Nails – Page 37 – Adventures in Polishland

Category: Nails

Indie Spotlight: The Escape Collection from Rainbow Polish

Posted on April 18, 2013July 13, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I am very excited to be sharing three beautiful polishes from the indie brand Rainbow Polish’s new Escape Collection. I have never tried Rainbow Polish before, and I am so impressed with the ones I’m about to show you today. Even the packaging is great — the bottles and labels are professionally done. Here is a quick look at the polishes in the bottle, and then a detailed review!

First up is Wild Orchid, a beautiful pink jelly polish with scattered holographic glitter and blue and purple hexagonal glitters. Wild Orchid is opaque in two coats and has a great, full coverage formula. The polish glides on so easily, and I just love the color combination. Wild Orchid is like a jelly sandwich manicure in one polish!

Next up is Stinging Jellyfish, a multicolored glitter top coat with holographic bar glitters mixed in! I layered one coat over Spoiled in Plastic Flamingo. Stinging Jellyfish has a great formula, and is absolutely stunning! It can make any nail polish color have an instant rock star quality! The photos above don’t do the sparkle justice — when the holographic glitters hit the light it looks amazing!

Last but not least is Tahitian Waters, a light blue jelly base with holographic grains, medium pink hexagons, large holographic hexagons, and holographic squares. I layered one coat over Sally Hansen Barracuda since the formula is too sheer to be worn alone. Once again I am so impressed with the formula of this polish! The glitters apply with ease — absolutely no fishing for them whatsoever! Tahitian Waters is such a unique polish, and perfect for summer!

All in all, I am loving these polishes from the Rainbow Polish Escape Collection. These are just three of the eight available, so be sure to head on over to her Etsy shop HERE to see the full collection. Each polish retails for $8.50, but you get a discount when you buy the whole collection at $49. You can also stay up to date with Rainbow Polish on Facebook HERE.

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

What’s Under There? Part One

Posted on April 16, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Today’s post will feature the nail polishes that I’ve used for the base color of some of the glitter manicures on my blog. I often review glitters, but I don’t always have the chance to show you the base color underneath and let you know about that polish in depth. I thought I would review some of those polishes for you today and let you know what I had on under those glitters! I hope this will be a recurring series on my blog, so let me know if you like it! Let me show you the polishes I recently wore under some glitters by Shimmer Polish!

First up is Virtual Violet from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. Virtual Violet is a metallic light purple nail polish with blue undertones. The formula is sheer, but buildable. I achieved opacity in two coats, but added a third for a stronger duochrome effect between the purple and blue. I absolutely love the look of Virtual Violet! It has an amazing glossy finish with no top coat needed. I love such a bright duochrome polish, since most are darker colors. Virtual Violet can be purchased at your local drugstore for around $3.

Next up is Fashionista Lisa from Wet ‘n Wild Wild Shine. Fashionista Lisa is a fun purple nail polish that leans towards magenta. This polish has a good formula, but is a little patchy. I needed three coats to achieve opacity. Fashionista Lisa has a beautiful satin finish that I love! While this polish retails for just $0.99, it is a part of the limited edition Saved by the Nail collection that came out last fall. You may be able to grab one at your local Ocean State Job Lot store! I heard they were spotted there!

Last but not least is Julep Morgan, a dark purple nail polish with blue shimmer. Morgan is a fabulous polish, and is opaque in two coats. It dries quite quickly, and has that great Julep formula that I have come to expect. I got this in the It Girl intro box back in August, but Morgan is still available on Julep’s website HERE for $14 (or $11.20 for Maven members). While this is definitely a splurge purchase in my book, I think it is a great dark purple and I love the shimmer! If you can, grab this during a sale!

As it turns out, this post of What’s Under There? was actually a purple edition! I didn’t plan that out, but I hope you enjoyed seeing these different purple polishes. Don’t forget, all of these polishes were used in glitter manicures as well! To see how I used them with Shimmer Polish, simply click HERE. Stay tuned for more What’s Under There? posts in the future!

