dare to compare – Page 3 – Adventures in Polishland

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Dare to Compare | Milani Color Statement Red Label vs KBShimmer Chilly Pepper

Posted on May 2, 2016March 26, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have a nail polish comparison for you, and I’m excited to share the results. I’ve never been a big fan of the classic red nail polish, but every once in a while I find a shade of red that does work with my fair skin tone. In late 2015 I received KBShimmer’s Chilly Pepper for review and immediately knew this was a red made for me. As it turns out, I also own Milani Color Statement in Red Label, a shade that looks nearly identical to Chilly Pepper in the bottle. Now, I knew I would keep Chilly Pepper because it is one of my most used nail polishes, but I wanted to see if these polishes were dupes. Let me share the results with you!

First up is Milani Color Statement Red Label. This is a true red nail polish with a creme formula. Red Label has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. My only issue with the formula is that it is just a touch watery, but that is me nitpicking this polish. Red Label is an amazing red, and it’s a fabulous and affordable polish.

KBShimmer Chilly Pepper is also a bright red creme polish, but it does feel more like a ‘crelly,’ or creme and jelly formula. Chilly Pepper has a perfect formula. It applies with ease, looks beautiful in two opaque coats, and dries to a glossy finish with no top coat needed. I’ve used this polish so much since I received it, and you can tell by the messy state of the bottle. This is one loved polish!

Here is a look at Red Label and Chilly Pepper side-by-side. Red Label is on my pinky and ring fingers with Chilly Pepper on my middle and pointer fingers. Can you tell a difference between the two? It is very, very slight, but Red Label is a tad brighter. However, there is no reason for me to own both of these polishes. I knew I’d be keeping Chilly Pepper, so I’m saying goodbye to Red Label.

All in all, I’m glad I swatched these side-by-side so I could alert you to this dupe! I know KBShimmer is a higher end brand, and that Milani is more accessible for many of you at your local drugstore. If you can get your hands on Chilly Pepper, I highly recommend picking it up on Amazon HERE. That being said, I also recommend Red Label. It’s all up to how much you want to spend! Definitely let me know in the comments what your favorite red nail polish is. I would love to know!

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

Upcoming Adventures | May Blog Chat

Posted on May 1, 2016March 26, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! I can’t believe we are already into the month of May! It seems like 2016 is flying by. Today I’m here to share my Upcoming Adventures with all of you. This is where I share a sneak preview of what you can expect to see here on Adventures in Polishland this month. April was a great month here on the blog. I went back to my normal blog schedule after a themed month in March, and caught up with a lot of new nail polish releases and book reviews. It was fun to write about a lot of the different things I’ve been loving in my life lately, and I hope you enjoyed the posts as well! Let me share more about what you can expect during May!

May is going to be a bit different here at Adventures in Polishland. While I am not doing a themed month, it just so happens that the majority of my blog posts will be nail polish comparisons. As you may know, I am currently doing a major destash of my nail polish collection. I am now in the stage where I am comparing shades to get rid of dupes and also find the best formulas. As a result, I have a ton of nail polishes to swatch and thought it would be fun to do a lot of Dare to Compare posts. I asked on my Facebook Page HERE if you were interested in seeing so many comparisons, and I was happy so many of you wanted them! Thus, almost all of my beauty posts this month will be Dare to Compare posts!

In addition to comparison posts on beauty days, I will be keeping up with lifestyle posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Right now I am anticipating a good amount of book reviews, but I’m not yet sure what else will make its way onto the blog. If you ever have a request, you can use my Request Form HERE and I might write about your idea! If there is a specific aspect of my life you would like to learn more about, please let me know. Of course, I don’t share everything, but I always entertain your ideas.

That wraps up my May Blog Chat! As always, thank you for your continued support! It was so exciting to celebrate my 4-year Blogiversary in April. I truly love sharing with you, and I’m glad people share in my passions along with me. Here’s to a great May!

