Tag: nail polish

My September Julep Maven Box

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

By now you all must know how much I love the Julep Maven program! I can’t wait to show you what I got this month. Julep teamed up with fashion designer Tina Turk to create a nail polish line that coordinates with her fall clothing line. For the first time since I’ve joined Julep, I actually stayed with the style that I got by answering the quiz — Classic with a Twist. I had a little surprise when by box came in the mail, too. A bit of the packaging was coming out! Luckily everything was safe inside, and the packaging was adorable as usual.

 

This month each Julep Maven member got a magnet of a girl wearing clothing inspired by Trina Turk’s new line. It was a nice little surprise! Of course, I also got two nail polishes and a mascara. Both of my polishes this month were neutral shades, but are gorgeously pigmented and creamy. I can’t wait to use them over and over this fall! Let me show you both of them.

 

 

First up is Brandt, what Julep calls “off-black.” And it’s true! I wasn’t sure how good Brandt would look with my fair skin tone, but since it wasn’t a true black it looked great. The formula on this polish was a dream, and it was opaque in two coats. As with all Juleps, it also dried really quickly. I really liked that Brandt is not a harsh color, but is still considered to be in the black color family. I plan on using this on a regular basis!

 

 

Sophie is a neutral color that Julep calls “truffle mushroom.” I would describe it as a greenish brown color, but it is so pretty! Just like Brandt, Sophie has an amazing formula and was opaque in two coats. It is a perfect neutral for fall! I can also see it teamed up with a fun neon color for a nice contrast.

All in all, I really loved my September box! I got two nail polish colors that are great to have in any stash, and can be used often. I’m never disappointed with Julep! Don’t forget that you can join Julep Maven and get your first box for just one penny when you use code MAVENINTRO at checkout. Just click HERE and start shopping! Enjoy!

Indie Spotlight: Dollish Polish Mario Collection

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Yesterday I polled my Facebook fans and asked what post they wanted to see next on my blog. The votes are in! Today I have for you an Indie Spotlight featuring two polishes from the Dollish Pollish Mario Collection. I purchased 1-Up and The Koompa King on Copious as a part of a group order. There was a listing for the complete collection, but by splitting up the polishes, I got to spend less money and try out two polishes that I really liked. A group order is a great way to get expensive and hard to find polishes at a discount price! Let me show you 1-Up and The Koompa King.

 

 

1-Up is a glitter top coat in a clear base. It is comprised mainly of small, green hexagonal glitters, but also has small, white squares, large white hexagons, and white bar glitter. The formula is great and dries really quickly. In order to get the glitters the way you want them, it does take a bit of special application techniques, but with two coats I achieved a fabulous look. I layered 1-Up over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet. Though 1-Up is Mario themed, I could definitely see this polish as a Saint Patrick’s Day manicure.

The Koompa King is also a glitter top coat in a clear base. It’s main color is gold, which is found in small grains and small and large hexagonal glitters. Mixed in are red squares, small white hexagons, small and large green hexagons, large silver hexagons, black bar glitter, and (my personal favorite) holographic diamonds. I layered The Koompa King over Illamasqua Optimist, and the look I got was so fun! I only needed two coats of this glitter to achieve this look. I got lots of compliments on this polish! I can’t wait to use it again.

You can buy Dollish Polish direct from their website HERE. The Mario Collection has become hard to find, but keep your eyes open and you might just spot a good deal like I did.

What do you think of these polishes? Have you tried Dollish Polish?

Indie Spotlight: 2Chix Lacquer in Belle

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Today I have a polish from the indie brand 2Chix Lacquer to review for you! This brand is run by two “Melissas” and one of them sent me Belle from the Disney Princess collection. I have been obsessed with glitter top coats lately, and this one is gorgeous. Just look at the bottle!

