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Indie Spotlight: Shimmer Polish Part III

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Today I have Part III of my Shimmer Polish review! In Part I and Part II, I wore each polish on its own. In this entry, you will see the polishes layered over another color. I used one very thin coat of each Shimmer to create the looks you see here. I love that these polishes are so versatile! Let me show you these gorgeous glitters.

First up is Jennifer, a mix of multi-colored pastel glitters with pops of orange and turquoise. I layered one coat over Zoya Blu. The pastel blue base really highlighted all of the glitters in Jennifer, and I think the two are a perfect combination. This manicure is perfect for springtime with an extra sparkle!

Up next is Karen, a mix of pink and purple glitters with flashes of holo hexagons. I layered one coat over Pronto Purple. Karen’s formula was a bit on the thick side, but I didn’t have problems with application. I thought a purple base color would be very complimenting. In the first two photos, you see my manicure with a regular, glossy top coat. On day two, I wanted to change things up a bit, and added my Butter London Matte Finish on top. I just love the matte result! It makes the glitters stand out even more.

Karina is a red and black glitter mix, with sprinkles of purple and holographic grains. I layered this polish over Julep Claudette, and it is the perfect combination! I think it looks like one complete polish. It’s a great manicure for Valentine’s Day, and for those of you who like darker colors. The black glitters really make this red color unique and edgy.

Last but not least is Linna, a gorgeous mix of green, red, blue, gold, and silver glitters. I layered Linna over Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Chlorophyll. The application was great! This is my favorite manicure from this post. I think these polishes are perfect together, and I have been loving green nails lately. I would definitely wear this look again in the future!

All in all, I love how versatile Shimmer Polish is! Each color can be worn alone as an opaque glitter in just 2-3 coats, or you can layer one coat over another polish for a unique look. Shimmer Polish sells on Etsy for $12 per bottle HERE. You can also like the brand on Facebook HERE.

Stay tuned for Part IV, the final post in the Shimmer Polish series!

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

Your Guide to Buying and Swapping Nail Polish Online

Posted on February 10, 2013November 30, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

The internet is an amazing platform that provides us nail polish addicts with great ways to acquire nail polish from all over the world. With so many indie brands and Facebook swap groups to choose from, it can sometimes be confusing, and at times quite scary, to purchase nail polish online. After a recent, negative experience I had with an indie brand, I was reminded of the precautions we must take to protect ourselves and our purchases. I have put together this guide to help those in the nail polish community stay safe when buying and swapping.

Do your research! You’ve finally found that perfect polish you were looking for, but before you hit the “checkout” button, head on over to Google. Type in the indie shop you are hoping to purchase from and see what pops up. This simple step can provide you with lots of helpful information regarding a seller’s reputation that you can easily miss without doing your research. An indie’s name can bring up feedback, blog posts, online forums, and other useful tools to shed light on the product you wish to buy. Along the way you could find out that the quality of an indie polish is not what you want it to be, or that the seller simply does not ship items. If I did my research I would have found a Facebook post letting me know the seller I had trouble with is known for not shipping packages!
Pay with PayPal! Always ensure that you are protecting your money by using PayPal when shopping. Almost all indie brands sell on websites like Etsy and BigCartel that use PayPal, but if you are buying from a seller on Facebook or through a blog sale that may not be the case. Always request a PayPal invoice. An invoice will outline your purchase as an itemized list, and it is the only way you can file a claim for goods you never receive. If a seller refuses to create an invoice for you, that is a red flag that she is not reputable.
Get Delivery Confirmation! Almost all sellers provide delivery confirmation, otherwise known as a tracking number, with every purchase. If you are swapping, however, it is imperative that you and your swap partner use delivery confirmation. This is your “insurance” that your package has been mailed. Make sure your swap parter sends you the tracking number as soon as your polish has been mailed.
Keep your personal information private! This may go without saying, but do not give out your home address or other personal information if you do not trust the person from whom you are buying or swapping. If possible, get a PO Box to use when you are shopping online. You can also give out your work address if it is permitted by your employer. Otherwise, only give out your home address if you have done your research and trust the seller.
Be active in the community! If you plan on doing a lot of nail polish shopping online, join some Facebook groups dedicated to nail polish chat. By actively engaging with other nail polish aficionados you will soon learn which indie brands are great, and which to avoid. You will also learn who trusted swappers are. ~~If you would like to know of some Facebook groups I recommend, please email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com.~~ I am not actively participating in any Facebook groups for buying/swapping nail polish that I recommend as of 9.9.15.
If swapping, invoice each other! This is a tip that I recently learned. If you are doing a swap, you and your partner should invoice each other on PayPal for the same amount of money. For example, if you are swapping a $5 nail polish, invoice each other for $8 to cover shipping. That way if one person does not follow through with the swap, you can file a claim on PayPal.

