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 :).

Nfu-Oh #50 over Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze

Flakies!!!!!!!  Do you know what a flakie is?  Chances are if you are a nail polish junkie like me you do, but if you are just getting into polish, or read our blog just cause you love us, you don't.  A "Flakie" is a nail polish that is usually sheer or has a jelly consistency, which jam packed full of "flakies."  They are literaly flakes of very think sheets of some kind of iridescent material.  One place I read on the web says opals, but I'm not sure I believe that.  They give the polish a great texture and look and often create a duochrome (two color) look.  Long and short they are awesome.  Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure is one.  So when I did a little Nfu-Oh haul (my first one), I picked up 5!

So as promised, here is Nfu-Oh #50 over Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze.  Nfu-Oh #50 is a pale purple sheer jelly base packed (and i mean packed, this is one coat) with blue iridescent flakies.  I totally loved this manicure.  I snapped these pictures after the second day or so when the sun was shining, so there is a bit of tip wear.  I really need to learn to be better to my nails!

Nfu-Oh #50 over Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze

Nfu-Oh #50 over Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze

I'm so happy I got these flakies.  I can't wait to try the others.  I highly recommend these polishes if you like the look.  You can get them for $12.50 each on FabulousStreet.com.  Shipping is a little steep though, so pick this one up one you are planning a large order.

Another Look: Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine

Are you guys tired of RBLs yet?!  I hope not, 'cause there's plenty more a-comin'!  :-D

Today I'm finally showing you my other Tudor queen - Catherine.  You don't even want to know the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that went into getting this one (and Catherine H for Jessie).  Ok, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but it felt like it.  It took some seriously hard work to bring this beauty home, and I owe Jessie BIG time!  Her thoughtfulness is the only reason I was able to get this.  Now we each just need Anne and Jane to complete our collections.  :-)

You can see Jessie's original photos and glowing review of Catherine here.  Named after Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife, she's a smokey purple with gold, pink, and aqua shimmer.  The formula was perfect, but I was surprised it was significantly thinner than my other RBLs.  It took two coats for opacity, but they glided on like butter.  Here she is!

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

As disappointed as I was with Catherine H, I looooove this one!  The pink and aqua shimmer get a little lost on the nail, but the gold shimmer is just stunning.  It adds texture and sparkle to an already gorgeous base color.  I'm a huge fan of the Tudors series on Showtime, and I think this polish is a perfect representation of its namesake - regal and sophisticated.  Plus, Maria Doyle Kennedy is an amazing actress.  I whole-heartedly recommend watching the show, if you're into Tudor history or period dramas and haven't seen it already.  It's streaming on Netflix!  :-)

Jessie is the Queen of RBLs (as coronated by me, lol), and she nailed this one on the head - it's a MUST have!  Catherine sold out several months ago, but thankfully Ji is bringing back all the Tudor queens.  Last I heard, the rumor on the street is they should be available for order early next year.  Worth every penny!

The Things I Do For Love...(And a Reswatch of an Old Favorite)

I'm not much of a college football fan.  I went to a college that didn't have a football team (What up, George Mason?!), and I liked it that way.  It's not that I don't like football, but I'm just more of an NFL kinda girl.  Let's go SAINTS!  WHO DAT?!  :-)  My hubby, on the other hand, LOVES college football and is a HUGE Alabama fan.  Last year for the Alabama/Penn State game, I did a nifty manicure to support his love of the Tide.  The two teams played again this past Saturday, and since his boys won the last matchup (thanks to my manicure, of course!), he asked me to recreate the look for this year's game.  Yes, sir!

I started with my most favorite red, Essie Limited Addiction.  I love this red so much!  I was super excited to wear it again.  (You can see my previous photos and review here.)  I used two kind of thin coats, but I realized as soon as I went to take these photos that I should've done a third.  D'oh!  It's still just a beautiful red.

(click to enlarge)

 (click to enlarge)

I wore this by itself to work on Friday, and then spiced things up when I got home.  I removed the polish from my ring fingers, and threw on one coat of Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  I stamped the houndstooth pattern from Konad plate m63 on top using Konad's Special Polish in white.  (I'm the worst EVER at Konading, so instead of watching me fumble through how to do it, I'll direct you to a fantastic tutorial here from Lacquerized.)  Aaaand ta-da!  Bear Bryant-worthy nails!

I really wasn't joking about being horrible at stamping.  I switched hands on you for this photo, because this one turned out a bit better than the other hand.   Konading isn't terribly difficult, but it's harder for me, because my nails are so curvy that I have a hard time getting even pressure over the entire nail, so I end up with bald patches like the one at the top of my nail.  I think girls with flatter nails will have an easier time, and of course, practice makes perfect.  :-)

But, never fear!  If you don't own any Konad supplies, or it's a little too intimidating, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips has a black and white houndstooth pattern!  I think next year I'll give these a try instead.

This must be my lucky manicure, because Alabama pulled out a 27-11 win over Penn State on Saturday!  For my amazing hubby (and any other Bama fans out there)...

ROLL TIDE!!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze

It's no secret I love me some Rescue Beauty Lounge (RBL) polish. If you look at our posts by tag, RBL is in second place.  I've been spoiling myself lately buying these puppies up, but my wallet really regrets it.  Purple Haze is one of those colors that, I really didn't need to buy, but I'm so happy I have.  There are similar purples out there.  And it's just a creme.  While the formula is great, I try to reserve my $18 bottle purchase for colors that are totally unique.  But RBL was closing it's salon, and my awesome friend Megan was going to see if they had any discontinued goodies in the store.  They didn't, but she did pick me up this.

