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Dare to Compare Week! Day One – Dark Purple

Posted on April 1, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’m very excited because this week is Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland! One of my highest requested blogs is the comparison post, so I figured I would dedicate this week to that. From today until Friday I will share three nail polishes from a color family each day and see how they match up. I tried to pick a variety of colors from a mix of brands so that everyone can find something within budget. First up is dark purple, a color I have a lot of in my collection. Let’s see how the first three compare!

Today’s Dare to Compare polishes are (from left to right) OPI in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple, and elf in Royal Purple. As you can see, they look quite similar in the bottle. Each is a dark purple with shimmer. The true test comes when they are on the nails! First I’ll show you each polish individually, and then how they look side by side.

Polish Name: elf in Royal Purple

Price: $2.00 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good — brush strokes visible

Color Description: Dark purple that leans towards magenta, with magenta and silver shimmer

Bonus: Very strong shimmer effect!

Polish Name: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple

Price: $4-6 in drugstores and department stores [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Amazing! Lives up to fast dry name.

Color Description: Very deep purple with magenta shimmer

Bonus: I love the wide brush!

Polish Name: OPI in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not

Price: $8 at Nordstrom Rack or on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Flawless! High gloss shine when dry.

Color Description: Dark purple with magenta shimmer

Bonus: This is the first OPI I ever owned and is from a discontinued collection!

Above you can see each polish side by side. From left to right is the elf, the Sally Hansen, and the OPI. These polishes are not dupes [“dupe” = duplicate in nail polish lingo!], but they are very close. Elf’s Royal Purple is definitely the lightest shade of the bunch, and has the most shimmer. Pronto Purple from Sally Hansen is clearly the darkest of the three. Although these do vary from one another in terms of color, you may find you prefer one shade over the rest. However, if you are looking for a great dark purple in general, I don’t think you can go too wrong with any of these! The elf formula wasn’t the best, but with a $2 price tag it is not much of a compromise. If I had to choose just one, I would personally go with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Pronto Purple, for the great formula and mid-range price tag!

Which dark purple nail polish is your favorite?! What is more important to you, price or formula?!

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

My March Julep Maven Box!

Posted on March 27, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I finally have a review of my March Julep Maven Box, just making it in before the month is over! This month Julep had some technical difficulties, and for some reason my box got missed during the original shipment. Luckily Julep emailed me to let me know of their mistake, and I got my box in the middle of the month. I decided to go for the It Girl box this month, and received three beautiful spring shades. Let me show you what was inside my box!

This month the theme was pastels, and each maven got a bonus strawberry mint lip balm in her box. I love lip balms, and was happy to get that as a bonus! I’m also loving all of the polishes this month!

First up is Teri, a gorgeous peach creme that leans towards coral. Teri is opaque in two coats and has a good formula that is a bit on the thick side. This polish is a little streaky, but the color is so gorgeous that I don’t mind. Teri is perfect for spring! I put this on as soon as I opened my box this month and got a few compliments on it at school!

Next up is Simone, a pastel lilac that leans towards pink. Simone is also opaque in two coats, and has an amazing formula! My one disappointment is that the blue shimmer effect that is prominent in the bottle is very subtle on the nail. Nonetheless, Simone is beautiful and a great color for all skin tones.

Last but not least is Shenae, a shimmery mint green polish. Shenae is opaque in two coats and the formula is great! I had no problems whatsoever with application. As you know, I love mint greens, and this is the first I’ve tried with shimmer. This is an all-around great polish, and the color is just stunning! Shenae is definitely on trend for spring.

All in all, I’m very pleased with my March Julep Maven Box! Each polish is beautiful, and the formulas are amazing for the most part. If you would like to join the Julep Maven program and get a box of polish and other goodies each month, you can sign up HERE! Your first box is free with code FREEBOX at checkout, you just pay shipping. The best part is you can skip your box each month if you don’t like the colors, or if you don’t have room in your budget. You can also cancel at any time. Let me know what you think of my March box!

Indie Spotlight: Shimmer Polish Part IV

Posted on March 15, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have the final installment of my Shimmer Polish posts for all of you. Shimmer Polish is an indie brand featuring a line of beautiful glitter nail polishes. Each polish is unique and versatile, and can be worn in a number of ways. In Part I and Part II, I wore each polish alone, and in Part III I layered each polish over a base color. Today, I used some Shimmers to create some fun nail art looks! Let me show you the manicures I created using Shimmer Polish.

