Tag: vegan

LVX Vegan Nail Lacquer: Spring 2013 Collection

Happy Friday! Today I am very excited to share with you three polishes from a brand that is new to me, LVX. I discovered this brand on Instagram, and was blown away with how stunning the polishes are. LVX is definitely a luxury brand, but their products are vegan, cruelty free, and made in the USA! LVX graciously sent me some polishes from their spring collection so I could review them for all of you. Let me show you these beautiful colors!

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I first wanted to show you what the polishes look like in the bottle. The packaging is so nice, and I have to say that this was one of the best nail mails I have ever received! The polishes were wrapped in sleek, black tissue paper and sealed with a silver label. Then, each polish was individually wrapped in bubble wrap, and came in a stunning black and silver box. I knew these LVX polishes would be special right from the get go!

 

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First up is Viridian, an emerald green polish. Viridian is definitely my favorite of the bunch! It has an amazing formula that is opaque in two coats, and the finish is just flawless. I am currently wearing this polish and cannot stop looking at my nails! Viridian is also a beautiful take on Pantone’s Color of the Year! This is the first emerald in my nail polish collection, and I plan on wearing it a lot!

 

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Next up is Citrine, a golden yellow polish. Citrine is definitely on trend for the season, since I keep seeing mustard yellow everywhere I go! I did experience some formula issues, mainly some streaking and unevenness. I applied three coats to achieve opacity, and luckily most of the imperfections were concealed. It is definitely difficult to get a yellow tone with just the perfect formula! Nonetheless, LVX describes Citrine as the perfect transitional color from winter to spring, and I think that is definitely true. I am just loving this unique color, and I think it will work well during the fall, too!

 

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Last but not least is Fantom, a super cool white polish. I have been searching for a white polish with a great formula, and I have finally found it in Fantom! White polishes show each and every imperfection, but with two coats of Fantom I got a nearly flawless finish. I cannot wait to use this for glitter manicures and nail art, and perhaps even on its own! Fantom is definitely my new go-to white!

All in all, I am loving these polishes from the LVX Spring Collection! The colors are so unique, and the white polish is something every polish lover needs to have in her stash. I personally love using a brand that is vegan and cruelty free, even if it means spending a bit more per bottle. LVX nail lacquer is definitely the perfect, guilt free treat for yourself! You can purchase these polishes on their website HERE for $16 each. Make sure to LIKE them on Facebook to hear about new collections.

 

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

Dare to Compare Week! Day Five — Red Orange

Happy Saturday! Today I have the final installment in Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland. I have saved the best for last! If you are looking for a dupe, you have come to the right place, especially if you love red orange polishes! Let me show you the polishes up for comparison today.

 

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From left to right, the polishes are Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma, Milani High Speed in Flaming Race, and Sinful Colors in Timbleberry. As soon as I lined these polishes up next to each other I was very excited. They already look like the same shade! Let me show you these polishes on the nail, first alone and then side by side.

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Polish Name: Sinful Colors in Timbleberry

Price: $1.99 at drugstores

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Amazing formula and perfect application!

Color Description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: This is the perfect nail polish for summer!

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Polish Name: Milani High Speed in Flaming Race

Price: $4.99 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 1

Formula: Great, one coat formula!

Color description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: Lives up to its fast dry, one coat name!

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Polish Name: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma

Price: $10 at Sephora or $8 on Amazon [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 1

Formula: Great, high gloss formula!

Color Description: Bright red orange creme.

Bonus: This is a 100% vegan and cruelty free brand!

 

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Here we have each polish side by side. From left to right is the Sinful Colors, the Milani, and the Obsessive Compulsive. I cannot tell the difference between these three at all! Can you?! I honestly think this looks like the same polish. I think this is officially a dupe alert! I think the obvious choice is the $1.99 Sinful Colors nail polish, but if you prefer a one coat formula then the Milani may be for you. Of course, if you are a vegan then you will be purchasing the Obsessive Compulsive. The choice really is yours!

This concludes Dare to Compare Week! Have no fear, I will still do comparison posts when I find polishes that appear similar in the bottle. I hope you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have!

 

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

 

 

Dare to Compare Week! Day Two — Bright Pink

Happy Tuesday! It is Day Two of Dare to Compare Week here at Adventures in Polishland. To celebrate the start of spring, I am comparing three bright pink nail polishes today. I just love pink, and I feel like pink nails never go out of style! I hope you enjoy this comparison as much as I do! Let me show you what’s up today.

 

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These bright pinks look quite similar in the bottle! From left to right, they are: Julep in Niecy, Chick in Flicker, and Wet ‘n Wild Wild Shine in Pom Pom Kelly. First I’ll show you each polish alone, and then I’ll compare them side by side.

