Liebster Award (Times Two!)

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Thank you to MissHollyBerries & E-namel! They both nominated me for this award! The Liebster Award is usually awarded to up-and-coming bloggers with under 200 followers. I currently have 221, but had 209 when I received the first award. I’m so glad to have more readers! Now, onto the award protocol.

Official Rules!
 
1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
2. They must also answer the 11 questions the ‘tagger’ has set for them.
3. They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.
4. They must then choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and tag them in their post.
5. These lucky bloggers must then be told.
6. There’s no tag backs.

11 Things About Myself:

1. I love the show The Big Bang Theory. It’s hilarious!

2. I still play Words With Friends, but only with my parents & my friend’s Mom!

3. I would love to get a Kate Spade handbag. Her designs are so bright & fun!

4.  The first concert I went to was in the sixth grade. I saw Britney Spears with my brother!

5. I keep my room at home messy, but while at school it’s rather neat.

6. I can’t stand country music, but can listen to almost anything else.

7. I get cold when I sleep, so I always use blankets even in the summer.

8. I think it’s fun to read celebrity magazines, even if the stories are all exaggerated.

9. I love everything that is pumpkin flavored, and aim to to eat as many pumpkin foods as possible each year!

10. The first time I ever got a professional manicure was during my sophomore year in high school for the homecoming dance.

11. I’m moving to law school tomorrow!!

11 Questions from MissHollyBerries:

1. What made you want to start blogging?
I’ve always wanted to blog, but I didn’t want it to be super personal. One of my suitemates mentioned that she read nail blogs, so I thought that would be a fun hobby.
2. Where are you from?
New England
3. What are your five favorite nail polishes of all time?
– Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rockstar Pink
– Julep Niecy
– Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City
– L’oreal Check Me Out
– Wet ‘n Wild glitter topcoat
4. What is your dream vacation??
Disney World over and over!
5. What are some of your favorite nail polish brands?
– Julep
– Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear
– Orly
6. What are your favorite nail care products, base coat and top coat?
Sorry, this is getting redundant, but I use Sally Hansen Double Duty. It’s a base coat & top coat in one!
7. Number one nail tip you’d like to share?
Always wear a base coat, and do not substitute clear nail polish for a base coat!
8. How often do you do your nails?
Depends on when I have time. When I’m in school about 1-2 times per week. When I’m home, 2-3 times per week.
9. What do you want to do when you grow up?
Entertainment lawyer and/or sports agent.
10. What are your hobbies other than blogging and nail polish?
Shopping, reading, and crocheting.
11. What nail trends do you love, and which do you hate?
I love ombre nails and having an accent nails. I can do without stilettos and duck nails (eek!).

11 Questions from E-namel:

1. What do you love most about the city in which you currently live?
Well, I’m moving to NYC tomorrow!
2. If you were to make a bucket list, what would be #1?
Be happy with who I am.
3. Dream job?
I don’t really have a dream job. I just want to be successful.
4. 5 things you cannot live without…?
– Justin Timberlake
– Pizza
– My family
– My iPad
– Ice cream
5. Favourite cuisine?
I love Italian, Mexican, and Mediterranean.
6. List the “must have” items in your wardrobe.
Jeans, sneakers & flats, and sweaters.
7. Most inspirational quote you have come across…?
Not fancy, but I love the mantra Keep Calm and Carry On.
8. If you were to be a non-living object, what would you be? (I would be a Rubik’s Cube!)
A stuffed animal.
9. When was the last time you broke the rules? What did you do?
I don’t like to brake the rules!
10. Most expensive item you own till date?
My computer.
11. Favourite book/movie?
I love Harry Potter and Hunger Games series!

My Questions for my Nominees:

1. What’s the story behind your blog name?

2. Are you a morning or a night person?

3. What is your guilty pleasure television show?

4. Which food could you eat every day?

5. What is the one beauty products you can’t live without?

6. Who was your favorite teacher growing up?

7. If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?

8. What are your top five favorite songs?

9. Do you have any pets?

10. What is your favorite season, and why?

11. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

My 11 9 Nominated Blogs:

Seems like many of the blogs I follow have more than 200 followers. If I missed you, I’ll get you next time!