For my first look, I asked my Facebook followers how I should use the glitter. Stephanie suggested a glitter gradient, and it worked out perfectly that the name of the polish is also Stephanie! I began with a base color of Sally Hansen Virtual Violet, and then added on Shimmer Polish Stephanie for the gradient effect. Stephanie is full of blue and purple glitters, with some pink thrown in as well. To achieve the gradient, I lightly tapped the brush across the top of my nails and lightly dragged the glitter down to about the middle of each nail. I found this technique to be much simpler than using a cosmetic sponge, and the glitter is very forgiving! Make sure to follow up with a layer of top coat to even out the finish.

Next I decided to do some geometric nails using the scotch tape method. I began with a base of Wet ‘n Wild in Fashionista Lisa, and let that dry completely. Then, I placed tape on my nails and rotated it to get a triangle cut out on either the top, bottom, left, or right of my nail. Finally, I applied two coats of Shimmer Polish in Tracy on top and peeled off the tape while the polish was still wet. Tracy is a gold, holographic glitter polish. I think it looks great against the purple shade of Fashionista Lisa! I also used my Butter London Matte Finish top coat to complete the look. I just love the combination of matte glitter and the geometric shapes!

I was loving the look of matte glitter, so I used the matte top coat again for my next manicure. First, I applied Julep Morganas my base color. Then I grabbed Shimmer Polish in Tammy, a glitter filled with gold, purple, black, and silver! I didn’t want a lot of glitter on my nails, so I applied the polish a bit differently. Instead of brushing on the polish, I dabbed the tip of the brush all over my nail. It spread out the glitter quite nicely! Finally, I mattified the whole look. I think this is the perfect manicure!

Last but not least is a funky manicure of my own creation! I began with black as my base using Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred. I was hoping to create a jelly sandwich manicure, and applied a layer of Shimmer Polish in Vanessa. Vanessa is a cool mix of silver, red, and black glitters, with hints of many other colors as well. My manicure went a bit crazy when I attempted to use another coat of Tarred for the top of the jelly sandwich. The glitter was almost completely hidden! I got creative and dabbed a tissue over the wet polish to remove some of the black. The result was this neat look! It’s unconventional, but I love the rock star look I achieved. It’s also similar to a galaxy manicure! Sometimes our nail polish mistakes can lead to fun looks after all!

All in all, I am still so impressed with Shimmer Polish. You really can’t go wrong with polishes that can be worn alone, layered, and used in nail art. These versatile polishes can be purchased on Etsy HERE. You can also like Shimmer Polish on Facebook HERE.

What do you think of these nail art looks?! How do you use glitter to spice up your manicure?

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.

Indie Spotlight: Shimmer Polish Part III

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Today I have Part III of my Shimmer Polish review! In Part I and Part II, I wore each polish on its own. In this entry, you will see the polishes layered over another color. I used one very thin coat of each Shimmer to create the looks you see here. I love that these polishes are so versatile! Let me show you these gorgeous glitters.

First up is Jennifer, a mix of multi-colored pastel glitters with pops of orange and turquoise. I layered one coat over Zoya Blu. The pastel blue base really highlighted all of the glitters in Jennifer, and I think the two are a perfect combination. This manicure is perfect for springtime with an extra sparkle!

Up next is Karen, a mix of pink and purple glitters with flashes of holo hexagons. I layered one coat over Pronto Purple. Karen’s formula was a bit on the thick side, but I didn’t have problems with application. I thought a purple base color would be very complimenting. In the first two photos, you see my manicure with a regular, glossy top coat. On day two, I wanted to change things up a bit, and added my Butter London Matte Finish on top. I just love the matte result! It makes the glitters stand out even more.

Karina is a red and black glitter mix, with sprinkles of purple and holographic grains. I layered this polish over Julep Claudette, and it is the perfect combination! I think it looks like one complete polish. It’s a great manicure for Valentine’s Day, and for those of you who like darker colors. The black glitters really make this red color unique and edgy.

Last but not least is Linna, a gorgeous mix of green, red, blue, gold, and silver glitters. I layered Linna over Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Chlorophyll. The application was great! This is my favorite manicure from this post. I think these polishes are perfect together, and I have been loving green nails lately. I would definitely wear this look again in the future!

