Julep Marathon - Round 1

Are you ready for round one of the Julep Marathon? Today I've brought to you some deep rich colors that are truly beautiful!

First up is Taylor. This is a beautiful deep blurple color that is somewhere between a periwinkle and royal blue. By far my favorite Julep polish to date! However, I have to say that this polish stinks....like....actually stinks. It had a very strange smell to it that I've never experienced with other Julep polishes. The consistency is a bit thick but it dries quickly. This is two coats with top coat.

Up next is Jessia, which is a light baby blue creme. The formula on this was great, much thinner than the other cremes. It can definitely be a one-coater if you apply it with a gentle hand. This is one coat with top coat. 

This is Brooke. Brooke has a sheer purple base with purple/pink micro-shimmer. This is made for layering since on it's own it doesn't even come close to wearable. I've shown you 3 coats of Brooke on it's own to show how light it actually is.

 

This is Brooke layered over one coat of Jessica. It was very hard to pick up the shimmer but you can see it slightly, and you can also see the difference Brooke made in the color because of the light purple base.

 

Last by not least is Daphne. Daphne is a dark seafoam green creme that is darker than I expected but has a very earthy tone to it. As I swatched all these colors I realized that the creme finish polishes all tend to be a bit on the thick side. With a top coat, it evens out very nicely and gives it that great shine that the creme needs.

So do you have any favorites from these polishes? Mine is Taylor because the color is just absolutely beautiful! 

Stay tuned for Round 2! 

~Linda

Julep Marathon

Hi Ladies! So I've totally been M.I.A lately so I apologize...I know I only have a few followers so maybe you didn't even notice. *shrug*  I hope I was gone just long enough to make you miss me. ☺

Anywho...I have a whole bunch of Julep polish that I've gotten in my monthly Maven boxes and other sales I was lucky enough to catch and I don't think I've even shown you any of them. I decided to swatch them all and bring them to you in a series of posts over the next few days. 

Here is a list of the polishes that you'll be seeing. 

• Taylor - Deep blurple creme
• Daphne - Deep seafoam green creme
• Jessica - Soft baby blue creme
• Brooke - Sheer shimmery purple
• Mila - Charcoal multi-colored glitter
• America The Beautiful - Shiny red with royal blue glitter and sterling silver stars
• Mischa - Cherry scarlet micro-shimmer
• Mandy - Bright coral-pink creme
• Jodie - Deep rose with golden shimmer 
• Pippa - Neutral camel creme
• Kate - Soft white pearl

The first post will be up later this morning (since it's after midnight as I am writing this). Hopefully you guys like the chance to see a handful of colors at once.

Thanks for stopping by and check back a little later for the first leg of the Julep Marathon.   

I'll leave you with this funny/adorable/completely inappropriate picture. God I love the crap you can find on the internet. 

 

~Linda

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing Upgrade

I got my new bottle of Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing in the mail yesterday so of course I had to check it out. My only problem?....I'm still loving this NOPI (Nicole by O.P.I) mani I showed you yesterday. *sigh*...What's a girl to do? Ohh I know...upgrade my mani!

Oh yeah, and BONUS...I finally got NOPI Count on Me to photograph pretty good without looking like an oompa loompa! 

So the upgrade consists of two coats of Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing added to my ring finger. But of course that wasn't enough, so I pulled out my handy craft scissors and scotch tape. I layered the tape with the design facing the same way on each finger and then put another coat of Orly Liquid Vinyl (which was my base color under Count On Me). When you pull off the tape you get this cool 'split' look. I used the same tape on my ring finger for a french tip type effect. No top coat.

As usual I got camera happy and took a bunch of pictures for you guys, so I hope you like what you see. I know I love it!

 

 

And how cute is this packaging?!? The Worst Possible Thing comes from Rainbow Honey's Equestria Collection which was inspired by Hasbro's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This collection has 8 very unique polishes that you can check out on Dee's website here. The Worst Possible Thing was a bit thick in consistency, but it definitely allowed for great coverage of the glitter. It's described as shimmering with opalescent flakes in purple and blue and a multitude of holographic and iridescent glitters. And boy is it!

I totally think that The Worst Possible Thing and Count On Me compliment each other really well! What do you think?

~Linda

Nicole by O.P.I Count On Me

Today I have for you a Nicole by O.P.I polish that I like to use for layering. Count On Me is a sheer lilac pearlescent that really doesn't have a great color until you layer it over a dark polish. This is two coats of Orly Liquid Vinyl and one thick coat of Nicole Count On Me. 

Over black Count On Me shifts from a gorgeous light blue to purple. The effect almost looks metallic when in the right light. I've gone picture happy in an effort to get this polish to actually show off it's beauty. 

The following pictures were actually taken at work this afternoon when I realized that the duochrome effects were really popping under the florescent lighting. This is where it almost looks metallic to me. My skin looks orange, probably because the picture was taken with my phone. ( I swear I'm not an oompa loompa)

Thanks for stopping by guys! Please leave me some comments on what you think. 

~Linda

Zoya Surf Collection

Hey girlies! Today I have three polishes from the 2012 Zoya Surf Collection to share with you. Myrta, Kimber and Zuza all have a foil-like finish with a fabulous shimmer that pretty much makes these babies glow. 

Myrta, Kimber, Zuza

Myrta is an orange coral like color with red undertones and gold and silver metallic shimmer that applies really well to the nail. The formula is fantastic as usual for Zoya and this is two coats. This bright orange color is fabulous and one of my favorites in the collection.