Try it on Tuesday: Orly Rock Solid

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

I wasn’t planning on participating in Try it on Tuesday this week, as I had hoped to do a mani upgrade with a gradient. Unfortunately, my last mani got all messed up (my fault!), and I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore. Thus, here I am! I asked my Facebook followers which brand I should try out today, and they voted for Orly. I think they made a great decision!

Rock Solid is my first Orly polish. I bought it on HauteLook using credits and only paid $0.45 for it! This polish is actually from the Mineral FX Fall 2011 line, so it’s like I went dusty hunting online for this one. Rock Solid is a dark grey polish with small holographic glitters. I used two coats to achieve full opacity. The formula is a dream to work with– no streaks whatsoever! It also dries rather quickly. For once I didn’t use a topcoat, either, as I love the look Rock Solid has. The finish is a bit textured. This may sound silly, but it looks and feels like a rock, only not in the “I found it in my backyard” sort of way. Instead, it is stunning! The glitter shines in the light, and changes color as you move your hand. The grey also has a silver undertone. It’s beautiful!

Look at that bottle!

 

Rock on!

 

I’m not usually one for dark colors, but I’m loving this one! I can’t wait to wear it more in the fall and winter. I also love the Orly cap and brush. The cap is a soft, grip material. That way it doesn’t wiggle around in your hand when your painting your nails. The brush is also awesome. It’s thin, but holds a lot of polish. No mistakes or globs here! I hope to get more Orly polishes in my stash.

If you’re not an HauteLook member, make sure you join HERE. They have sales on nail polish all the time!

My August Julep Maven Box!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

I’ll be honest with you. When I first saw the Julep boxes online for August, I wasn’t thrilled with the options. I went ahead and chose the Boho Glam style anyway, as I had a free credit to use. I can’t pass up free polish! Now that I’ve had the chance to use the polishes I received, I am thrilled with my August box! Let me show you what was inside.

A pink box to celebrate Julep’s one year anniversary!

All August boxes came with a reusable tote bag.
From left to right, Isla, Piper, and nail polish remover.

I haven’t tried out the nail polish remover yet, but I did get the chance to use the new polish. I thought Piper and Isla would look perfect together, so I decided to a “Carly” manicure inspired by LacqueredLover.com! This style combines at least two different nail polishes in a unified look. I used two coats of each polish. One coat was very sheer, but a second coat achieved opacity. Piper is a metallic green, which I love. It is almost the metallic version of a mint, but a bit darker. Isla is a metallic white. I love the way they are both shiny and frosty. I never thought I’d be so impressed with these polishes! Here’s a cool Instagram photo of my manicure:

 

I love Julep products, and being a Maven member. If you’d like to join this monthly subscription, click HERE. Be sure to enter code COLOR2012 at checkout to get your first month for a penny!

Favorite Friday: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

It’s Favorite Friday! That’s when I wear one of my all time favorite polishes that I haven’t used in a while. Today I have Mint Sorbet from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. I absolutely love mint polishes! I bought this one after I had seen many girls rocking mint nails on the NYC Subway in the spring of 2011. Not only is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear affordable at just $3 a bottle (or less at some stores), but the quality is rather good. You can read more about this brand HERE.

Mint Sorbet is not my all time favorite from this brand of polish, but the color is so pretty. This is definitely a two-coat polish, as the first coat comes out streaky and uneven. Luckily a second coat usually fixes everything and smoothes the color out. Today, I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful my mani turned out. I don’t know if I’ve just gotten better at painting my nails, but Mint Sorbet is at its best ever! I even did something I never do — I did not apply a topcoat! The polish looks so glossy on its own that I didn’t bother. What do you think of Mint Sorbet?

 

 

I’m sure you can see why this is one of my favorites! Have you tried this color or brand before?

Indie Spotlight: AbsolutLacquer in Maybe I’m Crazy & Confetti Cake

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Welcome to my first Indie Spotlight post! A few months ago I had no idea that indie polish existed, but I quickly learned of this underground world of polishmakers. Indie polish is created and sold by small businesses. They are typically 3-free, and can be very sought after. Some indie polishes sell for hundreds of dollars on eBay! On average, indie polish is about $8-10 for a full size bottle. While this is a bit more than I typically like to spend, it is nice to support small businesses when you have room in your budget. My Indie Spotlight posts will highlight some of the sellers that create this stunning polish!