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

Macaron Day Inspired Manicure!

Posted on April 12, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have a fun post inspired by the delicious French treats, macarons. Back in March, New York City hosted its annual Macaron Day, where bakeries around the city give free macarons to anyone who walks in! A percentage of any proceeds the shops make that day go to ending hunger in NYC. You can learn more about Macaron Day on its website HERE. I was able to stop by two locations, and snapped the Instagram photo below of the macarons my friend and I got. She suggested I do macaron nail art, so I gave it a try!

I knew I wanted to use a light blue and a pink nail polish to create this look, so I grabbed Sinful Colors in Cinderella and Covergirl Outlast in My Papaya. Both are shimmery colors that reminded me of the sugary sweetness in the macarons. Plus, you can find both at your local drugstore for great prices! Sinful Colors retails for just $1.99 and Covergirl for just $5.99. If you hurry, you could also grab My Papaya on Amazon HERE for the low price of $3.89 (there are only two left as I type this!). Let me show you the cute and simply manicure I created!

For my macaron manicure I did a color-blocked style. I painted two nails with Cinderella and two with My Papaya. For my thumb, I applied My Papaya, just because I liked that polish more. It was opaque in two coats while Cinderella was sheer and required three. Other than that, both polishes had great formulas, and I plan on using them again in the future! I just love how the shimmer in both catches the light and adds the perfect touch. I also included the business card for the Macaron Parlour in the photo. If you are in NYC, stop by and grab a tasty treat! You can see more on their website HERE. I highly recommend it!

All in all, I thought this was such a fun idea for a manicure! It was quite easy to create, but I enjoyed the sentiment behind it. Have you ever based a manicure on food?! If so, let me know in the comments!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Adventures in Polishland Celebrates her 1 Year Blogiversary with Covergirl Outlast Nail Polish!

Posted on April 10, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today is my one year blogiversary! Exactly one year ago today I began this blog and uploaded my first post. I can’t believe how far I have come, and I am always so thankful for your support. I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to share with you some of my new favorite nail polishes. The Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant line has been catching my eye at drugstores lately, and I knew I had to try a few. I purchased two for myself, and then won two in a giveaway! I can’t wait to show you these fabulous and affordable polishes!

Here is a quick photo of the four polishes I’m reviewing today! I love the square bottles, as they are eye-catching and great for storage. As you can see, I have four shades that are perfect for spring and summer, but Covergirl also offers dark colors, shimmers, and some glitters as well! There is so much to choose from!

First up is Coral Silk, a bright peach creme. Coral Silk is the one disappointment I’ve had with these Covergirl nail polishes so far. The formula was a thick, streaky mess. Although it was opaque in two coats, I wanted to add a third to even everything out. I also found that this formula was very tacky, and would probably take a very long time to dry. It’s hard to tell in the photos above how messy it was! Alas, Coral Silk was no fun to deal with despite the pretty color.

Up next is Out of the Blue, a stunning bright blue polish! This polish has an absolutely perfect formula and application and is opaque in just one coat! I love any one coat polishes, but Out of the Blue is so beautiful! It is just a great shade for spring and summer, and makes me happy when I wear it. The shade is also exactly the same on the nail as it is in the bottle. I highly recommend Out of the Blue!

Mint Mojito is the next Covergirl nail polish I have to show you. This is a dusty mint green creme polish. The formula is a little streaky, but otherwise a good consistency. Mint Mojito is opaque in two coats, and dries very quickly! I love the color of this polish! It is right on trend for spring, and would look good on almost any skin tone. This is the first of the two polishes I won in the giveaway, and I am so happy to have it!

Last but not least is Tickled Pink, the perfect bright pink nail polish! This has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. It also dries very quickly! Tickled Pink is a color that I think can be worn all year long and always look fabulous. As a pink aficionado, I am in love with this polish!

