China Glaze Westside Warrior

A few posts ago I mentioned my new obsession love of weird olive greeny-goldy polishes.  I've shown you two out of five of the polishes I mentioned there, so I'm keeping the party going with number three - China Glaze Westside Warrior.

First of all, is it just me, or has it been FOREVER since I showed you guys a China Glaze polish??  I think it's been like, six months?!  Holy cow!  We're long overdue, but never fear.  The last two of The Five are China Glaze as well!  :-)  

Westside Warrior is your textbook olive green creme.  It leans on the yellow side, kind of "olive drab," so it plays nicely with my skin tone.  It's giving me slight lobster hands in these photos, but I promise you it wasn't apparent in real life.  It's super pigmented, and applied like a DREAM in two coats!

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

YES YES YES and YES.  Perfection in a bottle!  After the epic fail that was Illamasqua Phallic, Westside Warrior was just what I needed.  I thought I'd love this one, and I was 100% right!  Olive green dream.  :-)

Just for funsies I did a quick comparison of Westside Warrior with Rescue Beauty Lounge Orbis Non Sufficit:

(L) China Glaze Westside Warrior, (R) RBL Orbis Non Sufficit

It's funny, because these are two polishes that I would describe in one word as "olive," but they're on two opposite ends of the spectrum.  Westside Warrior is very yellow (It almost looks like pea soup here!), while Orbis leans strongly blue.  You know what that means?  There's definitely room for both in my stash!  :-D

If you love these weird olive colors as much as I do, I highly recommend picking up Westside Warrior.  It's part of China Glaze's Metro Collection that's currently in stores, so you'll be able to find it pretty easily at your local Ulta or for even cheaper at www.nailsupplies.us.  I think it's perfect for fall!

And the Winner Is...

Kelly!!!

Congrats, Kelly!!  Illamasqua Raindrops and Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air will be on their way to you soon!  We hope you love them!!

Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway!  We're so happy to have your love and support!  You guys rock!!  Stay tuned for more fun!  :-)

Love,

Courtney & Jessie

Illamasqua Phallic

After I showed you a polish named after an "infertile man", I thought it was finally the right time to show you a polish named after the male crotchal region.  Yeah, Illamasqua went there.  I put off trying this one far too long....here's Phallic!

It's not exactly what I would've picked when choosing colors to represent male genitalia, but Illamasqua went with a deep midnight blue with blue shimmer.  It's kind of that glass-fleck style shimmer, but it's super subtle.  Much more than these photos would suggest.  What surprised me most, though, was the formula.  Illamasqua is known for unbelievably smooth formulas and great wear, but this one was thick and globby and hard to apply.  I ended up using two blobby coats, and I had major chips within two days.  Not a good way to start off.

 (click to enlarge)

 (click to enlarge)

These photos are too flattering of this polish.  I wish it looked like this all the time.  The shimmer is to DIE for - like little blue stars in the night sky - but it only comes out to play in direct lighting (i.e. sunlight or when you stick your hand under a lamp, lol).  Most of the time you're looking at a deep blue creme with, like, three shimmers.  I suppose if you love deep blues or vampy colors, you may be able to overlook the lack of shimmer, but for $14 a bottle, I WANT SHIMMER, DAMNIT!

I guess that's what I get for buying a polish named after a penis.

(Compliments of www.jamesvandermemes.com)

Zoya Dannii

Just when you thought our stash swap was over, Rach from stuff i (s)watched sent me one last polish.  But this one I get to keep!  I feel so special!  I was super excited to try out Zoya Dannii!

I feel like it's a typo every time I type "Dannii," but I'm sure it's namesake has to be the lovely Dannii Minogue, so I guess I can get over it, lol.  Zoya Dannii is a medium-toned purple shimmer fest.  It's so jam-packed with pinky-purple shimmer, that I'd almost call this one a foil.  It's like one of those shimmer/foil hybrids.  It really captures the light so well.  The application on this one was even better than I expected.  It practically applied itself, and I used just two coats for full opacity.  Please ignore the icky pinky finger.  I got a little...over-zealous...with hangnail removal.  Oops!

