purple – Page 5 – Adventures in Polishland

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SquareHue: A New Nail Polish Subscription Service!

Posted on December 20, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I have a great post for you about the brand new nail polish subscription service called SquareHue. Similar to Julep, SquareHue offers a monthly box of on-trend nail polishes. Each month, you will get three nail polishes for $21, and a portion of each sale is donated to a charity organization. In addition SquareHue polishes are three free, made in the USA, and not tested on animals. Plus, each bottle is a full size, 0.5oz polish! Let me show you the December box from SquareHue. Make sure to read the entire entry to find out how you can lock in the low monthly price of $14.99 for life!

Here is what the box looked like when I opened it! As you can see, I got a cute welcome note that was signed by all members of the SquareHue team. Plus, each polish was nestled in it’s own little cubby complete with packaging streamers. I am a sucker for great presentation! I also love that the polishes are square shaped. It makes them easy to store, and they look different from the other polishes I own! Each bottle also has a great label on the bottom that says the name of the polish and the month and date it was released.

The first polish in my December box is Sugar Plum, a gorgeous deep purple. Sugar Plum has a blue undertone, and a beautiful shimmer look. It has a great formula, and is opaque in two coats. I really like the brushes in the SquareHue polish, because the stem is short so you have more control when applying the polish, and the bristles are strong. When a polish has a great application, I automatically like it! Sugar Plum is a great purple for the winter, and a surprise color for the holiday season. I can’t wait to wear it again!

Up next is Holly Berry, the perfect Christmas red. Holly Berry is a true red full of red shimmer. This polish has the same great formula and is opaque in two coats. As my followers know, I am not a big fan of red nail polish, but Holly Berry is perfect for the holidays. I can definitely see this color being used for nail art, too. Another great thing about SquareHue polishes, is that they are long-lasting, but super easy to remove. No staining, even with the red color of Holly Berry.

The final polish in my December box is Champagne Toast, a pretty light gold color with a metallic finish. Champagne Toast reminds me of Zoya Ziv but without the burnt orange undertones. If you are looking for a more neutral gold that can be paired with many outfits, this is the polish for you! Champagne Toast was also opaque in two coats, and dried very quickly. This is also the perfect base color for glitter polishes. Maybe you’ll see it in a future post (hint hint!).

Overall, I really love the SquareHue December box! The polishes are amazing quality, and remind me quite a bit of OPI. The monthly price of SquareHue is $21, but until Monday, December 24th you can lock in the price of $14.99 per month when you enter code DECBLOGGER09 at checkout. That’s right — only $5 per polish for life! Just like Julep, you can “pause” your account if you don’t want to purchase the monthly box, or you can cancel at any time. I highly suggest signing up as soon as possible to get the discounted price! You can visit the SquareHue website HERE.

Note: SquareHue is currently sold out of January boxes, so if you order now you will receive your first box in February. They had no idea how popular the program would be! Don’t worry, as long as you sign up by December 24th you will lock in the discounted price.

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

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Lilac Chantilly

Posted on December 9, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

If you’ve read my blog for a while you will know that I love Sally Hansen nail polish! Not only is it affordable, but it is typically very good quality. Sally Hansen has many different lines of polish, and today I have one from the Diamond Strength line. This is the first Diamond Strength polish that I’ve tried, and I love it! Let me show you the gorgeous Lilac Chantilly.

Lilac Chantilly is a metallic purple nail polish with hints of silver reflected throughout. I love the unique purple color! I was also impressed with the formula. It was opaque in two coats, but I did add a third to even out the visible brushstrokes. Like many metallic polishes, the strokes are visible, but to me that just adds dimension to the reflective look the polish has. I also love the brush that came with this Sally Hansen polish. It had a very long stem, which tells me that I will able to use the polish right down to the last drop! Overall, I really like Lilac Chantilly! It is advertised as no chip nail polish, and it stays true to that slogan! I can’t wait to try out other Sally Hansen Diamond Strength polishes in the future.

