navy – Adventures in Polishland

Tag: navy

Dare to Compare | Covergirl Sapphire Flare vs Julep Char

Posted on June 1, 2016May 4, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have another nail polish comparison to share with you, this time a good matchup between a drugstore polish and a higher end brand. I’ve been really impressed with the Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant line ever since it hit stores, so I just had to see how close in shade it is to a Julep polish I own as well. Let me share these polishes with you individually, and then side-by-side.

First up is Sapphire Flare from Covergirl, a deep navy blue creme polish. Sapphire Flare is an excellent polish. It is opaque in one coat and applies smoothly to the nail. I am wearing two coats in the photos above, just because adding a second layer adds to the high-gloss finish and deepens the pigmentation just a bit. Sapphire Flare is a great navy to have in your nail polish collection.

Next up is Julep Char, another navy blue creme, but with a brighter blue shade. Char also has a really good formula that is opaque in two coats. It tends to be a bit streaky, but nothing unmanageable for sure. Char is a gorgeous polish, and a good one to get from Julep if you’re picking out a polish for your monthly Maven subscription.

Here is a look at Sapphire Flare and Char side-by-side. I’m wearing Sapphire Flare on my pinky and ring fingers and Char on my middle and pointer fingers. As you can see, the colors are very, very similar, but not exact duplicates. Sapphire Flare is almost a black, while in Char you can see the blue quite clearly. These are both great polishes, but I much prefer the shade of Sapphire Flare, and will be keeping that one in my collection.

All in all, I’m glad I tested out these polishes together so I can recommend them both to you. My top choice is definitely Sapphire Flare, which can be purchased at the drugstore or on Amazon HERE for around $5.00. I’m excited to wear this navy shade when fall rolls around! Definitely let me know your favorite navy polish in the comments!

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

Simple Saturday | Julep Cloud Manicure

Posted on December 27, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Now that Christmas is over, I took the time to paint my nails after going a week without any polish. I rather enjoy short nails, and after doing so much housework the past week to get ready for holiday get-togethers, I actually enjoyed chopping them down. Since I am separated from my nail polish stash at the moment, I raided Momma Polishland’s collection (with her permission, of course). She’s grown quite a substantial pile of polishes in the past few years – that seems to happen when your daughter is a nail polish blogger, even if she’s moved out of the house! Let me show you the quick and easy nail art look I created.

I began with a base of Julep Dianna, a stunning navy polish. Dianna has a great formula, and I applied two thin coats to achieve opacity. This was easily done very fast – I forgot that Julep switched to wide, flat brushes! They can be tricky at first, but really easy to use once you get the hang of the feel.

For an accent nail, I grabbed Julep Briana, a mint shade that leans towards blue. I thought Briana looked perfect when paired with Dianna! I simply used the cloud nail art technique (full details on how to create the clouds HERE). The creme formulas look amazing, and the blue tones are wintery yet no longer holiday themed. I applied a glossy top coat to finish the look, and I was good to go!

All in all, I am really happy with my simple manicure. It looks fancy with the cloud accent nail, but was so easy to create. You can actually grab Briana for just $4.99 on Julep’s website HERE in the Savvy Deals section today. If you spend $25 or more from now until December 28, you get a free gift worth $50 with promo code SAVVY. This is definitely a great bargain! Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of my manicure, and if you are picking up anything during Julep’s sale. Also, don’t forget to enter my 3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest! Details on how to enter HERE.

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

Color Club in Baldwin Blues

Posted on November 21, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I have a quick review of the nail polish I received in my November Birchbox (see that post HERE). I just love receiving polishes in subscription boxes because it allows me to try out brands I wouldn’t normally purchase. In fact, the only Color Club polishes I’ve tried so far are thanks to Birchbox! Let me show you the one I got this month.

Baldwin Blues is a dark blue creme polish. The color can be described as navy with a hint of turquoise – very unique! As for the formula, it’s great! Baldwin Blues applies with ease, and is opaque in two coats. I didn’t even have to apply top coat due to it’s glossy finish! I’m really loving this shade!

All in all, I’m impressed with Color Club’s Baldwin Blues! I definitely need to try out more Color Club polishes in the future. You can purchase Baldwin Blues on Birchbox’s website HERE. The full size polish is $8. Let me know in the comments what your favorite Color Club polishes are!

Zoya Cashmeres Collection for Fall 2013

Posted on August 5, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have the second fall collection from Zoya Nail Polish to share with all of you (check out my PixieDust review HERE). Fall is the perfect opportunity to don your cashmere sweaters, and Zoya has transformed our favorite autumn hues into gorgeous, creamy nail polishes. Let me show you these warm-toned polishes!

First up is Livingston, a true red polish. Livingston is the perfect red! It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, and is a classic color to wear all year long. Not only is Livingston work appropriate, but it is fierce! With black and white trends in fall fashion, Livingston will be the perfect accessory to your outfits.

Up next is Pepper, a dark, brick red polish. Pepper is also opaque in two coats, and has the same great formula as Livingston. Last fall we saw oxblood nails were all the rage, and it looks like they will be again this season! If you didn’t grab this haute hue last year, I definitely suggest Pepper.

Sailor is next, and is a stunning navy polish. Sailor is definitely my favorite in the Cashmeres collection! It is the perfect navy polish that is opaque in two coats. It’s the perfect alternative to a black nail, since it’s not as harsh, yet it’s still edgy. I’m not usually partial to dark nail polishes, but Sailor is so nice!