 (click to enlarge)

 (click to enlarge)

I'm so thankful for two things.  First - that Rach sent me this particular polish.  I'd waffled on it for SO long, but just couldn't push myself to buy it for fear that it wouldn't look right on my skin tone.  Even as a shimmer-lover, Dannii was a little out of my comfort zone.  But ya know what?  I think it's pretty fantastic!!  With this polish, my number of Zoya Intimate Collection polishes goes up to four out of six.  Such a lovely collection!

Second - I'm thankful to have such a lovely friend!  Thanks again, Rach, for being awesome (as always)!!  If you guys missed her posts on the polishes I sent to her, you can check out Butter London Wallis, OPI Russian Navy, and China Glaze VII at the links.  Spoiler alert:  She makes them all look amazing!  ;-)

Tony Moly Galaxy Collection

Tony Moly Galaxy Collection.  Enough said.

Pam posted these polishes a while ago here and here.  I knew I had to have them, so I hopped on Ebay and ordered one of each.  So glad I did.  These are really special.  Each one is named after a different planet: Mercury, Earth, Mars, Neptune, Jupiter.

Tony Moly is a Korean Brand nail polish and comes in cute sleek little bottles.  Each one of these is a different jelly that can only be described as a glitter bomb.  I had these for 2 weeks before we had enough sunlight to spend time swatching them.  I had read that each one of these polishes was top coat hungry, meaning that you needed to put on at least 2 THICK coats of top coat, maybe more, to get a perfectly smooth texture.  These guys dried pretty quickly, a little matte (minus the glitter) so that was nice.  These are all 2 coats.  I tried to give you some close ups of the glitter for some of them as well.

First up is GT01, Mercury.  This one was fun, but not my favorite of the bunch.  It is a blackish base with blue, gold, red, and silver glitter.  The first two are without top coat.  If you click to enlarge you can see how gritty it is without top coat.

Tony Moly GT01 - Mercury

Tony Moly GT01 - Mercury

The next ones are with top coat.  Sparkly goodness!

Tony Moly GT01 - Mercury

Close Up of Tony Moly GT01 - Mercury

Next up was Earth, or GT02.  Easily my favorite (surprisingly).  It's a steely blue base with light blue, lilac, and pink (barely) glitter in it.  I think I saw some silver.  And at least one of those is iridescent as well.  With top coat, this was totally galaxy nails, my new crush.  Again, the first two are without top coat.  If you click to enlarge you can see how gritty this one is too.

Tony Moly GT02 - Earth

Tony Moly GT02 - Earth

After some THICK top coat (2 coats) I've got a beautiful shiny glittery finish.  The first picture shows you more of what you see normally.  The second picture is when you get the light to hit it just right.  Then, of course, the obligatory close up nail.  I just loved Earth.

Tony Moly GT02 - Earth

Tony Moly GT02 - Earth

Close Up of Tony Moly GT02 - Earth

Next up is GT03 - Mars.  I liked this way more than I expected to.  In fact, I'd rank it #2 of the bunch.  I do think it's a lot prettier in person.  It's a great fall polish.  It's a dark brown jelly packed with gold, amber and blue glitter.  I definitely see me wearing this to work.  Bottle shots are without top coat.

Tony Moly GT03 - Mars

Tony Moly GT03 - Mars

Add some top coat (2 thick coats) for a beautiful glossy polish.  I think this is a great way to wear glitter in a more subdued way.  I grabbed two up close shots of this one.

Tony Moly GT03 - Mars

Close Up of Tony Moly GT03 - Mars

Close Up of Tony Moly GT03 - Mars

Next up is GT04 - Neptune.  I'm kind of surprised I didn't like this more.  I'll hang onto it cause I think it'll make an awesome St. Patty's Day mani, but I don't think I'd reach for this any other time.  Neptune is a dark green jelly with different shades of green and gold glitter.  I like the close up shots better than the full shots.  I think because they look more green and less gold.