Belle is in a clear base filled with fine white and gold grains, small gold and brown hexagonal glitters, and large white hexagonal glitters. I wasn’t sure what color to use this over, so I chose white. I got good coverage with two coats over my white base. The polish was easy to apply, and the white glitters still stood out on my white base as they are nice and shiny. Belle also dried really quickly, too. I finished with a top coat to even things out, and to keep the glitter in place. I love how unique this polish looks!

This polish really does remind me of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I would never think to put this color combination together, but it is really pretty. Next time I will try a different base color, but I think it looks great over white. I definitely suggest this polish from 2Chix! Not only does it look nice, but the formula is very good quality.

You can find 2Chix Lacquer on Facebook HERE and shop from their Etsy store HERE. Polishes retail for $8.75 each.

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

Monthly Haul: August Edition

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

At the end of each month, I like to look back at my nail polish purchases and see all of the great deals I got. For the month of August I was on a “low buy” after my collection had grown so much in July. Even though I splurged on a couple polishes, I was able to still get amazing savings! Let me show you what I bought.

 

From left to right, here are the new polishes I purchased in August:

  • I continued to grow my China Glaze Hunger Games collection with Smoke & Ashes and Agro. I heard through the nail polish community that Sally Beauty Supply stores had these on clearance, so I asked my followers to see if they could find me any. I got these for a total of $4.50! The original retail price of these polishes was $8.99.
  • Next, I got two mini polishes from the indie brand Dollish Polish. I saw a listing on Copious for the complete Mario Collection, and asked my followers if they wanted to participate in a group order so we could each get 2 polishes. I got 1-Up and The Koompa King for $11.93. The retail price would have been $12.15, so I did save a little bit. Don’t forget you can join Copious HERE and get a $10 credit now!
  • This month I did splurge on two Illamasqua polishes. I paid retail price for these at $14 each. Sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself! I chose the colors Riveting and Optimist.
  • As usual, I got my two new Juleps in my August Julep Maven box. I got the box for free again this month because I had a free credit! That’s $28 worth of polish! Join Julep Maven today and get your first month for one penny with code MAVENINTRO at checkout HERE.
  • I got this Layla Magneffect on Copious using credits, and only paid $0.92 of my own money! It is in the color Metallic Sky.
  • This pumpkin is a glow-in-the-dark nail polish. I did pay full retail price, but it was only $2.99! Find these at your local Rite Aid store.
  • Last but not least, while I was at Rite Aid I found this Wet ‘n Wild Chrome polish in the clearance bin for only $1.00! This line sells for $3.99, but the bottle was a little banged up. The polish is perfect, though!

All in all, I got 11 new polishes and spent $49.34 of my own money. The total retail price of all these polishes was $105.11! That is a savings of $55.77! On average, I spent $4.49 for each polish! How fabulous!

 

I also did some swapping this month! I got these four polishes by trading with other nail polish lovers. It’s a great way to git rid of unwanted polishes & save some money!

That’s it for my August Haul! What do you think of my new polishes?

Try it on Tuesday: Wet ‘n Wild Fergie Collection in Miami Spirit

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

I have always been a fan of Fergie, so when I found out she was joining forces with Wet ‘n Wild to create a nail polish line, I couldn’t wait to try them! I received Miami Spirit in nail mail from Polish Monster, and had every intention to use it right away. Well, for some reason weeks have passed and I hadn’t even opened the bottle. I decided to try it this week, as it is a perfect fall color.

 

Miami Spirit is a teal polish with green and blue shimmer. It was opaque with two coats of polish, and the formula was great. I didn’t experience any problems whatsoever! The brush that comes with Fergie polish is really wide, and at first I thought it would make things more difficult, but I found that it was easy to use despite how big it was. In fact, it holds a lot of polish! I am also happy to report that Miami Spirit dries rather quickly. All around it is a great polish!

 

Though I was loving the color and shimmer of Miami Spirit, my manicure just needed a little something extra. I went to my nail polish stash and grabbed Maybe I’m Crazy from the indie brand Absolutlacquer. You can read my full review of Maybe I’m Crazy HERE, but this polish is basically a glitter top coat with as many different colors and shapes of glitter as you could imagine. Last time, I wore it on top of a red polish, and some of the red glitters blended in. I wondered what it would look like on a shimmery teal. It turns out that it looks fantastic!