All in all, I am quite impressed with the quality of the Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail polishes. While Coral Silk was a dud for me, the other three had great formulas and beautiful colors. The best part is they retail for just $5.99 at drugstores, but are often on sale! Plus, you can use the Covergirl coupons that come in the Sunday paper for an even better discount. I find these are so fabulous and affordable that I went back to the store and purchased another for myself. Keep an eye out for that in a future post, and thank you again for joining me on my Adventures in Polishland!

A Follower Inspired Jelly Sandwich Manicure!

Posted on April 8, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today’s post features a fun manicure that was inspired by my Facebook fans back in March. I thought it would be fun to put together a look that was created by you, so I asked for ideas. Lori suggested I use Barbie pink and glitter, Alex suggested glitter as well, and Stephanie called for a jelly sandwich design. Let me show you the result when I put all three of these thoughts together!

First I began with two coats of Sitting Pretty from the brand Tip Top Nails South Africa. I love the bright pink of Sitting Pretty. This polish also has a great application, but the jelly formula takes forever to dry. In fact, I receive linen imprints on my nails even days after putting this one on. Luckily, I knew any marks wouldn’t be noticeable with this jelly sandwich manicure, so I grabbed Sitting Pretty since I love the color and the formula is just what I was looking for!

I completed my manicure with one layer of Equinots from A Rhyming Dictionary Polish (see that review HERE), and one final layer of Sitting Pretty. I just loved the end result! The red, purple, and pink glitters from Equinots stood out well beneath the jelly of Sitting Pretty. I loved how all of the ideas from my followers came together in this fun and bright manicure! I thought the colors were just perfect for spring!

While the polishes I used in this post are not readily available for purchase at the moment, you can recreate this manicure with any jelly nail polish and the glitter of your choice! You can see my past jelly sandwich manicures HERE and HERE to get more inspiration! Let me know what your favorite combinations for jelly sandwich manicures are!

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

Dare to Compare Week! Day Five — Red Orange

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

Happy Saturday! Today I have the final installment in Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland. I have saved the best for last! If you are looking for a dupe, you have come to the right place, especially if you love red orange polishes! Let me show you the polishes up for comparison today.

From left to right, the polishes are Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma, Milani High Speed in Flaming Race, and Sinful Colors in Timbleberry. As soon as I lined these polishes up next to each other I was very excited. They already look like the same shade! Let me show you these polishes on the nail, first alone and then side by side.

Polish Name: Sinful Colors in Timbleberry

Price: $1.99 at drugstores

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Amazing formula and perfect application!

Color Description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: This is the perfect nail polish for summer!

Polish Name: Milani High Speed in Flaming Race

Price: $4.99 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 1

Formula: Great, one coat formula!

Color description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: Lives up to its fast dry, one coat name!

Polish Name: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma

Price: $10 at Sephora or $8 on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 1

Formula: Great, high gloss formula!

Color Description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: This is a 100% vegan and cruelty free brand!

Here we have each polish side by side. From left to right is the Sinful Colors, the Milani, and the Obsessive Compulsive. I cannot tell the difference between these three at all! Can you?! I honestly think this looks like the same polish. I think this is officially a dupe alert! I think the obvious choice is the $1.99 Sinful Colors nail polish, but if you prefer a one coat formula then the Milani may be for you. Of course, if you are a vegan then you will be purchasing the Obsessive Compulsive. The choice really is yours!

This concludes Dare to Compare Week! Have no fear, I will still do comparison posts when I find polishes that appear similar in the bottle. I hope you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. Some of the links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Dare to Compare Week! Day Four — Multi-Colored Glitter

Posted on April 4, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! It is Day Four of Dare to Compare Week, and today’s post deals with glitter, something any nail polish aficionado loves! While indie brands do glitter top coats best, many boutique and drugstore brands are now creating some glitters that are just as eye-catching. Since my favorite muli-colored glitter from the indie AbsolutLacquer is now discontinued, I wanted to see how some available polishes compared. Let me show you what I discovered!