You can find Sally Hansen Diamond Strength at your local drugstores and department stores for around $5 per bottle, and even cheaper at other stores! Sally Hansen often goes on sale and offers coupons in the Sunday newspaper, so be sure to keep an eye out for additional savings. Have you ever tried the Diamond Strength line? What did you think?

Zoya Ornate Collection for Holiday/Winter 2012!

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

Happy Sunday! Today I will be reviewing the 2012/2013 holiday collection from Zoya Nail Polish called the Ornate Collection. This gorgeous line is comprised of six polishes that are perfect for the upcoming holidays and winter months. Let me show you each of the polishes from the Ornate Collection!

First up is Ziv, a beautiful gold. Ziv is a metallic polish with a foil finish, and is one of two foils in the Ornate Collection. The color is multidimensional, with hints of yellow, silver, and a warmer gold, too. Ziv is opaque in two coats and dries very quickly. It is the perfect gold nail polish to have in your polish collection! It shines in the light, but can also be great for those who like neutrals. My only gripe with Ziv is that removal takes longer than usual due to the metallic quality of this polish. Other than that, it is a fantastic gold!

The other foil polish in the Ornate Collection is Logan, a stunning green with undertones of yellow and blue. Logan is truly the perfect Christmas green! I definitely plan on wearing this during the holidays. Just like Ziv, Logan is opaque in two coats and dries quickly. It was also a bit difficult to remove, but is worth it for the fabulous color. Logan is a very unique green polish, so if you love green this is a must have!

Up next in the Ornate Collection is Blaze. This polish is the first of three polishes in this line full of holographic glitters! Blaze is a deep red color that Zoya calls mulberry. It is opaque in two coats, and I just love the formula! The three holographic polishes in this collection apply very smoothly and easily, but the downside is they take a long time to dry. I suggest giving yourself plenty of drying time with these polishes, because you are going to want to wear them! The holographic glitter is stunning! I am not a huge fan of red nail polish, but Blaze is another that is just perfect for Christmas. Very festive!

The next holographic polish in the Ornate Collection is Aurora. This is my favorite polish in this collection! Aurora is what Zoya calls a sugarplum purple, but I definitely see this almost as a pink. Nonetheless, Aurora is absolutely gorgeous! The holographic glitter just brings this polish to life. Like Blaze, it is opaque in two coats. Make sure to give yourself that extra drying time, but it is so worth it! I even got compliments on this polish while I was on the Subway! If I had to get one polish from this collection, it would be Aurora.

Storm is the final holographic polish in the Ornate Collection, and is a black polish full of that eye-catching holographic glitter. Storm is opaque in two coats, and has that same amazing formula that Blaze and Aurora have. This is a great polish if you are looking to dress up a black manicure. It goes with any outfit, and the glitters really stand out against the black base. Storm is an alternative for those of us who like something more exciting than the basic black polish. It reminds me a bit of Orly Rock Solid (see review of that polish HERE), but instead of a grainy finish, it is smooth as can be! I love the glossy finish.

The sixth and final polish in the Ornate Collection is Electra. This polish is a clear base filled with holographic bar glitters. I decided to layer it over Storm in the photos above. Believe it or not, that is just one coat of Electra! As you can see, Storm is still quite visible underneath, so I wouldn’t want to wear Electra on its own (but you certainly can!). I am personally not a huge fan of bar glitter, but if you are then this polish is for you! It is unbelievably shiny! I suggest lots of top coat with Electra to make sure all the glitters stay in place.

I hope you like the Zoya Ornate Collection as much as I do! It is perfect for the holidays, and is right on trend for the season. You can purchase the Ornate Collection for $48, or each polish individually for $8, on the Zoya website HERE. Zoya will even throw in a free gift on any order over $30! Make sure you have this gorgeous collection on your nails this winter.

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

Try it on Tuesday: Revlon’s Impulsive

Posted on July 10, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

For today’s Try it on Tuesday I went with a purple from Revlon that I purchased a couple weeks back at CVS. I’ve never tried Revlon before, and to be honest I am a bit disappointed with it. Let me tell you why.