The next Cashmere is Hunter, a dark green polish. Hunter screams fall to me — the shade is one of the classic colors of the season! Just as with the other polishes in this collection, Hunter is opaque in two coats and has a flawless formula. If you’ve been hunting for a great green, look no further!

Next up is Louise, a chocolate brown polish. Louise is an amazing one coat formula! I love when that happens! Plus, the color is so rich and pigmented. Louise is really the perfect brown, which I didn’t have in my collection yet. I can see this being great for nail art as well!

Last but not least is Flynn, a camel brown polish. Unfortunately for me, Flynn just looks awful with my skin tone. I feel like I am so close to the dreaded mannequin hands with this one! Despite that personal issue, Flynn still has a great formula and is opaque in two coats. This polish would look beautiful with a darker complexion!

All in all, I am loving the Zoya Cashmeres collection! The formulas are so wonderful, and the colors are just perfect for the fall months. I definitely recommend each polish in the collection, but my favorites are Sailor and Hunter! You can purchase the Cashmeres collection on Zoya’s website HERE for $8 each or $48 for the whole set. Stay tuned for the last fall collection from Zoya Nail Polish soon!

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

Be Ready in a Flash with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri!

Posted on February 24, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Today I have a review of four polishes from the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri line. Before I started blogging, I had a couple of these polishes and they just weren’t for me. They were gunky, and seemed to dry up in the bottle. In recent months I’ve been getting a lot of suggestions from followers about the Insta-Dri polishes. I even heard that Sally Hansen changed the formula to battle the issues I was having. When I got the opportunity to review some Sally Hansen products, I knew I had to give the Insta-Dri line a second chance. I’m very glad I did! Let me show you these beautiful polishes!

First up is Pronto Purple, a gorgeous dark purple nail polish with magenta shimmer. Pronto Purple is opaque in two coats and has a great formula! These Insta-Dri polishes come with a very wide brush. At first it was hard to get used to, but now I love it! It helps to distribute polish quickly and easily. I actually owned Pronto Purple before I started blogging! I was happy to find out how much I love it! Not only did the polish dry quickly, but it has a flawless finish. I’m very glad I own Pronto Purple again!

Next up is Blue-Away, a stunning Tiffany blue creme. Blue-Away is also opaque in two coats, and while the formula is a bit streaky, it evens out well and dries perfectly. One tip to applying this Insta-Dri polish is to let it dry in between coats. Just wait an extra minute or two, and the polish will glide on much easier. I absolutely love Blue-Away, especially for spring. It’s so feminine and chic!

Night Flight is the next Insta-Dri polish I have to show you. It is the perfect navy nail polish, and appears black in some light. Opaque in two coats, Night Flight’s formula was a bit on the watery side. Luckily application was still smooth, and I didn’t have any problems when I applied thin coats. The first coat of Night Flight was very sheer, and that leads me to believe it would be great for a jelly sandwich manicure! I was happy that the polish was buildable, and that it really did dry instantly!

Last but not least is Peachy Breeze, an amazing bright peach polish! Peachy Breeze is my new favorite nail polish. It is opaque in two coats, has the perfect formula, and is just a stunning color! It is perfect for spring and summer, and definitely lives up to its name. I am just in awe of this polish. I feel like my nails even look photoshopped in the pictures (which, of course, they’re not)! I have a feeling this is my new go-to polish. It definitely has a “wow” factor!

Overall, I am so happy I had the chance to try out the Insta-Dri line from Sally Hansen a second time. I am very impressed with these polishes. They are perfect for nail art, too! In fact, make sure you take a look at my Valentine’s Day Skittle Manicure to see Fuchsia Flare in action! Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes can be purchased at your local drugstore or department store for around $4. Not only are they fabulous, but they are affordable, too! If you’re a girl who is always on the go, I recommend you have a few Insta-Dri polishes in your collection.

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

Chick Nail Polish in Raven’s Egg: An OpenSky Score

Posted on January 2, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a gorgeous blue nail polish to show you from the nail polish brand Chick. Typically a bottle of polish from this line costs $8, due to it being vegan friendly and chemical free. I was lucky enough to score a set of four Chick polishes on the website OpenSky for just over $6 when I joined and got a bunch of free credits. I got two sets of polishes from this one purchase alone. First I showed you Hello, I Love You! from ncLA, and now I will show you Raven’s Egg!

Raven’s Egg is a navy blue polish with a shimmery finish. It truly shines in the light and has a duochrome feel to it. At times it looks dark purple, but Raven’s Egg is a true navy. This polish also reminds me of a metallic polish, but with a formula that is easy to apply and opaque in two coats. It did chip off in a couple days, but I did not apply top coat when I wore it. Raven’s Egg is a great blue polish, and is unlike any other polish that I own. I think it would be great as a base for nail art! Plus, I love the cute bottle. The rectangular shape makes it easy to store.

Overall, I love the dark blue of Raven’s Egg from Chick Nail Polish! It was a fabulous price on OpenSky, and I would recommend it if you can find it for a bargain, too. I do think $8 would be too much for this polish. You can join OpenSky HERE and you will receive $10 in credit when you sign up. Unfortunately you must spend $50 to use the credits, but you can still get a great deal. Happy Shopping!

P.S. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite manicure in my New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest on my Facebook page HERE!