From left to right, the polishes are AbsolutLacquer in Maybe I’m Crazy, Lex Cosmetics in Arcoiris, and Milani Jewel FX in Gems. They do look a bit different in the bottle, but let’s see what they look like on the nail. I applied one coat of each polish over white in all the photos you are about to see.

Polish Name: Milani Jewel FX in Gems

Price: $4.99 [Buy HERE]

Formula: Surprisingly great!

Color Description: Multi-colored glitter with small and medium hexagons.

Bonus: So fun, and can be purchased at the drugstore!

Polish Name: Lex Cosmetics in Arcoiris

Price: $10 [Buy HERE]

Formula: Great formula! Some reflective curling, but lays perfectly flat on the nail.

Color Description: Multi-colored glitter with small, medium, and large hexagons.

Bonus: The formula does separate in the bottle, but with a few shakes it is good to go!

Polish Name: AbsolutLacquer in Maybe I’m Crazy

Price: Discontinued! This polish is no longer created or sold.

Formula: This bottle needs a good shake to ensure the glitters are mixed and ready for application!

Color Description: Multi-colored glitters in all shapes and sizes!

Bonus: This was my very first indie polish!

Here we have each polish shown side by side. From left to ride is the Milani, the Lex, and the AbsolutLacquer. While my personal favorite of the bunch is Maybe I’m Crazy from AbsolutLacquer, I would definitely find one of the other two to be an acceptable substitute. Both have an excellent formula! I would choose Milani Gems due to its $4.99 price tag over the Lex, but if you are a sucker for the large hexagonal glitter that would be your new go to. This comparison gives me hope that I will be able have a back-up for my Maybe I’m Crazy once my bottle is empty!

What do you do when a favorite polish is discontinued?! What is your favorite glitter top coat?!

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

Dare to Compare Week! Day Three – Mint Green

Posted on April 3, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland continues with one of my nail polish obsessions, mint green. Mint is such a trendy color for spring that I made sure to include it in this week’s comparison extravaganza. I’ll let you know up front that I didn’t find any dupes, but I did discover some beautiful options! Let’s see what is up in the mint green color family.

From left to right, the polishes are Julep in Susie, China Glaze in Keep Calm, Paint On, and Zoya in Neely. These polishes do look similar in the bottle, but I could tell they wouldn’t be exactly the same on the nail. I still wanted to see the comparison, though. First I’ll show each polish alone, and then I’ll show them side by side.

Polish Name: China Glaze in Keep Calm, Paint On

Price: $6.99 at beauty stores, or $3.32 on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good, but on the thick side.

Color Description: Mint green with green and pink shimmer.

Bonus: I love the name of this polish!

Polish Name: Zoya in Neely

Price: $8 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good, but a bit patchy.

Color Description: Dusty mint green.

Bonus: Zoya is a vegan friendly, and long-lasting brand!

Polish Name: Julep in Susie

Price: $14 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 3

Formula: Okay — formula a bit streaky and patchy, but evens in three coats.

Color Description: Pale mint green

Bonus: I got this in my first Julep Maven Box! It’s an all-time favorite.

Now we have all three side by side! From left to right is the Zoya, the China Glaze, and the Julep. Susie from Julep stands out as the lightest shade of the bunch right away. Zoya Neely and China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On are very close, but the shimmer in Keep Calm really makes it stand out. I personally prefer the light shade of the Julep, but would choose Zoya Neely over the shimmer in the China Glaze. I prefer a pure, creme finish! In the end, when it comes to mint green I don’t think you can go wrong no matter what shade you choose!

Which do you prefer, bright pastels or dusty greens?! Do you like polishes with an added shimmer?!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. Some of the links above are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Dare to Compare Week! Day Two — Bright Pink

Posted on April 2, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! It is Day Two of Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland. To celebrate the start of spring, I am comparing three bright pink nail polishes today. I just love pink, and I feel like pink nails never go out of style! I hope you enjoy this comparison as much as I do! Let me show you what’s up today.

