More Nail Art! Featuring Julep Parker

Hellloooo!

So I've had this on hold for a while...honestly I kind of forgot about this until I saved my previous polka dot post in my nail art file and saw it there!

It was more of a spring polish post rather than summer, but I still like it!  I finally found a Julep color that I really liked: a bright orange called Parker!  I believe I used 2 coats for this mani, and it went on surprisingly well.  A lot of people don't like the Julep brush, but every once in a while it works great for me!

I don't have many pics but I'll show you ladies anyawy!

At the time I really liked it, but looking back, I probably should've used dotting tools rather than the nail art brush I used!  I stamped the flower using a born pretty plate and then did some yellow dots using China Glaze Happy Go Lucky.  I told you girls I loved polka dots!

Too bad everyone at work thought I was wearing orange and white to support the University of Tennessee.  Silly people, Ohio State all the way ;)  I just like orange!  And boy do they ALL like orange down here! 

I think I'm going to try stamping more often...maybe for my 4th of July mani along with my U.S.A-mericium polish :) 

Hope you guys enjoyed my messy polka dots!

<3 Whitney

More Pretty Julep Polishes: Demi + Oscar

Hey ladiesssss.

I've got an interesting combo for you today.  I am still part of the Julep Maven program but I usually only get the box every other month or so because I'm never thrilled with the stuff in it.  The last box I received was Oscar's themed and came with a dark chocolate "Academy Award", two polishes (Demi and Oscar), and Julep Topcoat for Hair (which is what I really wanted).  Anywho, I always end up putting them on the back burner to try but I was in the mood for a red recently so I thought Demi would be perfect:

Demi is a dark red-wine jelly polish that is a must-have for any red fan.  I really am loving jellies more and more every time I get one to try because the formulas are always so good.  I wish I could find more in colors I love!  This jelly polish is super pigmented and only needed 2 coats for full coverage, but I think I could've just stuck to one if I had been in a hurry.  The only bad thing about this polish is that I had a hard time cleaning it up around my cuticles.  However, it didn't end up staining my nails really so I guess I just need to be more careful!

I decided to pair this polish with one coat of Julep Oscar: a gold glitter in a clear base and here's how it turned out:

Julep Oscar on its own: 3 coats.

I do like both of these polishes.  Oscar ended up being much easier to manage and not as thick as other Julep glitters I've tried.  Despite the great formulas, I already have a few similar colors in my stash (at least 2 other similar reds and 3+ gold glitters), and since I'm trying to purge my stash a little, I decided to put these up on my blog sale!  So if you like them, give 'em a looksie :)

<3 Whitney

Julep Viola!

Happy Daylight Savings Day!  Did everyone set their clocks forward?  I actually can't believe it went by so fast since I set our clocks back...I just saw the other day that I missed the one in our guest bedroom and almost changed it until the BF told me that there were only a few more days before they switched again!  Cray-zay.

Before it's officially "spring" I've got one more dark wintery polish to show you: Julep Viola.

Viola is a deep purple-wine colored jelly with red undertones that looks purple in the bottle but appears nearly black n the nail after just two coats.  Initially after one coat, even though it wasn't totally opaque, you could still tell it was purple, but after two coats, it was hard to tell unless in direct sunlight.

Natural lighting

Natural lighting

Artificial Lighting...you can see a bit of purple in the bottle here

Even though Julep isn't my favorite brand, the formula on this jelly was pretty good.  And normally I'd be happy about a 2-coater, but I was bummed it seemed more black than purple.

I think I've actually got the hang of Julep polish application down now pretty decently.  Even though the brush is absurdly long and I normally have issues with a glob of polish running down the length of the brush and ruining the polish.  However, I found that if you get the timing down right, you can paint one nail and up to two or three more with the excess polish without dipping the brush back into the bottle.  So that was cool for me, haha.

Anyway, I like this polish more in the bottle, but it's just too dark for me to wear normally.  I've put this polish, among others, for sale on my blog sale, so you should check it out!  I recently added a few more polishes and lowered some prices!

<3 Whitney

Julep Vanessssaaa!

Hey pretties :)

For being a Julep maven, I don't do many Julep reviews.  I loved my first box, but everything since then has been sub par for me :-/  I skipped this month, but I'm still in the program to see if anything exciting comes up!  Are any of you in the program?  I actually haven't even tried the past few polishes I've received yet, hah!