AbsolutLacquer was kind enough to send me two minis from her store to test out for review. I was thrilled to use my first indie! I began with Maybe I’m Crazy layered over Zoya America. Maybe I’m Crazy is a glitter top coat in a clear base that literally has every type of glitter you can think of — bars, hexagons (large & small), squares, and fine — in a variety of different colors. You can layer this over basically any color, because it is sure to have a matching glitter in the bottle. I think it looks great over this bright red!

 

I’ll be honest, when I first started using this polish I thought, “Maybe I’m Crazy, but what am I doing wrong?” As I’m not used to this type of glitter polish, I found it a bit difficult at first to master the polishing technique. In order to get the glitter on your nail successfully, make sure to have a lot on the brush! Then, you want to dab the polish instead of swiping it across the nail. That way the glitter will stay on your nail and not on the brush. I used about 1-2 coats to achieve this look. Isn’t it fabulous?! I got lots of compliments on this polish.

 

My one woe with Maybe I’m Crazy is that removal took some effort. As with any glitter polish, I used the tin foil method (read about that HERE). Make sure you let your tin foil claws sit for at least ten minutes. That way the glitter will come right off! Even though this takes a bit of extra removal time, I don’t mind at all because Maybe I’m Crazy is stunning. I can’t wait to use it again. Here are a couple more photos.

Look at that bottle!

 

 

The next polish I have to show you is Confetti Cake. This is a white based polish with multi-colored hexagonal glitters. Unlike Maybe I’m Crazy, I didn’t need to dab on this polish. Instead, it applied like a dream! The polish stays true to it’s name. In fact, I had to remind myself as I was applying it that it was in fact nail polish, and not frosting! I used three coats of Confetti Cake on it’s own to get this look.

 

I am absolutely loving Confetti Cake! The white base has a frosted look, and the glitter spreads out perfectly. One thing that’s so fun about this polish is the look you get when adding coats. The glitter is brightly colored just like sprinkles, but when the white is over the glitter you get a beautiful pastel look. Thus, each nail has some bright and some pastel glitters. It gives a fantastic look! It was definitely worth the three coats, but if you wanted to conserve the polish, simply start out with one coat of white polish. That way you will have more Confetti Cake for future manis!

It looks so yummy!

 

 

I’ve been craving some cake since painting this mani! But that’s another story. I am absolutely thrilled with my first experience with indie polish. These are so well made, and you can tell a lot of work has gone into making the formula perfect. I highly suggest you check out AbsolutLacquer and buy some of her polishes! Shop her Etsy site HERE. Full size polishes are $8, and she JUST released a brand new neon collection! Also, be sure to like her Facebook page HERE. She often has contests for free polish!

What do you think of AbsolutLacquer? Have you tried this brand before?

 

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

A Few Announcements!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Hi all,

I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know that in less than two weeks I am officially moving to law school. Because of this, I have two exciting announcements.

  1. I am having my first Blog Sale! Simply click the tab above labeled “Blog Sale” to shop. I have some polishes that I haven’t used (or used once) that I would like to sell before moving. The less polishes I have to travel with the better. All profits go towards my educational expenses. Full details are on the Blog Sale page.
  2. I am looking for guest bloggers! Once school begins I will not be able to blog as often, but I still want my readers to be able to enjoy Adventures in Polishland. I would like to feature at least one guest blog per week. If you are interested, email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com with the following information:
  • Link to your blog
  • Link to your Facebook Page and any other social networks
  • An idea for your guest post. Remember, Adventures in Polishland is dedicated to fabulous & affordable nails, so your post should uphold that.

Thank you all so much for your continued support!

Christina

Try it on Tuesday: Jesse’s Girl Confetti

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

This week I am trying on one of the Jesse’s Girl polishes that I purchased in a blog sale about a month ago. Confetti is a really interesting polish. In the bottle it looks like a shimmery purple, but upon application I realized it is also a holo polish that shifts between purple and blue depending on the light. Confetti is very sheer. I applied three coats and it is not completely opaque. I think it would look great layered over another solid color, though. I had no problems whatsoever with application.