These bright pinks look quite similar in the bottle! From left to right, they are: Julep in Niecy, Chick in Flicker, and Wet ‘n Wild Wild Shine in Pom Pom Kelly. First I’ll show you each polish alone, and then I’ll compare them side by side.

Polish Name: Wet ‘n Wild Wild Shine in Pom Pom Kelly

Price: $0.99 [Good luck finding it!]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 3

Formula: Great application! Jelly formula with sheer coverage and a satin finish.

Color Description: Bright pink that leans towards neon, but isn’t too “out there”.

Bonus: This is from the limited edition Saved by the Nail collection! I was able to score myself a set, but they were very hard to find. I did hear that they were spotted at Ocean State Job Lot stores recently!

Polish Name: Chick in Flicker

Price: $8.00 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good — there was something “off” but I can’t explain it! Beautiful high gloss finish.

Color Description: Bright pink creme

Bonus: Chick is made in the USA and vegan friendly!

Polish Name: Julep in Niecy

Price: $14 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Great formula and application! Glossy finish!

Color Description: Bright pink that is almost neon.

Bonus: This came in my first ever Julep Maven box! It’s one of my all-time favorites!

Now let’s take a closer look at these polishes side by side! From left to right is the Wet ‘n Wild, the Chick, and the Julep. While they are not dupes for each other, they are quite similar. Pom Pom Kelly from Wet ‘n Wild is definitely the brightest and most neon of the bunch, with Chick Flicker the darkest. It’s unfortunate that the most affordable polish in this bunch is also the hardest to find, because Pom Pom Kelly is my personal favorite of the three even though I need three coats for opacity. However, I would happily settle for the $8 price tag of Chick’s Flicker since it is vegan and made in the USA. All in all, you can’t really go wrong with any bright pink, especially in the warmer months!

Which bright pink nail polish is your favorite?! Would you pay more for a nail polish if it were vegan?!

Dare to Compare Week! Day One – Dark Purple

Posted on April 1, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’m very excited because this week is Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland! One of my highest requested blogs is the comparison post, so I figured I would dedicate this week to that. From today until Friday I will share three nail polishes from a color family each day and see how they match up. I tried to pick a variety of colors from a mix of brands so that everyone can find something within budget. First up is dark purple, a color I have a lot of in my collection. Let’s see how the first three compare!

Today’s Dare to Compare polishes are (from left to right) OPI in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple, and elf in Royal Purple. As you can see, they look quite similar in the bottle. Each is a dark purple with shimmer. The true test comes when they are on the nails! First I’ll show you each polish individually, and then how they look side by side.

Polish Name: elf in Royal Purple

Price: $2.00 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good — brush strokes visible

Color Description: Dark purple that leans towards magenta, with magenta and silver shimmer

Bonus: Very strong shimmer effect!

Polish Name: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple

Price: $4-6 in drugstores and department stores [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Amazing! Lives up to fast dry name.

Color Description: Very deep purple with magenta shimmer

Bonus: I love the wide brush!

Polish Name: OPI in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not

Price: $8 at Nordstrom Rack or on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Flawless! High gloss shine when dry.

Color Description: Dark purple with magenta shimmer

Bonus: This is the first OPI I ever owned and is from a discontinued collection!

Above you can see each polish side by side. From left to right is the elf, the Sally Hansen, and the OPI. These polishes are not dupes [“dupe” = duplicate in nail polish lingo!], but they are very close. Elf’s Royal Purple is definitely the lightest shade of the bunch, and has the most shimmer. Pronto Purple from Sally Hansen is clearly the darkest of the three. Although these do vary from one another in terms of color, you may find you prefer one shade over the rest. However, if you are looking for a great dark purple in general, I don’t think you can go too wrong with any of these! The elf formula wasn’t the best, but with a $2 price tag it is not much of a compromise. If I had to choose just one, I would personally go with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Pronto Purple, for the great formula and mid-range price tag!

Which dark purple nail polish is your favorite?! What is more important to you, price or formula?!

Some of the links above are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.