Kimber is a bright magenta pink polish with a gold metallic shimmer that can sometimes look orange on the nail (the shimmer, not the polish color). This polish is so bright it's hard to believe it doesn't glow in the dark! The color is amazing and that's saying a lot from someone who doesn't like pink.  

Zuza is a bright turquoise with strong gold and silver metallic shimmer that shines extremely bright. This is a color that turns heads and is a must have for everyone's summer collection.

These polishes are amazing. Zoya always has a fantastic formula with no streaking or flooding of the cuticles and this collection is no exception. Two coats is all that's needed for perfect coverage. The colors are breathtaking and beyond perfect for summer! 

Do you have a favorite color from the Surf Collection? 

~Linda

Layla Holographic Ultra Violet

Today I have another holographic to show you from the Layla Hologram Effect Collection. Ultra Violet is a beautiful light purple color that I love in the shade and in the sun although the holographic effect in this polish is stunning in the sun. You can see the polish shift from purple to pink, to blue and green....I Love It! 

Ultra Violet has a matte-like look when in cloudy conditions but completely transforms once in the sunlight or in artificial lighting. This is how the polish looked outside on a grey cloudy day.

Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon Ultra Violet let's its beauty shine. Shine on Layla...Shine on! 

Artificial Light

Sunlight

Sunlight

This was two coats of polish with no top coat. Top coat is a holo killer but without it this polish does not last very long. In the few hours waiting for the sun to come out, you can see some slight tip wear. I don't think this polish would last longer than a day without topcoat, although it's worth it :)

Thanks for stopping by! 

~Linda 

Julep Sale!

Just popping in to let you lovely ladies know about a Julep sale that I just saw on HauteLook. Everything they are offering is more than 50% off! They have some great little nail polish sets and other mani/pedi packs available. This is a great sale if you're looking to try this brand for the first time or even if they have some of the colors you've been wanting. 

Check it out here. The sale ends on Saturday, July 7th at 8 AM Pacific time. 

~Linda

4th Of July Mani

Hi guys! So I have a really really quick post for you today. I haven't had any time to pull together a 4th Of July mani using the new Julep polishes that I got in my July box, so I have another festive mani that I did the other day and will be wearing through the holiday.

This is 2 coats of Orly Sweet Peacock, which just doesn't seem like the right name for this polish, but that's irrelevant. This polish is amazing! It dries super fast and is a fabulous color even though it is a little on the thick side. I was outside the other day at dusk and it looked like my nails were glowing!! 

 

This was MASH plate # 26 and I used Sally Hansen Insta Dry Silver Sweep and Konad White stamping polish for the stars. I dotted the smallest stars using Wet n Wild Jezebel.

I'm visiting my in-laws for the rest of the week, but I will be back this weekend with another post for you. 

Have a great holiday! 

~Linda

Julep Maven - July Box

Today I received my July Julep Maven box! I've been waiting anxiously for this to arrive and basically ran down the driveway as the post man drove off. This month I received the It Girl box which included amazing polishes.

Not only did the box include the three polishes shown above but Julep has two new glitter polishes, America The Beautiful and O Canada that they gave to each Julep Maven subscriber for FREE based on where you live! How awesome is that? I received America The Beautiful and it's jam packed glitter perfect for the 4th of July! Since this is also my first recurring month they graciously included a voucher for a Free Polish from the Maven Boutique.

Daphne, Mila, Kate, America The Beautiful

Daphne is a seafoam green creme, Mila is a charcoal multi-colored glitter, Kate is a soft white pearl and America The Beautiful is a red and royal blue glitter with silver stars. 

All four of these polishes cost $14 USD each which is $56 and the monthly subscription cost $19.99. Can you say savings?? Yes I think so! 

This July box did not disappoint in any way. The colors are amazing and I cannot wait to pull together a 4th of July Mani. The girls over at Julep really know how to treat their Mavens! If you are not familiar with the Julep Maven subscription you should totally check them out, they have the best perks I've ever seen in a subscription program! They also have a referral program, so if two people sign up using my link then I get a free month. Here is my link if you want to check out their awesome sauce.

What are your thoughts on the It Girl July Box? Did you receive a different box?

~Linda

Finger Paints Hue Rang?

Happy Friday! I'm getting antsy for my July Julep Maven Box to get here. I am craving a 4th of July mani and am dying to use the free America The Beautiful polish they are sending!

Onto the good stuff...This is two coats of Finger Paints Hue Rang? which is a lovely purple with a slight purple/silver shimmer. For an accent nail I have two coats of Ulta Mint Condition with two coats to Spoiled Pet My Peacock. I don't think that Mint Condition is a good name for this polish, as there really is nothing mint about it. The color in the bottle is much nicer than on the nail, as it becomes "smokey" once on. Does that make sense? It's different from any of my other light blue polishes so that's okay but I'm not too sure if I'll wear it that often. It doesn't look that smokey in the following pictures and I'm thinking that the glitter is hiding it. Somehow I got a few bumps under the polish and I think it might have been some sneaky file dust that crept in. Oops

*Insert Cartoon "Bling" noise here*

 

Pet My Peacock is a multi colored glitter in a clear base and it has a wide flat brush that allowed the glitter to disperse quite evenly. This is my favorite style brush because I have rather wide nails and it provides good coverage in minimal strokes. 

Have a great day!

~Linda