Tony Moly GT04 - Neptune

Tony Moly GT04 - Neptune

Here are the close up shots with top coat.  I like the way it looks here much better.  Far cooler, but most of the time it looks more gold.

Tony Moly GT04 - Neptune

Close Up of Tony Moly GT04 - Neptune

Close Up of Tony Moly GT04 - Neptune

Out of all the polishes, I think this one gets the most love, although I do find people either love it, or they were completely disappointed.   Maybe it's just cause I put this one on last, but it just wasn't super special for me.  GT05, or Jupiter, is the last of the collection. It's a deep purple jelly base with purple. blue, and orange glitter (yes orange...).

Tony Moly GT05 - Jupiter

Tony Moly GT05 - Jupiter

Now we add top coat.  It's definitely pretty.  I think I'm disappointed because the purple on purple is too subtle.

Tony Moly GT05 - Jupiter

Close Up of Tony Moly GT05 - Jupiter

Close Up of Tony Moly GT05 - Jupiter

The Tony Moly Galaxy collection is definitely fun and unique if you can get your hands on it.  I got mine off of eBay, for $9.99 a bottle with free shipping.  I highly recommend this seller.  I think these are a must have for glitter collectors, but if you don't wear glitters often, you may want to just pick one or two of your favorites.

Lynnderella Bride of Franken

So when Lynnderella decided to start selling her polishes a little while ago, the nail polish community on MUA was a flutter with excitement.  While I did find her glitter polishes totally unique and beautiful, I wasn't super compelled to pick them up.  Especially for $12 a little bottle.  Then I started seeing swatches of Connect the Dots and regretting I didn't get it.  Then she posted this (please note her shop is currently closed and you can not order these right now) and it was all over. I quickly ordered The Telltale Heart, Bibbitty Bobbitty Boo Blue, Love Potion No.99, Bride of Franken, and Connect the Dots.  The first one I had to try was Bride of Franken.  When these polishes came, I was wearing RBL Bikini Bottom, and putting Bride of Franken over it was totally anti-climatic.  So when I decided to wear this one for real, I threw it over one coat of Wet and Wild Black Creme.  This is how Lynnderella showed it on her website, but I have to admit her picture didn't do it justice.  It's so much better in real life.  Total galaxy nails.  This is one coat of Bride of Franken.  I so so so love this.  

Lynnderella Bride of Franken over Wet 'n Wild Black Creme

Lynnderella Bride of Franken over Wet 'n Wild Black Creme

The one thing I learned from these picks (it was this noticeable in real life) was that I needed 2 coats of top coat.  I used Seche Vite here, so I think next time I'll do something else, then Seche Vite.  I am very happy I got this polish, and I can't wait to try the rest of my Lynnderella's (actually, I did wear Love Potion No.99 over Grape Set Match as a pedi and LOVED it).  I do think these are totally worth the $12 price tag, but I won't be the type to buy every polish she offers.  Gotta pick the ones best for you and this one definitely hit the nail on the head.  The good news for all you lovers, is that this polish MAY be available again soon.  Subscribe to Lynnderella's blog to get notified when.

Butter London Jaffa

In case you haven't been counting down the days like me, Ulta is having a HUGE Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale on Butter London today!  Sorry for not getting this posted earlier!  You're limited to two free polishes - four polishes total - per customer.  That's today, and today ONLY!  Such a great deal, since Butter London is a bit pricey!  (Note:  I've heard a few folks say that their Ultas only allowed one free polish.  The fine print says two polishes per customer, but it should've more specifically spelled out how many free polishes.  Most Ultas are doing two - as they should - but you may want to call ahead to check with your local store.)

You can check out check out all the previous Butter Londons we've reviewed here, and I'm throwing in a new one today to help with any decisions for the sale.  Drumroll please...I give you Jaffa! 