“I never received my polish! What do I do?”

If you followed the steps above and you find yourself without your purchase, you can still rectify the situation!

Contact the seller! If a few weeks go by and you never receive your polish, the first thing to do is to get in contact with the seller. Most sellers have an email address, but others can be contacted directly through Etsy or social media. Every once in a while, a seller can simply overlook an order, or something may come up in her life that causes a shipping delay. Whatever the reason, politely ask the seller why your order is taking so long. Usually this step will clear up any issues.
File a PayPal Dispute! If the seller does not respond to your message in a timely manner, file a dispute with PayPal in the Resolution Center. Doing so will alert PayPal that you never received your purchase, and will also contact the seller an additional time. If a seller does not respond to your dispute, your money will be refunded. If she does respond, your purchase will either be fulfilled, or the seller may choose to refund your money. If you properly used PayPal to purchase your item, you will always be protected!
Contact the admin of the Facebook group! Many sales and swaps occur in Facebook groups. If you try to contact the seller or swapper to no avail, message the admin of the Facebook group. She will be able to help you resolve the problem, and will warn others from dealing with that person in the future.

I hope you have found this guide to buying and swapping nail polish online helpful! I love indie nail polishes and will continue to buy them, but I will be doing my research from now on. Out of all the brands I have dealt with thus far, I have only had issues with one. Keep an eye out for the bad eggs and you will be good to go! If you have any questions, or would like to add a tip to this list, please email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com.

Stay Safe & Happy Polishing!

Indie Spotlight: I Love Nail Polish

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

Happy Thursday! Today I have a very exciting review of three polishes from the indie brand I Love Nail Polish. The first thing I noticed about I Love Nail Polish, is the fabulous presentation. They come in really cute boxes, and are very professionally made. I was already impressed before I even tried them out! Having such cute boxes makes me have more faith in the brand from the get go. The best part is, the polish lives up to the hype! Let me show you these gorgeous glitters!

Up first is Fully Turqued, a clear glitter top coat. Fully Turqued is full of a variety of black and white glitters in all shapes and sizes, and turquoise square glitters. I layered two coats over Milani Cyberspace (see that polish HERE). Fully Turqued has a great formula — it was easy to apply and the glitters came right out of the bottle and onto the nail. I love the look I got while layering Fully Turqued over a holographic polish in a complimentary color! My first thought was to use a sky blue as the base, but the added sparkle added a “wow” factor for sure. I also love square glitter, so the pop of turquoise was my favorite part of this polish!

Up next is Once Upon a Starry Night. This polish is also a glitter top coat, and is filled with white, blue, and silver glitter. The highlight of this polish is the silver, holographic stars! I added in an extra photograph so you can see how the stars reflect a rainbow of colors in the light. Simply gorgeous! Plus, they were surprisingly easy to get out of the bottle! No fishing for stars here. I layered two coats of Once Upon a Starry Night over L’Oreal Greycian Goddess (see that polish HERE). At first the silver glitters blend in with the background, but they sparkle in the light! If you want more of a “nighttime” feel, I suggest layering Once Upon a Starry Night over a true black.