All in all, I love how versatile Shimmer Polish is! Each color can be worn alone as an opaque glitter in just 2-3 coats, or you can layer one coat over another polish for a unique look. Shimmer Polish sells on Etsy for $12 per bottle HERE. You can also like the brand on Facebook HERE.

Stay tuned for Part IV, the final post in the Shimmer Polish series!

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

Favorite Friday: LASplash in Blowfish Pink

Posted on February 8, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! I hope those of you affected by Nemo are staying safe! Today I have a quick post reviewing one of my favorite polishes that I got when I first started blogging. I was thrilled to be able to use it again as the base for one of my I Love Nail Polish manicures, and now I’ll show it to you on its own. I hope you love it as much as I do!

LASplash in Blowfish Pink is a gorgeous peachy pink with a gold shimmer throughout. It is opaque in just two coats, and has a great formula. The formula is a bit on the thick side, but it still applies evenly and cleanly. The brush did look more fanned out than I remember, but it didn’t affect application. I absolutely love Blowfish Pink! The color is stunning, and I love the gold shimmer. LASplash nail polish is also really affordable! It’s just $3.99 online HERE. I am so happy I was able to use it again! I hope to use Blowfish Pink many more times in the future!

The product in this post was sent for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

My January Julep Maven Box!

Posted on February 6, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a review of my January Julep Maven Box. Better late than never, right? January was the month of neons and nudes over at Julep, and for the first time since I joined the program I was a bit disappointed with the polishes. Let me show you what was in my box.

Here is a quick Instagram photo of my box and its contents. I chose the It Girl style, which guarantees three nail polishes. My extras were “swatch me” stickers to put on the top of the polishes with a dab of polish, and three yoga hair ties. I love the hair ties so much and have been using them every day since I got the box! Since I was home for the holidays at the time, my mom even gave me two of hers. That was a great bonus. The polishes, on the other hand, were not as thrilling.

Up first is Amelia, what Julep calls a “light champagne frost”. This polish, as I’m sure you can tell from the photos, was just awful. I needed three coats to achieve opacity, and each layer was uneven and extremely streaky. Amelia’s formula was goopy, and hard to see during application due to its opalescent nature. It did have a nice shimmer quality to it, but this was so hard to work with I’m not sure if I would ever use it again. Amelia is the first dud I have ever received from Julep!

Nikki is the first of the two neon shades in my January box. According to Julep, Nikki is a highlighter yellow polish, but in reality is is a mix between pea soup green and mustard. I needed three coats to achieve opacity with Nikki, as it was very sheer. Formula wise I didn’t have any problems, and it actually dries really quickly. I am really disappointed with the color, as it is not neon on its own as advertised. I definitely would need a white base underneath to bring out the color. Nikki also has a satin finish instead of a creme look. Finally, it stained my nails upon removal! I’m not too happy with Nikki either.

Last but not least is Nina, a tangerine orange neon. Finally! A polish I love! Nina is opaque in two coats, and while the formula is a bit goopy, it’s not streaky and dries quickly. Nina also has a satin finish, and reminds me a bit of macaroni and cheese color. It is definitely my favorite from the box.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with my January Julep Maven box. This was the first month since I joined the program that my polishes were not top notch. I do have to say that with all of the Juleps I’ve tried to date, I am more than okay to accept a few duds and move on. Spoiler alert: I’ve already tried the polishes from my February box, and those formulas are great quality! I still support the Maven program, and will continue to receive a box each month even after one bad experience. If you’d like to join the program for $19.99 per mont, go to the Julep website HERE. You can also get your first month for FREE with the code FREEMAVEN at checkout!

Zoya Lovely Collection for Spring 2013

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

Happy Saturday! It’s Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil is predicting an early Spring! That means it is time to break out the Spring nail polishes! Today I have the Zoya Lovely Collection to show you. It’s a a fabulous collection with three shimmer polishes and three creme polishes. Let me show you everything that is Lovely!

Up first are the shimmer polishes! GeiGei is a bubblegum pink with a shimmery finish. It is opaque in two coats and has an amazing formula. I had no problems whatsoever with the application. GeiGei has a very smooth finish that sparkles in the sunlight. I love this play on a pastel pink! GeiGei also has a frosted look, so it’s perfect for the transition from winter to spring.

