nails – Page 10 – Adventures in Polishland

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Manicure March | Daphine Polish in Sekhmet

Posted on March 8, 2016July 14, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! The second week of Manicure March kicks off today with an indie nail polish review. When I first began my blog I got sucked into the indie community and had the opportunity to try out a lot of brands. I really miss using indie polishes! I need to get back into it for sure. Today I’m reviewing a polish from the brand Daphine Polish. I fell in love with Daphine Polish, but haven’t worn any in my collection for a long time. Let me share Sekhmet with all of you!

Sekhmet is a deep burgundy polish with a bit of red glitter in the mix. The formula is perfection. It applies smoothly and is opaque in two coats. The reason I put Sekhmet in my ‘to swatch’ pile is because this is not a polish color I wear regularly. However, I’m so glad I gave it another chance! I think Sekhmet looks great with my skin tone. Plus, it’s certainly a unique polish and I wouldn’t be able to find another like it. I’m keeping this in my collection for sure!

All in all, I’m so glad I tried out Sekhmet from Daphine Polish again! I really miss being up to date with everything that’s going on in the nail polish world, especially the small world of indie polish. You can purchase the nail polish featured in this blog post on Etsy HERE. Make sure to shop through Ebates to earn cash back on your purchase! Please share with me in the comments your favorite indie brands so I can check them out, too. I would love to post more about indie brands on Adventures in Polishland again.

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. This post includes a referral link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Manicure March | SinfulColors Professional in Cinderella

Posted on March 7, 2016March 7, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today rounds out my first week of Manicure March posts! I hope you’re enjoying this series as much as I am. I’m excited to review a cult favorite with all of you today. When I first starting blogging, everyone raved about SinfulColors Professional in the shade Cinderella. In fact, this polish was difficult to find at drugstores for a while. I can’t remember exactly where I got mine, but I rediscovered it in my collection and had a good laugh at the memory of how popular this $1.99 polish was. Despite it’s popularity, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep this polish, simply because I never wear it. Let me go ahead and share Cinderella with you, and let you know if I’m keeping it!

Cinderella is a baby blue polish with a pink holographic shimmer. The formula is good, though can be a bit patchy. I applied three coats to achieve opacity. Cinderella is definitely a beautiful polish that truly lives up to its royal name. I can see why so many people love this nail polish, and I debated keeping it because it’s so well known. However, I’ve only worn this nail polish once before, and it’s just not a polish I would wear on a regular basis. I’ve decided to pass on Cinderella, and hope the next owner loves this polish!

All in all, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and purchase a polish that everyone else is talking about in the community. If the polish is super affordable like SinfulColors, then you can feel good trying out the favorite. However, if you’re about to splurge on an expensive polish just because it’s getting hyped, take a minute and think about whether you really want that shade. I’m glad I did try Cinderella, but I’m also ready to let it go. Definitely let me know in the comments if you own Cinderella!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color in LCD

Posted on March 6, 2016February 18, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Manicure March is going strong! I hope you’ve been enjoying my nail polish reviews thus far. Today I’m sharing a really fun review on one of the discontinued collections from Sally Hansen. If you’re like me and you still have a bunch of Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition polishes in your stash, here is your chance to see the magic within the bottle. Let me share my swatches of LCD, and the specific way I wear it.

First things first, here is LCD on its own. LCD is a pink metallic polish with a very sheer formula. It is packed with blue and purple shimmer as well. LCD has a good formula that applies nicely to the nail. However, it’s very underwhelming on its own. I layered three coats onto my nails, and my manicure is still really sheer. I really did not like LCD on my nails, but because it is so sheer I decided to do an experiment.

Next, I painted my pointer and middle fingers with a white base and my ring and pinky fingers with a black base. I layered LCD over the top, and that’s when the magic happened. Well, LCD looked like a pink mess over the white, but look at it layered over black nail polish! I got an instant galaxy manicure!

As soon as I finished my swatches for the day, I did a full manicure with LCD layered over a black nail polish. I am so obsessed with this! I can’t believe the magic that was living inside this nail polish bottle for years. I own several other bottles of Sally Hansen HD polish, and I’m now ready to experiment with all of them. Needless to say, I’m keeping LCD in my stash because it is amazing.

All in all, I am so glad I tested out LCD as a layering polish. The directions on the bottle simply say to apply 2-3 coats to the nail, so I’m not sure Sally Hansen even designed this polish to work well in layering. If you own this polish definitely let me know how you wear it in the comments. Did you know how LCD looks over black?! I know I’ve said the word ‘magic’ too often in this blog post, but I’m excited about this one! It’s always nice to discover a nail polish that you already own.

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | China Glaze in Creative Fantasy

Posted on March 5, 2016February 16, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Today for Manicure March I’m reviewing a polish from the brand China Glaze. While this brand is very well known in the nail polish world, I rarely use China Glaze polishes. In fact, besides owning the complete Hunger Games collection, I only have a few other polishes from the brand. During my recent nail polish reorganization project, I found the bottle Creative Fantasy. I’m not sure if I’ve ever used it, so I decided to try it out and share my thoughts with all of you!