 

I’ve been wanting to try out Jesse’s Girl polishes as they retail for just $3.99. Besides being affordable, they look really pretty. Confetti reminds me of Sally Hansen HD polishes, but at about half the price. Though I’m not thrilled with how sheer the polish is, it is definitely stunning. I love that it has the appearance of glitter without being a glitter polish. I can’t wait to try this out as a top layer!

 

Have you tried Jesse’s Girl nail polish? What do you think of Confetti?

One Lovely Blog Award

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

A huge THANK YOU to Beauty Geek of WordPress for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog Award. It means so much to me that people are enjoying my blog. I can’t believe this is my second blog award, as I’ve only been around for about four months. I hope you will all continue to enjoy my Adventures in Polishland.

 

There are five guidelines for accepting this award:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
2. Paste the award image on your blog, anywhere.
3. Tell seven facts about yourself.
4. Nominate up to 15 other bloggers for this award.
5. Contact the bloggers that you have chosen to let them know that they have been nominated.

Seven facts about me:

1) I’ve met President Obama (though before he was president).
2) I was a competitive dancer in jazz, tap, and sometimes ballet for ten years.
3) I know every word to the song “La Vie Boheme” from RENT.
4) I’ve been to Disney World four times, and Disneyland twice.
5) Full House is my favorite TV show of all time.
6) I absolutely love shopping.
7) I could wear jeans every day of the year.

My Nominated Blogs (5 WordPress, 5 Blogger):

  1. Miss Holly Berries
  2. Jemma Grace
  3. Our Painted World
  4. Am1e’s Nail Diary
  5. Polish Monster
  6. Apple Lacquer
  7. Lace & Lacquers
  8. Pretty Face, Happy Bank
  9. Naked Without Polish
  10. Lena Loves Nails

I follow so many lovely nail blogs it was difficult to choose just ten!

Thanks again, Beauty Geek!

Favorite Friday: Hunger Games Nails on a Budget

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Welcome to my first Favorite Friday post! Even though I love that my nail polish stash is growing, I miss using some of my favorite colors. In order to ensure that I am not only using my brand new polishes, I am beginning a blog series called Favorite Friday. Each week I will use one of my favorite polishes from my stash. The only rule is that it must be a polish that I have not used in a long time. This way, I can try out my new polishes on any day except Friday!

Today’s manicure is one that I created back in March for the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games movie. I really wanted to splurge on some of the China Glaze Hunger Games Collection, but I thought that $8.99 a bottle was too much, especially since I had already paid for a t-shirt and a Mockingjay pin. Instead of spending more money, I knew that I could create my own Hunger Games mani using polishes I already owned.

To get this look, I began with two coats of an unnamed OPI mini that I have in grey. Then, I used a clear, glitter topcoat from Wet ‘n Wild and painted two coats of that. The finished product is a sparkly grey that reminds me of polishes that can be found in the China Glaze collection. I can definitely picture Katniss wearing this mani! I loved it so much on premiere night, and I am glad I got to wear it again for Favorite Friday.

What do you think of my Hunger Games nails on a budget? Do you try to create looks based off expensive polishes?

Feel free to participate in future Favorite Fridays with me! Post photos of your mani on my Facebook page, or send along the link to your blog!

Monthly Nail Polish Haul: July Edition

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Adventures in Polishland is dedicated to fabulous and affordable nails.  At the end of each month, I show you the polishes I purchased, and the good deals I got on them. I rarely pay full price for anything, and that includes nail polish. Although I did go a bit overboard in July (33 new bottles!), I only paid a fraction of the retail value for all my new polishes. Get ready to see this awesome haul!

Polishes I bought at retail stores in person, left to right:

  • Anise in Miss Inspector and Bronzed Babe. You can purchase Anise polishes at DSW stores for $6 each. Typically they are on sale for buy one get one half off, so these polishes came to $9. I had some money left on a gift card, so I only paid $6.96 for these two polishes! You can read my review of these two colors HERE.
  • China Glaze in Hook and Line and Mahogany Magic from the Hunger Games Collection. I bought these two polishes at my local Sally Beauty Supply store on clearance. I paid a total of $6.58 for both, but they retailed at $8.99 a piece when they came out! Sometimes patience is the key to getting the colors you want.
  • Elle in Surfer Babe. I scored this beautiful blue at Kohls for FREE when my mom let me use her Kohls Cash. Usually Elle retails for $10. If you go to Kohls, keep an eye out for coupons near the display. When I went there were $1 off coupons available! See my post highlighting this polish HERE.
  • NYC in High Lime Green. I bought this polish at CVS and used a coupon for $0.50 cents off any NYC purchase of $1.79. Lucky for me this polish was exactly $1.79, so I only paid $1.29 for it! I found this coupon on a store display also, so be sure to keep an eye out for those at CVS, too.