Last but not least is my favorite polish from the bunch, All Gold Everything. This is a clear glitter top coat filled with gold glitters in all shapes and sizes. I have so many gold glitter polishes that I wasn’t too excited to try this one out, but All Gold Everything is stunning! I layered two coats over LASplash Blowfish Pink, and that was the perfect base color. Many thanks to my Facebook follower Roberta for suggesting a peach as a base! All Gold Everything has a fabulous formula, and I especially love the circle glitters! Overall, I find this manicure to be really fabulous and classy. I’ve even been wearing it for four days now! From now on this will be my go-to gold glitter.

All in all, I love these polishes from I Love Nail Polish! They all have great formulas, and the glitters were really easy to apply. You can shop for these polishes on Etsy HERE and follow on Facebook HERE. Full size bottles are $10 each.

P.S. You can always click on a photo to see it larger and in more detail!

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

Indie Spotlight: The Last of the Time Lords Collection from Lucky 13 Lacquer

Posted on January 20, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Calling all Doctor Who fans! Today I have some awesome polishes to show you from the new collection by Lucky 13 Lacquer called The Last of the Time Lords. This collection is inspired by the revival series of Doctor Who, and you will see characters, episodes, and memorable quotes represented throughout the entire set. I have four of the thirteen polishes to show you. Let’s get started!

First up is A 51st Century Guy, a clear glitter top coat. This polish is filled with small white squares, gunmetal grey hexagonal glitters, and red hearts. I layered two coats over OPI in If You Moust You Moust (see that polish HERE). While the overall formula was great, I had the hardest time getting the hearts out of the bottle and onto my nails. I did everything I could think of to get those hearts out, but they were stuck to the sides of the bottle. I was able to get out just three so I could show you what they look like! I think if you had the full size bottle, it would be easier to fish out the hearts. Besides that issue, however, A 51st Century Guy is a great polish and has a fast-drying formula. I thought layering this over a pink would give me a Valentine’s Day manicure. I love the finished product!

Note: Lucky 13 is aware of the difficulty with the hearts, so until lightweight hearts can be added to the new batch of polishes, the brand is including extra hearts that can be hand placed with each purchase!

Up next is Fantastic! This is another clear glitter top coat, and is filled with tiny black hexagonal glitters, and medium gunmetal grey hexagons. Fantastic! has a good formula – no fishing for glitters with this one! I layered two coats over Zoya Julie for the look you see in the photos. My one gripe with Fantastic! is that it has a strong aroma, but otherwise it’s a great polish. I love the way it makes a pastel purple look edgy. Fantastic! would also liven up a plain black nail polish.

Another polish from The Last of the Time Lords collection is Bowties Are Cool. This polish has a brown shimmer base, and is filled with tiny bronze squares, and red, brown, and caramel colored hexagonal glitters. I knew it would take at least three coats to be opaque on its own, so I layered two coats over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow (see that polish HERE). I absolutely love the result! My fingers were sporting a golden yellow combo! Bowties Are Cool has a great formula, and the glitters come out of the bottle with ease. Just as A 51st Century Guy became a Valentine’s Day manicure, Bowties Are Cool is also extremely versatile! Your base color has the power to transform this polish, and you can get a different look every time!

Last but not least is my favorite polish of the bunch, Are You My Mummy? This polish is a clear glitter top coat and is filled with tiny green hexagonal glitters, and orange, brown, and yellow hexagons as well in various sizes. I layered one coat over Illamasqua Rampage. I was absolutely thrilled with Are You My Mummy?! One coat provided great coverage, and the glitters applied very well. This is a great nail polish for the fall, especially when layered over a dark green!

All in all, The Last of the Time Lords collection is extremely versatile and is perfect for Doctor Who aficionados and nail polish lovers, too! This collection can be purchased on the Lucky 13 Lacquer website HERE. Full size bottles are $8 each and mini bottles are $4. Lucky 13 is also offering a special bonus — buy 7 or more polishes from this collection and you will get a bonus bottle! You can also like Lucky 13 Polish on Facebook HERE.

