JulieG Santorini Plus Nail Art

Hiya! Today is JulieG Santorini from the Cruise Collection. I love periwinkle colors so much, and this one doesn't disappoint in the least. There is a very faint shimmer that you can't really see on the nail, but you can catch it in the bottle. One thing I have to say about these polishes is they are super shiny even without topcoat. This one wasn't even thick like the others. Actually, it seems the 3 in this box were fine. Must have been a fluke, because this one is the quality I'm used to. Ok, on to the pics!

JulieG - Santorini

I decided to try a little dry-brush nail art. It was my first attempt and is obviously not that great, but I thought the idea was cute. It was a little busy, though. So, I thought well how about with a solid accent nail? Or AS and accent nail? And there you have it. Hehe.

Thanks for reading! I hope you're all having a great week. xoxo ~Tabi

NotD: JulieG Rio De Janiero

Second up in the JulieG/Jesse's Girl Cruise Collection is Rio De Janiero. This is a beautiful orchid/fuchsia color. All the polishes in this collection are a perfect grab of the Pantone Spring picks.

JulieG - Rio De Janiero

JulieG - Rio De Janiero & Maybelline - Beaming Blue

Isn't the color just stunning in the sun? With the bright blue and glitter it feels like something from the 80s... or perhaps Carnaval? Hehe. The Maybelline Beaming Blue is OVERLOADED with glitter. Like, to the point that I don't really like using it. The colors in the collection were pretty and I got 3 of them, but they're really only useable over a base color. On their own, it's a clumpy mess.

So, what do you think so far? Have you gotten the JulieG Cruise collection? Do you think you will? There's more to come, so stay tuned! ^_^  Later, lovlies!     XOXO ~ Tabi

Fancy Schmancy NotD

I'm still having fun with  my scrapbooking scissors. Today, I have another tape mani but with brighter, higher contrasting colors. I had seen swatches of Urban Outfitters Flip Flop and absolutely loved it. It's the perfect aqua color. Not too minty, not too blue or green. Even though I've had mixed results with their polish in the past, I knew I wanted this. I also picked up Bandeau and a couple others that you'll see when I use them. So first, Flip Flop.

Urban Outfitters Flip Flop

Just gorgeous! It went on perfectly in two coats, no issues. Then I got tape happy. Haha.

Direct Sunlight

Indirect Sunlight

Florescent Lighting

I have no idea why my skin looks so discolored. Anywho, if it weren't for the crooked design on my middle finger, I would have absolutely loved it. I think the silhouette has a very eastern feel. Like, maybe Moroccan or Indian? I should do it again with red and gold. Hehe.

That's all for now. Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!

September Maven Box

Hi-hi! Today's post is on the September Maven Box I got from Julep. Recently, I've been passing on them, but I really wanted to try the cleansing oil this month. I chose the Boho Glam box.

Julep September Boho Glam Maven Box

Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil

 
I know that oil is a bit taboo in American skincare and cosmetics, but I think there's some misconceptions about it. I know that cleansing and facial oils have been popular in Japan for quite some time. And let's face it, they have fabulous skincare and well...skin! I also read an article that said "oil-free" cosmetics and skincare aren't oil-free at all. They're only free of natural oils, but often contain synthetic oils, which can be even worse for your skin.

So, with all that in mind, I thought I'd try it. Lord knows my skin has been on the fritz lately. Anyway, I've been using it for about a week and I really like it. It has a refreshing citrus scent. The instructions say to use a generous amount. I've been using it before bed and use 3 pumps. It rinses off easily with no residue and in the morning I have no excess oil on my face. I hope to see some nice improvements in my skin by the end of the bottle. If so, I'll definitely buy it again.

On to the polish. This box contained two polishes: Kristy, a deep midnight blue, and Tatiana, an orange shimmer.

Julep Tatiana (top) and Julep Kristy (bottom)

 

I picked this box for Kristy. I thought it looked very pretty on Julep's site. Well...(insert deep sigh here), you can imagine my disappointment when I find that it's a thick, gloppy, stringy mess. Now, not everyone's was. I asked someone else who got the same box and theirs was fine. Just my luck, I guess. So, I don't know if it was because I got one from a bad batch or not, but it was also darker than I expected. I know my pics may not be the greatest quality, but even in real life you could almost never tell that it was blue. You can see that it's blue around the cuticles and tips, but that's about it.

Julep Kristy

Against my black purse you can tell it's blue.

Again, near black, you can tell it's blue.

