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Back to School Week | My Drugstore Nail Polish Picks for School

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

Happy Friday! Today is the last day of Back to School Week here on Adventures in Polishland, and I thought it would be fun to share some fabulous and affordable nail polishes! Each of the polishes showcased today can be purchased at the drugstore for under $6. I know students often have to pinch pennies, but with these great polishes you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank. Let me share my favorite drugstore polishes for back to school!

First up is Wet ‘n Wild Megalast in On a Trip. This is a gorgeous light purple polish. On a Trip as a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I was super impressed with this polish, and wore it for four days without any signs of wear at all. Not only is this polish pretty, but it retails for just $1.99 at drugstores! I highly recommend On a Trip, and it’s a great transition color from summer to fall.

Next up is one of my all-time favorites, Spoiled in Did I Dye It Too Blonde? Neons are still in this season, and this yellow is perfect if you really love fun nails. I layered one coat over white in the photos above to get a strong neon color, since Did I Dye It Too Blonde? is a bit sheer on its own. You can buy Spoiled nail polish at CVS stores for $1.99 each!

This post would be incomplete without a polish from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear! It is probably my favorite brand of all time! I think the color Blue Me Away! is just perfect for back to school. Blue Me Away! has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. It really is the perfect light blue, and it retails for around $3!

Next up is a funky metallic polish from Maybelline Color Show in Amethyst Ablaze. This polish is purple and has a foil look when dry. The formula was good, though not perfect — let each coat dry completely or the polish will drag. I applied two coats to achieve opacity, and I’m loving the result! If you like an edgier look, Amethyst Ablaze is for you! It retails for around $4.

Milani is another fabulous drugstore brand, and I love the shade Quick Teal from the High Speed Fast Dry line. While marketed as a one coat formula, I do need two coats for opacity. The formula is great, though! Quick Teal is the perfect fall color, and can go with many outfits. It retails for just $4.99!

Last but not least is Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant in My Papaya. I love the Covergirl nail polishes, and this one is gorgeous. My Papaya is a coral pink shade, and has a hint of golden shimmer. The formula is flawless, and is opaque in two coats. My Papaya is a classic color, and will look great on almost everyone. It retails for $5.99 at drugstores.

All in all, I love drugstore nail polish, and these are some of my favorite polishes for heading back to school. Keep an eye out for sales and coupons, so you can snag these polishes at even better price. I hope you enjoyed this post and Back to School Week! If you’re heading back to school soon I hope you have a great year!

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

Back to School Week | Cute & Casual School Outfits

Posted on August 14, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today’s post is a first on Adventures in Polishland — fashion! One of the best parts of going back to school each year is putting together some cute, new outfits. Whether you’re going on a shopping spree, or searching through your closets, they key to the perfect school ensemble is feeling comfortable and looking great, too. I usually keep it pretty casual at school since I’m there to learn above everything else. Let me show you a couple outfits I plan on wearing this fall, plus some of my favorite clothing stores and back to school must haves!

First up is my go-to look — jeans and a t-shirt! Whether you’re in middle school, or law school like I am, you can never go wrong with the basics. To liven my outfit up a bit, I chose a feminine floral top, and added a necklace. I’ll share the product details below.

Top: Forever 21 – $13.80 – not sold online
Necklace: Forever 21 – $10.80 – CLICK
Jeans: American Eagle – $44.95 – CLICK
Shoes: Converse – $49.90 – CLICK

For days you want to look a bit more polished, swap the sneakers out for some flats, and choose dark colored denim. I’m totally ready to hit the law library in this outfit! Below I’ll link to the products I’m wearing, but since the jeans and shoes are from older brands I’ll find similar items for you.

Top: Forever 21 – $15.80 – CLICK
Necklace: Forever 21 – Spring Collection
Jeans: PLNDR – $24.99 – CLICK
Shoes: Delias – $19.90 – CLICK
Bag: Michael Kors – $103.50 – CLICK
Casebook: Amazon – $125.49 – CLICK

Back to School Fashion Must Haves!

Sperry Top-Siders are my favorite shoes! They’re comfortable, cute, and come in a ton of colors.

To carry those books, sport a cute bag! I love leopard print — it never goes out of style.

Don’t be late! Invest in a stylin’ watch to get you to class on time. I love my rose gold one from Michael Kors!