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

Indie Spotlight: The Hidden Valley Collection from A Rhyming Dictionary Polish

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

Today I am extremely excited to show you five amazing polishes from the indie brand A Rhyming Dictionary Polish. These polishes are from the soon-to-be-released collection called The Hidden Valley, which will be available very soon. I first tried A Rhyming Dictionary back in early December when I brought you the post highlighting Unc Nunkie (read that HERE). Now that I have tried a substantial amount of polishes from this brand, I can tell you that it is of the highest quality. Definitely be sure to check out the Etsy shop and pick yourself up a few of these! I will post the link at the end of this post. Let me show you some of The Hidden Valley collection!

First up is Scraps, an extremely unique polish in a purple jelly base. Scraps is full of black and white glitters in all shapes and sizes. There are hexagonal glitters, square glitters, and shards, too! This polish also has a holo shimmer, so it truly sparkles. I used three coats alone, and while it was not opaque, I loved the look! If you would like an opaque look, I suggest you layer this over a purple or black polish. Moreover, Scraps has a great formula — lots of glitters come out upon application and they lay flat. The polish was a little hard to work with because of all the glitter, but when it dries it looks super cool. I applied two coats of top coat to even out the finish. Overall, I love Scraps! It is unlike any other polish I’ve tried before, and it reminds me of my undergrad’s school colors. I was staring at my nails a lot with this one!

Up next is Collapsible Kite, a glitter top coat in a clear base. I layered two coats over Zoya GeiGei (which you will see very soon!). This polish has magenta, yellow, and orange glitters, and is a mix of hexagonal, square, and fine glitters. The formula was fantastic, and I didn’t have to fish for glitters. The glitter lay flat on the nail, too. I finished up with one coat of top coat. I just love the color combination of Collapsible Kite! I wore this as my New Year’s Eve manicure, and it matched my pink dress perfectly! The light pink base was an ideal choice, because none of the glitters got lost in the background, but it was still complimentary. A great combination, I think!

The next polish from The Hidden Valley collection is Magic Muffins! This purple polish has a holo shimmer throughout. I applied three coats for full opacity. It was a bit streaky at first, but evens out very well. I also love the gorgeous satin finish of the polish, so I did not apply top coat. Not only does this polish have a super cute name, but it is a complete manicure all in one or can be used for layering. In fact, I used this as the base for the next polish in the collection!

Here is Equinots, a glitter top coat in a clear base. I layered one coat over Magic Muffins to get the look in the photos. Equinots is full of pink hexagonal glitters, magenta square glitters, and royal purple hexagonal glitters. There is also a sprinkling of magenta grains. This went perfectly with Magic Muffins, and was a dream to apply! One coat brought out a lot of glitters, so I left it at that. I applied one coat of top coat to complete the look. The finished product looks like one gorgeous polish! The holo shimmer from Magic Muffins stands out and combines with the glitters of Equinots for a stunning look. This is just one way to use the polishes from this collection together, alone, or with other polishes! They are so versatile!

Last but not least is Kite Island, a glitter top coat in a clear base. I layered two coats of Kite Island over Sinful Colors Mint Apple (see that polish HERE). Kite Island is a really fun polish! It has fine glitters in pink and green, hexagonal glitters in orange, blue, pink, and green, small green squares, and (my favorite!) large white squares. Just as with the other polishes from A Rhyming Dictionary, the glitters came out with ease and lay flat on the nail. I just love the mix of colors in Kite Island, and the white glitters are a surprising touch. With one coat of top coat my manicure was complete. I chose a seafoam green background so none of the glitters would blend into the base. Overall, it is a super fun manicure!

All in all, I love all of these polishes from The Hidden Valley collection. The best part is that there are even more polishes in this collection that I’m sure will be just as fabulous! This collection will be released very shortly, and I will announce on my Facebook page when they are available for purchase. For now you can shop for other polishes at the A Rhyming Dictionary Etsy shop HERE and follow on Facebook HERE.

