet, Power Periwinkle, and Sugar High with the dry brush technique. I sealed the look with butter LONDON’s Hardwear Topcoat, and I really love the final result! The look was so easy to create, and the bright colors go so well together. Plus, I couldn’t resist adding in a bit of glitter, too.

Dry Brush Nail ArtAll in all, I’m so glad I tried out the dry brush technique after seeing it on The Lacquerologist! It’s simple, yet looks really cool. The possibilities are endless as well, so I’ll definitely have to try this again in the future! Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried this technique, or if there are any nail art designs you would like me to test out on Adventures in Polishland.

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

New Milani Gold Label Specialty Nail Lacquer for 2014 | Part 2 of 2

Happy Sunday! Today I have part two of the new Milani Gold Labels to share with all of you. If you missed the bright creme shades, make sure you check them out HERE! Each of the creme shades has a corresponding glitter top coat that goes along with it. Of course, they can be mixed and matched, but I decided to review them as a pair. Each manicure in this post is sealed with butter LONDON’s Hardwear Topcoat, and features one coat of glitter. Let me show you these gorgeous glitters!

Milani – Sugar Coated Milani – Sugar CoatedFirst up is Sugar Coated layered over Showy Sea-Green. Sugar Coated has lime green bar glitters and lime hexagons in both small and medium sizes. There is also a sprinkling of holographic glitter mixed throughout for an added sparkle. I’m really impressed with the amount of glitters that apply to the nail in one coat. The mono-color effect is really unique as well!

Milani – Sugar Rush Milani – Sugar RushNext up is Sugar Rush over Popping Pink. Sugar Rush contains medium hexagonal glitters in lime green, peach, white, and mirrored silver. The glitters apply to the nail with ease, and this is one of my favorite polish combinations in the collection. I just love how fun this manicure is!

Milani – Sugar Burst Milani – Sugar Burst The pink version of Sugar Coated is Sugar Burst! I have one coat layered over Splendid Strawberry, and this is a great combination. No fishing for glitters needed, and I love the light pink glitters and holographic sparkle over a brighter pink shade. This manicure is perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Milani – Sugar High Milani – Sugar HighNext up is Sugar High layered over Colorful Coral. Sugar High contains small hexagonal glitters in dark blue, light blue, peach, yellow, and bright pink. This mix of colors looks great over an orange shade, and can definitely be used over a lot of different polishes for a new look every time. I also love the amount of glitters I can get with just one coat of Sugar High!

Milani – Sugar Cane Milani – Sugar CaneThe most unique polish in this collection is Sugar Cane. I have Sugar Cane layered over Vivid Violet. This glitter top coat contains blue and pink bar glitters, and small, medium, and large white hexagons. I did have to fish for the large hexagons, but the other glitters applied with ease. In fact, I got tons of bar glitters! Sugar Cane is really funky, and I definitely have nothing else like it!

Milani – Sugar Rim Milani – Sugar RimLast but not least is Sugar Rim, which I layered over Power Periwinkle. Sugar Rim contains red, yellow, and black grains, small light blue hexagons, and silver shards. I do wish that the silver shards were easier to get onto the nail, but otherwise this is an awesome glitter polish. I can see myself wearing this manicure more in the future for sure!

All in all, the glitters from the new Milani Gold Labels are just as awesome as the brights. I honestly cannot speak highly enough of this collection, especially of the $4.69 price tag. These polishes are definitely fabulous and affordable, and can be combined in a variety of ways. All the Milani Gold Label Specialty Nail Lacquers will be available at CVS starting in February. Let me know which of these polishes is your favorite in the comments!

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

New Milani Gold Label Specialty Nail Lacquer for 2014 | Part 1 of 2

Happy Friday! With the new year comes new nail polishes, and I am just drooling over the new Milani releases. I will have several Milani posts for you in the coming days, but first up is part one of the Gold Label Specialty Nail Lacquers. I am seriously loving all of these bright, creme shades. Let’s jump right into the polishes!

Milani – Showy Sea-Green Milani – Showy Sea-GreenFirst up is Showy Sea-Green, a true green nail polish. Showy Sea-Green is a mix of sea foam green and tree green for me, but whatever the hue, I’m loving this polish! The formula is good, and opaque in two coats. I am a huge green nail polish fan, and I can’t wait to wear this one throughout the spring and summer.

Milani – Popping Pink Milani – Popping PinkNext up is Popping Pink, a neon pink polish. Popping Pink is beyond flawless. The formula is great, it’s opaque in two coats, and the color is amazing! I might be a bit obsessed with neon pink, but if you are, too, Popping Pink is a must! I can guarantee you that this is my new go-to polish.

Milani – Splendid Strawberry Milani – Splendid Strawberry Splendid Strawberry is also a bright pink, but with a bit more of a red pigmentation to it. Just like all these polishes, Splendid Strawberry has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. It really stands out against my fair skin tone, and I think Splendid Strawberry would look great on anyone!

Milani – Colorful Coral Milani – Colorful CoralIf you love orange nails, check out Colorful Coral! This is a bright orange polish with an excellent formula. It’s opaque in two coats, and is super cheerful. Colorful Coral is definitely a wearable orange shade. Plus, it’s perfect for nail art!

Milani – Vivid Violet Milani – Vivid Violet Next up is Vivid Violet, a bright, lilac purple polish. Vivid Violet has a great formula, and is opaque in two coats. I love that a lighter hued purple is turned into a bright shade with this polish. While I love pastels, it’s nice to have a sharp lilac shade, too. Vivid Violet is a great addition to any polish collection!