Best Stores for Bagainistas!

JCPenney – Arizona jeans are my favorite! They come in all sizes and lengths, not to mention colors and styles, too.
Forever 21 – Always super affordable, and always trendy!
Delias – Cute, comfy, and cool clothing! Seriously!
Express – Shop during clearance events and you’ll snag amazing deals. They have beautiful dresses!
BaubleBar – Gorgeous jewelry and great prices. I love their statement necklaces!

That wraps up my fashion post for Back to School Week! I hope you liked the outfits I put together, and the pieces I picked out. When you head back to school, remember to wear what you like and what makes you feel most confident. Respect your school dress code (and your parents!), but let your real style show through. Let me know your favorite stores to shop at in the comments!

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

King of Pop Manicure featuring Water Decals from Born Pretty Store!

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

Happy Saturday! Today I am so excited to share with you another review featuring a fabulous and affordable item from Born Pretty Store. So far I’ve tried rhinestones, nail stickers, and Hello Kitty decals, but I was the most nervous to try out some water decals. Once I got the courage to try them out, I was so glad I did! Let me show you these decals and the fun manicure I created.

First up is the sheet of water decals. As you can see, there are a lot of different designs so you can create any type of nail art look you want. Since I love Michael Jackson, I just had to feature him on my nails. How cool is it that he is on this sheet?! I decided to create a King of Pop manicure!

Step one to using the water decals is to paint your nails. You can use any polish, but I decided to use Wet ‘n Wild Megalast in On a Trip. Make sure your polish is 100% dry before you begin to apply the decals. Next, you will need a scissors and a cup of water. These water decals work just like temporary tattoos. Simply cut out the design you want, remove the protective film, and dunk the decal into the water for 10-20 seconds. Then, place the decal on your nail and gently press down to transfer the design. And that’s it!

Now even though that sounds easy, keep in mind it will take a bit of practice. As you can see, I completely smudged the decal on my first try because I applied top coat too soon. Before you finish out your manicure with a top coat, let the decals dry!

After some practice, I got the hang of the decals. Here is my completed King of Pop manicure! Along with the Michael Jackson design, I had to add a crown and some diamonds. As you can see, my crown is a bit lopsided. Make sure you line up the decal on your nail before you press down. I also find that, unlike temporary tattoos, the decals come off easily when you slide them over your nails instead of holding them face down for a few seconds. Even with the imperfections, I’m still loving the result!

All in all, I’m so glad I tried out these water decals! While they do take a bit of trial and error, you will end up with a super cool manicure. The best part is this sheet retails for just $4.73 at Born Pretty Store HERE! Think of the dozens of manicures you can create with just this one sheet! Plus, you can grab an extra 10% off with the coupon code FZL91. As always, Born Pretty offers free international shipping. Be sure to let me know what you think of my King of Pop manicure in the comments!

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

Try it on Tuesday | Icing Hey Sailor Boy & HK Girl Top Coat

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

Happy Tuesday! I haven’t written a Try it on Tuesday post in quite some time! Try it on Tuesday is when nail bloggers and nail polish lovers alike try on a polish from their collection that has been sitting there untried for a great deal of time. Yesterday I decided to grab a polish called Hey Sailor Boy from the Icing, and sealed it with one of the most talked about top coats in the nail polish community, HK Girl from Glisten and Glow. Let me show you this awesome combination!

Up first is Hey Sailor Boy! It is a gorgeous, dark blue jelly polish filled with blue micro glitter and blue and green hexagonal glitters. I received this polish as a gift, and I am so thrilled I did! Not only does Hey Sailor Boy have an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats, but it is a dupe for the beloved Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe! I just love the dimensional look with this polish — it appears to be a jelly sandwich manicure without the extra work! Hey Sailor Boy is also so shiny and glittery that my camera had a difficult time capturing its amazingness. My photos do not do this polish justice!

