Adventures in Polishland

Top 5 Makeup Products Under $5.00!

Posted on March 4, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to share with you some of my all-time favorite and most affordable beauty products! I’ve seen this type of post on YouTube countless times, and figured it was about time I go ahead and share my Top 5 Makeup Products Under $5.00 on my blog. After all, Adventures in Polishland is dedicated to fabulous and affordable beauty! Let me share some of my favorite makeup products with you!

Just a quick note before we get into the products – the prices reflect the retail price that I found online. Pricing varies by store and by region, so keep that in mind when you go to your local store. The good news is, you can buy each item online with the links provided!

RIMMEL STAY MATTE PRESSED POWDER

$3.97 on Amazon [BUY]

I’ve loved the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder for years, and I’ve repurchased it time and time again. It does an excellent job of controlling my shiny skin, and it’s never cakey. I use the shade 001 Transparent, which does not add color to the face. It’s perfect over any makeup look, or on days you just want to reduce shine. I’ve tried other pressed powders, but always go back to this one. I’ll need to purchase a new one soon!

e.l.f. STUDIO BLUSH

$3.00 on e.l.f. [BUY]

This is the first blush I purchased when I started trying out makeup in my everyday life a couple years ago. I grabbed it because of the cheap price, and I’m so glad I did! The shade you see above is Pink Passion, and while it may look very bright and intimidating, it’s actually quite wearable because it blends out flawlessly. I also love the sleek packaging. I hope to try out more shades from this line very soon.

PHYSICIANS FORMULA MATTE EYESHADOW

$4.37 on Drugstore.com [BUY]

I don’t wear eyeshadow often, but when I do I automatically reach for this quad. The matte formula is great, and I can create a complete eye look with these four shadows. In fact, I only use three – the dark grey is not my style. I picked this up during a coupon deal at Rite Aid a while back, and I’m so glad I did! It’s a must if you’re seeking affordable matte shadows.

JORDANA FABULINER EYELINER

$2.49 at Kmart [BUY]

This eyeliner is such an insane bargain! I first learned about it from my favorite YouTubers EleventhGorgeous a couple years back. I have trouble applying eyeliner, and I thought this marker-like tip would be helpful. It’s definitely easier to apply, and it leaves a nice, black line. I appreciate how affordable the Jordana Fabuliner is, because I very rarely use eyeliner and don’t have to worry about wasting my money on a product that’s almost never touched. If you’re looking for a perfect eyeliner, you need to try this one!

BABY LIPS TINTED LIP BALM

$3.68 on Amazon [BUY]

I’m a Baby Lips superfan, and if you’ve followed Adventures in Polishland for a while I’m sure you know that already! Lately I’ve been loving the Dr Rescue line because of the added moisturization (the shade Berry Soft is pictured above), but I honestly love them all and wear them so frequently. I have 13 Baby Lips in my collection, and it pains me that I don’t own them all! The light wash of color is just perfect, and Baby Lips are definitely one of my all-time favorite product lines.

That’s it for my Top 5 Makeup Products Under $5.00! I hope this post helped you discover something new at a great price. Keep in mind that these items often go on sale, plus you can use coupons for an even cheaper price. How awesome is that?! Share some of your favorite affordable products in the comments, and let me know if you’d like a nail polish edition of this post as well!

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

Book Review | Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Posted on March 3, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Published by Poppy on October 10, 2011

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 294

Format: Hardcover

Source: BookMooch

Goodreads: ★★★★1/2

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah’s universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other “bunheads” in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

REVIEW

After reading a few disturbing books at the end of February, I needed to curl up with something that I knew I’d love. I recently received Bunheads by Sophie Flack on BookMooch, a book trading website. I’ve heard mixed reviews of this young adult novel, but because I was a dancer growing up I was really interested in reading a book featuring a ballerina. I definitely picked up Bunheads at the perfect time – I found it a quick and comforting read.

Bunheads tells the story of Hannah Ward, a nineteen-year-old in the Manhattan Ballet Company’s corps de ballet. The book is written in Hannah’s first-person perspective, and is separated into the three seasons the ballet performs: fall, winter, and spring. Readers follow Hannah as she faces a multitude of struggles in her young life. Hannah wants more than anything to be promoted to a soloist in the company, but receiving that position requires a strict diet and workout schedule, and forces her to compete against her closet friends. At the same time, Hannah wants desperately to be a normal teenager, but ballet dancers in the Manhattan Ballet Company rarely leave the confines of the theatre.

