manicure – Page 9 – Adventures in Polishland

Tag: manicure

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine in Firefly

Posted on November 20, 2015November 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! For the past couple weeks, I’ve been sharing with you some polishes that I’ve swatched during a nail polish destash project. So far, I’ve kept everything I’ve shown on the blog, but today I have a polish that I’ve decided to let go. Sometimes a polish looks beautiful both in the bottle and on the nails, but the formula isn’t that great. That is certainly the case with Sally Hansen Lustre Shine in Firefly. Let me show this polish to you, and share my thoughts!

Firefly is a metallic duochrome polish that is a bronze shade that turns green in the right light. I really love this shade, but unfortunately the formula is a bit difficult. The metallic formula tends to clump up on the nail, and it is just a bit messy overall. I decided that even though I like the color, it was time to get rid of Firefly. I haven’t worn this polish since I first got it about three years ago, so I probably won’t miss it too much!

All in all, it feels good to let go of polishes that I’m not loving and not using. I’m still keeping Moonstone from the Sally Hansen Lustre Shine line, as it is beautiful and works amazingly well for me. I’m glad I won’t be saying goodbye to all of my Lustre Shine polishes, but Firefly’s got to go.

Do you own any Sally Hansen Lustre Shine polishes? Let me know in the comments!

This product was provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Manicure Monday | China Glaze in Surreal Appeal

Posted on November 16, 2015November 10, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! Today I have another polish to share with you that I swatched during my great destash project. It’s no secret that I love pink nail polish. In fact, it’s the color of polish that I have the biggest variety of in my collection. I decided it was time to pare down my pink polishes, so I carefully picked out a few that I knew I had dupes of, or whose formulas just weren’t that great. I put China Glaze in Surreal Appeal aside, and decided to swatch it. I’m so glad I did! Let me show you this beautiful polish!

Surreal Appeal is a neon pink polish that leans towards coral. The formula is excellent, applies smoothly, and is opaque in two coats. Surreal Appeal looks amazing with my skin tone, and I can’t believe I haven’t worn this more! I think it’s been about two years since I reached for this polish, but that’s due to the sheer volume of pinks I own. It got lost amongst all the other pretty bottles!

All in all, I am loving China Glaze in Surreal Appeal. Decluttering my nail polish collection is a slow process, and difficult for someone who is a collector and blogger. That being said, it’s refreshing to get rid of polishes that I’m not in love with, because now I can focus on the truly stunning ones like Surreal Appeal. You can purchase Surreal Appeal on Amazon HERE for around $6.00. I highly recommend you pick this one up for your stash!

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

The Perfect Fall Nail Color | Milani Cosmetics in Canyon Country

Posted on November 13, 2015November 9, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! One of the polishes that I’ve rediscovered in my nail polish destash project is Canyon Country from Milani Cosmetics. I typically reach for dark polishes in the fall, but I’m so glad I took the opportunity to swatch Canyon Country! I think I’ve found the perfect fall nail color, and I’m excited to share it with you. It’s been a couple years since it first appeared on the blog (see that post HERE), so it’s definitely time for another post!

Canyon Country is a burnt orange nail polish with a creme finish. It has a perfect formula that is opaque in two coats. I am obsessing over the smooth finish! I’m not wearing a top coat in these photos, and my manicure looks awesome. Plus, Canyon Country is a color that I think will look great on anyone no matter the skin color. It’s warm and cozy, and will go perfectly with your fall sweaters and boots. Plus, Canyon Country will work really well in nail art. It’s an all-around great polish!

All in all, I’m so glad I took the time to swatch Canyon Country before I destashed it. Some polishes just don’t look as exciting in the bottle as they do on the nails, and this is definitely one of them. While this particular Milani polish is retired, it can still be found on Amazon HERE for a reasonable price. I highly recommend picking it up for your collection!

What is your perfect fall nail color? Let me know in the comments!

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

Manicure Monday | Milani Color Statement in Mint Crush

Posted on November 9, 2015November 3, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! Today I’m sharing another nail polish that I recently swatched as a part of my great destash project (learn more about that HERE). For some reason when I picked up Mint Crush from the Milani Color Statement line, I wasn’t thrilled with the color in the bottle. It looked like a polish I had a dupe of, and I set it aside in the ‘maybe’ pile. I’m so glad I decided to swatch it before giving it away! Let me show you this beautiful polish!