Dare to Compare | Milani Scarlet Ibis vs Milani Color Statement Mango Tango

Posted on April 25, 2016March 22, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have another nail polish comparison post to share, and this time the polishes are from the same brand! I own two red-orange polishes from Milani that look extremely similar in the bottle, and I had to test them out to see if they are duplicates. I did want to mention that these polishes are from two different Milani collections, so it’s understandable that the shades are so similar. Let’s take a look at Scarlet Ibis and Mango Tango individually and side-by-side.

First up is Scarlet Ibis, a red orange polish with a very slight shimmer. This polish is from the limited edition Fantastical Plumage Collection, which is one of my all-time favorite Milani collections (review HERE). Scarlet Ibis has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. It’s a tad bit watery, so I used thin coats and really liked the end result. The shimmer is just enough to add some dimension, but not make my manicure glittery. I really like Scarlet Ibis!

Next up is Mango Tango from the currently-in-stores Color Statement line. This is a red-orange creme polish with a rich pigmentation. Mango Tango has a good formula that is opaque in two coats. I really like the brush in this new Color Statement line from Milani, so that made the application process a bit better than it was with Scarlet Ibis. That’s definitely something I keep in mind when deciding whether or not to destash a polish.

Here are Scarlet Ibis and Mango Tango side-by-side. I have Scarlet Ibis on my pinky and ring fingers, and Mango Tango on my middle and pointer fingers. There is definitely a slight difference between these two polishes, so I wouldn’t call them exact dupes. That being said, there is no reason for me to keep both of these in my collection. While I like the brush and formula of Mango Tango a bit more, I’ve decided to keep Scarlet Ibis. I prefer the shade and slight shimmer, and I know I’ll never be able to buy it again. This was a tough decision!

All in all, I always find it interesting when brands release polishes that are so similar there is no need to own both. I absolutely love Milani nail polishes, and think it’s great the brand is constantly evolving. Definitely let me know in the comments if you prefer Milani’s older collections, or the new Color Statement line. I would also like to know your favorite red-orange nail polish!

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 | Priti NYC Fireglow vs Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Electra-cute

Posted on April 20, 2016March 22, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I am excited to share another nail polish comparison post with all of you. After looking through all the yellow polishes in my collection, I turned to the oranges to see if there were any duplicates. I noticed right away that Priti NYC Fireglow and Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Electra-cute looked exactly the same in the bottle. These are both perfect orange cremes for the fall, so I decided to swatch them and see which formula I preferred. As with all of my Dare to Compare posts, I’ll show you each polish individually, and then side-by-side.

First up is Fireglow, a bright orange creme from the boutique brand Priti NYC. Fireglow has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. It can be a bit patchy, but it does dry to a beautiful finish. I love that I am supporting a small business with this polish, and that it is made in the USA.

Electra-cute from Sally Hansen Miracle Gel is also a bright orange creme polish. The formula is good, but I did find Electra-cute to be quite patchy and streaky. I layered on three coats and I still didn’t have a completely even finish. I was a bit surprised, because I know I really enjoyed this polish when I first got it, so I guess the formula changed over time. Electra-cute was a limited edition polish that isn’t available anymore, so I considered that when swatching as well.

Here is a look at Fireglow and Electra-cute side-by-side. I cannot tell any difference in shade whatsoever! As you may have predicted, I’m going to be decluttering Electra-cute. The formula just doesn’t match up to Fireglow!

All in all, I’m so glad I discovered another duplicate shade in my nail polish collection. I highly recommend picking up Fireglow if you are looking for an orange polish. You can purchase it direct from the brand’s website HERE. It is a bit more expensive at $15, but worth the splurge! Let me know in the comments what your favorite orange polish is, and if you’ve tried any polishes from Priti NYC.

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 | Milani Canary vs Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic

Posted on April 15, 2016March 19, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! The second round of my nail polish declutter project has officially begun. I’m now going through each color family and seeing if I have any duplicates of the same shade. I decided to go through my yellows first because that is the color family from which I own the least amount of polishes. I noticed that Milani Canary and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic looked quite similar in the bottle, so I decided to put them to a swatch test! Let’s take a look at each polish individually, and then side-by-side.

