Manicure Monday: Catching Up January 21, 2013

Sorry about my lack of posts the last couple of weeks. I’ve been settling into a new job and a new schedule. I took pictures of some of my manis over the past couple weeks and will share those with you now.

This first manicure is Julep Mila. I did this mani when I was planning on participating in Judi’s “Julep January” theme. Watch Judi’s eye opening video to find out why “Julep January” didn’t last very long. I knew the Julep bottles contained less polish than standard bottles but to see how much is actually contained in those bottles was enough to make me second guess my Julep Maven subscription. I’m still debating on whether I want to continue as a Julep Maven. On one hand I love the excitement of it but on the other hand I feel like I am getting ripped off. I’m most likely going to be cancelling in the next day or two before February’s box ships. What are your thoughts on the Julep Maven program?

For my next mani I wanted to incorporate the color of the year: EMERALD. I added a little leopard print and I was good to go!

On to my current mani: I took inspiration from one of the nail sets I created for sugarshorts available HERE.

Skulls and red roses with silver studs.

What’s on your nails?

Blog of the Year 2012 January 4, 2013

Happy Friday ya’ll! A huge thank you to Zenorah and Melissa for nominating me for the Blog of the Year 2012 Award. I’m so excited to be nominated by two of my favorite bloggers. I took a huge unintentional break from blogging this year. I’m happy to be back and receiving awards from these lovely ladies makes my return that much sweeter!

The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/   and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience

6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

Yes – that’s right – there are stars to collect!

Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different!

When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given the award by another blog – you can add another star!

There are a total of 6 stars to collect.

Which means that you can check out your favorite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

 

My Nominations:

I love everything about Zenorah’s blog and youtube channel. Zenorah is gorgeous and I love her name and her Trinidadian accent! Check her out for perfect swatches and informative reviews.

Melissa’s blog is one of my favorites so I’d like to nominate her as well. Melissa is a recovering nail biter so let her be an inspiration to you if you have the same problem. Check out Horrendous Color for nail related goodies and make sure you stop by her “About Me” section for the best blog naming story ever! She also has a beauty blog HERE.

I also want to nominate Judi from Middle Aged Beauty Queen. Judi is so sweet and so encouraging. After wearing the same color on her nails for 10 years she now changes her nails everyday and experiments with all colors. Judi came up with idea of Julep Januay (all julep, no repeats for all of January). Calling all Julep fans, check her out! Judi also has a youtube channel you can check out HERE.

Amy’s Vintage Closet is an awesome blog. Amy definitely deserves a nomination. I love how she combines vintage pieces with new pieces for totally stylish, totally unique outfits. And she’s rocked some pretty sweet mani’s over the past year too!

My final nomination is Tina from My Highest Self. Tina covers all kinds of topics and often has great giveaways.

Honestly I could go on and on with these nominations, I follow so many talented bloggers and all of them deserve an award. I am inspired on a regular basis by all my fellow bloggers. Cheers to 2013 everyone!

Julep Cinco de Mayo Mystery Box May 12, 2012

This is everything that was in my Julep Cinco De Mayo Mystery Box:

• Julep Marisa ($14 retail)
• Julep Emma ($14 retail)
• Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub ($11 retail)
• Julep Alyson ($14 retail)
• Julep Hayden ($14 retail)
• Julep Crystal Nail File ($6 retail)

Total retail value of $73 and I paid $19.99

I was really happy with this box. I received beautiful colors and I have been wanting to try the Glycolic Hand Scrub since I first heard about Julep. I do really enjoy the Glycolic Hand Scrub. It has a pleasant citrus scent and left my hands feeling super soft. I doubt I would ever pay the full price of $32 for 3oz but I will be happy if I receive it in another box.

This is Julep Emma. I have one coat on my pinky and ring finger, 2 coats on my middle finger and 3 coats on my index finger. Emma is described as a “seashell pink shimmer”. It’s super shimmery and looks so much better in person. I really like this one.

This is two coats of Julep Alyson. Julep describes Alyson as an “almond creme”.

I added 1 coat of Emma over my middle finger so you could see how Emma looks layered.

Hayden is described as a neon peach. Since it is neon it does dry to a matte finish. I added topcoat to my middle and index finger and left my pinky and ring finger without so you could see how it looks both ways.

I added Emma over my ring finger.

Julep Marisa is a beautiful navy with a teal shimmer.

With Emma over my ring finger.

Did you get a Cinco de Mayo mystery box? I would love to hear what was in your’s if you did.

If you’d like to sign up for Julep Maven you can use my referral link by clicking HERE (for every 2 people that use my link I get a free box). Or if you don’t want to use my referral link you can just click HERE.

