michael marcus – Adventures in Polishland

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My Top 5 Dark Nail Polishes for Fall | #FallintoPolishland

Posted on September 28, 2015September 16, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! My fall nail polish series #FallintoPolishland continues today with my top five dark nail polishes. When I first began my blog three and a half years ago, I absolutely avoided dark polishes! I was into brights and neons, but when I first received dark nail polishes for review I was converted. I now absolutely love dark polishes, especially in the colder months. Let me go ahead and share my favorites with you!

LVX – Dahlia [BUY]

First up is Dahlia from the high end brand LVX. This is a deep crimson polish that has a great formula. Dahlia is perfect for those of us who don’t like the traditional red nail. It looks beautiful even on those with the fairest skin tone. LVX is a vegan brand, so I think it’s worth the higher price tag!

Covergirl – Sapphire Flare [BUY]

I, of course, have to include a couple dark blue polishes, as blue is my go-to shade in the fall. Sapphire Flare from Covergirl is a great option from the drugstore. It is a navy polish that is opaque in two coats. While dark, the polish is still very blue in color. Plus, this shade is great for nail art as well!

Milani – Ink Spot [BUY]

Next up is Ink Spot from Milani, an even darker blue polish. Ink Spot has an amazing, high-gloss formula. It is nearly black, but still has a rich blue pigmentation. Ink Spot also has undertones of purple, so take that into consideration when you’re deciding between it and Sapphire Flare!

Julep – Brandt [BUY]

One of my all-time favorite Juleps is Brandt, an off-black polish from the Trina Turk collection. Brandt has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats. It looks good with any outfit because the color is not a stark black. Brandt looks great layered under glitter, or on its own! It’s been a staple of mine for the past three years.

Michael Marcus – Once You Go Matte [BUY]

Last but not least is Once You Go Matte from Michael Marcus. I really love matte nail polish, and it’s always a bonus when a polish has a matte formula because I don’t have to reach for a separate top coat. Once You Go Matte has an amazing formula that dries quickly. I’ve worn it countless times since I got it!

That wraps up another #FallintoPolishland post! I hope you were inspired to grab some of your dark nail polishes out of the back of your collection to wear this season. If you’ve shied away from darks in the past, now is the perfect time to try them out! Of course, please share your favorite dark nail polishes with me 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.

November 2013 Favorites!

Posted on December 2, 2013December 2, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I can’t believe it is already December, and November has come to a close. Time flies by this time of year, and I try to enjoy it as much as possible. Let me share with you the products I loved during the month of November!

NAIL POLISH

Michael Marcus Once You Go Matte – $15 [BUY]

I’ve been obsessed with this black matte nail polish! I’ve already worn it twice! I definitely suggest following up with a matte top coat to ensure it is long-lasting.

CLEANSER

Murad Clarifying Cleanser – $26 full size [BUY]

I received this cleanser in a swap, and I am loving it! It’s gentle, clears my skin of impurities, and smells like lemon-lime soda. I’ll be sad when I finish this travel size!

MOISTURIZER

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer – $65 [BUY]

I received this moisturizer in a PopSugar box, and it’s amazing! It smells like lemons, and is perfect as a day moisturizer since it is not greasy and quickly absorbs into the skin. I’ve been combatting my winter skin this month, and this moisturizer has really helped!

EYESHADOW

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige – $8 [Drugstore!]

For a long time I’ve wanted a MAC Paint Pot just to cover up all of the veins on my eyelids. I didn’t want to splurge, so I was thrilled to get my hands on this Limited Edition Color Tattoo from Maybelline. It matches my skin tone well, and covers up the imperfections on my eyelids. Check your local drugstore to find it!

LIP PRODUCT

Baby Lips in Peach Kiss – $4 [BUY]

I am a self-diagnosed Baby Lips addict! I love all Baby Lips, but in November I wore Peach Kiss a lot. It is a gorgeous nude shade with a hint of sparkle. It moisturizes my lips while adding a little bit of color. I love it!

PERFUME

Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck – $49.50 full size [BUY]

I’m not a Taylor Swift fan, but I tried out this perfume sample and I’m hooked! It smells amazing, and I made this sample last as long as possible. Enchanted Wonderstruck is a great scent for the fall, and I even added the full size to my Wish List!