Milani – Power Periwinkle Milani – Power Periwinkle Last but not least is Power Periwinkle, a gorgeous periwinkle blue polish. Power Periwinkle’s formula is amazing, and applies like a dream. I used two coats, and I’m loving it! Just like Vivid Violet, Milani has turned a usually pastel shade into a bright color. Power Periwinkle is great for the colder months, as well as the spring and summer!

All in all, I am really impressed with these new Milani Gold Labels. Not only are the formulas awesome, but the colors are right up my alley. If you love brights as much as I do, these are a great addition to your collection. These polishes will be available at CVS stores starting in February for just $4.69 each. Stay tuned for part two of this collection, and other Milani beauties!

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

 

Earthy Nail Art featuring Born Pretty Store Nail Stones & Zoya Naturel Collection

Happy Wednesday! I’ve got something a bit different on Adventures in Polishland today, and that is a nail art look that I created for the Born Pretty Store Year End Nail Art Contest. Born Pretty sent me the nail art stones so I could review them and put together a look for the contest, and I felt quite inspired. Let me show you the manicure I put together!

Born Pretty Store Nail StonesHere is what the Nail Stones look like – you can see them above on the business card. These stones are made of cabochon, and are a beautiful, marbled tan color. You can get five of these stones on Born Pretty’s website HERE for just $0.99! Since these stones remind me of the earth, so I grabbed the Zoya Naturel Collection to create my nail art look!

Earthy Nail Art Earthy Nail ArtHere is my completed nail art look! I knew I wanted to highlight the nail stones as double accent nails, and then I just went from there. To keep with the rounded visual of the stones, I chose to do a cloud design on the other fingers.

Here is a breakdown of my manicure:

  • Cloud Nails – base of Zoya Taylor, then Zoya Odette and Zoya Rue respectively.
  • Accent Nails – base of Zoya Brigitte, then nail stone in center of nail. Zoya Rue placed around half of the stone, one nail on top, the other on bottom.

Earthy Nail ArtThis manicure was surprisingly simple to create! To apply the nail stones, I simply pressed them into my nail polish when it was still tacky, and then applied top coat. For more information on how to create a cloud manicure, take a look at THIS Pin that I used as a guide. Not only are the nail stones easy to use, but they can be reused as well! Talk about a bargain!

All in all, I am absolutely loving this earthy nail art look! The Zoya Naturel Collection goes perfectly with the nail stones, and I feel like my nails look fancy yet not crazy thanks to the subdued color palette. As always, you can find great nail art supplies on the Born Pretty Store website for amazing prices and free international shipping. For an even better price, use code FZL91 for 10% off. You can also enter the Born Pretty Store End of Year Contest if you’d like – full details HERE. Let me know what you think of my nail art in the comments!

Born Pretty Store | Adventures in Polishland

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.

Review & Giveaway | Chrome Girl Nail Lacquer

Happy Monday! I’ve partnered up with the awesome online retailer Planet Beauty to bring you another great review and giveaway. This time I’m showcasing a new-to-me nail polish brand called Chrome Girl. Launched in February of 2013 by two girlfriends, Chrome Girl is 4-Free and Made in the USA. Let me show you these beautiful polishes, and stay tuned for the giveaway at the end!

Chrome Girl Nail Lacquer First, I wanted to highlight the Chrome Girl bottles. I love the rectangular shape, and despite looking smaller than your average bottle, these are full size at 0.5oz. These bottles are going to be so easy to store, and I even love the silver font on the front. Packaging isn’t the most important thing about nail polish, of course, but I’m loving the unique Chrome Girl bottles.

Chrome Girl – 2gether Forevs Chrome Girl – 2gether ForevsThe first Chrome Girl I tried is 2gether Forevs, a lilac purple creme polish. 2gether Forevs has a dream formula that is opaque in two coats. I wore this polish for four days without top coat and only experienced slight tip wear. I highly recommend 2gether Forevs for sure!

Chrome Girl – Pucker Up Chrome Girl – Pucker UpNext up is Pucker Up, a bright pink creme polish. Pucker Up also has an amazing formula, and I applied two coats to achieve opacity. While not a very unique shade, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a bright pink. I own quite a few in my collection, and I’m so glad to add this to the pile! Plus, it’s a great Valentine’s Day color!

Chrome Girl – Birthday Suit Chrome Girl – Birthday SuitLast but not least is Birthday Suit, a pastel pink creme polish. Birthday Suit has a good formula, and I suggest careful application to avoid any streaking since this shade is so light. I applied two coats to achieve opacity, and I’m liking the result! Birthday Suit reminds me of a ballerina, and I think it’s so feminine. If you’re looking for a great, work appropriate polish, I think Birthday Suit is a great choice!

GIVEAWAY

Planet Beauty is kindly sponsoring a giveaway! One of you will win three Chrome Girl polishes. Please read the Terms & Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget below before entering. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chrome Girl polishes can be purchased on Planet Beauty’s website HERE for $10 each. For a limited time, all orders over $34 receive free shipping throughout the United States!

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. 

My First Manicure in 2014 featuring JulieG Silver Bells!

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 JulieG – Silver BellsJulieG 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.

JulieG – Silver Bells 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!

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

PONDS Makeup Remover WipesI’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

Burt's Bees Honey & Grapseed Hand CreamDespite 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

First Aid Beauty Eye CreamI’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

Reach Dental Floss

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

Julep & JulieG Nail PolishLast 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!