notd – Adventures in Polishland

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Manicure Monday | Pahlish Typewriter Keys + Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Peachy Breeze

Posted on May 25, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! It’s time for the letter P in the Alphabet Challenge, and I grabbed both a brand that begins with P and a polish name that begins with P. Might as well go all out, right?! Anyway, I received this Pahlish as a gift a while back and rediscovered it in my collection a couple weeks ago. I decided to pair it with a bright pink, and I think it’s a match made in heaven. Let me go ahead and show it to you!

For this week’s manicure I began with a base of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Peachy Breeze. This is one of my all-time favorite polishes. It really does dry quickly, and the formula is perfection. I’ve used it time and time again! When it was dry, I added one coat of Pahlish Typewriter Keys. This is a glitter polish with black, white, and holographic glitters. I’m obsessed with this combo! I can’t believe I never thought to pair these together before! I think these polishes were made for each other, don’t you?!

All in all, I think this is one of my favorite Manicure Monday posts yet! Unfortunately, Typewriter Keys is no longer available, but you can shop other Pahlish polishes on this indie brand’s website HERE. Sally Hansen Peachy Breeze is available on Amazon for the low price of $3.99 HERE. I highly recommend snagging that one up for your collection!

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

Manicure Monday | ncLA As If + Miss Sunset Strip

Posted on May 11, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’m all caught up with the Alphabet Challenge now, and I’m moving on to the letter N. I really had to dig in my collection to find an N brand, but then I found two purple polishes from ncLA that I thought would go perfectly together. ncLA is a boutique brand that makes 5-free polishes in the USA. I’ve never purchased directly from ncLA’s website, but over the years I’ve received a few bottles in subscription boxes. It’s been quite a while since I’ve put them to use!

I began today’s manicure with a base of As If, a pastel purple polish with a creme formula. As If is a bit on the streaky side, but because I was using it in a glitter manicure, it worked out just fine in two coats. If I was wearing it alone, I would layer on three very thin coats. To top of As If, I added one coat of Miss Sunset Strip, a clear base filled purple and silver hexagonal glitters. I love the formula of Miss Sunset Strip, as tons of glitters come out with one coat, and it applies really smoothly. These polishes go so well together!

All in all, I’m glad I reached for these ncLA polishes in my collection. I would not buy them regularly, as they retail for $16 each, but if you are looking for a splurge polish I think this is such a fun brand. If you sign up for the brand’s email list, you’ll be sent a 15% off coupon, so definitely snag that extra savings. You can shop online directly from ncLA HERE.

Have you tried ncLA? Let me know in the comments!

Manicure Monday | Illamasqua Rampage

Posted on March 30, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! This week the Alphabet Challenge continues with the letter I, and I dug through my nail polish stash for a brand that qualifies. I totally forgot about the two Illamasqua nail polishes that I own! I purchased them in the summer of 2012 when I first began this blog. I decided to grab Rampage today, and share this lovely polish with all of you.

Rampage is a dark green polish with a jelly formula. It is opaque in two coats, and can be used for layering in jelly sandwich manicures. The application is great, but I do recommend some extra time for drying due to the jelly finish – it is easily dinged! Rampage is a perfect fall color, but can of course be worn at any time of year. I love the deep pigmentation with this one.

All in all, I’m happy I splurged on Illamasqua Rampage back in my early blogging days! I’ve used it quite a bit over the years, but this is the first time I’ve posted a proper swatch for all of you. This polish is no longer sold at Sephora (where I purchased it), but is still available on Illamasqua’s website HERE for £14.50. If you are able to find this one, I highly recommend it! Please be sure to let me know your favorite Illamasqua shades in the comments!

Manicure Monday | SquareHue High School Crush

Posted on March 23, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! It’s time for me to show you the next polish in the Alphabet Challenge. We are on H this week, and I decided to pick up High School Crush from the brand SquareHue. I purchased this polish in a Facebook nail polish group right after its release in February 2013. I absolutely loved the color when I saw it online, but heard bad things about the formula after purchasing it and was scared to try it for myself. I decided it was time to put it to the test!