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Polish Name: Wet ‘n Wild Wild Shine in Pom Pom Kelly

Price: $0.99 [Good luck finding it!]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 3

Formula: Great application! Jelly formula with sheer coverage and a satin finish.

Color Description: Bright pink that leans towards neon, but isn’t too “out there”.

Bonus: This is from the limited edition Saved by the Nail collection! I was able to score myself a set, but they were very hard to find. I did hear that they were spotted at Ocean State Job Lot stores recently!

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Polish Name: Chick in Flicker

Price: $8.00 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Good — there was something “off” but I can’t explain it! Beautiful high gloss finish.

Color Description: Bright pink creme

Bonus: Chick is made in the USA and vegan friendly!

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Polish Name: Julep in Niecy

Price: $14 [Buy HERE]

Coats Needed for Opacity: 2

Formula: Great formula and application! Glossy finish!

Color Description: Bright pink that is almost neon.

Bonus: This came in my first ever Julep Maven box! It’s one of my all-time favorites!

 

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Now let’s take a closer look at these polishes side by side! From left to right is the Wet ‘n Wild, the Chick, and the Julep. While they are not dupes for each other, they are quite similar. Pom Pom Kelly from Wet ‘n Wild is definitely the brightest and most neon of the bunch, with Chick Flicker the darkest. It’s unfortunate that the most affordable polish in this bunch is also the hardest to find, because Pom Pom Kelly is my personal favorite of the three even though I need three coats for opacity. However, I would happily settle for the $8 price tag of Chick’s Flicker since it is vegan and made in the USA. All in all, you can’t really go wrong with any bright pink, especially in the warmer months!

Which bright pink nail polish is your favorite?! Would you pay more for a nail polish if it were vegan?!

 

 

Brand Power: Tip Top Nails South Africa

Tip Top Nails is a brand from South Africa that creates vegan and 4-free polishes made from natural ingredients. Today I have four polishes from their NailChic line to show you. I really loved all of these polishes, especially the brush! The flat brush applies polish perfectly, distributing it evenly with every stroke. The formula in each polish was also outstanding. More detailed comments to come in the color descriptions!

First up is Sitting Pretty, a bright pink jelly polish. The color was a bit brighter on my nails than I thought it was going to be, but I really like it. With two coats the color was opaque. The one thing I really did not like about this polish, was that even after wearing it for two days, I woke up to impressions on my nails from my blankets. I can understand that this happens when polish is not completely dry, but it was strange that it still occurred forty-eight hours after application. It must just be the formula. Besides this one issue, I love Sitting Pretty and can’t wait to wear it again!

 

Traffic Lights is a metallic red polish with a beautiful shimmer. I am not usually a big fan of red polishes, but this one is stunning. I did apply two coats, but you could honestly just use one! My only complaint with Traffic Lights is that removal took a bit more effort than usual, but other than that I am happy with it. I definitely plan on using this color again during the holidays. It is perfect for Christmas!

Next up is Jitterbug Lime, a metallic lime green. This is also a shimmer polish, with green and gold undertones. I was very surprised by how pretty this color is. Upon first look, it has a frosted finish, but in the light the color truly shines. I used two coats of Jitterbug Lime, and both were necessary to achieve opacity. Brush strokes are visible with this polish, as with almost all other metallics that I’ve used, yet this does not take away from the polish at all. Similar to Traffic Lights, removal of this polish was more difficult that I would like. Otherwise it is stunning!

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The last polish I have to show you is Gold Drop Glitter. I assumed that this polish could easily be worn on its own as the bottle read “Apply 2 coats of colour” on the bottle, just as it did with the other three polishes. But as soon as I applied one coat I realized that Gold Drop Glitter is best used as a glitter top coat. I was determined to use this on its own, so I started painting with hopes that I would achieve full coverage. Four coats later I was satisfied with the look. Gold Drop Glitter is a clear base with fine gold grains. If you’re willing to apply four coats you can wear it on its own. Otherwise, it would go great on top of another color. One day I’ll use this in another mani to show you what it looks like as a topcoat.

All in all, I really loved these polishes from Tip Top Nails. I wore each for 2-3 days and only experienced minimal wear along the tips of my nails. I definitely recommend these polishes. Those in South Africa can purchase Tip Top at their local Clicks store. The rest of us can follow the Tip Top Facebook community HERE and on Twitter HERE. You can also view all Tip Top products on their website: http://www.tiptopnails.co.za.

Have you tried this brand before? What do you think of these polishes?

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