Creative Fantasy is a purple nail polish with a crelly formula – creme and jelly mixture. The formula is very problematic. It is thin and watery, and very patchy. I’ve applied three coats in the photos here, and you can clearly see how it is patchy and not fully opaque in some areas. I didn’t have to spend any time debating whether or not I’d keep Creative Fantasy in my collection. This one had to go ASAP!

I’m very interested to hear from all of you in regards to China Glaze. The polishes are sold at stores such as Sally Beauty and Ulta, and I consider them a salon brand. However, I haven’t fallen in love with the shades I’ve tried in the past. I know I’m unlikely to purchase a nail polish from a brand if I haven’t had a great experience in the past. Let me know in the comments if you feel the same way!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | Julep in Katie

Posted on March 4, 2016February 16, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Manicure March continues today with a review of one of my many Julep nail polishes. I own dozens of Julep polishes after subscribing to the service so long, and also from purchasing mystery boxes. I absolutely loved Julep when the site first launched. Unfortunately, Julep changed its brush and formula over time, and I don’t think the quality is as great anymore. I’ve decided I’m only going to keep Julep polishes that I absolutely love. Let me show go ahead and show you Katie!

Katie is a magenta polish with blue and magenta shimmer. The formula is good, but it does pull. I was really sad when the polish pulled upon application (meaning it bunched up on the nail instead of going on smoothly). The color is absolutely stunning, and I was thinking about keeping it in my stash. However, because the formula isn’t great, I decided to let it go. I’m sure I can find another polish in a similar color that has a better formula. Let’s be real – I probably already own one!

All in all, while I think Katie is a beautiful polish, I’m destashing it due to its wonky formula. Sometimes I do keep nail polish with imperfect formulas if I really love the color, but to be honest I wouldn’t wear Katie often anyway. Please let me know in the comments if you keep polishes purely for the shade, even if the formula isn’t the best. I would love to know!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | Milani Nail Lacquer Texture in Lovely Lavender

Posted on March 3, 2016February 16, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I’m reviewing a polish from the limited edition Milani Nail Lacquer Texture collection. While this polish is no longer available, I still wanted to share it with you and have a discussion on nail polish trends. Textured nail polish was all the rage a few years ago. It took off with the OPI Liquid Sand range, and then really picked up with the Zoya PixieDust line. Soon brands all over the price spectrum were getting in on the textured trend. I absolutely loved textured polish, and I still do. However, I haven’t worn it in quite a while. I wanted to test out one of my Milani Texture polishes to see if the formula had changed over time, and if I would still rock a textured nail. Let me share Lovely Lavender with all of you!

Lovely Lavender is a light purple polish with a creme texture formula. What this means is that there is no shimmer in the formula, so it looks like a creme polish, just with a textured finish. Lovely Lavender has an amazing formula. It applies smoothly and is opaque in two coats. I was really happy to discover that this formula has stood the test of time. It is not goopy or thick, and still applies beautifully. The reason I am stressing this is because one of my other Milani Texture polishes did dry out, but that might have been from a bottle that wasn’t fully closed. I’ll be testing some of the others in my collection to see how they are holding up, too.

All in all, I still really love Milani Texture in Lovely Lavender even though it’s not on trend any longer. I hope to wear my textured polishes more often, because I like how they look on me. I would love to hear in the comments if you still wear textured polish, or if you are glad the trend is over. Also let me know which nail polish trend you wish would come back!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | Confetti in Purple Pizzazz

Posted on March 2, 2016February 16, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Manicure March continues today with a review of one of the oldest polishes in my collection. Confetti is a brand that used to be sold at CVS stores for the fabulous and affordable price of $1.99. I own two polishes from the brand, and I’ve held onto Purple Pizzazz for years now, partly for emotional reasons. This might sound silly, but I have really good memories with this nail polish! I remember lending it to friends, and bringing it with me to New York the first semester I lived in the city. However, I almost never wore it myself. I decided to put it to the test once and for all to see if I actually liked the polish itself.

Purple Pizzazz is a really unique nail polish. It is a purple-pink metallic polish with a holographic shimmer. The formula is good, but on the sheer side so I applied three coats for opacity. While I was swatching in artificial light, I wasn’t sure if I liked Purple Pizzazz. I decided to add my favorite top coat to really try out this polish. I thought I was going to keep it until I stepped out into natural light to take photographs of my manicure. I truly saw the light – this polish is just not for me! I’m not a metallic fan, for one, and this color just doesn’t go with my skin tone. Purple Pizzazz, it’s time to say goodbye!