First up is Milani Canary, a yellow mustard nail polish with a creme formula. Canary has a good formula, but it was a bit on the streaky side. I applied two coats to achieve opacity, and I do like the result. Canary is a discontinued polish, so you can’t purchase it in-store any longer. I definitely keep that in mind before decluttering a polish!

Next up is Traffic from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. This is also a yellow mustard creme polish. I purchased it at Sephora a few years ago because I wanted to try this vegan and cruelty free brand. Unfortunately, the formula on Traffic isn’t that great. It is pretty watery, and a bit streakier than Canary, but still workable. I did some research and it seems like this polish is also discontinued, but it’s still available from third-party sellers on Amazon HERE.

Here is a side-by-side look of Canary and Traffic. I’m wearing Canary on my pinky and ring fingers and Traffic on my middle and pointer fingers. While I could tell a very slight difference between these polishes in person, you can see from the photographs that they are virtually the same in shade. When I went into this comparison, I thought I would keep one of these polishes in my stash. As it turns out, I’m going to declutter both of them! While I do like this shade of polish for the fall, I have a deeper toned mustard polish with an excellent formula that I would reach for over either one of these. Thus, both of these polishes are going to be destashed!

All in all, I’m glad I tested out these polishes together. I discovered that they are dupes for one another, so if you own both of these feel free to declutter one! Make sure to let me know in the comments if you have a favorite yellow mustard nail polish. My go to is LVX Citrine, which is a deeper color than the polishes shown today. Stay tuned to the blog for more Dare to Compare posts soon!

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

Dare to Compare | Neon Yellow Nail Polish

Posted on August 27, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! After tackling the orange nail polish in my collection, I moved onto the yellows and decided which ones I should keep. It turns out I owned three polishes in the neon yellow shade, so I tested each one to see if I could get rid of any as part of The Great Polish Destash. Let me show you the three neon yellows I had, and which I decided to keep.

First up is Spoiled in Did I Dye It Too Blonde? This is the first neon yellow I’ve ever purchased, and is also the most affordable. Spoiled sells for just $1.99 retail price at CVS stores, and even goes on sale for $0.99! Did I Dye It Too Blonde? is a good polish, but very sheer. I’m wearing three coats in the photo above, and as you can see it is not opaque. I always wear a white base under a neon yellow to brighten the shade anyway, so a sheer formula isn’t a big factor in this round of Dare to Compare.

Next up is Milani Neon in Totally 80’s. I purchased this polish at the Street Fair Cosmetics booth here in NYC for just $1.00, but never wore it. I was happily surprised to find that Totally 80’s has a great formula, and decent coverage in two coats. This polish is actually retired now, so it would be difficult to find it in stores.

Last up is Julep in Nikki. I remember disliking Nikki when I first tested it out, but for some reason I liked it much better this time around! Nikki is definitely a more green-toned yellow, but the formula is great and nearly opaque in two coats. So far all of the polishes are seemingly great, so it’s going to come down to the side-by-side comparison!

Once I tested out all three polishes it was clear that each shade is a little bit different. From left to right, I’m wearing the Spoiled, the Milani, and the Julep. I first decided to keep Spoiled Did I Dye It Too Blonde? because I’ve used up a significant part of that bottle, and I’ve had it since I started this blog. Then, I decided which of the two remaining polishes to destash. Because I’ve made a dent in the Julep polish, I decided to keep it as well. Milani’s Totally 80’s is a great polish to rehome, and because it is a retired shade, people might be looking for it. Thus, I decided to keep two out of three. Not too shabby!

All in all, I was surprised to have three neon yellow polishes in my collection, and even more shocked when each shade turned out to be a bit different. I’m glad I was able to get rid of one polish, and make my collection at least a little more manageable. Make sure to stay tuned for more Dare to Compare posts as The Great Polish Destash continues, and let me know what your favorite neon yellow polish is in the comments!

