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Beautiful NYC | Julep NYC Holiday Pop Up

Posted on December 13, 2013December 12, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I’m super excited to bring you the second official post in my Beautiful NYC series. I’ve labeled a few other posts into this category if it was an NYC event, or simply some shopping I’ve done around town, but today I’m highlighting the Julep Pop Up store that is officially opening today! I was lucky enough to be invited to a special Maven night at the store yesterday, and heard from the wonderful Jane Park – Julep’s CEO and Founder. As a huge Julep fan, it was really exciting to meet Jane (who is extremely nice, by the way!) and learn a bit more about Julep as a company. Let me show you some photographs I took inside the Pop Up shop!

Julep NYC Holiday Pop Up — The nail polish was separated by style profile. Look at how gorgeous the displays are!

Favorite Beauty Products — Helpful signs shared about the Maven program, and you could even vote for your favorite beauty products!

Modern Beauty — Of course, the beauty and skincare products were for sale as well!

Check out this cool nail polish bottle flowing from the ceiling!

Maven signatures — All of the Mavens were asked to sign this placard with our favorite nail polish! It will be brought back to Maven headquarters. Can you spot my name?!

Adventures in Polishland was here! — There I am! I chose the nail polish Drew!

The Pop Up store sells all the Julep polishes and products you love, plus some gift sets for the holidays. One great thing about the store is that you are able to build your own custom Maven box, and you can build as many as you want for the $19.99 price. Of course, I built my own custom box!

I decided to build my own It Girl box, complete with three nail polishes, and then grabbed the Julep Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover. While this remover is definitely a bit on the expensive side, it is my all-time favorite remover, and I decided to treat myself. If you would like a complete review just talking about that remover, let me know in the comments!

The first polish I grabbed is the same one I added to the Maven sign – Drew. I’m not sure why I didn’t already own this polish, because it is perfect for me! Drew is a bright pink creme, with just a flawless formula. I applied two coats, but it was nearly a one coat formula. I could literally wear this every day and not get sick of it! I really do love my pink nails.

Next up is Bette, a gorgeous purple polish that leans towards fuchsia. Bette has a “crelly” formula that is not quite a creme and not quite a jelly. It applied really well, and I am wearing two coats in the photos. Bette is very similar to a limited edition Wet ‘n Wild nail polish that I own, but I’m so happy to have this one because that bottle is halfway empty and not available any longer. Plus, Bette definitely has a better formula!

Last but not least is Lena, a beautiful teal polish with subtle gold shimmer. When I first spotted Lena at the store, I thought it was a creme polish, but I actually love the shimmer added in! This polish is also a winner because it has a one coat formula! I just love when I make that discovery! Lena also reminds me of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Any other fans out there?!

All in all, I had a great time exploring the Julep NYC Holiday Pop Up and attending Maven night! If you will be in NYC during the holiday shopping season, be sure to stop by! The shop will be open starting today, December 13 through December 22. It’s located at 102 Fifth Avenue, amongst several other places to shop. You can find more details on Julep’s website HERE. Be sure to let me know if you visit the Pop Up!

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

Julie G Meet Up at Rite Aid in NYC!

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! This past Saturday I had the amazing opportunity to meet YouTuber Julie G at Rite Aid in New York City. Julie has her own nail polish line with the brand Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics, and they held a meet up to show off the new Holiday Frosted Gumdrops Collection. I was so excited to meet Julie. I’ve watched her YouTube videos for a while now, and I love her nail polish line. Adventures in Polishland is all about fabulous and affordable nails, and Julie’s line retails for just $3.99! Let me show you the nail polish I wore to meet Julie, and all about the event!

I knew that I had to wear a JulieG nail polish to the event, so I chose Hot Cinnamon from the original Frosted Gumdrops Collection. Hot Cinnamon has the perfect formula, and is opaque in two coats. I love the bright red color, and how sparkly it is! It’s definitely perfect for the holiday season. Little did I know my nails would be even more festive thanks to Julie!