Polishes I bought through Blog Sales or Swap Groups, left to right:

  • I purchased Deborah Lippmann in Pearly Queen and Oh! You Pretty Things from Diana over at Polish Monster. As a special surprise, she threw in Miami Spirit from the new Wet ‘n Wild Fergie Collection! I paid a total of $15 including shipping for all three of these polishes. What a bargain!
  • I purchased all three Jesse’s Girl polishes (in Center Stage, Cupcake Frosting, and Confetti) from a special Blog Sale. A few months ago, a member of the nail blogging community passed away. As a benefit to support her family, her daughter was selling her polishes. I sent her a total of $22 including shipping, and asked her to throw in a few mini polishes that hadn’t been sold yet with the three Jesse’s Girls. I was completely surprised when I got the OPI Spiderman mini collection! From left to right is Into the Night, Number One Nemesis, Just Spotted the Lizard, and Your Web or Mine? Not only did I save a few dollars off the retail price, but I helped a family in need. See my post featuring Your Web or Mine? HERE.
  • The mini on the far right is Sephora by OPI in I Don’t Bite. I purchased it from a Swap Group on Facebook. A mini from this brand typically retails at about $5, but I paid only $3 including shipping.

Polishes I bought on Copious using credits first, left to right:

  • e.l.f. in Royal Purple. I paid only $0.54 for this gorgeous polish that retails at $2. See my blog post featuring it HERE.
  • Matte.n.a in Film Noir. My first matte polish! I got it for just $0.01 with my credits, though they typically sell for $2.25.
  • piCture pOlish in Citrus. I got this beautiful orange for a mere $0.13 even though they retail at $9.50. I’ve heard great things about this brand and I can’t wait to use it.
  • Pretty & Polished in Forest Phire. My first indie purchase, and I only spent $0.30!  Minis from this brand usually sell for $5.25, so I got a great deal.

Polishes I bought online, left to right:

  • Julep in Yumi, Lynn, America, and Alfre. I got all of these polishes for FREE! The first three were in my July Julep Maven Box, which I had a free credit for. In that box I received a voucher for another free polish, and I picked Alfre! I love the Julep Maven program. Did you know that you can get your first box for one penny with the promo code COLOR2012? Join HERE and read about my July box HERE.
  • Orly in Rock Solid. I purchased my first Orly during a sale on HauteLook. I had credits to use, so I only ended up spending $0.45! HauteLook has all sorts of sales, but there is often nail polish from all different brands. Join the site for free HERE.
  • Zoya in Rea and America. I originally purchased Zoya’s Trixie to get America free during the Fourth of July sale, but when it arrived I realized it was a dupe of a polish I already had. Lucky for me I was able to swap Trixie for Rea in a Swap Group! I did have to spend a little extra for the shipping, but I ended up with both of these Zoyas for just $9.95 instead of the full $16. You can purchase Zoya polish HERE and read my entry about America HERE.

Whew! Did you make it through all that with me? If so, here is the most exciting part! While I did spend $66.21 this month, if I did not use credits, buy sale items, and coupon, the retail value of all these items would be $205.24! That’s right– I saved $139.03! How is that for fabulous and affordable?! For all of these 28 bottles listed above, on average I paid $2.36 per polish. Woo-hoo!

Before I close out this post, I wanted to add in some “bonus” polishes that I purchased through Little Black Bag. I can’t really estimate how much I saved on these polishes, since they came along with other items in a monthly subscription, but I definitely got a good deal on them. Retail value of these five polishes is $77. Left to right, the colors are: ncLA in Hollywood Hills Hot Number & Miss Sunset Strip, and Michael Marcus in Brilliant Sand, Fuchsia Have a Good Time, and Paradise Pink. You can join Little Black Bag HERE.

Please note that this post does not include polishes I received as a gift, as a giveaway win, or as a product to review for my blog. My purpose is to show you how to get great savings on nail polish.