Adventures in Polishland

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.

Hello Kitty Nail Art Stickers from Born Pretty Store!

Posted on March 29, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have another review of a product from the online retailer Born Pretty Store. While I was not impressed with the Sweet Color nail polish (see that review HERE), I am loving these adorable nail art stickers! As a lifelong Hello Kitty fan, I was super excited that I got the opportunity to review these stickers for you. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Above you can see the nail art sheet as it comes. I love these stickers because they are glittery and have different sizes and shapes! This sheet retails for $5.23, but if you buy more than one you get a discount. As always, there is free international shipping from Born Pretty Store! I chose the sticker sheet in number XF314, but they come in a variety of designs. You can see all of the choices on the Born Pretty website HERE!

I was so impressed with how easy it is to apply these stickers! First, I painted my nails with Zoya Blu from the lovely collection (see that review HERE). Once my manicure was completely dry, I chose the stickers I wanted to apply, and carefully peeled them off the sheet and put them on my nails. I pressed each sticker down firmly, and then layered top coat over them. And that’s all there is to it! The smaller stickers are a bit tricky to handle, but I used a pair of tweezers to steady my hand. I can’t get over how much I love these stickers! I chose to wear one on each finger for this manicure, but you can use them easily for an accent nail as well. I love that just one sheet of stickers can be used for multiple manicures, and you can mix and match the designs!

All in all, I’m so happy I tried these Hello Kitty stickers! They are so easy to apply, and are perfect for someone like me who prefers not to do her own nail art. This design is also perfect for spring, but there are so many to choose from on the Born Pretty Store website. If you are looking for some great nail art supplies, be sure to head on over and see everything Born Pretty has to offer! Use the coupon code FZL91 to get 10% off your order as well! Happy Shopping!

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

My March Julep Maven Box!

Posted on March 27, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I finally have a review of my March Julep Maven Box, just making it in before the month is over! This month Julep had some technical difficulties, and for some reason my box got missed during the original shipment. Luckily Julep emailed me to let me know of their mistake, and I got my box in the middle of the month. I decided to go for the It Girl box this month, and received three beautiful spring shades. Let me show you what was inside my box!

This month the theme was pastels, and each maven got a bonus strawberry mint lip balm in her box. I love lip balms, and was happy to get that as a bonus! I’m also loving all of the polishes this month!

First up is Teri, a gorgeous peach creme that leans towards coral. Teri is opaque in two coats and has a good formula that is a bit on the thick side. This polish is a little streaky, but the color is so gorgeous that I don’t mind. Teri is perfect for spring! I put this on as soon as I opened my box this month and got a few compliments on it at school!

Next up is Simone, a pastel lilac that leans towards pink. Simone is also opaque in two coats, and has an amazing formula! My one disappointment is that the blue shimmer effect that is prominent in the bottle is very subtle on the nail. Nonetheless, Simone is beautiful and a great color for all skin tones.

Last but not least is Shenae, a shimmery mint green polish. Shenae is opaque in two coats and the formula is great! I had no problems whatsoever with application. As you know, I love mint greens, and this is the first I’ve tried with shimmer. This is an all-around great polish, and the color is just stunning! Shenae is definitely on trend for spring.

All in all, I’m very pleased with my March Julep Maven Box! Each polish is beautiful, and the formulas are amazing for the most part. If you would like to join the Julep Maven program and get a box of polish and other goodies each month, you can sign up HERE! Your first box is free with code FREEBOX at checkout, you just pay shipping. The best part is you can skip your box each month if you don’t like the colors, or if you don’t have room in your budget. You can also cancel at any time. Let me know what you think of my March box!

Bimonthly Beauty Post: How to Get the Most for Your Money at Sephora!

Posted on March 25, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today’s post is one that my Facebook followers highly requested after I posed a photo of my recent Sephora haul. Because Sephora’s prices are a bit out of my price range, I make sure to get as much as possible for my money every time I shop there. This post will include my latest Sephora haul, and explain the six simple steps I use when shopping at Sephora. Let me show you how I shop at Sephora and get as many products as possible!

I got all of these products in the photo above for $50! Sound too good to be true? It’s easy!