Mint Crush is a pastel blue polish with a creme finish. It has a perfect formula that is opaque in one to two coats! You can definitely get away with one coat, but I did two in the photos above just out of habit. I am beyond impressed with the formula and the stunning color. This is definitely a case where the polish is more exciting on the nails than in the bottle. I’m crushing on Mint Crush! While I usually wear pastel polishes more in the spring, this blue shade is also perfect for winter. I’ll have to remember that in January!

All in all, I highly recommend Mint Crush from Milani. You can pick up this polish at your local drugstore, or online HERE for just $3.99. I’ve had such great luck with Milani nail polishes, and now I’m inspired to wear them more often. I’m glad I rediscovered this in my destash process!

What is your favorite Milani nail polish? Let me know in the comments!

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

Halloween Week | Slime Nail Art

Posted on October 21, 2015October 14, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have another really simple nail art look for Halloween. I was looking through my nail polish collection, and was inspired to use a bright green polish as slime. I instantly reached for a purple polish to go with the green, and created a funky manicure. If you’re looking to create a nail art look that doesn’t feature the standard orange and black for Halloween, this one is for you! Let me show you the slime nail art I created.

WHAT YOU NEED / What I Used:

Purple Nail Polish / Madam Glam in Midnight [BUY]
Green Nail Polish / Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Green With Envy [BUY]
Glossy Top Coat / Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat [BUY]

I began my manicure with two coats of Midnight from Madam Glam. I let this purple shade dry completely before continuing on with the look.

I used a bright green polish to create my slime. All I did was concentrate the polish on the top half of my nails, and messily paint it. One technique I used was to drop dots of polish in the center of my nails and drag it back to the tips. I also just used uneven strokes. Anything goes for this look! As you can see, it looks like I dipped my nails in a bucket of slime. I finished the manicure with a glossy top coat once the green polish dried, and that was it!

All in all, I hope you enjoyed this simple nail art tutorial for Halloween! I think these slime nails are a lot of fun, and a great alternative to traditional Halloween nails. Plus, you can use this technique if you’re looking to extend the life of your current manicure, or if you need a last minute Halloween design. You never know when a slime manicure will come in handy! That’s it for this post, but I’ll see you tomorrow as Halloween Week continues!

Some of 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.

Welcome to Halloween Week! | Halloween Cloud Nails

Posted on October 19, 2015October 22, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday, and welcome to Halloween Week here at Adventures in Polishland! Two years ago I hosted a Halloween themed week on the blog, and I thought it would be fun to do one again this year. I think Halloween is a lot of fun, and my big sweet tooth enjoys it as well! Every day this week will feature something Halloween related, and I am also putting up two Halloween videos on my YouTube channel HERE. I’m kicking off the week with some simple Halloween nail art. Let me share with you my Halloween cloud nails!

WHAT YOU NEED / What I’m Using:

Black Nail Polish / NYC New York Color in Black Elixir
Orange Nail Polish / Zoya in Arizona [BUY]
Yellow Nail Polish / Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow [BUY]
Glossy Top Coat / Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat [BUY]

I’ve used the same Pinterest tutorial seen HERE to create my cloud nail for years now! I absolutely love how easy this design is to create. I began with a black base and let that dry. Then I added orange clouds, and finally the yellow clouds. Once the entire manicure was dry I added a glossy top coat to even out the edges. That’s all it takes to create this nail art, but it looks really cool. I always get a lot of compliments whenever I’m wearing this look.

All in all, Halloween Cloud Nails are easy to create, but perfect whether you’re handing out candy on Halloween or simply wanting to look more festive. The best part is this manicure can be recreated using whatever polishes you own, and can be worn any time of year depending on the colors you choose. It is my go-to nail art for sure. I thought this would be a fun way to kick off Halloween Week, and I hope you’re excited for more to come!

Have you created a Halloween manicure? Share it on my Facebook page HERE!

Some of 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.

My Top 5 Green Nail Polishes for Fall | #FallintoPolishland

Posted on September 14, 2015September 5, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today starts off a brand new series on my blog called #FallintoPolishland! Fall is my favorite season, and there are a lot of nail polishes that I especially enjoy wearing in the fall months. I decided to put together a few blog posts each featuring a particular nail polish family. Today I’m showing off my top five green nail polishes for fall. Green is one of my favorite colors, and I especially love it in nail polish form. Let me show you the polishes I picked out to share with all of you!