FASHION

Guess Pumps – $29.99 [BUY SIMILAR]

I was invited to my school’s annual gala, and I desperately needed some simple, black pumps. I found these ones from Guess at Burlington Coat Factory for just $29.99 with the original retail value of $60! I was so surprised at how comfortable these heels were, and how easy they were to walk in. I meandered the streets of Manhattan with ease!

BOOK

Allegiant by Veronica Roth – $6.99 [BUY]

I made time in my schedule this month to read Allegiant, the last book in the Divergent series. It is amazing! I won’t say too much, because I don’t want to spoil the story, but I did love it. I ordered the Kindle edition of the book so I could read it on my iPad and not wait for it to arrive in the mail. I highly recommend this book!

That’s it for my November favorites! I hope enjoyed this post, and be sure to let me know what your November favorites were 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.

Michael Marcus Paradise Pink

Posted on August 26, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

It’s not that I don’t love sparkly and funky manicures, but for my first day of law school, I thought it would be more appropriate if I toned it down a little bit. At first the idea of a neutral tone popped into my head, but then I realized a pink would probably be okay, too. I decided to try out one of the Michael Marcus nail polishes that I received in my July Little Black Bag.

Paradise Pink is a gorgeous color that I would label a true pink. It isn’t too bright, and it isn’t too dark. It’s just pink! The formula of Paradise Pink is like a dream. It is so easy to apply, and I didn’t experience any problems. The brush was easy to hold and use as well. I was good to go with two coats of this polish.

My only woe with Paradise Pink is that it already began chipping not even twenty-four hours after application. I did apply top coat, but a few nails had slight wear around the edges. I am rather surprised by this, as Michael Marcus retails for $15 a bottle. Since this is the first time I’ve used it, I’m going to say the chipping occurred because of something I did, and not because of the polish. We will see how future manis with this brand turn out!

What do you think of Paradise Pink? Have you used Michael Marcus nail polish before?

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.

Little Black Bag: Take Two

Posted on July 19, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Remember a few weeks back when I posted about my first Little Black Bag? Well, I decided to splurge on one more, and boy have I learned some tricks! Little Black Bag is another monthly subscription that costs $50 per month. You pick the first item (handbag, jewelry, makeup, etc), and then are given 3-4 more items from the stylists. Then, you have one week to trade your items with other LBB members. The goal is to get lots of items at a high value. Last time, I got a purse and two ncLA nail polishes. This month, with very careful trading, I not only got a purse, but I got three nail polishes and nail wraps! Let me show you everything I got.

Look at all that great stuff! The handbag is the real highlight. It is a Nica Sinead Satchel bag that retails at $98. This bag is even more gorgeous in real life than it was online. It has a snap closure, an adjustable strap, and a gorgeous floral pattern on the front. Inside, it has lots of pockets & zippered compartments. I can’t wait to use it! I think I may make this my everyday handbag in place of my three-year-old Coach that I’ve had a hard time parting with. With this handbag alone I have already made a great deal, spending only $50 for this $98 purse.

Next, I got a set of nail wraps from ncLA that retail at $16. I got the pattern Geri. I’ve never tried any nail stickers or wraps before, so I can’t wait to see how these work! According to ncLA, all you need is clear nail polish, so one day I’ll be blogging about these. Have any of you tried them yet?

Finally, I got three Michael Marcus nail polishes, which are worth $15 each! From left to right, the colors are Brilliant Sand, Fuchsia Have a Good Time, and Paradise Pink. One thing I love just by looking at these polishes is the bottle’s shape! It’s a fun, geometric look. I’ve never seen that on any other polish before. I’m very excited to try these out as well! The colors are beautiful. Have you tried Michael Marcus out before?

You may have noticed in the photo of all my goodies together that there is one more item pictured. For the month of July, LBB provided its users with a bonus sample of Redken hair products. This bonus was the secret to my success this month! I traded my sample multiple times to get nail polish. I guess some people would prefer to have hair product versus a polish (silly, I know!). In the end, I did keep one Redken sample– anti frizz milk. I look forward to using this, too!

All in all, the value of my entire LBB is $159– over $100 in savings! If you are willing to spend the $50 up front to purchase LBB each month, then you are definitely getting a good deal. Because I do not have room for LBB in my budget, I am not going to be purchasing any more for a while. The great thing about this website is that I can choose to skip any month that I don’t wish to purchase. Perhaps one day I will splurge on this again!

If you are not yet a Little Black Bag member, please click HERE to join.