Julep's December Box [SPOILER]

It's no secret that I love Julep! Their polish is amazing. They send unique colors, exceptional and fun goodies with every box! December's box has me extra excited! Julep announced on their Facebook Page that December's box will include the "fixings" to make you own DIY Nail Polish Ring!

A while ago I did a video on how to make a ring out of nail polish, so I was very excited! Here is their post...

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SPOILER ALERT: Included in every December Maven box will be a #DIY Cabochon Ring. You will receive 1 disk and 1 ring base, the perfect combo for you to create your own holiday bling with your new Julep colors!

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If you want to get on on this sweet deal you can sign up to be a Julep Maven! It's only 19.95 a month and you get 2-3 polishes and extra goodies delivered to your door! You can skip any month you want, and when you join you get discounts on their products. I absolutely it! I am not affiliated with Julep, I'm just a huge fan of their service and product!!

 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT JULEP.COM

Oh Splat!

I was browsing my BlogLovin feed last night looking for some nail art ideas. This of course led to about of hour of reading blogs. Then I came across a post by Victoria from the blog Manicurator! It was simple, fun and easy nail splatter design. 

Normally, I don't do splatter nails. They can be very messy, and for me are kind of hit and miss. You dip a straw in your polish and blow it onto your nails. This can be very "gloppy" and goopy. So I was super excited to give Victoria's version a try.

She used a spray bottle! Genius! It was easy to do, and the effect is beautiful! Here's what you need:

• Small EMPTY Spray Bottle
• 2 Nail Polishes
• Nail Polish Thinner
• Scotch Tape
• Paper Towels
• Q-Tips
• Nail Polish Remover

So here's what I did. I painted my nails with 2 coats of OPI's (My Very First Knockwurst). Once my base color was dry it was time to mix my nail polish spray. 

For the spray I decided to use a cheap nail polish. I don't know the name of it though, it was from the Dollar Tree. I used a cheap one so I wouldn't waste any of my good polishes. I added a small amout of polish to the clean, empty spray bottle. I didn't measure it, but if I had to guess I'd say it was about 1/2 a teaspoon.

Then I added a few drops of polish thinner. I kept adding thinner until the polish was a more liquid consistency. You have to play around with the ratio until you get the effect you want. I would add a few drops, shake the bottle and then do a test spray onto a piece of paper. Once I got the spray pattern the way I wanted it was time to do it on my nails!

Using the tape, tape around your nails to help minimize clean-up. Cover your work are with paper towels. Now hold the spray bottle about 6 inches above your nails (I did my 4 fingers first and then the thumb separately) and gently spray. You may need more than one spritz depending on how you want it to look. Once you have it how you like, remove the tape and let it dry completely before doing the other hand.

After both hands are done, use your q-tip and polish remover to clean up the polish on your fingers and hand. Top coat and your done! Here's how mine turned out...

I love the random pattern with the bigger splats mixed with the small ones!

The topcoat I used had tiny pastel glitters in it, but it looks just as good with plain old clear! Next time I might try a high gloss base color and a matte spray or the other way around!

I hope you try it! If you do, let me know how it turns out!!

 

Let's have a 3-Way!

OK, it's not what you think! I was looking through my polishes and I had a few that I haven't used yet. So I decided to pick one. Once I did my nails, I decided to add some glitter. Then I decided to do it with a matte topcoat. So today I had one manicure, three ways!!

The color I decided on trying on today was OPI (I Have A Herring Problem). I love this color! It's a very pretty blue/grey with subtle silver shimmer.

[Above] The flash brought out the blue tones and shows off the subtle silver sparkle! It's a stunner by it's self. 

[Above] In natural light you can see the grey tones better.

Because I can't ever leave well enough alone, I decided to add a coat of NYC (Starry Silver). It's packed with tiny silver micro glitter and medium sized blue and purple hex glitter. My daylight was going away so the next few pictures read more grey than blue. Trust me when I say, it's more like periwinkle in person.

[Above] NYC (Starry Silver)- 2 coats, no topcoat.

As i was cleaning up my polish "station", I laid eyes on my Julep Matte Topcoat. I had to try it out! I'm glad I did! I'll try to get better pictures tomorrow. I really hoped that the blue would show up better. The last few days I have been doing a bit of experimentation with the matte topcoat over glitters. It's a really great combo!