Zoya Julie is the next shimmer in the Lovely Collection. Julie is a lilac purple with pink and silver shimmer mixed in. It is opaque in just two coats. The formula was a bit on the thin side, but it wasn’t runny so it didn’t cause me any problems. Julie is a very light shade that is classy and feminine. It is a bit too light for my personal taste, but it is a beautiful purple.

The last of the shimmers is Piaf, a light yellow with green and gold undertones. Piaf’s formula was a bit thin and sheer. I needed three coats for opacity, as two coats seemed a bit patchy. I didn’t think I would like Piaf, but it is a very unique polish! It is not the best shade for my fair skin, but the shimmer in the yellow is beautiful. Piaf is a great alternative to a neutral shade.

Zoya Jacqueline is the first of the creme polishes. Jacqueline is a light beige color. It is very streaky with the first coat, but evens out and is opaque in two. I wanted to love this polish because it looks so pretty in the bottle. For some reason it just looks odd on my nails. I think it would be great for layering, but I’m not sure I would wear Jacqueline on its own. Again, it may be the wrong shade for my skin tone. My favorite thing about Jacqueline is that it dries instantly! I was very impressed with that.

Neely is a mint green creme, and my absolute favorite from the Lovely Collection! Neely has a great formula and is opaque in two coats. Mint green is my favorite polish color, and I plan on wearing this one as often as possible! Neely is classy and trendy. An all around perfect nail polish! Have I mentioned that Neely is awesome?!

Last but not least is Blu, a gorgeous light blue creme. Blu has an amazing formula — I had no application issues whatsoever. It is also opaque in two coats. I love that this polish has just a “dash” of blue pigmentation. It is almost off-white, with just the perfect shade of blue. I love this polish, and even used it as the base for a glitter manicure that you will see soon. If you are looking to try out blue nail polish, I would start with this one!

All in all, the Zoya Lovely Collection is a beautiful choice for Spring. Whether your prefer shimmers or cremes, this collection has something for you! You can purchase the entire Lovely Collection for $48 or each bottle separately for $8 apiece on the Zoya website HERE. Make sure to follow Zoya on FACEBOOK where the company often shares promotional codes to save you money! Stay Lovely this Spring!

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

SinfulColors in Mint Apple

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

Happy Saturday! Adventures in Polishland began as a way to highlight nails that are both fabulous and affordable, and I want to make sure I stay true to that motto as this blog continues to grow. In the next few weeks I will be bringing you some amazing reviews of indie polish, but I hope to intermix some affordable brands and some do-it-yourself nail art in there as well! Today I want to show you a stunning polish from the brand SinfulColors. Let’s take a look at Mint Apple.

Mint Apple is a gorgeous seafoam green color that is full of green and gold shimmer. I applied two coats in the photos above to achieve opacity. I was really impressed with the formula of Mint Apple — it applied evenly and dried really quickly! My one complaint is that the brush for the polish was a bit more fanned out than I would have liked, but that luckily did not affect the application. Other than that, I love Mint Apple! The shimmer is so beautiful, and gives it a lot of dimension. I originally wanted this color because I love mint green nail polishes, but as you can see, this is a really different shade. I am happily surprised!

The best part about SinfulColors nail polish is that it can be purchased in drug stores and department stores for just $1.99! That is super affordable! Although I have only tried this one polish, the formula seems to be great quality. Plus, SinfulColors has an extensive line that features almost any color you can think of. I highly suggest you buy yourself a few of these, especially if you are on a tight budget but are looking to try some new colors out. I can’t wait to give more SinfulColors a try!

Simple Saturday: Julep Isla

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

Happy Saturday! Today I’ll be showing you a polish I wore as the base color for one of my holiday manicures. You’ve already seen it in THIS post topped with Cameo Colours Lacquer in Tangled Lights, but Julep Isla is so beautiful it deserves it’s own moment on the blog! Here’s a simple post to highlight this polish.

Julep Isla is a white, metallic polish. It has a beautiful shine to it, and a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I love Isla because it has a creamy look to it. Plain white is boring, but Isla’s metallic finish is a complete manicure on its own. Plus, it is perfect for layering. It adds an extra bit of shimmer and shine to any glitter top coat! I got Isla in my July Julep Maven Box (join the Maven program HERE), but I think it is perfect for the winter months, too. It looks just like snow shining in the sun! Julep Isla is an all-around great nail polish!

Have a fabulous weekend!