I really enjoyed Hannah’s story, and connected with her in many ways. Even though I am not a professional dancer, I understand how it feels to move to New York City and try to follow your dreams when you are young and alone. Just like Hannah, I struggle with balancing my career with my personal life, and I really admired how Hannah handled her situation.

Bunheads does feature a love triangle, but I think it worked really well with this story. It wasn’t overdone, and it wasn’t dramatic. Instead, it was quite realistic, and the conflict brought an interesting twist to the story. I only mention the love triangle in my review because I know that is a key buzzword for some readers when deciding whether or not to pick up a book.

The only criticisms I have with Bunheads are very small indeed. First, Flack uses a multitude of ballet terms throughout the novel. Because I took ballet for several years, I had no problem pronouncing or understanding the different dance positions and movements. However, readers with no dance background will probably find these terms frustrating, so it would be very helpful to include a glossary in the back of the book with the proper pronunciations, translation from French to English, and a short description of what the step is.

Furthermore, I found the pacing in Bunheads to be a little confusing at times. Even though the story was separated by season, I found that time moved much quicker that I would have expected. For instance, if a scene takes place in the book, the next scene could be either the next day, or the next week, or even a few weeks down the road. The timing between chapters was not consistent, and I would have liked more markers so I could follow where I was. However, this is really nitpicking, and it really did not detract much from the story at all.

Overall, I really loved Bunheads and highly recommend it to anyone who was a dancer or who is interesting in dancing. The author is a retired ballerina herself, so I loved the authenticity in the story. I learned so much about what it takes to be a professional dancer, but at the same time I connected to this book on a personal level. I’m really impressed with Flack’s ability to make Hannah’s story my story even though we lead very different lives. I will definitely be rereading Bunheads at some point in the future, and I anxiously await Flack’s next book, whatever it may be!

BUY THE BOOK

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

When you purchase a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Manicure Monday | Essie Stylenomics

Posted on March 2, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I apologize for taking a week off from blogging. This year is a crazy one for me – I’m graduating in a few months, will be taking the bar exam in a few more, and am in the process of finding a job and new apartment. I am still dedicated to this blog, but please bear with me if my upload schedule goes a bit haywire. With that said, I’m moving on in the Alphabet Challenge with the letter E! This week’s assigned brand is Essie, and I dug out one of the first Essie polishes I ever owned.

– Stylenomics is a dark green shade that appears almost black on the nail. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I received this polish from Klout over two years ago now, and I haven’t used it since then. I’m so glad I pulled it out of my stash to try out again! Stylenomics is the perfect dark creme polish, and it’s great if you don’t want to wear a true black.

All in all, I’m really loving Stylenomics. It’s from an older collection, but available on Amazon HERE for $8.50. Essie polishes are definitely some of my favorites, but I don’t buy them often because of the higher price point. I do want to add to my Essie collection soon, so tell me your favorite Essies in the comments! Also tell me in the comments what nail polish brands begin with the letter F – I’m having trouble planning for next week!

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

Manicure Monday | Dream Designer Nail Kit in Going Home Blues

Posted on February 23, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! It’s that time of the week where I show you my manicure! I am on to the letter D in my Alphabet Challenge. Surprisingly, I don’t own many polishes from a brand that begins with D, but I did find some from Dream Designer Nail Kit (hereafter “DDNK”) that I reviewed last year. You can see my full review of the Beginner’s Luck Collection HERE, which is based off of Las Vegas. Since first testing the collection, I’ve visited Vegas for this first time with my grandma and cousin. It was an awesome trip that I will remember for a lifetime, so I have more of a connection with these polishes now. I especially can understand Going Home Blues!

Going Home Blues is a jelly formula in a deep blue shade. It is opaque in two coats, and has a really great formula that dries to a satin finish that is still shiny. I love the deep pigmentation with this polish. Blues are some of my favorite shades to wear, and Going Home Blues is a standout in my collection. I even got a compliment on my manicure from a friend at work! I certainly don’t have the blues while wearing Going Home Blues!

All in all, I highly recommend this indie polish. DDNK is currently on hiatus from making new polishes, but she will be back very soon. You can still purchase this polish and her already released collections on the brand’s website for $8.99 each, or you can get a discount when you purchase a full collection. Please find all of this brand’s links below, and be sure to let me know in the comments what your favorite Vegas memory is!