Next is Tatiana. A pretty orange shimmer in a peach base. So much more than just orange, it has multiple colors of shimmer going on. I love this for Autumn. The formula on this was perfect. Go figure. This is two coats.

You can see the peach undertones in this pic.

Julep Tatiana

See the different shades of orange you get out of this? Love it.

One more thing that came in the box was a sample of their nail polish remover wipes. It was a single wipe in a pack like a wet nap. The wipe itself was really thick, almost like a piece of felt. This held a lot of acetone. If the wipe had been a little bigger I could have done all 10 fingers with one single wipe, and I'm used it to remove Kristy! So, if you're the type who hates to walk around with chipped polish, these will be super convenient.

So, that's it! I really hope Julep improves their consistency. I really like the variety of polish they offer, but it's always hit or miss quality. Have any of you had problems with Julep polish before? What do you think of these colors? Do you think you'd try an oil facial cleanser? Do you think they'll catch on they way bb cream did? I hope so. I'd love to try different ones without blowing my budget.

Well, I hope you all are having a great week. Thanks for reading! ^_^

Just a Couple Manis

Hello, everyone! And welcome to all my new readers. I'm sorry I haven't had anything new up. I was sick last week. I don't have any nail art to show today, but I do have 2 very pretty polishes.

First is China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle topped with KleanColor Aurora.

China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle & KleanColor Aurora

I love KleanColors but I hate the dry time. I really want all the chunky holo polishes they have, but if I'm just going to be annoyed every time I use them, it's not really worth it to me. (-_-)

Next is the gorgeous JulieG Mermaids Tale. This is a teal foil finish in a blue base. This is one of those polishes that you just need in your collection. I was at the gym staring at my nails in between workouts. People probably thought I was a space case. Haha. Oh well!

JulieG Mermaids Tale

JulieG Mermaids Tale

Welp, that's all folks. ^_^ If you haven't already, don't forget to enter my giveaway. I will be adding more polishes from the Leather Luxe collection. So, it will be a little sweeter of a prize. kthanxbai!

NotD & Giveaway! ***CLOSED***

 So, I'm finally getting a new post up after...oh I don't know...FOREVER. Sorry! I hope you all have been well. Thank you for sticking with me through my inconsistent posting. (^_^;)

Today's nails are actually going to be an example of how you can use some of the items in my giveaway! So, let's get right to it, shall we?

First, the Prizes! Because we all know that's what we're really here for. (^_~)

UPDATED: 5 Polishes instead of 3!

Turquoise Studs

Scrapbooking Scissors

I've tried to give some examples of how versatile the scissors can be. I'm sure you creative types can find even more ways. Be sure to share if you do! 

EDIT: I also got the black for myself. All prizes are new. This pattern is also slightly different than the scissors shown. I used my own, but they didn't have the same ones when  buying for my giveaway. They're very similar though.

I would suggest using masking tape because it's easier to cut with these kinds of scissors. Or you could fold scotch tape in half so its thicker and easier to cut. You would have to leave the ends apart so you can pull it apart again. This will also give you longer strips which you can cut to fit each nail or for multiple stripes on one nail. It will save time and give you consistent thickness.

Tape Mani w/ Scrapbooking Scissors

Fancy Tape Mani

SinfulColors Get It On w/ Design

SinfulColors Get It On

 As you can see, the Leather Luxe polishes are matte. With only one layer of topcoat they have a finished leather look, but aren't quite as shiny as regular polish unless you add another coat. I bought Get It On for myself because I don't really wear or have many red polishes. I thought this would be a one I would actually use.

So, that's it. Sorry, but this giveaway is U.S. only. However, I plan to do another giveaway for my 1-year blogiversary and hopefully I'll have something for my international followers in that one.

Thank you all so much for all the support you've given me so far. There have been many times that I considered giving up on the blog, but you all kept encouraging me. I wouldn't have made it this far without you. So, even though it's really small, I wanted to do this to show my appreciation for all of you. XOXO

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NotD: Easy Nail Art

Happy Monday Afternoon! Hope everyone's week started off well. Today, I have some easy but cute nail art. I used Urban Outfitters Slime and Sinful Colors Cream Pink. It's called cream, but it has a pretty little shimmer. As for Slime, I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in a previous post, but the formula sucks. Streaky on the first coat, pulls on the second, and chips so easily. As a matter of fact, you'll see in my pictures that I have a chip on the index finger. How? Well, I painted them late Saturday night so I thought I'd wait until morning for pics in the sunlight. A simple shower (meaning no hair washing) and BOOM! Chip. Yeah. Anywho! On to the pics! ^_^

Dots and Half Moon Accent Nail

Urban Outfitters Slime & Sinful Colors Cream Pink

My Chocolate Lab

So, indirect, direct, and alternate view with a guest appearance by my dog. Haha. I really do love the color of slime. It's a shame that I dread ever using it.