Shop online at sephora.com! While there are definitely perks of shopping at Sephora in person, I find that I can only get the most for my money if I shop online. This will make more sense when I share the rest of the tips I have with you.
Become a Beauty Insider member! Sephora has a free rewards program called Beauty Insider that earns you points on all of your purchases. Each dollar spent is one point toward a free perk! While it does take some time to earn enough points for perks, there is no reason not to join this program. Even if you spend zero dollars at Sephora, you will get a free birthday gift each year! I’ve loved all of the little gifts I’ve received along the way. You can sign up for this program online or in store!
Spend $50 to get free shipping! I always wait until I have $50 worth of products to buy on Sephora’s website before ordering so I can get free shipping. My trick is to place exactly $50 in my cart and not spend a penny more! For this haul, I knew I wanted the Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream, and that I needed a new base coat. I then added on the Instant Eye Makeup Remover, the Sephora Pro Lesson Palette, and a pencil sharpener. These are all items that I will use, and the grand total was exactly $50! Click on the name of each item to see it on Sephora’s website.
Enter a promo code at checkout from the Weekly Specials page! Sephora always has special promotional codes each week that get you free deluxe samples with any order over $25. Since you’ve already spent $50 to get free shipping, simply choose any code you like and enter it at checkout! To find the Weekly Specials page, click on “3 Free Samples” from Sephora’s homepage, and then on “Weekly Specials.” I got a deluxe sample of the Caudalíe Premier Cru Eye Cream with this order that retails for $24.50! I’ve been wanting to try an eye cream, and this was the perfect opportunity! You can only get these freebies online, and not when you shop in store.
Use your Beauty Insider points to get a free perk! For every 100 points earned, you can get a deluxe sample added to your order without having to use up your promo code. The perks offered change regularly, so keep an eye out for something that you really want. I snagged the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask with my 100 points. My pores desperately need help, and I think this mask will be perfect. You can also save up your points for the 500 point perks as well, but I prefer the 100 point products so I get goodies more often!
Enjoy 3 free samples with every order! Last but not least, every online order gets three free samples. While you may get some samples when shopping in the store, you are only guaranteed three when you shop online. A few times per year, Sephora even offers five samples! I like to get perfume samples because they typically come in mini spray bottles that I can use at least 3-4 times. If there is another product I’m interested in, I’ll pick that up as well. This time I got Juicy Couture perfume in Couture La La, Clinique perfume in Happy, and Murad Hydrator lotion.

All in all, if you follow these six steps you will be sure to get the most for your money at Sephora! For this particular order, I only spent $50, but got $85.56 worth of products! That’s an extra $35.56! The best part is, I only got products that I know I will use and it only took a bit of strategizing!

I hope you find these tips helpful! Let me know how you score great deals at Sephora!

Sweet Color Nail Polish from Born Pretty Store!

Posted on March 23, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Today I have a polish from the online retailer Born Pretty Store to show you! Born Pretty Store is one of the best places to find affordable nail polish, nail art tools, and much more online. Shipping is always free, and you can save an additional 10% with the coupon code at the end of this post. One of the nail polish lines the site offers is Sweet Color, an eco-friendly polish that comes in the cutest packaging! I knew I wanted to give it a try.

Here is Sweet Color in number 337. The polish does not have a color name, but I would call it a dusty mint green with a creme finish. This polish has a tricky formula — it’s streaky and sheer, and takes three coats to be opaque. Luckily it has a gorgeous color payoff! This polish is perfect for spring. At first I thought that the result was worth the troublesome formula, but I got multiple chips and dents in my nails just hours after application. Needless to say I’m quite disappointed with this polish. The good news is this is only one polish in the Sweet Color line, so I’m hoping this is the one dud! I can’t be sure without trying more of them. Let me know if you have tried any polishes from this line!

All in all, I was disappointed with this nail polish from the Born Pretty Store. Stay tuned for another review in the coming week where I will have some nail art stickers to show you! Also, make sure to check out all of the great products Born Pretty Store has to offer. The prices are great, plus use code FZL91 for 10% off your purchase! Click the photo below for direct access to the store!

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

Glitter Gal 3D Holographic in Teal Green from Beautometry.com!

Posted on March 21, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! I apologize for being a bit off of my posting schedule this week. I’m back with a really cool polish from the brand Glitter Gal! This polish comes all the way from Australia, but is available to those of us from the USA through the retailer Beautometry. Glitter Gal is definitely a splurge nail polish, as it retails for $13.50. Make sure you read this entire entry to get a 10% off coupon code for your next purchase!

Here is the beautiful Teal Green from Glitter Gal’s 3D Holographic line! Teal Green is opaque in two coats, and is a gorgeous linear holographic nail polish. The formula was great, and it had the perfect application. I would call this a true green holo, as it reminded me of a Christmas green instead of a teal. I was also impressed with how quickly this polish dried. My one complaint is that it has a funny smell on my nails, even once it is dry. I’m not sure why that is!

I wanted to include these two photographs so you could see the strong holographic effect this Glitter Gal polish truly has! With the flash from my camera, you can see how the light really transforms the look of the polish! I’m very impressed with the strong holo!

All in all, I loved trying this Glitter Gal polish! I probably wouldn’t buy myself any due to the high price, but if you are looking to try this international brand I definitely suggest going through the website Beautometry that sponsored this review because you will get 10% off when using the code “polishland” at checkout! You can also purchase A England and LynBDesigns from this retailer. Simply click HERE to shop!

Have you ever tried Glitter Gal before?! What do you think of this holographic nail polish?!

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