[Above] One coat of Julep Matte Topcoat

So the moral of this story is; No manicure is complete, until you decide it so! 

lol

Sexy In Suede

I am in LOVE with my new Julep Matte/Suede topcoat! It came as a part of my November Julep Maven Box. Along with it were two Suede finish polishes. I'll swatch those later. For now, let's talk about this topcoat! 

This is my first experience with matte finishes. I always had a bit of an aversion to them. I imagined them as having a chalky feel, or feeling like un-glazed ceramic. I'm not a fan of that feel/texture. I almost skipped this month's Julep box because I wasn't too keen to try the mattes. 

After looking at a few of my fellow bloggers posts on the subject of matte polish, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I am so glad that I did! 

The first thing I tried was the topcoat. I had just done my nails the day before and in the interest of not redoing my manicure, I thought I would just try the topcoat on top of my mani. It went on glossy just like any other topcoat. As it dried the shine went away. I actually loved the look. I waited for it to dry and touched it. It felt like a soft suede. Amazing! Even on top of my glitter manicure, it looked great!

It looks like it has a tiny bit of shine, but that's the flash of my camera. in person it's not that shiny. It's a soft, brushed satin kind of look. I love it on top of my glitter manicure! I had on 2 coats of OPI's I Brake For Manicures and 2 coats of OPI's Pirouette My Whistle. I topped it off with 1 coat of Julep's Matte Top Coat.

The above picture shows OPI's Pirouette My Whistle. I love the silver micro glitter and matte pearl hex glitter! With the matte topcoat, it's a beautiful look. I give this topcoat 5/5 stars!

If you're interested in trying out Julep's polishes and/or monthly Maven Boxes just click the link below!

www.Julep.com 

Follicleanse Clarifying Shampoo *GIVEAWAY*

Healthy Hair Plus has some of the best shampoos, conditioners and styling products out there! I've used their Emu Oil Shampoo and Nourish Conditioners in the past with great success! That's why I am very excited to share this giveaway with you!

As winter here in the North East approaches, my hair and scalp get so dry and itchy! As a brunette, flakes can be VERY problematic! They are much more visible for us darker haired folks. Blonde gals get it too though, so really, everyone who suffers from flakes and itching can empathize with my love/hate for the cold winter season!

Follicleanse Shampoo does an amazing job deep cleaning the scalp and eliminating the source of dandruff, and flaking problems! It helps the scalp return to a healthier state without any flakes or itch. Rich in Zinc PCA and botanical extracts, it helps to heal and repair inflammation and irritation and reduce oil production! A clean scalp and hair growth go hand in hand.

• Deep cleans dirt, oil and product build-up
• Reduces oil production from sebaceous glands
• Infuses vitamins and botanicals to heal and revitalize
• Increase blood flow to the scalp
• Helps stop DHT accumulation
• Paraben Free, Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

You can enter the giveaway below! The winner will get a whole case (12 bottles) of Follicleanse Shampoo! This prize is worth $144.00 USD!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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OPI Releases NEW Pure Lacquer Nail App with Designs Inspired by Skyfall, Press Release

OPI Releases NEW Pure Lacquer Nail App with Designs Inspired by Skyfall

OPI adds four new, limited-edition designs to the Pure Lacquer Nail App collection, which offers instant, easy-to-apply nail designs. The precut nail strips are made of 100% real nail lacquer and provide a high-shine finish, long-lasting wear, and zero drying time. The new designs inspired by Skyfall include Nice Tux(silver and black glitter zig zag stripe), Positively Shocking(glittery gold), Floating Dragon (bright red crème with black dragon print) and Shaken Not Stirred (silver with martini glass print).

“We are pleased to expand our Pure Lacquer Nail App offerings with designs inspired by OPI’s thrilling partnership with EON Productions and Skyfall,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The popularity of nail design is booming with both the everyday woman and nail professionals. Pure Lacquer Nail Apps provide women with quick, easy and unique nail looks, offering long-lasting designs that could not be created by hand.”

To apply, peel off plastic cover and place Nail Apps on nails, while smoothing down all edges. Each pack contains 16 strips to ensure perfect sizing for all finger and toe nails. File the nail edge to remove any strip excess. Pure Lacquer Nail Apps already contain a base coat and top coat; do not use regular base or top coat with the strips. Simply remove with an acetone polish remover. For longer wear (about two weeks), have a manicurist cure the nail strips with OPI’s GelColor Top Coat.

This limited edition promotion will be available beginning October 2012 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $11.95 per set.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter@OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!