CONNECT WITH DDNK

Shop | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

A England Princess Sabra & Love is Enough from Beautometry.com!

Posted on February 21, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! I’m so excited to share with you two new-to-me polishes today. My friend Therese over at the nail polish e-tailer Beautometry sent me some A England shades to review after learning that I didn’t have any in my collection. I thought that was so nice of her, and was thrilled to review some of these coveted polishes. I did try A England Holy Grail way back in the day (you can see that blog post HERE), but it’s no longer in my collection simply because that shade wasn’t for me. Let me go ahead and share the two A Englands that Beautometry sent me!

First up is Princess Sabra from The Legend Collection. Princess Sabra is a beautiful holographic polish that is a golden bronze shade with a hint of olive pigmentation as well. This polish has an excellent formula that applies with ease and is opaque in two coats. I love how strong the holographic effect is, and I definitely recommend Princess Sabra for those of you new to holo polishes. Its neutral base will look good with any skin tone!

Next up is Love is Enough from the Heavenly Quotes Collection. Love is Enough is another unique polish! It is a mix between a glitter and metallic formula, with a greenish-black base and green and gold shimmer. Love is Enough has a good formula that dries amazingly fast. I’m not wearing top coat in the photos, so you can see the super shiny finish. Love is Enough is definitely an edgy polish, and I think it will look awesome paired with a leather jacket!

All in all, I’m so glad I got to try these A England polishes courtesy of Beautometry! They are definitely a specialty brand that I wouldn’t normally use. I’m loving Princess Sabra for every day wear, and Love is Enough when I want something funky. You can purchase these polishes direct from Beautometry for the sale price of $10 each. Please show this small e-tailer some love across the web, and be sure to let me know your favorite A England polishes in the comments!

CONNECT WITH BEAUTOMETRY

Shop | Facebook | Instagram

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

Manicure Monday | China Glaze Stone Cold

Posted on February 16, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! As you may have noticed, I took a bit of a break from my blog this past week. I’ve just been so busy with school and my internship this semester! Luckily I had a long weekend thanks to President’s Day, and I’ve gotten in some much needed rest. Now I’m here to show you this week’s manicure in the Alphabet Challenge. We’re onto letter C, and I’m trying on a China Glaze polish. Please forgive my winter cuticles in the photos – the NYC temperatures have not been good to my hands!

This is Stone Cold, one of the polishes released in the Hunger Games collection a few years back. Stone Cold is a slate grey polish with a matte formula. It contains a silver shimmer in the base that really makes it look like solid rock! Stone Cold has a really great formula that is opaque in one coat. I applied two above just to test it out. I can’t believe this beauty has lived in my nail polish collection for nearly three years without me using it!

All in all, I am so glad I finally pulled out Stone Cold! It has a really unique color and formula, and I’m certainly a sucker for matte finishes. I do wish clean-up on my cuticles was easier, but now I know to be super careful during application with this one. While Stone Cold was a limited edition shade from China Glaze, it is available on Amazon HERE for $6.49! Make sure to snag it if you want it, though, as there are only four bottles left as I type this!

Please let me know your favorite China Glaze shades in the comments! I love your recommendations!

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

Manicure Monday | Butter London Queen Vic

Posted on February 9, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! It’s time to continue on with the Alphabet Challenge! This week is the letter B, and I reached for a butter LONDON polish that I haven’t worn in quite some time. butter LONDON is definitely a bit outside of my normal price range at $15.00 each, but sometimes I can find them at Nordstrom Rack or other discount stores for a great price. I actually received Queen Vic for review back in 2013 (see that post HERE), but it was fun to use it again!

Queen Vic is a gorgeous deep berry shade with a creme formula. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, and dries to a glossy finish without the need of top coat. Queen Vic is a great staple to have in your nail polish collection. It is work appropriate, but still a nicely pigmented shade. Queen Vic is also perfect for any time of year.

All in all, Queen Vic is a great, all-around nail polish! If you feel like splurging on a new polish, I definitely recommend Queen Vic. You can purchase it direct from butter LONDON’s website HERE. Be sure to let me know in the comments what your favorite polish is from butter LONDON!

