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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.

Influenster Beauty Blogger VoxBox!

Posted on December 3, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Today I have a different kind of post for all of you! There’s a cool website called Influenster that lets people who are active in social media get rewarded. The really fun part is when they send out VoxBoxes! A VoxBox is a box filled with products that are to be tested and reviewed. I was lucky to receive the Beauty Blogger VoxBox back in October! I loved the products and can’t wait to share them with you, even if I am a bit late with this post (whoops!). Let me show you everything I got, and tell you about the items.

So many goodies in one box! I’ll speak about each one now, from left-right.

Not Your Mother’s Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream: This cream is supposed to encourage natural curls and eliminate frizz and fly-aways. Basically, when your hair is till wet from the shower, you scrunch this product through your hair. I have naturally wavy hair, and the cream did work a bit, but only for a short time. I hoped it would help encourage my hair to stay curly for the entire day, but after a half an hour or so my hair was already falling straight again. I tweeted this to the company, and they tweeted me back saying it is only for naturally wavy hair. They failed to respond to my next tweet that informed them I do have naturally wavy hair…. I’m not too pleased with this! Because the product didn’t work for me, and the company was rude, I would not recommend Kinky Moves!
Vitabath Fragrance Mist in Pomegranate & Blood Orange: This is by far my favorite product in the entire VoxBox! This body spray smells just amazing, and I don’t even like the scent of oranges! The mist is light and refreshing, and does not overpower. I love Vitabath and would highly recommend it!
Bath & Body Works Mini Candle in Black Pepper: I will admit that I did not light this candle (just not my thing), but it does smell amazing!
Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit: I have bad memories from wearing false eyelashes as a competitive dancer growing up, so I was afraid to have a go at these, too! I do plan on trying them out for a special occasion. I do like that this is an all-in-one kit, and that the box has careful instructions. If you do wear false eyelashes, this is the way to go!
EBOOST: I also did not sample this product, as I can’t stand orange flavorings! EBOOST is basically a powder that you mix into your water for flavor and added benefits such as vitamins and immunity. If you are someone on the go, this is for you!
Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin: I was so excited to receive these spin pins, because I’ve wanted to try them out for a long time. Instead of sticking a bunch of bobby pins into your bun, these pins are supposed to easily twist into your hair and hold a bun in place. While the pins do work, they are just too big for my hair. I have very thin hair which amounts to a small bun. The pins were longer than my bun! If you have thick hair, these will work out much better for you.
NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact: The final product in my box is this great compact! It came a bit banged up due to shipping, but with some q-tips I was able to clean it up just fine. I don’t wear a lot of make-up, so this compact is perfect for me. Not only does it give me directions on how to apply each shadow, but it is an all-in-one look! I also didn’t feel overdone when I was finished. I definitely recommend this product!

I hope you enjoyed today’s post! If you would like to receive an invite to Influenster so you can receive VoxBoxes, too, let me know! I can invite you! If you would like to know more information about a certain item, let me know that as well. I will be back to blogging about nail polish soon!

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

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!

Monthly Nail Polish Haul: July Edition

Posted on August 1, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Adventures in Polishland is dedicated to fabulous and affordable nails. At the end of each month, I show you the polishes I purchased, and the good deals I got on them. I rarely pay full price for anything, and that includes nail polish. Although I did go a bit overboard in July (33 new bottles!), I only paid a fraction of the retail value for all my new polishes. Get ready to see this awesome haul!