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

Indie Spotlight: Different Dimension in Bazinga

Posted on January 7, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

I was extremely excited when I discovered that the indie brand Different Dimension sells a collection named after the TV show The Big Bang Theory. I am a huge fan of the show, and immediately added the collection to my wish list. I was even more excited when my mom bought the collection for me! Right before Christmas, I tried Bazinga. Let me show you this super fun polish!

Bazinga has a light yellow jelly base and is filled with yellow and red hexagonal glitters, and small red fine glitters. I layered two coats over SquareHue Champagne Toast to get the look in the photos. As with the other polishes I’ve tried from Different Dimension, Bazinga had a great formula. I wish the larger hexagonal glitters came out more often during application, but otherwise I love the polish. Bazinga looked really nice over a gold tone for a holiday look, but the yellow glitters did blend into the background a little bit. I think next time I will layer Bazinga over a different color to ensure that the glitters really stand out from the base. I can’t wait to try Bazinga again!

You can buy this polish on Etsy HERE for $8.50. You can also “like” Different Dimension on Facebook HERE.

Indie Spotlight: Shimmer Polish Part I

Posted on August 22, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Today will be the first in the Indie Spotlight to showcase Shimmer Polish. Shimmer is an indie brand comprised of glitters. Each glitter is named after a family member or friend of the creator of Shimmer, Cindy. I was super excited when Cindy contacted me to ask if I would review her polishes for my readers. This brand is absolutely divine! I love glitter polishes, especially those that you can wear alone without layering them over another polish. Shimmer is the perfect glitter that can be worn either alone or as a layering polish. Cindy was kind enough to send me almost her entire collection to review. Thus, there will be several posts to highlight Shimmer Polish! I hope you enjoy the first two polishes I have to show you.

Jasmine is the first Shimmer I tried out. I didn’t know which to choose first, so I asked my mom what her favorite color was (blue), and she chose this aquamarine over another dark blue polish. When speaking of Shimmer, the base in this case is not a colored polish. In fact, all of her polishes are in a clear base, but there is a base color that can often be detected. Jasmine has a very light blue base that leans to the teal side. Along with the fine, teal glitter, there are small hexagons of dark blue, red, green, and silver. There are also larger hexagons that appear to be either gold or silver, depending on the light. I used just two coats of this polish to get full coverage! I was really happy about that.

The formula of Jasmine is amazing. It is a bit on the thick side, but it’s not clumpy at all. It was also very easy to use — I applied it just like a regular polish. Jasmine tried very quickly on its own, and I followed with a topcoat to even out the glitter. I’ll be honest — I kept singing “A Whole New World,” from Disney’s Aladdin every time I looked at Jasmine on my nails. It is just so gorgeous!

The next Shimmer I tried was Cassandra. Unlike the other Shimmers that Cyndi sent me, Cassandra does not have any color in it. Instead, it is an opalescent glitter in the same clear base. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to wear this on its own, but with three coats I got an amazing look. Jasmine has very fine glitters, small hexagons, and large hexagons that are all opalescent. While the polish at first may appear clear or white, when the light reflects off of the glitters, you can see all the colors of the rainbow! I feel like I am wearing snowflakes on my fingers. This would be a great polish for winter.

Just like Jasmine, the formula was great. This time I did need the third coat to get more coverage, but that’s just because of this particular color. Although Cassandra did seem to dry rather quickly, I smudged it a few times after 20-30 minutes of wear. This is probably because of the third coat I applied. Luckily, I was able to smudge the polish right back into place. No harm done! I also did not use a topcoat this time, Cassandra is not as textured as Jasmine. This polish is perfect if you want a more subtle glitter on your nails! It’s not as “out there” as some others.

I hope you enjoyed this post about Shimmer Polish! You can buy these online at Etsy HERE, and visit the Shimmer blog HERE. Stay tuned for the next installment on Shimmer!

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

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

Posted on August 9, 2012August 12, 2015 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.

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!

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.

Monthly Nail Polish Haul: July Edition

Posted on August 1, 2012August 12, 2015 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.