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

Indie Spotlight | Play Love Laugh Natural Peel Off Nail Polish Review & Giveaway

Posted on February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! It has been quite some time since I’ve reviewed an indie nail polish brand here on Adventures in Polishland. I’m so happy to be highlighting a company today that is quite unique. Play Love Laugh is natural nail polish made with a fruit and vegetable base. The polishes are designed to be odorless, and they feature a peel-off formula that dries extremely quickly. Play Love Laugh is the perfect nail polish for kids, but of course adults can use it, too! Let me go ahead and share the two shades I tested out, and stay tuned for a giveaway!

First up is Royal Princess, a pink-purple shade with a purple shimmer. I applied two coats without a base or top coat, and I really like the result. The formula is great, and opaque in two coats. It definitely has a satin finish, and I think it looks super pretty. I was so impressed that Royal Princess truly is odorless. It’s such a fun polish!

Next up is Purple Fairy Twinkle, a purple glitter polish. I was a bit disappointed with this one, because I thought it was going to be a lilac base with purple glitter in it. However, as you can see from the photos, the base is nearly clear. I applied three coats in the photos above, and didn’t get any pigmentation. I would definitely recommend this for layering only.

THE REMOVAL PROCESS

Play Love Laugh polishes are designed to peel off the nail without using any nail polish remover. The directions say to soak your nails in warm water, and then peel off the polish from the base of the nail. This process did not work for me whatsoever. I soaked my nails for about two minutes, and couldn’t get the polish to peel. However, if I soaked my nails, then ran them under warm water and gently rubbed at the polish, it came off with ease. I do worry how these polishes would wear for a longer period of time. Play Love Laugh states on its website that a manicure will last 1-7 days, but I’m thinking if I took a shower with this nail polish on, it would just come off in the hot water while I’m washing. Thus, I don’t think Play Love Laugh is practical for adults in its natural state, but definitely great for kids. I can see it as a fun activity at birthday parties and sleepovers!

I decided to do an experiment with these Play Love Laugh polishes to make them suitable for adults as well. I applied Royal Princess with Purple Fairy Twinkle on top, and then sealed with my regular glossy top coat. This made my manicure last, and I didn’t have to worry about it washing off in the shower. Simply remove with your regular nail polish remover. This makes Play Love Laugh polish perfect if you have kids, because both you and your children can get great use out of them!

GIVEAWAY

Play Love Laugh is kindly sponsoring a giveaway! Enter to win one bottle of Play Love Laugh through the Rafflecopter below. This is a United States ONLY giveaway. Please read all of the Terms & Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget before entering. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All in all, I think Play Love Laugh is the perfect polish if you have children and want to ensure the products you’re using are safe for them. You can purchase the polishes direct from the company on its website HERE, where trios are $27.50 each. You can also purchase individual polishes on the brand’s Etsy site HERE for $9.50 each. Keep in mind that each polish is handmade in New York!

Please let me know what you think of Play Love Laugh 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.

Day by Day Beauty Luxury Blotting Paper Review

Posted on February 5, 2015August 8, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! If you’ve been a follower of mine for a while, you may know that one of my must have beauty products is oil blotting sheets. I always like to keep a pack with me in my purse so that if my skin gets shiny throughout the day I can take care of it easily without messing up my makeup. I’ve tried some high end blotting sheets in the past, but I have to say I always go back to the drugstore. When I got the opportunity to review Day by Day Beauty’s Luxury Blotting Paper, I was excited to see how well the product would work for me. Let me share my thoughts with all of you!

The Day by Day Beauty Luxury Blotting Paper is designed to gently remove excess oil and shine while leaving your makeup intact. The brand aims to leave your skin “petal fresh,” and each sheet is made with premium-grade, natural pulp fiber. I love the simple packaging, and it’s adorable that Day by Day includes a “Hello, beautiful” message inside the flap.

These blotting sheets are plain white, and have the feel of tissue paper. They are very thin, and I found they would break during use. Overall, they worked extremely well. I did sometimes have to use two sheets to get all of the oil off my face, but in the end I always got the shine-free result I wanted. They definitely left my makeup intact, but I did notice a bit of my foundation came off onto the sheet. This is probably due to the oil, and not the blotting sheet, but I still wanted to mention it.