Yes! That’s me with Julie, and those are my nails on her Instagram! When I arrived at Rite Aid, Julie was all set up to give manicures to her fans using her polish collection. She used two of her new Holiday Frosted Gumdrops to create some nail art on my nails – Gift of Gold and Mistletoe. I love how it turned out!

Here are some more photographs from the event. It was such a fun time!

Image Courtesy of Jesse's Girl Cosmetics — Getting a Manicure from Julie! (Image Courtesy of Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics)

Jesse's Girl even gave us goodie bags! — Jesse’s Girl even gave us goodie bags!

All in all, I had a wonderful time at the meet up! It was so great to meet Julie, and talk about all things nail polish. I recently ordered the full JulieG Holiday Frosted Gumdrops Collection, so keep an eye out for that review soon. Until then, stop by your local Rite Aid to pick up polishes from the JulieG line, or shop online HERE. Thank you again to Julie, Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics, and Rite Aid for the wonderful experience!

Beautiful NYC | Birchbox Local

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I am very excited to launch a brand new series here at Adventures in Polishland called Beautiful NYC. I’ve been a New York City resident for just over a year now, and I sometimes find it difficult locating unique places to shop for nail polish and all things beauty. I thought it would be fun to highlight shops and events around the city and share them with all of you! To kick things off, I headed to the first ever Birchbox Local shop.

Birchbox Local is located at Chelsea Market, a super hip, indoor market with food, shopping, and more. I’ve never been there before, so I loved being able to visit a new part of the city on this Birchbox adventure! I planned on taking lots of photos of the shop once I got there, but it was so busy inside I couldn’t get any good pictures! Let’s just say this shop is super cool. In the front is the bar where you can build your own box (pictured below), and then the rest of the space is dedicated to more beauty products, and even a section for hair and makeup services. The Birchbox online shop literally came to life!

Of course, the main reason I wanted to head to Birchbox Local was to build my own Birchbox! For $15, you can customize your own box with a total of five samples. I couldn’t wait to pick out some goodies! There are literally 45 different samples to choose from!

Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow – $22 – Gimme Brow is a brow-volumizing fiber gel to fill in eyebrows while keeping them groomed at the same time. I got the shade light/medium, and imagine my surprise when I discovered that this is the full size product! This one item alone is already worth more than I paid for the box!
Color Club in Savoy Nights – $2 – I couldn’t leave without putting a nail polish in my box! I grabbed this gorgeous silver glitter from the soon-to-be-released Winter 2013 collection from Color Club. Yes, this nail polish isn’t even released yet! I estimated the price compared to other Color Club minis.
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment – $3.23 – This oil is now one of my go-to hair products! I am running low on the 1oz bottle I got in an Ipsy bag, so I grabbed this sample size to last me even longer. I know I’ll love this product! It’s amazing!
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in Light – $10 – I’ve heard so many great things about Smashbox primers that I knew I had to grab one! The shop had every variety, but I decided to get the oil free one because my skin gets oily throughout the day. I can’t wait to try it!
beautyblender – $19.95 – I almost fell on the floor when I saw that we could add beautyblenders to our box! Plus, when I checked out the sales girl gave me a sample size of the blendercleaser to go with it! I absolutely love my beautyblender, and I could not pass up the opportunity to grab another at such an amazing value.

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $57.18

Wow! What an amazing value for just $15 + tax! Not only did I get some amazing products, but I had a great time, too. All of the sales girls at Birchbox Local were really nice, and I honestly wish this shop was open all the time! If you live in or are planning to visit New York City this weekend, I highly recommend stopping by Birchbox Local. All the information you need to know is located on the Birchbox website HERE. Keep in mind they only take cards (no cash).

I hope you enjoyed this post, and stay tuned for more Beautiful NYC reviews! Let me know in the comments if there is a specific place you would like me to visit and write about.

