Julep - Lena

I just LOVE this color!  I think I'll be wearing it a lot on my toes this summer.  It is Lena from Julep.  This polish is incredibly opaque and really only needs one coat. It is a little thick, but it goes on nicely and cleans up well.  Lena is a gorgeous teal color with a little golden sheen to it.  I used Zoya's Jules and Orly's Halo for an accent nail.

- polish. impress. repeat.

Teal Mix n' Match Manicure

I decided to try something a little more adventurous lately.  Being on Spring Break, I have some extra time on my hands, so I get to try things I normally wouldn't.  I used China Glaze's "Luxe & Lush" and "Re-Fresh Mint", Essie's "Penny Talk", and Julep's "Lena" for this look.  I used two coats for each color except "Lena" where I only needed one.  Julep polishes have amazing opacity!  Enjoy!

Let me know of any fun manicure's you've tried lately.  Leave me a link to your blog post if you did one on it.  :)

-polish. impress. repeat.

April 2013 - Julep Maven

April's Julep Maven box was themed 'The Brights' with some pretty intensely bright colors.  I was happy with the two colors I received.

My two 'brights' I got were Kaylen which is a bright orange and Lena which is a shimmery teal.  I wouldn't quite call either one neon but they are bold and fun for spring and summer.  Kaylen is more creamy and a solid color.  Lena is GORGEOUS!  I cannot wait to get this on my toes!  :)  It is my favorite color, but it has this amazing shimmer in it.

The extra item this month was "Mighty" nail and cuticle serum.  It is supposed to help dry and damaged cuticles overnight.  It has a twist brush applicator which is nice.  I haven't used it yet because I'm still using my Julep cuticle oil I got in my first box over a year and a half ago.  That stuff lasts FOREVER!  Amazing.

Also included was this cute little rock candy.  I don't think it is flavored, but if it is, I'll be happy.  I'm not big on just eating sugar flavored sugar.  Fun addition. 

What is your favorite 'bright' polish?

-polish. impress. repeat.

Julep - Gunta (Trina Turk)

 Here is Gunta from Julep's Fall 2012 Trina Turk collection.  I still have no idea who Trina Turk is...  If you read my last post, you know the whole fiasco of how this color ended up in my collection.  Needless to say, I am happy with it.  I have been in love with my Nails Inc. Baker Street and this is a little darker that that which is PERFECT for Fall!  I think it looks great!

It does dry a little darker than it looks in the bottle.  It is more of a Navy Blue.  The formula was a little thick for my liking, but it did clean up well.  It was opaque with just one coat, but I did two coats because I always do.  The design of the Julep bottles look great, but they are easy to tip over.  Other than that, I am very impressed with the brand as a whole.  If you are interested in learning more about the Julep Maven program where I got this lovely color, check it out by using my referral link here: http://julep.com/?r=15549195

 

*direct sunlight.  sorry for the fingerprints....  :)

What colors are you looking forward to wearing this Fall?

-polish. impress. repeat.

August 2012 Julep Maven

PREFACE:  I come to you all with mixed feelings about this months Julep Maven box.  Let me say first off that I love the formulation and wear-time of Julep polishes, and I think the Maven subscription service is great, but I don't want to pay $20 each month for the service.  I haven't been IN LOVE with any of the combos over the last several months and so I have skipped them.  I make sure to keep an eye out for the emails so I don't get charged and sent a box I don't want.  This month, I got no email about what box I was getting or that it was my last chance to change boxes.  On the other hand, I did get an email that my box was being shipped out to me.   Uhhhhh wait.  I didn't even get the chance to skip it or let alone change to a different box.
I emailed their customer service and they gave me instructions on how I could return it (they didn't say anything in the email about a restocking fee, but their website said I would be charged another couple dollars).  The email also told me what day the email was sent out and what it was titled.  I looked through my old mail and I had NOTHING of the sort.  Well, the box came, and I decided to keep it.  I already have quite a few polishes in similar colors, but I give in too easily.  So, without further ado, here is the box I didn't want, but I ended up keeping:

On a positive note, Julep Maven boxes are always so cute and girly.  I really do appreciate that.  I guess this month had a theme of Trina Turk. I don't know who that is, but I think I got a magnet with a cartoon version of her on it.

 

I think this is a magnet.  I haven't tried it yet.  I don't think I will use it...

 Here are the things I received in my box.

  It's been a year since I signed up with Julep Maven, so they sent me these cute bangles.  This was a sweet surprise!

 Most Maven's got mascara in their box this month.  Boho glam was the only box that got brown, and I have the boho glam box.  I wish I would have gotten the black.... not a huge fan of brown mascara.  I like the brush though!

 Like I said earlier, they always have such cute packaging.  I mean, come on, how cute and classy is this!?!

 Here are my two colors.  I have Julep's Miranda which is a little lighter than the green I got here.  I wish I had a little more variety.

The blue is Gunta.  Kind of a weird name.  It is a classic royal blue color.  I have been loving blue colors lately, so I'm excited to try this one out.

This is Popova.  Another interesting name.  They both sound European.  I could be completely wrong though.  Nothing too exciting about this color.  I have other greens I like more than this, but after I try it out, I might like it just as much.

So there we are...I'm sorry if I seemed like a complainer this whole post.  I really do like the Maven program and Julep polishes, but I just wasn't happy with how this month's box was shipped with no prior information.  I know that is not typical for them and I encourage you if you like to try out new polishes to join the Maven program.  Here's a link to sign up.  I think new members can join for their first month for only a PENNY!  Enter the code penny at the checkout.

-polish. impress. repeat

Comparison of Ulta 'Island Hopper' and Julep 'Miranda'

First off, apologies for my dry cuticles.  I didn't even think about it before snapping these pictures.  Since I've started this blog, I've tried to get in a variety of colors from week to week.  I was about to paint my nails and was picking through my collection when I came across Ulta Professional's 'Island Hopper'.  I thought it would be a great color and then Julep's 'Miranda' which I had already done a post on.  They look nearly identical in the bottle, so I decided to compare them to see if they are dupes or not.  ****Note:  in the pictures of my nails, from left to right it is 'Miranda', 'Island Hopper', 'Miranda', 'Island Hopper'.

 Miranda, Island Hopper, Miranda, Island Hopper

 Miranda, Island Hopper, Miranda, Island Hopper

left:  Miranda          right:  Island Hopper

Conclusion, it the direct sunlight, they look almost identical.  In natural lighting, the slight differences are a little more apparent.  'Miranda' is more jelly-like while 'Island Hopper' is more creamy and opaque.  They are both a light teal/turquoise color, but Island hopper is a little more blue-ish.

Dupes?  Not quite.

-polish. impress. repeat.