 

 

What I love about Maybe I’m Crazy is that you can achieve a different look with it every time you use it. That’s because the base color changes which glitters stand out. Plus, each nail is going to have a different combination of glitters on it. With the added shimmer from Miami Spirit, my nails are super shiny, and lots of fun! I’m so glad I tried this combination on together.

 

You can purchase the Wet ‘n Wild Fergie collection at your nearest Walgreens for just $3.50 a bottle! That’s pretty fabulous and affordable. Have you tried this brand yet?

Illamasqua Optimist: It’s Okay to Splurge (Sometimes)

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

While Adventures in Polishland is all about fabulous nails at an affordable price, there are times when it is okay to splurge on a special polish. After seeing beautiful swatches of the Illamasqua Limited Edition Rubber Finish Nail Varnish over at LacqueredLover.com, I decided to treat myself to a polish from the collection to celebrate my start of law school. I headed over to Sephora’s website, and chose Optimist, what Illamasqua describes as “warm yellow.” I was a bit surprised when my new polish came in the mail and it was a bright orange! At first I was a little bummed, but I paid $14 for my new Illamasqua and the least I could do was try it on.

I have never tried a polish with a rubber finish before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The formula is easy to work with, but you can definitely see any imperfections and brush strokes. I began with two coats, but I added a third coat just to make sure the finish looked the way I wanted it to. I knew that I wouldn’t be using a top coat with this polish, because the whole point is to showcase the rubber finish! It took a little while for me to get used to this new look, but after a few hours I came to love Optimist!

 

The color of Optimist actually reminds me of the Crayola crayon “Macaroni and Cheese.” I love how smooth and creamy the finish looks. I have been looking for the perfect orange polish, and I found it here with Illamasqua’s Optimist even though I thought I was buying a yellow polish. This color is great for fall, and even reminded me a bit of a pumpkin. I like how the color is bright, but not a neon.  That way it a bit more subdued, and not as “in your face.”

 

 

Though I can’t spend $14 for nail polish on a regular basis, I am sure glad I splurged on Illamasqua. If you are looking to try out a great, higher end brand be sure to stop by your local Sephora store. After buying this polish online and being surprised by the color, I definitely suggest looking at these in person first. That way you will find the perfect color for you!

Have you tried Illamasqua polish? What do think of Optimist?

Favorite Friday: Cloud Manicure with Julep Polish

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

It’s Favorite Friday! That’s when I use one of my favorite nail polishes, or recreate one of my favorite manicures! I’ve been wanting to do something fun with my nails, but I am not very good at nail art. I decided that this week I would recreate the cloud manicure I did a couple months ago. My nails were already painted with Julep’s Claire, so I used two other Julep polishes to upgrade my mani.

 

Not only do cloud manicures look really cool, but they are easy to achieve! All you need is three colors of nail polish, and some patience. With a steady hand you can easily master this technique. The best part is, people will be so impressed with your nails! You can get full instructions from my original cloud mani post HERE.

 

For this mani, I began with Julep’s Claire (blue) and then added on Morgan (purple) and Blake (yellow). Too be honest I’m not so sure how I feel about this color combination together. I think the clouds look great, but the yellow on the tips was a bit off for me. I will definitely do this manicure again with different colors!

What do you think of my cloud manicure? Have you tried this technique?

Julep Maven Intro Box Review & Giveaway!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

If you are a blog follower of mine, you know how much I love Julep nail polish and being a Julep Maven member. Though the nail polish retails at $14 a bottle, the Maven program is a great way to get their polish at discounted prices. In order to let my readers try this great product at no cost, I wrote to Julep. They sent me an intro box to review for all of you, and they are giving one away for free! First, let me show you what comes in a Julep Maven intro box.