High School Crush is a beautiful pale pink creme polish. The formula was unfortunately horrible for me – I needed three coats to achieve opacity, and I experienced a lot of streaking and patchiness. When I added a top coat, the polish did look much better, but I still don’t want to work with it again. This will definitely be a destash for sure.

Before I wrap up this post, I do want to mention that I first tried SquareHue back in December of 2012 when the brand launched. You can read all about that experience HERE. I did enjoy those polishes, so even though High School Crush is a flop for me, I don’t want to claim the entire brand is bad quality. In fact, it’s definitely a fabulous and affordable polish line – you get three polishes a month in this subscription service for just $14.99! You can learn everything you need to know about SquareHue on the company’s website HERE. Please let me know in the comments if you are a SquareHue subscriber and what you think of it!

Manicure Monday | Glitter Me This Purple Galaxy

Posted on March 16, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! This week we are on letter G in the Alphabet Challenge, and I have to say this was a difficult letter as well. I finally spotted a G brand in my collection – a small indie label called Glitter Me This. A couple years back, I teamed up with Glitter Me This to host a naming contest for this polish (you can read that post HERE). I decided it was time to give Purple Galaxy some love again!

Purple Galaxy is a very sheer purple base filled with a mix of glitters in all colors and sizes. I layered one coat over Wet ‘n Wild Megalast in On a Trip (see that polish HERE). The result is a fun and frosty purple manicure that reminds me of a speckled Easter egg! I love how versatile Purple Galaxy is. I got such a different look this time around, because I used it over a dark polish in the past. I’m glad I tested it out again!

All in all, I’m so proud of myself for continuing on in the Alphabet Challenge! We are about a third of the way there! Make sure to leave me some H nail polish brands in the comments, because I don’t have the assigned Hard Candy for next week. Also, you can visit Glitter Me This on the web on Etsy and Facebook. She is currently selling glitter packets!

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

Manicure Monday | Essie Stylenomics

Posted on March 2, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I apologize for taking a week off from blogging. This year is a crazy one for me – I’m graduating in a few months, will be taking the bar exam in a few more, and am in the process of finding a job and new apartment. I am still dedicated to this blog, but please bear with me if my upload schedule goes a bit haywire. With that said, I’m moving on in the Alphabet Challenge with the letter E! This week’s assigned brand is Essie, and I dug out one of the first Essie polishes I ever owned.

– Stylenomics is a dark green shade that appears almost black on the nail. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I received this polish from Klout over two years ago now, and I haven’t used it since then. I’m so glad I pulled it out of my stash to try out again! Stylenomics is the perfect dark creme polish, and it’s great if you don’t want to wear a true black.

All in all, I’m really loving Stylenomics. It’s from an older collection, but available on Amazon HERE for $8.50. Essie polishes are definitely some of my favorites, but I don’t buy them often because of the higher price point. I do want to add to my Essie collection soon, so tell me your favorite Essies in the comments! Also tell me in the comments what nail polish brands begin with the letter F – I’m having trouble planning for next week!

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

Manicure Monday | China Glaze Stone Cold

Posted on February 16, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! As you may have noticed, I took a bit of a break from my blog this past week. I’ve just been so busy with school and my internship this semester! Luckily I had a long weekend thanks to President’s Day, and I’ve gotten in some much needed rest. Now I’m here to show you this week’s manicure in the Alphabet Challenge. We’re onto letter C, and I’m trying on a China Glaze polish. Please forgive my winter cuticles in the photos – the NYC temperatures have not been good to my hands!

This is Stone Cold, one of the polishes released in the Hunger Games collection a few years back. Stone Cold is a slate grey polish with a matte formula. It contains a silver shimmer in the base that really makes it look like solid rock! Stone Cold has a really great formula that is opaque in one coat. I applied two above just to test it out. I can’t believe this beauty has lived in my nail polish collection for nearly three years without me using it!