Polishes I bought at retail stores in person, left to right:

Anise in Miss Inspector and Bronzed Babe. You can purchase Anise polishes at DSW stores for $6 each. Typically they are on sale for buy one get one half off, so these polishes came to $9. I had some money left on a gift card, so I only paid $6.96 for these two polishes! You can read my review of these two colors HERE.
China Glaze in Hook and Line and Mahogany Magic from the Hunger Games Collection. I bought these two polishes at my local Sally Beauty Supply store on clearance. I paid a total of $6.58 for both, but they retailed at $8.99 a piece when they came out! Sometimes patience is the key to getting the colors you want.
Elle in Surfer Babe. I scored this beautiful blue at Kohls for FREE when my mom let me use her Kohls Cash. Usually Elle retails for $10. If you go to Kohls, keep an eye out for coupons near the display. When I went there were $1 off coupons available! See my post highlighting this polish HERE.
NYC in High Lime Green. I bought this polish at CVS and used a coupon for $0.50 cents off any NYC purchase of $1.79. Lucky for me this polish was exactly $1.79, so I only paid $1.29 for it! I found this coupon on a store display also, so be sure to keep an eye out for those at CVS, too.

Polishes I bought through Blog Sales or Swap Groups, left to right:

I purchased Deborah Lippmann in Pearly Queen and Oh! You Pretty Things from Diana over at Polish Monster. As a special surprise, she threw in Miami Spirit from the new Wet ‘n Wild Fergie Collection! I paid a total of $15 including shipping for all three of these polishes. What a bargain!
I purchased all three Jesse’s Girl polishes (in Center Stage, Cupcake Frosting, and Confetti) from a special Blog Sale. A few months ago, a member of the nail blogging community passed away. As a benefit to support her family, her daughter was selling her polishes. I sent her a total of $22 including shipping, and asked her to throw in a few mini polishes that hadn’t been sold yet with the three Jesse’s Girls. I was completely surprised when I got the OPI Spiderman mini collection! From left to right is Into the Night, Number One Nemesis, Just Spotted the Lizard, and Your Web or Mine? Not only did I save a few dollars off the retail price, but I helped a family in need. See my post featuring Your Web or Mine? HERE.
The mini on the far right is Sephora by OPI in I Don’t Bite. I purchased it from a Swap Group on Facebook. A mini from this brand typically retails at about $5, but I paid only $3 including shipping.

Polishes I bought on Copious using credits first, left to right:

e.l.f. in Royal Purple. I paid only $0.54 for this gorgeous polish that retails at $2. See my blog post featuring it HERE.
Matte.n.a in Film Noir. My first matte polish! I got it for just $0.01 with my credits, though they typically sell for $2.25.
piCture pOlish in Citrus. I got this beautiful orange for a mere $0.13 even though they retail at $9.50. I’ve heard great things about this brand and I can’t wait to use it.
Pretty & Polished in Forest Phire. My first indie purchase, and I only spent $0.30! Minis from this brand usually sell for $5.25, so I got a great deal.

Polishes I bought online, left to right:

Julep in Yumi, Lynn, America, and Alfre. I got all of these polishes for FREE! The first three were in my July Julep Maven Box, which I had a free credit for. In that box I received a voucher for another free polish, and I picked Alfre! I love the Julep Maven program. Did you know that you can get your first box for one penny with the promo code COLOR2012? Join HERE and read about my July box HERE.
Orly in Rock Solid. I purchased my first Orly during a sale on HauteLook. I had credits to use, so I only ended up spending $0.45! HauteLook has all sorts of sales, but there is often nail polish from all different brands. Join the site for free HERE.
Zoya in Rea and America. I originally purchased Zoya’s Trixie to get America free during the Fourth of July sale, but when it arrived I realized it was a dupe of a polish I already had. Lucky for me I was able to swap Trixie for Rea in a Swap Group! I did have to spend a little extra for the shipping, but I ended up with both of these Zoyas for just $9.95 instead of the full $16. You can purchase Zoya polish HERE and read my entry about America HERE.

Whew! Did you make it through all that with me? If so, here is the most exciting part! While I did spend $66.21 this month, if I did not use credits, buy sale items, and coupon, the retail value of all these items would be $205.24! That’s right– I saved $139.03! How is that for fabulous and affordable?! For all of these 28 bottles listed above, on average I paid $2.36 per polish. Woo-hoo!