Macaron Day Inspired Manicure!

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

Happy Friday! Today I have a fun post inspired by the delicious French treats, macarons. Back in March, New York City hosted its annual Macaron Day, where bakeries around the city give free macarons to anyone who walks in! A percentage of any proceeds the shops make that day go to ending hunger in NYC. You can learn more about Macaron Day on its website HERE. I was able to stop by two locations, and snapped the Instagram photo below of the macarons my friend and I got. She suggested I do macaron nail art, so I gave it a try!

I knew I wanted to use a light blue and a pink nail polish to create this look, so I grabbed Sinful Colors in Cinderella and Covergirl Outlast in My Papaya. Both are shimmery colors that reminded me of the sugary sweetness in the macarons. Plus, you can find both at your local drugstore for great prices! Sinful Colors retails for just $1.99 and Covergirl for just $5.99. If you hurry, you could also grab My Papaya on Amazon HERE for the low price of $3.89 (there are only two left as I type this!). Let me show you the cute and simply manicure I created!

For my macaron manicure I did a color-blocked style. I painted two nails with Cinderella and two with My Papaya. For my thumb, I applied My Papaya, just because I liked that polish more. It was opaque in two coats while Cinderella was sheer and required three. Other than that, both polishes had great formulas, and I plan on using them again in the future! I just love how the shimmer in both catches the light and adds the perfect touch. I also included the business card for the Macaron Parlour in the photo. If you are in NYC, stop by and grab a tasty treat! You can see more on their website HERE. I highly recommend it!

All in all, I thought this was such a fun idea for a manicure! It was quite easy to create, but I enjoyed the sentiment behind it. Have you ever based a manicure on food?! If so, let me know in the comments!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Bimonthly Beauty Post: Welcome & Haul!

Posted on February 4, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

I am excited to announce a new feature here at Adventures in Polishland. Twice each month you will now be getting a post dedicated to beauty and skincare products. Called the Bimonthly Beauty Post (BBP), this series will showcase hauls, reviews, and more! I have recently taken strides in my life to take better care of myself and my skin. Join me on my journey to looking and feeling beautiful!

Today I have a beauty haul to share! It seems as if all my products are running out at the same time, and there are a few new items I’ve been wanting to try as well. I headed to the Union Square area of New York City to stop by Nordstrom Rack and Sephora. Let me show you all the goodies I got!

Top row: Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub, Burts Bees Facial Cleansing Towlettes, Soap & Glory Heel Genius.
Bottom row: Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation, Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, Not Your Mother’s Beat the Heat

The first stop on my journey was Nordstrom Rack. Like Marshalls and TJMaxx, you never know what you are going to find there. I was hoping to get as many items as possible at a discounted price. Not only was the store extremely busy, but the beauty section seemed to be a bit picked over. I have to remember to go during the week from now on! Nonetheless I picked up two items. I’ve been needing a face exfoliant to help remove the dry skin I get, and I decided to go with the new Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub. Originally I had been contemplating the Clinique Exfoliator that retails for around $19, but I am happy I settled with this one for just $6.97! I try to use natural products whenever I can, and I think this one will be gentle. I can’t wait to try it out! I also got Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes with White Tea Extract. I love cleansing wipes like these because they take off makeup in a breeze and leave your skin feeling instantly clean. I often use them before bed, or when I get home from school. I’ve never tried any from Burt’s Bees before, but a 30-pack was only $5.97 so I couldn’t pass them up! That price and quantity is better than what I get from the drugstore.

Sephora was the next stop on my beauty haul journey! I rarely shop at Sephora because of the high prices, but I was in the mood to splurge on some great quality products. First up I grabbed Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream. I have been using Julep’s Best Pedi Creme Ever each night before bed, and I love it. The only problem is I go through it quickly and it’s sold out online! I grabbed this substantially larger bottle for $16. I’m hoping it lives up to its name!