All in all, I am so glad I finally pulled out Stone Cold! It has a really unique color and formula, and I’m certainly a sucker for matte finishes. I do wish clean-up on my cuticles was easier, but now I know to be super careful during application with this one. While Stone Cold was a limited edition shade from China Glaze, it is available on Amazon HERE for $6.49! Make sure to snag it if you want it, though, as there are only four bottles left as I type this!

Please let me know your favorite China Glaze shades in the comments! I love your recommendations!

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

Manicure Monday | Butter London Queen Vic

Posted on February 9, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! It’s time to continue on with the Alphabet Challenge! This week is the letter B, and I reached for a butter LONDON polish that I haven’t worn in quite some time. butter LONDON is definitely a bit outside of my normal price range at $15.00 each, but sometimes I can find them at Nordstrom Rack or other discount stores for a great price. I actually received Queen Vic for review back in 2013 (see that post HERE), but it was fun to use it again!

Queen Vic is a gorgeous deep berry shade with a creme formula. It has a great formula that is opaque in two coats, and dries to a glossy finish without the need of top coat. Queen Vic is a great staple to have in your nail polish collection. It is work appropriate, but still a nicely pigmented shade. Queen Vic is also perfect for any time of year.

All in all, Queen Vic is a great, all-around nail polish! If you feel like splurging on a new polish, I definitely recommend Queen Vic. You can purchase it direct from butter LONDON’s website HERE. Be sure to let me know in the comments what your favorite polish is from butter LONDON!

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

Manicure Monday | Anise Bronzed Babe

Posted on February 2, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’ve been enjoying showing you my manicures each week, so I think I’m going to continue with that this year. One of the nail polish groups I’m a member of on Facebook is hosting an Alphabet Theme Week for the next 26 weeks. I thought this would be really fun to take part in, and so this week I’m joining with the letter A! This week’s brand was A-England, but I don’t own any A-Englands at this point, so I rummaged through my collection to find another A brand. I decided to go with an Anise polish I got three years ago when I first started blogging!

Bronzed Babe is a gorgeous metallic polish that lives up to its name in a bronze shade. It is opaque in two coats and has a great formula that applies with ease. I love the golden shimmer that is mixed throughout Bronzed Babe. It really gives a shiny and liquid metal feel to the look. I did apply a glossy top coat to finish the manicure, and I love the result!

I’m so glad I had an excuse to pull this Anise polish out of my collection to use again. I purchased it almost three years ago in the summer of 2012 and haven’t used it since then! You can purchase Anise polishes at your local DSW store. They are usually located near the cash register, and are often on sale for Buy One Get One 50%. In addition, you can use your DSW coupons on them! I definitely will be checking out my DSW soon now that my love for this brand has been rekindled.

Please let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any Anise polishes, and what shades you recommend!

My First Manicure in 2015 featuring Maybelline Color Show Holographic in Blue Blaze!

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

Happy Friday! It’s now 2015 and that means another year of new manicures! Last year I posted about 2014’s first manicure (see that review HERE), so I figured it was fitting that I continue the tradition. I raided Momma Polishland’s nail polish stash again and discovered a lone Maybelline Color Show polish from the Holographic Collection. I decided to put it to the test to see if a drugstore brand can get that holographic formula right!

Blue Blaze is a silvery-blue polish with a metallic formula. It does have some holographic shimmer mixed throughout the base, but I would not call this a holographic polish at all. The formula felt just like a metallic – it was patchy and pulled easily. However, it did build up well. I applied three thin coats to get the look you see pictured. I am happy with the result, but I would definitely label this polish a metallic and not a holographic.

I took these pictures in direct sunlight to ensure that any holographic effects would be captured. As you can see, there is a bit of shine, but no strong rainbow prism effect. Thus, while this is a good polish with a unique color, it does not compare with the holographic formulas we know and love.

You can find Maybelline Color Show Holographic in Blue Blaze for sale on Amazon HERE for about $4.50. I’m quite interested to know your experience with this range of polishes if you’ve tried them. Did you get a strong holographic effect, or did they apply more like a metallic for you as well? Let me know in the comments!

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