OPI – Stranger Tides [BUY]

OPI Stranger Tides is a beautiful muted green from the On Stranger Tides Collection that came out a few years back in celebration of Pirates of the Caribbean. Strander Tides has an awesome formula that is opaque in three coats. The muted shade is great for transitioning from summer to fall, and is perfect for those who don’t like dark shades. Stranger Tides is also office appropriate, as it can pass for a neutral shade.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics – Chlorophyll [BUY]

Next up is Chlorophyll from Obsessive Compulsive Cosemtics. This is a richly pigmented teal polish. Chlorophyll has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. This nail polish will look great on every skin tone, and looks beautiful when paired with a gold glitter. While Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is more of a higher end brand, the entire brand is 100% vegan and cruelty free. I highly recommend it!

Essie – Stylenomics [BUY]

The last creme formula I have to share is Stylenomics from Essie. Stylenomics is a very dark green that is nearly black. The formula is amazing and opaque in two coats. I really love Stylenomics, and wear it every fall. While this polish is from an older Essie collection, I found it on Kohl’s website! You never know where you’ll find older collections.

RUFFIAN – Hedge Fund [BUY]

Next up is Hedge Fund from the Birchbox Exclusive brand RUFFIAN. I’ve been in love with this polish ever since I received it, so if you’ve been an Adventures in Polishland reader for a while you’ve probably seen me gush over this in the past. Hedge Fund is an army green with gold shimmer. The formula is perfection, and so is the wear. It’s now only available for purchase in a kit, but if you’re interested I say go for it!

Julep – Marion [BUY]

Last but not least is Julep Marion, a deep teal polish with silver shimmer. Marion has an excellent formula that is opaque in two coats. It’s perfect for fall, and for the holiday season. Marion has a super glossy finish, so you can skip the top coat and save time. Make sure to shop using Ebates to earn 5% cash back when you shop on Julep’s website.

That brings us to the end of the first #FallintoPolishland post! I hope you liked seeing my favorite green nail polishes for fall. Next week this series will continue, so make sure to follow my blog to see when those posts go live!

What are your favorite green nail polishes for fall?! Let me know in the comments!

Some of 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.

Julep Mystery Box Swatches | High End Nail Polish for $2

Posted on September 7, 2015September 4, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! It’s been a very long time since I received a Julep Maven box, or even purchased anything from Julep. I’ve been on a pretty tight budget lately, and nail polish is one of those things I can easily stop buying. That being said, Julep had an amazing sale a couple weeks back called Savvy Deals. This sale included a Mystery Box with 10 polishes for $20. I was on the fence about purchasing a box, but then my mom mentioned she was interested in the box, too. We decided to each put in $10 and split the polishes! I just couldn’t resist scoring some Julep polishes for $2 each when the regular retail price is $14. Let me go ahead and show you the five polishes I picked out.

First up is Kelsey, a light peach creme polish. Kelsey’s formula is a bit difficult to work with, as were all of the creme polishes I received. It is thick, tacky, and took a long time to dry. That being said, the end result is gorgeous! I absolutely love how Kelsey looks with my skin tone. It is worth dealing with a troublesome formula for this stunning result.

Next up is Jules, a pastel pink creme. Jules also has a finicky formula, but it does dry nicely in two coats. I recommend using thin coats, and letting the coats dry completely before adding another layer. I do have other polishes in my collection that I would reach for over Jules considering the formula, but it’s still a gorgeous pink!

Julep – Princess Grace The last creme I received is Princess Grace, what Julep calls a Papaya color. Princess Grace is the biggest disappointment for me, because I love the shade, but the formula is too much trouble. Unlike Kelsey and Jules, which I could work with, Princess Grace’s formula is too tacky and thick. I had to redo my nails to get a clean look, and they still aren’t perfect. I’d stay away from this polish!

Next up is Paula, my favorite of the bunch! Paula is a purply-blue polish with gold shimmer. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, and is just beautiful. I can’t wait to wear this again!

Last but not least is Glam Roc, a dark purple polish with multi-colored matte glitter. Glam Roc has a Stardust Finish, which means it is a textured polish. While textured polish isn’t trendy anymore, I still really like it and was glad to receive Glam Roc in the mystery box. Glam Roc has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, plus it dries really quickly. I’m going to wear this in the fall months for sure!