Dare to Compare | Julep Nina vs Zoya Arizona

Posted on August 21, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! If you’ve Liked my Facebook Page, you’ll know that I’ve begun a new project dubbed The Great Polish Destash. I will be moving at some point this year, so I want to go through my entire nail polish collection and get rid of polishes that I no longer want or need. My first step was to roughly organize my polishes by color, and now I’m going through those color families to find any dupes (aka duplicates). I decided to start with the organges, since I only had 20 orange polishes before I started my destash. Julep Nina and Zoya Arizona looked nearly identical in the bottle, so I had to test them out side by side to see how they compare. Dare to Compare | Julep Nina vs Zoya Arizona

First up is Julep Nina, a bright orange creme that dries to a satin finish. Nina is opaque in three coats, and has a tacky formula. I do love the color and the finish, but the formula is a bit difficult.

Next up is Zoya Arizona. This is also a bright orange creme, but it dries to a glossy finish. The formula is good, but a bit thin so I needed three coats for opacity. I got this cute mini size in a promotion Zoya did a while back. In fact, my friend Princess Polish made a bulk order and included this in it for me.

Here are side-by-side swatches of Julep Nina and Zoya Arizona. Nina is on my pinky and ring fingers, with Arizona on my middle and pointer fingers. I can barely tell any difference at all between the two! Because these polishes are nearly identical, I knew it would be safe to destash one of them. I considered formula as the biggest deciding factor, and decided to keep…. Zoya Arizona! The glossy finish and smooth formula truly won me over!

All in all, while both Nina and Arizona are great, bright orange polishes, there is no need to have both in my collection. If you’re looking for an orange, I definitely recommend Zoya Arizona. Not only is it more affordable at $9 versus Julep’s $14 price tag, but it’s got a great formula. With Halloween around the corner, you’ll want this shade for your pumpkin nail art!

Do you have a favorite orange?! Let me know what it is in the comments!

Save or Splurge | White Nail Polish

Posted on July 16, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Here at Adventures in Polishland, I always love to let you know how to get the most fabulous and affordable nails. While it’s nice to splurge on occasion, I only like to spend the big bucks when it’s absolutely necessary, so I thought I would review two white nail polishes to let you know if you should splurge or save. A white polish is definitely a needed staple in every nail polish collection. Whether you’re wearing it alone, under glitter, or in a nail art look, white will always come in handy. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to get a white polish with a perfect formula. I’ve tried at least half a dozen white polishes, and most of them are extremely streaky. Let me go ahead and show you my two favorite white polishes, both at opposite ends of the price spectrum.

The two polishes that I’ll be comparing for you are LVX Fantom ($16.00) and SinfulColors Snow Me White ($1.99).

I’ve loved LVX Fantom since I first tried it out. The formula is very good. It does tend to be a bit splotchy, but it evens out to a flawless finish in two to three coats. I’ve used it several times both on its own and in nail art. It’s never done me wrong!

I also picked up SinfulColors Snow Me White at the drugstore because I wanted to see if there was an affordable white that I could recommend to all of you. I’m happy to report that this polish has a good formula as well. It is definitely prone to streaking, and has a bit of a tacky feeling, but it looks just great with two coats.

Here are LVX Fantom and SinfulColors Snow Me White side by side. LVX can be seen on the pinky and index fingers, with SinfulColors on the middle and pointer fingers. As you can see, there is no visible difference between these polishes at all. In fact, I would be 100% comfortable wearing this as a complete manicure!

All in all, my final verdict is that you can definitely save here, and purchase the SinfulColors Snow Me White as your go-to white polish. While I do prefer the LVX formula a bit more, it is definitely not worth the price tag if you’re on a budget. I will mention that LVX is often on sale on HauteLook for 50% off, so be on the lookout for added savings. In addition, drugstores like Walgreens and Rite Aid have sales on SinfulColors as well, so there is always an opportunity to rock fabulous and affordable nails!

Do you have a go-to white nail polish? Let me know what it is in the comments!

Dare to Compare: Maybelline Baby Skin vs Too Faced Primed & Poreless

Posted on January 17, 2014March 5, 2017 by Adventures in Polishland

Too Faced Primed & Poreless vs Maybelline Baby Skin

Happy Friday! I was so excited when I saw that Maybelline released the new Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, and knew I just had to pick it up. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I just love Baby Lips, so my fingers were crossed that Baby Skin would be just as great. After trying it out, I couldn’t believe how much I liked it, and how similar it is to the Too Faced Primed & Poreless primer that I use every day. Today’s post is going to compare these two primers, and see which one is the best option.