This purple is so perfect.  It's right in the middle between light and dark.  It's perfectly cool toned.  The RBL website describes it as a vivid violet.  I agree, there is nothing dusty or dreary about this one.  Definitely another happy polish.  I have a feeling this might be my go to purple.  This is two coats here, but I probably could have done one.  Especially since I was planning on topping it with a Nfu-Oh #50.  And I'm quite pleased to announce that these pics are TRUE TO COLOR :) for once!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze

(click to enlarge)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze

Honestly, owning this polish now makes me want every RBL purple (I'm looking at you Mismas!!!).  But at $18 bucks a pop, only available from the Rescue Beauty website, I'm not sure I ever will.  The formula on this really is to die for though.  Like I said, I'm so happy to have it, just wish I wouldn't have spent $18 on it!!!

Essie Shelter Island

Hello my friends!  I'm back to show you what I promised, Essie Shelter Island all on its own!  I was surprised how much I loved this.  It doesn't seem all that exciting, but it's got an almost jelly texture (almost), which made me smitten over this bright blue.  In the bottle I thought it looked an awful lot like China Glaze Bahamian Escape, and a little like Barry M Bright Blue.  Boy was I wrong.  So at the end of this post you'll see a few comparison pics.

Essie Shelter Island is a beautiful bright sky blue.  It's so wonderfully happy and goes great with my skin tone (in my humble opinion).  I really do love blues and this one made me happy.  Like I mentioned before, I had to do 2 thick coats of this puppy to get an even consistency.  I think if I wore this again, I'd do three thin coats instead.  Either way, you end up with an almost jelly, shiny finish.  So lovely!

Now here is the funny part.  In the bottle, I thought Shelter Island looked a lot like Bahamian Escape. Bright Blue was close, but definitely not a dupe.  Good thing I slapped these one to compare.  Shelter Island is DEFINATELY unique in my collection.  It looks so bright and happy on it's own, but it's a lot darker when next to both Bahamian Escape and Bright Blue.  I actually was pleasantly surprised by Bahamian Escape, very light and one beautiful coat.  You can see it below on the left.  On the right side you will find Bright Blue, which wasn't as light as Bahamian Escape and definitely more neon, although it is absolutely not a neon polish. This was my first time with a Barry M polish, and while it's definitely good for the price point, I think I may swap this one away.  It needed 2 coats, and out of the 3 of these below, I like it the least.  And seriously, how many variations on sky blue do I need.

(Left to Right) China Glaze Bahamian Escape, Essie Shelter Island, Barry M Bright Blue
Outside in direct sunlight

Inside, you can really see how dark Shelter Island is compared to the others.  You can also see how Bright Blue is a smidge darker than Bahamian Escape.

(Left to Right) China Glaze Bahamian Escape, Essie Shelter Island, Barry M Bright Blue
Inside

Bad news is Shelter Island is limited edition and long gone as it came out with North Fork Collection in Spring of 2009!!!  I bought mine on a blog sale, but I did find one trusty e-tailer that had it.  Aveyou.com!  I'm pretty sure I'm pimped them before.  While you may not get a discount on the polish price, they often do have coupons and free shipping.  And you can reliably get this beauty (for $8) before it's gone forever.  Bahamian Escape on the other is pretty easy to find and several online retailers have it for $4 or less.  Barry M is a British brand not sold in the states, but you can order off their website, BarryM.com for about $5 bucks.

I definitely highly recommend Shelter Island if you can stand the coats, the texture of this one plus the color makes it a winner for me.  If you are looking for a one coat bright light sky blue, then also pick up Bahamian Escape.  I'd pass on Barry M Bright Blue.

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Shelter Island

I have a tiny confession to make, this mani is a little old.  I was saving it, so I wouldn't mess up our 100 post plans :).  So bear with me as you and I catch up on some past manis! 

So at this point, life it finally starting to calm down for me a bit, which is a great thing, cause at the time I did this mani, it was SUNNY!  And it was time for my now 8 year old nephew's birthday party.  I have never worn Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday before (I got it in a nail polish swap).  I figured it's one of those polishes I'll wear like once a year, if that, but still one I have to have.  I figured if I was ever going to wear it this year, it was going to be for my nephew's birthday party!  I picked out a nice blue (Essie Shelter Island) as a base for Happy Birthday.  Given the constant state of my peelies, my naked nails are not cute.  So a base is a must for me.  Essie Shelter Island is pretty awesome on it's own, I'll have a separate post on that next.

Happy Birthday seems to have a few incarnations, and I've got the 2nd generation.  The first generation has small square glitter, and large hexagonal glitter.  There is no square glitter in my polish, only hexagonal.  In both generations, the glitter is an array of colors all suspended in a clear base.  Apparently the Get The Party Started Set is a bit different, which has yet another generation of Happy Birthday.  Scrangie sums is up here, showing us that the new Happy Birthday looks less like clown/circus and more like rainbow sprinkles :).  I thought it was pretty funny Scrangie said that. because I remember thinking while I was taking these pictures, how much Happy Birthday looks like a clown barfed on my nails.  I think layering it over blue, brought out the yellow and orange glitter, which I wasn't crazy about.  If I wore this again, I'd try it over another color.  

Now onto the pictures.  This is two coats of Essie Shelter Island (thick coats), topped with 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday.  I think next time I may try wiping the brush a bit more  before applying to get a more sparse glitter effect.  Overall this was a great fun mani for a kid's birthday party.

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Shelter Island

(click to enlarge)

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Shelter Island

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday retails for a whooping $18 bucks at Nordstrom, Deborah Lippmann's site, or other online retailers like BeautyBar.com and Zappos.com.  Unless you are obsessed with multi-color glitter and Deborah Lippmann, this one will probably be a pass for most of you.  There are multiple good knock-offs of this at a very fair price.

Also, Courtney's 2nd post ever :) was Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday gradient over OPI Mad as a Hatter and Color Club What a Drag!  Check that out here!