Jaffa is a type of seedless orange, which is fitting since its polish is a bright coral-leaning tangerine orange.  It's also British slang for a man who "shoots blanks," if you're picking up what I'm throwing down.  Awesome.  Speaking of the polish, its formula reminded me of Butter London Macbeth in that it's kind of a blend of a creme and a jelly.  It's like the finish that Essie does so well, only better.  Application was perfect, and this is two coats.

 (click to enlarge)

 (click to enlarge)

As pretty as Jaffa is, I'm not completely sold on it.  Not because it isn't completely awesome (because it is), but because it reminded me a little too much of my beloved Essie Vermillionaire.  Here's a comparison I did of the two below:

Index and Ring:  Butter London Jaffa; Middle and Pinky:  Essie Vermillionaire

Certainly not dead-on dupes, but I just feel like if I wanted a bright orange, I'd probably grab Vermillionaire first.  If you don't have the Essie, though, I'd certainly recommend Jaffa.  It's a gorgeous color and the application was phenomenal.  Definitely worth the $14 price tag.

I had to work this morning when my Ulta opened, so my hubby went to pick up my polishes for me (I love him!).  I got Rosie Lee, Snog, Yummy Mummy, and Pillar Box Red, and I'm SO excited I could burst!  I can't wait to show you!

What colors are you guys picking up??

Julep Maven Introductory Box (Boho Glam and It Girl)

So the Julep Maven program has been surrounded with quite a bit of controversy.  Several nail polish lovers signed up for the program, only to find out that their referral links were bogus.  The controversy had to do with the fact that Julep seemed to have no intention of informing people of it before their corrected the problem.  After enough internet complaining, Julep sent out an apology letter to all the Mavens and gave us free October boxes.  Not a bad apology if you ask me.

So if you aren't already turned off on Julep, then this post may be for you.  I signed up for the Julep Maven program for a few reasons.  

1. It was kind of like BirchBox (a love of mine) for nail polish.
2. It allowed me to try a new brand.
3. It was half price to sign up.

So I figured what did I have to loose.  The normal price for a box is $20, but I got my introductory box at $9.99.  I was guaranteed to get 2 polishes, plus some other goodies.  I figured that was a good enough deal.  I'll keep getting the boxes every month, but I can cancel or just skip a month any time.  Also they promise to send your polishes ahead of time, and if you don't like them, you can opt to have another box instead.

So the first step to signing up was to take the beauty poll (warning! this link is a referral link that gives me a $15 credit if you sign up).  I ended up taking it 3 times to get the Boho Glam box, which had the polishes I was most interested in.  About a week later (boo on ground shipping from Washington State) I got my Boho Glam Introductory Box.  I was unfortunately dissapointed to find that they actually sent me the It Girl Box, which apparently happened to more than one person.  I called Julep the next day and they immediately sent me the correct polishes for free.  So this post has the benefit of two boxes worth of polishes!

So first up was my "It Girl" Introductory Box.  I got a full size Facial for Hands Glycolic Scrub, a few samples of their hand lotion with SPF30 (sweet), a nail therapy (supposed to be good for peeling nails - sweet), and 2 polishes.  Emilie and Sienna.  I wasn't thrilled with either color (which is why I picked Boho Glam), but at this point I was getting free polish.  Time to stop complaining and start swatching.

Julep Maven It Girl Introductory Box

It comes with this unnecessary bag in the box...

Let me start off by saying the Facial for Hand Glycolic scrub is nice, but nothing special.  I wouldn't repurchase it.  Smell is so so, and I have something similar from Mary Kay that is WAY better.  Same with the lotion.  I do love the 30 SPF, but the smell isn't particularly great.  I'll use these guys up, but I won't repurchase.

Sienna, Nail Therapy, Emilie

For swatching both of these polishes, I used the Nail Therapy as a base.  It was nice, went on easy, but I felt it took a little long to dry enough as a base to add the color.  Once I get through with my current base treatment, I'll use this on a regular basis and see if it does anything for my peelies!