The next item I splurged on is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in the color 3. I’m still a bit shocked at myself that I bought foundation for $38, but this bottle is going to last me a very long time, and is of the best quality. I tried a sample of this stuff and fell in love. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I do like to put my best face forward. This will keep my skin looking natural and non-oily all day! Finally, my last Sephora splurge was the Fresh Sugar Lip Polish. I have been desperately needing a lip exfoliant, and because I know that Fresh Sugar makes amazing products I went for it and paid $22.50 for this little tub. I tried this out as soon as I got home, and I am loving it already! My lips are completely smooth and free of dry skin. Plus, you only need the tiniest amount. This thing is going to last me a long time!

Last but not least, I stopped by Ricky’s NYC on the way back to my apartment. I am an avid flat iron user, so I make sure to use heat protectant to at least prevent some damage. I’ve been using a bottle of Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat for over a year now, and was about to buy a replacement bottle when I spotted a similar product called Not Your Mother’s Beat the Heat for an entire $6 cheaper. I decided to switch it up and try out this protectant instead. I hope it lasts me as long as the Frizz-Ease!

My grand total for this beauty haul was a whopping $103.90 with tax. Although this is way more than I usually spend, I’m glad I got some great products that will last me a very long time. If you would like to see a detailed review of any of these items, please let me know in the comments! Stay tuned to Adventures in Polishland for more Bimonthly Beauty Posts, and for your regularly scheduled nail polish!

Keeping it Neutral with L’Oreal Greycian Goddess

Posted on January 25, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have another fabulous and affordable nail polish to show you from the brand L’Oreal. This line of polish can be purchased at drug stores for around $6 per bottle, but I got this one at a street fair in NYC where all L’Oreal polishes were just three for $5! You can learn more about Street Fair Cosmetics HERE, though they are now closed for the season. Let me show you one of the beautiful polishes I purchased from the fair!

Greycian Goddess is the perfect grey nail polish with blue undertones. This polish took two coats to be opaque, and had a very good formula. I was impressed with how cleanly and evenly it applied! I also really liked the brush that came with Greycian Goddess. It was very easy to work with due to it’s long bristles that stayed perfectly in place during application. Greycian Goddess is an all-around great polish. Not only is the quality top-notch, but it is a nice neutral shade for winter. Instead of reaching for a tan or nude, next time you want a neutral nail, grab a grey! This shade is perfect for layering as well.

Greycian Goddess is the third polish from the L’Oreal Colour Riche line that I’ve tried. Just like the others, it is fabulous! If you’re looking for a more affordable polish with guaranteed good quality, I highly suggest this line. Plus, they are often on sale! Keep an eye out for coupons in the Sunday paper for added savings.

Street Fair Cosmetics: A Polish Lover’s Dream in NYC!

Posted on September 28, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Being new to NYC, I did some investigating online to see if I could discover some great places for affordable nail polish in the city. I came across THIS YouTube video that spoke about Street Fair Cosmetics, a family-run business that sells nail polish at street fairs throughout New York City. I knew I had to find this vendor, so I looked up their Facebook page and discovered they would be within walking distance from my apartment at a feast in Little Italy. I headed over a couple weeks ago and got some amazing polishes at extremely discounted prices. Here are some photos of the booth:

Look at all of the polishes! There are so many to choose from! Milani & Maybelline polishes are just $1 each, and Essie & Color Clubs are 3 for $10. There are lots of other brands and other cosmetics, too. I ended up spending $20 and got 11 polishes! I definitely find it helpful to set a budget before you go, because even though the prices are so low you can end up spending a lot. Also, this is a really popular booth, so be prepared to sift through lots of bins while other ladies are doing the same. It’s a bit like Black Friday on a smaller scale! I definitely plan on stopping by this booth again in the future.

Follow Street Fair Cosmetics on their Facebook page HERE to find out where they will be located! They currently have a schedule showing their locations through November. Happy Shopping!