Julep Spring Mystery Box April 15, 2012

I received my Julep Spring mystery box yesterday. If you are unfamiliar with the Julep mystery boxes, you pay $19.99 and you get a box full of products worth $60-200. You don’t have to be a Julep Maven to purchase a mystery box but if you are a Maven you get free shipping. With the Spring boxes Julep shipped various products and some boxes included gift certificates. I think I got the most common box. I was of course disappointed that I didn’t get on of the bigger boxes with more products and a gift certificate but the products I got retail for $74+ so I definitely got a good deal.

• Julep Basecoat ($14) The foundation to a long-lasting manicure. Protects nails from yellowing and staining caused by dark nail color. Professional quality “4-free” nail polish formulation, developed without carcinogens such as formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP.
• Julep Sienna ($14)
• Julep Anne ($14)
• Julep Melissa ($14)
• Julep Essential Cuticle Oil ($18) All natural blend of essential oils and Vitamin E hydrates and strengthens nails and cuticles. Extends the life of your manicure while leaving a glossy sheen. Use daily to soften rough cuticles and strengthen nails. The convenient roller-ball application allows you to take your Julep Essential Cuticle Oil everywhere you go.
• Nail File
• Chocolates

Julep Sienna – 2 coats, no topcoat:

Julep describes Sienna as a “sophisticated, shimmery gold” and that is precisely what it is. It’s really quite stunning, it’s sort of a silvery gold rather than a yellow gold so I think it will flatter all skin tones.

Julep Anne – 2 coats, no topcoat:

Julep describes Anne as an “ultra-saturated violet”. My camera didn’t capture this color accurately. It is a pretty bright violet. It’s showing much bluer in the picture than it is, it is definitely more purple than it looks here. It dries matte and uneven but a topcoat smooths it all out. You can see in the picture below how it looks with the topcoat.

Julep Melissa – I’ve already swatched this one HERE since I received it in my March It Girl box.

I’m really excited about the basecoat. I have tons of basecoats but just from swatching these two polishes the basecoat seemed really nice. I look forward to getting the Julep topcoat in the future so I can have a complete Julep manicure. My BF claimed the cuticle oil for himself when he saw the roller ball. I used it a couple times and I still prefer my Lush Lemony Flutter. I prefer the creamy texture to the oil.

Did you get a Spring mystery box?

Julep Maven – April It Girl April 3, 2012

I’m really loving my It Girl box this month. Take a look at what I received this month.

• Julep’s Exclusive Make-up Bag
• Niecy Julep Nail Vernis
• Penelope Julep Nail Vernis
• Jessica Julep Nail Vernis
• Toe Separators
• Milk Chocolate eggs

Penelope (2 coats, no topcoat):

Described by Julep as an “almost white creme with a hint of blush”. I don’t agree that it is almost white, it is definitely pink but it is the perfect pale pink! I have lots of pale pinks but this one is definitely my new favorite. The formula was fantastic, not streaky at all, very smooth.

Jessica (1 coat, no topcoat):

This is showing up much brighter in the picture, it is a very pale blue. Described by Julep as a “soft and sweet baby blue creme”. Again, the formula was amazing! More than amazing! It’s a one coater! I’ve never seen a pale blue that has coverage like this.

Niecy (2 coats, no topcoat):

Described by Julep as “a bright pink creme for sunny days”. It’s a vibrant pink, pretty standard but perfect for summer. Almost a one coater but not quite. Again I am amazed at the formula. These apply so smooth and even.

Julep’s Exclusive Make-up Bag (retails for $18):

I received an email prior to receiving the box stating that since this was my first box (not including my penny box I guess) they would be sending me this make-up bag. I like to keep my purse organized by using makeup bags for various things so this really sold me on getting this months box. It’s a really nice bag with pockets inside that fit Julep nail polish or they could hold lip gloss or mascara.

It’s quilted with the Julep logo.

The zipper pull is the Julep logo.

Overall I am really happy with this month’s box. Creme is my favorite finish so I was happy with all the polishes being creme’s. The formula on all three polishes really wow’d me. I do still feel like they are overpriced for the small amount that you get in the tiny bottles but they are starting to convince me otherwise. I absolutely adore my new make-up bag (although I doubt it will be used for make-up).

Julep nail polish is “4 free” meaning it does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Julep donates a portion of the proceeds of every sale to organizations that support women.

Julep polish retails for $14 each. Become a Julep Maven and receive a box of hand picked items each month for $20. You can get your first month for $0.01 by using code PENNY click HERE.