MAYBELLINE BABY SKIN

Price: $6.99 (or $10.43 per oz) [BUY]

TOO FACED PRIMED & PORELESS

Price: $30 [BUY]

SIDE BY SIDE

As you can see from the swatches, the main difference between Baby Skin and Primed & Poreless is the formula. Baby Skin has a clear gel formula, and Primed & Poreless starts out as a nude tone with an almost lotion-like formula that becomes invisible once applied to the skin. Baby Skin is a bit thicker in consistency, but after application both are extremely similar. Are you ready for the results?

Voila! I seriously cannot tell the difference between these two primers! Once applied they both have the same exact smoothing effect on the skin, and both are amazing primers to wear under foundation. I find that both Baby Skin and Primed & Poreless last just as long throughout the day, and my foundation glides over each with ease during application. The only real difference in wear between the two is that Primed & Poreless is definitely better on its own than Baby Skin. Thus, if you’re looking for a primer that you can wear alone on no makeup days, I would recommend Primed & Poreless. Otherwise, Baby Skin is just as amazing as the high end primer I’ve spent a lot of money on!

All in all, I’m so glad I’ve discovered Baby Skin! I still love my Primed & Poreless, but will definitely be reaching for Baby Skin on days that I’m wearing makeup. Thanks to Maybelline for creating an affordable primer at the drugstore! I will be sure to stock up during sale events. Let me know in the comments what your favorite face primer is, and if you’ve tried Baby Skin yet!

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

Dare to Compare | Makeup Remover Wipes!

Posted on November 19, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! I have been searching for the perfect makeup wipes for quite some time now, and I thought it would be fun if I shared some of my findings with all of you! The drugstore contains so many different brands, that I know it can be difficult to find the perfect wipes at an affordable price. Let me share with you four different brands that I’ve tested out the past few months!

Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial TowelettesPrice: $6.49 for 30 wipes; 22 cents per wipe [BUY]

Scent: These smell great! Just like real cucumbers (not the fake cucumber smell!).

Texture: Very soft to the touch, and contained a lot of moisture.

My Experience: I really liked these wipes! Overall they did a good job of removing my face makeup, but not so great at removing mascara.

Formula 10.0.6 Keep Me Clean Clarifying Facial Wipes

Price: $5.99 for 25 wipes; 24 cents per wipe [BUY]

Scent: These smelled a bit like baby wipes (I wasn’t a fan).

Texture: Rather soft, and held a lot of moisture.

My Experience: These did an excellent job of removing all my makeup, but the smell really did me in.

Olay Fresh Effects S’Wipe Out Refreshing Make-up Removal Cloths

Price: $5.99 for 20 wipes; 30 cents per wipe [BUY]

Scent: Very light scent that just smelled clean and fresh!

Texture: Very soft to the touch, and held a lot of moisture.

My Experience: I loved these wipes! They did an excellent job of removing all of my makeup, and leaving my face very clean. For a bit of added savings, use a coupon! These clarify as a cleanser on Olay Fresh Effects coupons.

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

Price: $6.49 for 25 wipes; 26 cents per wipe [BUY]

Scent: Interesting – not bad, but it was a bit citrusy!

Texture: The wipe itself is a bit tough, but feels gentle thanks to the moisture.

My Experience: After hearing tons of beauty gurus (and my own followers!) rave about these, I’ll admit they are pretty darn good! I typically had to use two wipes to remove all my makeup, though, and they left my face sticky.

The Verdict

Out of these four brands, my favorite is definitely Olay Fresh Effects! Unfortunately, that is the most expensive, but keep an eye out for coupons and sales at the drugstore. The Simple and Yes to Cucumbers wipes are definitely a close second. I’m not sure I would repurchase the Keep Me Clean wipes, mostly due to the smell. Keep in mind that prices of these wipes vary from store to store, and geographically. Let me know in the comments if you would like to see more posts like this in the future, and what makeup wipes are your personal favorite!

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