CameraZOOM-20120710200442614 — Impulsive by Revlon

The formula on this polish was definitely off. My first coat came out streaky and uneven, with some areas thicker than others. With a second coat the polish looked much better, yet I still wasn’t won over with the color. I think it just isn’t right for my skin tone (although my mom likes it on me). The real problems occurred when the polish was drying. For some reason I now have tiny, little air bubbles on almost every nail. I know this can happen when you shake the bottle before using the polish, but I didn’t do that so I’m not sure what happened! Tomorrow I am going to try another coat on top to see if that evens everything out. I sure hope it does!

Even though I wasn’t happy with this bottle from Revlon, I won’t give up on the brand just yet. I have another polish that I purchased at the same time as Impulsive that I will try out, too. I do have to say that I am surprised with the lack of quality in this formula. It retails at about $5 at drugstores, and there are plenty of polishes that are cheaper that are much better. What do you think? Have you tried Revlon polishes?

Somewhat Failed Gradient Nails

Posted on June 19, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Well, friends, not all of my Adventures in Polishland are successful. Last night I attempted the gradient nails trend, and it was more difficult then I thought it would be! What are gradient nails? Click HERE to see what I was going for. Basically, it’s smudging two or more colors together to make them appear blended. I had looked up a few tutorials on how to achieve this effect, and tried one method. I guess it wasn’t the right one for me!

Base of Lacey Lilac from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

I began this mani with Lacey Lilac from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. I used two coats and let the polish dry completely. Then, I got to work with a makeup sponge and dabbed O.P.I’s Lourve Me Lourve Me Not along the tops of my nails. I’m not sure if it was the polish that didn’t want to cooperate, but it seemed as if the sponge was soaking up the polish instead of putting it on! In the end, I’m not too thrilled with the look I got, but I’m not going to give up. I’ll probably try this out again in a week or two. Here is a photo of my left hand, which looks so much better than my right! What do you think of my mani? Have you tried the gradient trend?

Before I end this post I wanted to announce here that once I reach 50 blog followers I will be hosting a giveaway! So if you want to score some free polish make sure you hit the follow button at the top of the page or sign up to receive updates via email. That button is in the column on the right.

P.S. We are only 20 followers away from that goal!

Brand Power: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear

Posted on April 17, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

I admit it, I am a polish picker. In other words, while wearing nail polish, I tend to pick and peel it off. It’s a horrible habit, but it just means that I get to paint my nails more often! Yesterday I realized I had taken off about half off my One for Fun nails, so I decided to change up my look. As a part of this blog, I will be reviewing different brands of nail polish so that you don’t have to stand in the drugstore worrying if the bargain nail polish is going to be clumpy and dumpy. Let’s face it, as young women in the twenty-first century, we want things to be perfect on the first try!

First up at bat is one of my favorite brands, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear. You can buy Xtreme Wear at drugstores and department stores such as Target for under $3! Bargain hunters like myself can often find this on sale, too. Like many inexpensive nail polishes, Xtreme Wear is a bit of a hit or miss deal. Some of the colors are absolutely my favorites. Not only do they have the perfect texture and thickness, but they stay on for a long time, too. Others, though, are a weird consistency. Because they are so affordable, though, I am of the opinion that it is always worth it to buy Xtreme Wear!

From left to right, the colors are: Green With Envy, Blue Me Away, Celeb City, Rockstar Pink, Lacey Lilac, Mint Sorbet, and Mellow Yellow.

Above you’ll find all of the Xtreme Wear colors that I own. I find that Celeb City, Rockstar Pink, and Lacey Lilac are the best of the bunch. The others are nice, too, but I tend to find more smudges and imperfections on my nails when I use them. No matter which color I pick, though, I always get compliments! People are often surprised when I let them in on the secret of Xtreme Wear.

Today I painted my nails with Lacey Lilac. Not only is the pale purple great for spring, but it is subdued enough that I can wear it with many color combinations. I find that this color also lasts for over a week usually. This pastel is great for those of you who don’t want loud fingers. Or, if you want to liven things up a bit more, you can paint your nails all different shades of purple. Adding some sparkle never hurts either!

There you have it– my first brand review! Have you ever tried Xtreme Wear? Do you like it? What are your favorite colors?