All in all, the Day by Day Beauty Luxury Blotting Sheets work very well. The best part about them is the price tag. For $9.97 you get two packages of 100 sheets each. In other words, you are getting 200 blotting sheets, with each one being just 5¢! That is definitely a huge bargain, even when compared to the drugstore brand I usually purchase. Even if I use two blotting sheets at a time, I will not have to repurchase them for a while! I highly recommend the Day by Day Beauty Luxury Blotting Sheets. You can purchase them on Amazon HERE.

Please let me know in the comments what your must have beauty items are, and whether you love blotting sheets as much as I do!

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

New Year Skin Resolutions featuring nügg Face Masks!

Posted on February 3, 2015August 8, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Today I am excited to share with you a review of some face masks from the skincare brand nügg. In addition, I will be sharing nügg’s New Year Skin Resolutions with all of you. Even though January has come to a close, it is not too late to make positive changes in your life in the form of resolutions. We still have eleven months left of 2015 to make sure our skin is healthier and more pampered than ever! Let me go ahead and show you the nügg masks!

nügg’s NEW YEAR SKIN RESOLUTIONS

To help combat dry and tired skin, nügg has created a list of New Year Skin Resolutions to keep you on track! If you follow this list, nügg is ensuring you will have a glowing complexion in 2015!

Wear sunscreen every day. Try using a moisturizer that has SPF, that way you don’t have to add an extra step to your morning routine.
Never sleep with your makeup on. Washing your face at night will prevent any dirt and impurities from seeping into your skin and causing breakouts. To ensure a thorough cleanse, use our Deep Cleansing mask. The Jojoba Lite Oil in this face mask dissolves sebum in a gentle, healthy way so that excess sebum can be rinsed off leaving you with hydrated, nourished skin.
To lock-in extra moisture, apply your moisturizer when your skin is still slightly damp. For even more hydration, apply a thin layer of our hydrating mask as a sleep mask or below your foundation in the morning which also can serve as a beautifying primer.
Clean your makeup brushes. Not only does old makeup start to build up on the bristles, but dust particles will stick to them as well. Be sure to wash your brushes at least once a week using any hair shampoo you have handy. You will notice quite the difference in makeup application and the clearness of your skin. Especially with sensitive skin, also make sure to use synthetic brushes (such as Tweezerman brush iQ).
Drink no less than 8 glasses of water a day. Hydration is important on both the inside and out. Use our Hydrating mask twice a week to infuse moisture to the skin. The Spirulina Extract in this face mask provides a reservoir of water which it releases into the skin when needed.

REVIEW

Now that you have nügg’s resolutions in mind, it’s time for me to share my experience with the brand’s face masks! Each face mask comes individually packaged in a one-time-use pod. I really enjoy the packaging, but I will mention that I often needed scissors to get into the pod because the top layer of packaging peeled off leaving behind a clear film over the product. It’s not a big deal, but it did take some extra effort to get to the mask!

Here is a quick look at what the masks look like inside the pod. Both the Cleansing and Hydrating masks I tested looked and felt exactly the same. The mask is a lotion-like substance that is white in nature. Unlike other masks I am familiar with, the nügg masks do not dry on your skin during application. Instead, they remain the same texture, making the rinse-off process take some extra time. Finally, there is no overwhelming scent with either of these masks, so if you are sensitive to smells you can use these masks for sure!

Deep Cleansing Face Mask

I first tried the Deep Cleansing Face Mask that contains cucumber extract and jojoba oil for an ultra clean, shine-free look and feel. To use the masks, simply apply over clean and dry skin and let sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing. You can use each mask once weekly or more often, depending on the care you need. I did like the Deep Cleansing mask, but it was difficult for me to tell if it really worked. My skin did appear clear and smooth afterwards, but I think I will see more of a difference after using the mask on a regular basis.

Hydrating Face Mask

This week I tested the Hydrating Face Mask. This one contains camellia seed oil and spirulina extract to intensively hydrate and replenish dry skin. The application process is the same with this mask, but I do have to say I love the results much more! My dry skin was visibly better after the mask, as much of my redness went down significantly. In addition, my skin felt so plush and soft afterwards. I’m really loving this hydrating mask!

WHERE TO BUY

All in all, I am really enjoying these masks from nügg! They are easy to use, effective, and super affordable! You can purchase a single pod for $3.29 or grab a pack of five pods for $16.45. If you are looking to rejuvenate your skin in this new year, these nügg face masks are your new best friends! Please let me know in the comments if you’ve tried these masks, or which one you are going to grab for yourself!

Connect with nügg:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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