To complete my manicure, I reached for the Glisten and Glow HK Girl Top Coat. I received this bottle as a gift from Jill, the owner of Glisten and Glow, for helping her judge a nail art competition, and had yet to use it. I typically use up one top coat at a time, but I was unhappy with the results I had been getting with my other top coats, so I decided to switch it up and reach for this one. I’m so glad I did! HK Girl is the shiniest top coat I’ve ever used — it looks like I got a gel manicure done at the salon! It also dries extremely quickly. The one drawback of HK Girl is that it does have a stronger odor than most nail polishes, but I’m willing to put up with that for the results I got. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that HK Girl retails for just $6.95 on Glisten and Glow’s website HERE! That is a very good price for an indie top coat!

All in all, I am loving my current manicure. Not only did I get to try out a polish and a top coat that have been sitting in my collection for several weeks, but Hey Sailor Boy is perfectly themed for the Fourth of July! You can stop by your local Icing store to grab a bottle of Hey Sailor Boy for just $4.50. Be sure to leave me a comment below with your favorite top coat as well!

The products in this post were given to me as gifts from two separate people. This post contains some affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

SinfulColors SinfulShine Nail Polish in Amazonian

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

Happy Tuesday! Today I’m excited to review a nail polish that is super fabulous and very affordable! SinfulColors just released a new line of nail polishes at Walgreens stores called SinfulShine. These polishes are made with gel tech for a glossy finish, and come in 32 shades. I was lucky enough to receive the color Amazonian in the Sunkissed VoxBox from Influenster. (You can learn more about Influenster HERE). Let me show you this cool nail polish!

Amazonian is a dark green nail polish packed with green glitter and just a hint of bronze glitter. It is opaque in two coats, and I was very impressed with the formula! I suggest applying thick layers of this SinfulColors nail polish, as it will glide easier on the nail. I can definitely see the how the gel tech makes a huge difference in the polish. I didn’t apply any top coat to get the look in the photos! At first I was a bit disappointed that I got such a dark color during the summer months, but once I put on Amazonian I was pleasantly surprised with how much I love it! It’s very different from any nail polish in my collection!

All in all, I’m loving Amazonian from the SinfulColors SinfulShine collection! At just $2.99, I might have to stop by Walgreens and see the other colors. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have tried any of the polishes from this line, and what you thought of them. Many thanks to Influenster for sending me Amazonian to review!

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

3D Heart Rhinestones from Born Pretty Store!

Posted on May 31, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! If you love to add bling to your nails, then today’s review is perfect for you! Born Pretty Store, the best place for affordable nail art supplies online, recently came out with some new 3D heart rhinestones in twelve stunning colors! I put some of these to the test, and I can’t wait to share the fancy manicure I created!

First off, here is a quick picture of the set of rhinestones as you receive them. They come in a cute wheel that is separated by color and is very easy to store in your nail polish collection. This set comes with twenty-four rhinestones total, with two of each color. I love this wheel because it ensures that the rhinestones don’t get lost anywhere, but I can still see the available colors through the clear plastic.

I decided to choose two of the rhinestones for my manicure as double accent nails! Since I was wearing Zoya Bobbi, I chose a light pink and a light purple to act as complimentary colors. To apply the rhinestones, simply press them onto your nails before your nail polish has dried completely and finish up with a top coat. The rhinestones stuck on my nails rather well, but you can always use a bit of nail glue to ensure they don’t fall off if you wish. Another great thing about these 3D rhinestones is that they can be reused! They don’t get ruined upon removal, and can thus be applied for more than one fancy manicure!

All in all, these heart rhinestones are super cute and very easy to apply. I am not one to have bling on my nails all the time, but these are great for an accent nail or a special occasion! Plus, since there are twelve different colors, you can pair the rhinestones with many different nail polishes. This set of rhinestones retails for just $4.14 HERE, and as always Born Pretty Store offers free international shipping. You can also get 10% off of your order with the discount code FZL91. Click the photo below to start shopping now!

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

DIY Chalkboard Nail Art – Fabulous & Affordable Edition!

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

Happy Friday! If you are a nail art enthusiast, you may have heard about the new Chalkboard Manicure kit that Ciaté recently released. This kit comes with black nail polish, four water-soluble nail art pens, and a matte top coat, and retails for a whopping $25 on Sephora’s website HERE. I thought the idea behind the kit was cute and creative, so I decided that I would recreate the look using nail polishes that I already have in my collection. There is no need to go out and spend $25 on this kit when you already have the necessary tools! Let me show you how you can create a fabulous and affordable chalkboard manicure.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Any base coat
Any black nail polish
Various nail art pens
Any matte top coat

I am using, from left to right, the Sephora Collection base coat, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred, Revlon Nail Art Expressionist duos, L.A. Colors Art Deco, and butter LONDON Matte Finish. You can use products from any brand you choose, but these are the just items I have in my personal collection. That’s what makes this so great — I didn’t need to buy any additional materials! Now, onto step one!