All in all, I’m pretty happy with my Julep Mystery Box! I only spent $10, but I got two polishes I really love, two that are okay, and only one dud. I still consider that a win seeing as Julep retails for $14 per polish. Plus, I used Ebates and got 5% cash back! The moral of the story is, you can still own high end polishes without paying the high end price. Simply keep an eye out for deals!

How often do you shop for high end nail polish? What are your savings tips?

Manicure Monday | L’Oreal Colour Riche in Tangerine Crush

Posted on August 31, 2015August 28, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I haven’t posted a Manicure Monday since the Alphabet Challenge came to a close, so I figured I would show you the polish I’m currently wearing. I don’t buy nail polishes very often since my collection is so extensive, but I picked up a polish from L’Oreal’s Colour Riche line last week during a sale at CVS. While the prices in the CVS beauty aisle can be a bit more expensive compared to other drugstores, the key is to shop during sales and use coupons. I ended up grabbing Tangerine Crush for a couple dollars during the Back to Beauty promotion, and couldn’t wait to try it!

Tangerine Crush is a really bright orange polish with a creme finish. The formula was a bit patchy, so I layered on three coats and allowed each one to dry completely before adding a new layer. I really love the almost neon quality of Tangerine Crush. It’s perfect for summer, but can be used in the fall in Halloween nail art looks, too. Despite the formula being a bit annoying during application, I’m loving my current manicure!

All in all, I’m glad I picked up Tangerine Crush during a good sale. I’ve had a lot of luck with L’Oreal polishes in the past, and especially like the limited edition collections the brand puts out every season. While I don’t buy these polishes often, I certainly recommend them when there is a sale! Here’s a tip – always check out the Offers page on L’Oreal’s website HERE for printable coupons. You can also save by purchasing L’Oreal polishes on Amazon HERE.

What are your favorite L’Oreal polishes?! Let me know in the comments!

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

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel | Tribal Vibe & Boho Chic Collections

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

Happy Monday! Today I am so excited to share a review of four nail polishes from the new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line. Around this time last year, Sally Hansen first launched the Miracle Gel line (see my first review HERE). I was a bit underwhelmed, but a few months back the brand updated its formula and I was obsessed with the Poolisde Paradise Collection (full review HERE). Now, Sally Hansen has upped the ante again! The Miracle Gel Top Coat has a new formula designed to deliver 2x the volume and shine. To coincide with the relaunch of the top coat, Sally Hansen is also releasing the Tribal Vibe and Boho Chic Collections. Let me show you the polishes topped with the new Miracle Gel Top Coat!

First up is Totem-ly Yours, a beautiful beige nude with pink undertones from the Tribal Vibe Collection. Totem-ly Yours has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. The shade nearly matches my skin tone perfectly! This nude polish is to die for, and absolutely perfect for the fall. It looks professional, yet not boring, and the high-shine top coat really makes it look great. If you work in a corporate environment, you need Totem-ly Yours for sure!

Rhythm & Blue is the other polish I tried from the Tribal Vibe Collection. It is a sky blue polish that has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I am once again beyond impressed with how awesome this polish looks! Not only is Rhythm & Blue a gorgeous color, but the Miracle Gel Top Coat applied with ease and added a lot of depth and shine to this manicure.

Beatnik is the first polish from the Boho Chic line that I reviewed, and it is a stunning cobalt blue. I am obsessed with Beatnik! The color is beautiful, and the formula is perfection. I will be wearing Beatnik again as the colder months approach.

Last but not least is Miss Wanderlust, a coral jelly polish with a mix of glitters. I was happily surprised with how well Miss Wanderlust applies – it goes on smoothly with a lot of glitter going onto the nail without digging. Of course, the Miracle Gel Top Coat adds a glossy finish to this already stunning polish. I’d love to see more glitters like this from Sally Hansen in the future!

All in all, the new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel collections are beyond fabulous and affordable! The polishes retail for $9.99 each, which is on the higher side for a drugstore line. However, the brand often goes on sale and I’ve seen coupons in the Sunday paper as well. I highly recommend investing in the new Miracle Gel Top Coat at the very least! The Tribal Vibe and Boho Chic Collections are now available at drugstores.

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