Actually, now's a good time to talk about Julep's bottles and brushes.  Since they are relatively unknown, I'm guessing most of you haven't used these puppies yet.  They are long, skinny, cute bottles, but have way less mL of polishes than most $14.00 bottles of polish.  The brush isn't wide, but it's large enough and the polish flows well on it.  My only issue, is that since the bottle is so long, a lot of polish ends up on the brush stem, and I find I have to swirl the stem against the side of the bottle as I pull it out.  Otherwise while applying the polish with the brush, the polish soaked stem drips!

So Sienna is a core polish available on Julep's website.  It's a shimmery gold foil with tons of brush strokes.  I don't like gold, and I don't like brush strokes, so this was a miss for me.  Oh well!  This is two coats, which was necessary for total opacity.

Julep Sienna

Julep Sienna

Next up is Emilie.  I did actually like this one.  As soon as I put it on, I immediately thought of OPI's Jade is the New Black.  It also went on in two coats.  I really loved the finish on this.  Super shiny without top coat. I was surprised.  Emilie is a new Fall 2011 color, so it was fun to get a sneak peak with the Maven Box.

Julep Emilie

Julep Emilie

So turns out my suspicions were right. While Emilie isn't a dead on dupe for Jade is the New Black, it's AWFULLY close.  Jade is the New Black is a bit warmer.  It always reminded me of pool table green.  Emilie is a bit cooler, which instantly made me like it better.  What's funny in my comparison pictures below, the middle finger looks likes it's a totally different polish, but it's just the lighting.  Sorry about that!  Both pictures show, left to the right, OPI Jade is the New Black, Julep Emilie, and Julep Emilie.  As you can see, its really hard to tell the difference.

From Left to Right
OPI Jade is the New Black, Julep Emilie, Julep Emilie

The blue background makes it even harder to tell!

From Left to Right
OPI Jade is the New Black, Julep Emilie, Julep Emilie

So then a few days later, I got my corrected Boho Glam polishes.  I got Mirana, Olivia, and two more samples.

Julep Maven Boho Glam Box fix

Miranda and Olivia

I put on Miranda first, and I really really loved it.  It did remind me a lot of Butter London Artful Dodger though.  This one was different enough, but I threw in a quick comparison anyway.  It also went on in 2 coats.  This is without a top coat, again, super shiny.  Another creme, it's pretty seafoam green.  

Julep Miranda

Julep Miranda

Here is my comparison.  Artful Dodger is on the left, with the right two being Miranda.  Miranda pulls more green, but Artful Dodger doesn't looks this blue or bright in real life.  It's actually pretty dusty.  Miranda is totally dust free :).

From Left to Right
Butter London Artful Dodger, Julep Miranda, Julep Miranda

Olivia. Hmmm.  Ok, I know people love chocolate brown polishes, especially super shiny ones like his.  But I just don't get it.  I tried it.  It's not for me.  It doesn't look bad, I just don't like it.  Oh well.  Again 2 coats, no top coat.  Beautiful chocolate brown creme. So not for me.  Olivia is also part of the Fall 2011 collection.

Julep Olivia

Julep Olivia

So, was I blown away with my box(es) - No.  I hate gold, I'm not super into cremes right now.  Do I like the Julep formula - yes.  Was my full size facial for hand scrub, 4 polishes, and 1 base coat worth $9.99 - hell yeah!  I've already received the September box, but I haven't gotten around to it yet, so you won't see that for a week or two.

The polishes themselves are all available at Julep.com for $14 each.  Or you can sign up for the Maven program, just make sure you read the program details and FAQ first so you know what you are signing up for.  You can sign up with my referral link if you like here (again - warning, I get a $15 credit if you sign up with way) or sign up on your own by going to Julep.com.  Based on my September goodies, and my incoming free October box, I'm super happy, but I honestly don't see me continuing with this much longer.  I need more sparkles, shimmer, glitter, flakies, and other more fun-than-creme-textures in my life :).