Before I close out this post, I wanted to add in some “bonus” polishes that I purchased through Little Black Bag. I can’t really estimate how much I saved on these polishes, since they came along with other items in a monthly subscription, but I definitely got a good deal on them. Retail value of these five polishes is $77. Left to right, the colors are: ncLA in Hollywood Hills Hot Number & Miss Sunset Strip, and Michael Marcus in Brilliant Sand, Fuchsia Have a Good Time, and Paradise Pink. You can join Little Black Bag HERE.

Please note that this post does not include polishes I received as a gift, as a giveaway win, or as a product to review for my blog. My purpose is to show you how to get great savings on nail polish.

Try it on Tuesday: July 4th Edition

Posted on July 3, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Yesterday I anxiously awaited the arrival of my July Julep Maven Box, and when it arrived I was so excited to try out my new polish. As tomorrow is the Fourth of July for all of us Americans, I knew I just had to put on America the Beautiful right away! I decided to combine this glittery goodness with a red, white, and blue that I already owned. Here are all the polishes I used:

Left to right: unnamed red mini from OPI, Empire State Blue from NYC, 104 (white) from Fabulous Nails, and America the Beautiful from Julep.

To complete the mani, I painted two coats of America the Beautiful on each finger except for my ring finger on each hand. I am loving the One for Fun look lately, and just had to do it again! The glitter was actually pretty easy to work with. Unlike other recipients of July’s Julep Box, I have many stars in my America polish. I do admit, they seem to clump together, but with a bit of careful polishing, you can get them to stand out. I love the mix of glitters, too– fine red grains, blue & silver flakes, and the silver stars! It’s very beautiful.

On my accent finger, I used the scotch tape method to create diagonal stripes of red, white, and blue. I love this trick, but always get impatient waiting for the polish to dry. Remember, when you use the tape, begin from the bottom up. In other words, I painted the red color first, then the white, and ended with the blue. It’s much easier to build on colors rather than attempt to work in between them. With a bit of patience, your nails will look great!!

Though this mani looks fabulous in person, it was extremely difficult to photograph. I tried areas with different lighting and tried shooting from different angles. Finally, my dad helped out with this camera phone macro setting and got the shot below for me. You can see the stars shining bright!

What are you wearing for Try it on Tuesday or July 4th? Let me know! You can always post photos on my Facebook page HERE. Finally, don’t forget to enter my giveaway! Only 4 days left to score some polish and glitter from LASplash. You can see that post HERE.

An Ocean of Ombre

Posted on June 11, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Two hot trends this summer are ocean hues and ombres, showcased on nails, accessories, and apparel. I decided to combine both of them on my nails using a variety of polishes from my collection. You can buy an ombre kit at Sephora right now for $22 (click HERE for details), but by using polishes I already owned, and a sheet of white scrap paper, I didn’t have to spend any cash. Plus, each of the colors I used was purchased at a drugstore and would total under $17 anyway– about $5 in savings! Here’s how I achieved the Ocean Ombre look.

First, I picked out the five blue shades I was going to use. Luckily I currently have exactly five blues! To ensure that I would achieve light to dark shading, I painted two light coats of each polish on a piece of white scrap paper, cut out each sample, and rearranged the order. Once I was happy with the colors, I got painting! I started off with the lightest color on my pinky, and ended with the darkest on my thumb. Lightest to darkest, I used Empire State Blue by NYC, Blu by Sally Hansen HD, Blue Me Away! by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Plenty of Fish in the Sea by Spoiled, and Party Palace Blue by Confetti. Even though each of these colors was from a different brand, with some being cremes and others metallic, they all looked great together.

What do you think of the finished product?! I received many compliments on this manicure from my coworkers and from customers at my retail job. And even though it looks fancy, it was so easy to accomplish! The ombre trend can be perfected with any color palette. If you don’t have 5 shades of one color like I did, try sunset colors– pink to red, red to orange. You could also use neutrals with white, cream, grey, and black. Or, if you’d like to stick with the ocean hues, but only have a few shades of blue, alternate the colors. The key is to use the polishes you already own in a new way. You don’t always have to spend money for a new look!

Try out one (or both!) of these trends and let me know how it turned out in the comments section or on my Facebook page!