The packaging is always so cute!
My new polishes!

Each month Julep offers five different Maven boxes, and you choose the one you like the most based on your own personal style. The “It Girl” box always has three nail polishes in it, while the other styles have two polishes and another product (such as lotion, nail polish remover, lip gloss, etc.). I decided to pick the It Girl style to show you! The polishes I got were Morgan, Claire, and Blake.

Morgan is a beautiful deep purple polish with a hint of blue and red shimmer. None of my photographs could capture how stunning it is in person! I used two coats of this polish. The formula was perfect! I love the frosted look it has, and the shimmer adds a lot of dimension. I love purples, so Morgan will be used frequently I’m sure.

Claire is a gorgeous sky blue cream polish. I also used two coats, and again had not problems with the formula. I love cream polishes, and this one is no exception. This polish is great for people who aren’t sure if blue nails are right for them, because the color isn’t bright, but a nice pastel. This is the perfect color for spring!

Last but not least is Blake, a yellow cream polish. I loved the color of Blake, but I did have some formula issues, which is very unusual for Julep polish. My first coat was very uneven, but a second coat helped to even it out. If I did add a third coat it would have probably cleaned up the manicure, but with two coats I could still see brush strokes on some nails. Other than that small issue with the formula, the polish was really pretty. Yellow is actually a great color for nails!

Now that you’ve seen my It Girl intro box, it is time to win one of your own! To enter, you must click HERE. It will bring you directly to the Rafflecopter site. Julep is running the giveaway for me, but if you have any problems entering, don’t hesitate to contact me. The giveaway is live until September 7th. If you want to join Julep right away, you can get your first box for just one penny by entering the code MAVENINTRO at checkout. Go HERE to sign up!

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

Try it on Tuesday: Layla Magneffect Metallic Sky

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

A couple weeks ago, I was lucky to score a bottle of Layla Magneffect nail polish on Copious. I have been wanting to try magnetic nail polish for a while, but the price kept me away. I did not want to pay $10 and up just to try it! Luckily, I had Copious credits at the time of my purchase, so I only paid $0.92 for this Layla that usually costs $15! That’s pretty affordable!

For those of you who may not have used magnetic nail polish before, it is basically a metallic colored polish that has a special formula that reacts when a magnet is placed over it. Depending on how the magnet is shaped, you can get different 3-D designs on your nail! I couldn’t wait to try out the Layla Magneffect I got in the color Metallic Sky, a deep navy blue. I read the directions on the bottle, and got painting. At first, I didn’t achieve good results, so I tried again, and it came out much better. Let me explain how I got this look:

 

First, apply a thin coat of polish on each nail. If you want, take the time to practice applying the magnet now, so you know what to do for the next coat. Once your first coat is dry, you will have to work on each nail one at a time. Be sure to work as quickly as possible. Paint a thick coat of polish and immediately turn the brush around so the magnet is as close to your nail as you can get it without touching. Hold it there for about five seconds. When you pull the magnet away, you will hopefully have a funky design on your nail! How cool is that?! Now, repeat this process on all of your nails, one by one. It sounds tedious, but it actually moves rather quickly. Layla Magneffect dries extremely fast, so you don’t have to worry about smudging your manicure in the process.

 

Another tip I have when using this particular magnetic polish is to give the bottle a good shake before you use it. Typically shaking polish creates air bubbles, but you want to make sure this formula is mixed well before you use it. That way the magnet will react well to the polish.

 

All in all, I really enjoyed this polish from Layla Magneffect. Once I learned a good technique, it was easy to use. I won’t be buying magnetic polish on a regular basis because of the price, but if I spy another good deal I will be sure to go for it. A lot of the newer polishes coming out have really cool designs, such as hearts! I will keep my eye out for those. Don’t forget, if you want to get great deals on nail polish, join Copious HERE. You will get a $10 credit just for signing up!

Have you tried magnetic polish? What do you think of it?