I free-handed the half moon and used a dotting tool for the dots. I dipped once for each nail so the dots got slightly smaller from base to tip. And that's it! I hope you like. Have a fabulous week!

Mini Haul with Swatches

Hello and Happy Friday! So, I rarely go to Walmart because we live kind of far, but we went last week and I found a few beauties. So let's get right to it! I did collages so this wasn't a total pic spam. First, bottle shots and names, in order, Salon Perfect Bermuda Baby is a GORGEOUS aqua with a very hard to capture pink-ish shimmer that combined with the base color comes off as a little violet.

Salon Perfect Bermuda Baby

Next up is Wet n Wild Eggplant Frost. Perfect name. Absolutely has that red-violet base with the blue shimmer that makes it look like a shimmery eggplant. Very pretty.

Wet n Wild Eggplant Frost

Finally, Pure Ice Heartbreaker. I almost got this one before, but passed on it. Well, I couldn't pass it up twice. It's just so fabulous in the bottle. Totally reminds me of an iceberg. But since it's really sheer and more of a topper, that won't translate to my nails. It was still beautiful though. I don't think my pictures even do it justice. I do plan on trying it over a few more colors though.

Pure Ice Heartbreaker

Shall we get to the nails? First, I have to apologize for some stained cuticles. We all know how dark colors can do that. Okay, here's Bermuda Baby. Surprise! It's a matte! I totally didn't expect that, but I love it. This is 2 thin coats. There's a little visible nail line, but not enough to bother me. The dry time was great! In the two bottom pics you can kind of see the color shift on the pinky.

It's just as pretty, if not more, with a topcoat. Again, I tried to show the color shift since the shimmer was hard to pic up. So, you can see the pic on the left has that violet hue while the right is a bright aqua. I haven't been this pleased with a polish purchase in a long time. You ladies know the feeling of disappointment that I'm talking about. Well, this won't do that!

Next is Eggplant Frost. I tend to paint my nails rather late, so I didn't think about showing this with a matte finish. I'll try to remember the next time I wear it, but how pretty is that shimmer?

Here it is, Heartbreaker, and boy is it! I'm actually still wearing this mani from three days ago because it's so freaking pretty! So, this is one generous coat over black and Pure Ice French Kiss which is such a pretty blue on it's own. Over black it gives the typical green shimmer that other effect toppers do, but over the blue...oh man! It's like gazing out over deep blue tropical waters with the sun sparkling on the surface. Seriously, it's so pretty that the first day I was wearing it, I kept getting distracted. During work, at the gym. I probably looked like a total airhead. Haha! Like I said, it's so pretty over the blue that I have to try it over some other colors.

Here it is with a matte finish. Still pretty, but definitely better with shine. This is also, obviously, the mani with stained cuticles. SORRY! Hopefully, the polish is enough of a distraction. (^_^;) Eheh.

Well, we've reached the end of this mini haul journey. If you've been pondering any of these, I hope I helped you make a decision. If these weren't even on your radar, I hope they are now! Alright, have a good weekend!

Mommy-Daughter NotD

Happy Friday! So, I finally used that topper with the mylar flakes! I used it over SinfulColors Cotton Candy because I'm not prone to using that bright of a pink. The L.A. Colors definitely darkened it up and I thought it was very pretty. It has a pink tinted base with iridescent mylar shreds and iridescent glitter. I love it.

Look at the Pretty Mylar Flakes!

SinfulColors Cotton Candy & L.A. Colors Broken Hearted

 I think I need to try it over black next time, because the iridescence was very subtle, but this was also only one coat. Also, some of the larger shreds did stick up a little. I don't know if a second layer of topcoat would help that or not, but it wasn't unbearable to me.

Finally, my daughter wanted to wear textured polish. She called it the "bumpy polish." She chose JulieG Tangerine Dream and Hot Cinnamon from the Frosted Gumdrops collection. Despite the caption, she actually asked me to take a picture of her nails. (^_^)

Ugh, Mom, I'm trying to color here.

 Alrighty, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. There's a food truck war going on in my town that we might hit up. If we do, there might be some extra non-polish pics in the next post. (^_~)y Peace.