The first step in creating your chalkboard manicure is applying your base coat and the black nail polish. I used two coats of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred, but any black will be just fine. Make sure you let the black polish dry completely before moving on to step two.

Once the black polish has dried, take your nail art pens and add some fun designs to your nails. I stuck with the basics — a smiley face, a heart, and some abstract designs. You can use any colors that you wish for the “chalk” part of your manicure. I used white, pink, and blue since those are the colors I owned! After you paint on your designs, make sure you let them dry completely before moving on to the final step. You don’t want to smudge your nail art!

Last but not least, apply your matte top coat. Your nails will now have a super cool, chalkboard look! The best part is you didn’t have to purchase a kit for $25, but instead used affordable items, or better yet, polishes already in your nail polish stash. The only difference between this fabulous and affordable version and the Ciaté kit is that you can’t wash off the “chalk” art if you make a mistake. Other than that, the look is the same, and you will have just as much fun painting your nails and showing them off to friends. Who said having fabulous nails had to come at a high price?!

Let me know what you think of my chalkboard manicure in the comments!

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!

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!

Milani Limited Edition Nail Collection: Textured Creams Specialty Nail Lacquer

Posted on February 28, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Today I am extremely excited to share with you the full Textured Creams collection from Milani Cosmetics! This collection is Limited Edition, and features six gorgeous shades of textured nail polish. I was unsure of how I would like this collection when I saw the press release, but I was amazed with the quality and formula of the polishes when I gave them a try. Let me show you these fabulous and affordable nail polishes!

First up is Tainted in Red, a bright red orange polish. All of the Milani Textures apply like a regular cream finish, but then dry to this textured look. This makes the formula amazing! The application is just perfect with two coats. I am loving Tainted in Red. It looked great with my skin tone and is an edgy take on a classic red polish. I think pairing this with a black outfit would be perfect for a night out!

Next is Spoiled in Fuchsia, a beautiful pink polish that is a mix between a fuchsia and magenta color. As with all of these polishes, I applied two coats of Spoiled in Fuchsia. Make sure you let each coat dry before applying a second layer. You will be able to see the polish drying as the textured look appears! Spoiled in Fuchsia is a gorgeous polish for spring. It’s not too bright, and is great for an every day look!

Aqua Splash is the next polish in the Milani Texture collection. It is a gorgeous aqua color that leans toward seafoam green. The brush with this polish was a little wonky, but it thankfully didn’t affect application at all. Aqua Splash is such a beautiful color. It’s perfect for the transition from spring to summer! I’ve been loving greens lately, and this is another one that I find stunning.

Next up is Yellow Mark, a banana yellow polish! This has the same flawless formula as the other polishes in this collection. Yellow Mark is my least favorite polish from the bunch simply because the color is not for me. If you love yellows, this is the polish for you! It’s perfect for a warm, sunny day!

Purple Streak is a dark and true purple polish. This is the only polish in the collection that applied streaky with the first coat. Luckily it evened right up with the second! I love this color polish! It’s not too bright or dark, and it’s great for all seasons. I think dark purple is a great alternative to the classic red nail, and Purple Streak is even edgier!

Last but not least is Shady Gray, what I like to call a graphite color! Shady Gray is a great neutral polish with a smoky look. I love that this is not black, but still a darker shade. That makes it less harsh and dramatic, but it still goes with every outfit. Shady Gray is perfect for the end of the winter season!

All in all, I am super impressed with the Textured Creams Collection from Milani! I was just blown away with the amazing formula, and how great they looked on the nail. I highly recommend this collection! Be sure to stop by your local Walgreens, Fred Meyer, HEB, or Meijer to purchase this collection. You can also buy it online at Milani’s website HERE. Each polish is just $4.99! What an affordable way to stay on trend this season!

Let me know what you think of this collection and textured nail polishes! Plus, stay tuned to see how I used these nail polishes to create some simply nail art looks!

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