I’m so glad I was finally able to part with Confetti in Purple Pizzazz. Sometimes it can be difficult to get rid of things that you have fond memories of, even if that thing is nail polish. At the end of the day, if I’m not going to use a polish, I shouldn’t own it anymore. Please let me know in the comments if you still own any polishes from the Confetti brand, and if you like them!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure March | Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Barracuda

Posted on March 1, 2016February 16, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! It is the first day of Manicure March, and I couldn’t be more excited. Just in case you missed my announcement in the last installment of Upcoming Adventures, Manicure March is a special feature I’m doing this month where I bring you a nail polish review for each and every day this month! I’m kicking things off with a polish from one of my all-time favorite brands, Sally Hansen. I purchased Barracuda at CVS some time ago after hearing about it on EleventhGorgeous’s YouTube channel. I wore it back in 2013, but honestly don’t know if it’s been on my nails since then. Let’s take a closer look at Barracuda!

Barracuda is a pastel blue creme polish, and I think my only polish from the Complete Salon Manicure line. I’m not a huge fan of pastel blues at this point, and I was even more disappointed with the formula! It was very watery and patchy, and I applied three coats before achieving opacity. I think this polish couldn’t stand the test of time, because my earlier review states I had no issues with the formula. Nonetheless, I won’t be keeping this around. If I’m not loving the color or the formula, this polish has got to go!

All in all, I’m quite surprised to find that this more expensive line from Sally Hansen is a bit of a flop for me. I’d love to know if you own polishes from the Complete Salon Manicure line, and how you like the formula. The price tag on this polish reads $8.99, but I know I purchased this on sale and with a coupon. That being said, I think I’ll stick with Sally Hansen’s other nail polish collections for now. Bye bye, Barracuda!

Join in #ManicureMarch by using the hashtag on social media and by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Manicure Monday | L’Oreal Paris in Paparazzi Pleaser

Posted on February 22, 2016February 12, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’ll be honest – my nail polish declutter project took a big break after I went through the first box. I decided to slowly pick it back up again, and tried out one of the polishes I set aside to swatch. I first picked up L’Oreal Paris in Paparazzi Pleaser back in 2014 (see that post HERE), and I’m pretty sure I haven’t worn it since then. Let me share this purple polish with you, and let you know if I plan on keeping it!

Paparazzi Pleaser is a deep purple cream nail polish. The formula is good, but a bit on the thin side. I applied three coats to achieve opacity, and I didn’t have any application issues. Paparazzi Pleaser is definitely a beautiful color, but for some reason I’m not thrilled with it. I think the warm, blue-tone isn’t suited for my pale skin. Despite this being a great drugstore polish, I’m moving it into my box of polishes to destash.

All in all, I’m glad I put Paparazzi Pleaser to the test! As always, L’Oreal’s polish is excellent quality. I think it is a great drugstore brand, but this shade of polish isn’t for me. I still recommend it, especially if you have a deeper skin tone. It retails for around $5.00 at your local drugstore or online HERE. Let me know if you’re pleased by Paparazzi Pleaser in the comments!

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

Born Pretty Store Melodi Nail Wraps Review | Instant Nail Art

Posted on February 15, 2016February 10, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I am excited to review a set of nail wraps from Born Pretty Store for all of you. Nail wraps are a hot and cold product in the nail polish world. I’ve found that they are either awesome or terrible, and the price of the wrap is no indicator to the wrap’s quality. I’ve had good luck with the wraps from Born Pretty Store for the most part, and I am always up for trying out a different brand and design. This time around I have a colorblock pattern from the brand Melodi. Let me show you these gorgeous nail wraps!

Here is a quick look at the Melodi Nail Wraps in the packaging. As with most nail wraps, they are formulated to last up to seven days, and not smudge upon application. This set of wraps is made with real nail polish, which I can tell by the slight polish scent upon opening the package. I received the style MDS1206 to review. It retails for just $1.52 HERE.

If you’ve never used nail wraps before, they essentially work like stickers that you put on your nails. I start with a clean nail, find the wrap that fits my nail, and then stick it on the nail. Then I smooth out the wrap, gently bend over the excess, and use an emory board to file off the end. I follow up with a glossy top coat to ensure the wraps stay in place, and to give more of a realistic look. Voila! Instant nail art!

I am really impressed with the Melodi Nail Wraps! They applied easily, and they look just like regular nail art. Plus, they are long-wearing! I’ve found that if a nail wrap is going to be bad, it typically comes off within 24 hours. I’m on Day 3 of wearing these wraps and so far I only have light tip wear! I’ve showered and washed my hands several times over the past few days, and the wraps still look awesome. I am beyond thrilled!

All in all, I highly recommend the Melodi Nail Wraps from Born Pretty Store. Not only are they super affordable, but they are excellent quality as well. Of course, I love the cute design, too. As always you can use the code FZL91 to get an additional 10% off your Born Pretty Store order. I think you should definitely pick up these nail wraps! They are perfect for those of us who love nail art, but don’t have the skill or patience to pull it off perfectly every time. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you like nail wraps, and if you’ll be getting these from Melodi!

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