But here's one for you!  I wanted to do a mani that I knew for sure wouldn't stain my nails pink or yellow, so I decided to wear ORLY Au Champagne under Julep Vanessa, here's how it turned out:

Vanessa is a pretty white holo glitter.  You can see all of the colors a lot better in the bottle rather than on my nails in this picture.  My only qualms with this polish was that it was kind of thick to apply.  And I don't know if it's because of it's thickness, but it made the bottle appear to not be filled all of the way.  Check out the second picture....this has only been used once, it shouldn't be that low.  I think it's just so thick and stuck to the lid and brush, meh.  I don't have any thinner, but when I get some I'll have to add it to this polish first!

Did any of you mavens get Vanessa in your past boxes?  Did you like it?  Was yours as thick as mine?  Let me know!

<3 Whitney

Julep Maven Program

Okay!  Real quick....I'm going to show you ladies what I got from my two months in the Julep Maven Program!  You get $40+ worth of Julep products every month, personalized so you'll enjoy it, for only $20/month.  And you can cancel or skip a month at any time.

I signed up in time for the September box and used a 50% off coupon so my first box was only $10! Here's what I got:

First up!  I got the Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub (normally $32).  Here's what Julep has to say about it: "Potent glycolic acid combined with apricot seeds provides powerful double exfoliation that leaves your hands feeling noticeably softer and looking younger after just one use.  Naturally scented with orange oil for a refreshing aromatherapy boost with each use."

Next I got the Julep Nail Therapy (normally $16)--a clear base coat that increases nail strength and flexibility!

I also got two nail polish colors.  Samantha (normally $14) is the bright pink polish on the right and Zoe ($14), the copper polish on the left.  Here's a better picture of Zoe:

So I got my whole box for $10 that had $76 worth of products in it!  I enjoyed it.  I have only tried the glycolic hand scrub once--it's a great exfoliator but I kind of forget to use these kinds of things.  I do like the nail therapy a lot, though!

For my October box, here's what I got:

I just received this box the other day and I haven't tried anything except Julep Chloe (the dark purple polish on the left), but I can let you know what I got anyway:

The Age Defying Hand Brightener (normally $32).  Here's what Julep has to say about it since I haven't tried it yet: "The Age Defying Hand Brightener visibly minimizes the appearance of fine lines and age spots on your hands, adding radiant glow and evening skin tone.  Contains rare African plant extracts that are clinically proven to block melanin production and reduce hyper-pigmentation and micro light diffusing technology gives hands an instant glowing and luminescent appearance.  Advanced emulsion system imparts water-resistant, non-greasy softness."  Sounds great and I'm pumped to try it with the Hand Scrub!

I also got two colors: Chloe, which I already reviewed, and a beautiful white glitter top coat called Vanessa.  $60 worth of product for only $20!

Initially I passed on this month because I was short on cash, but it got sent to me on accident anyway.  I'm glad it did!  Although unfortunately, since the neighbor kids are shady, the box had been ripped open and gone through :/

I think the Julep maven program is a really good deal if you like their products!  You should sign up and try it, especially because you can get the first box for cheap!  You even get free shipping and 20% off every time you order something from Julep if you're a Maven!

Use my referral link to sign up (I get credit for it!) and try these two coupon codes to get your first box for only $5!  "FIRST 5" or "WELCOMEMV5" or "FB".  Hopefully one of those works for you! 

Good luck ladies!

<3 Whitney

31 Day Challenge, Day 6! Julep Chloe!

Soooo I haven't been showing off my Julep Maven boxes...I promise I'll do that tomorrow and show you ladies who haven't signed up what you can get!

What I got from my October box included Julep Chloe...in the bottle it's a beautiful dark purple with suspended purple glitter that looks just awesome.

On the nail, however it looks almost black unless you're in the sunlight.  It's a bit too dark for me personally, but it's a great fall/winter color and I'm hoping it'll grow on me...'cause I'm not going to have time to do them again for a few days!

You can see the purple in the bottle in this picture

Nails look black...eh.

The polish itself didn't have the best consistency.  I haven't got the Julep application down yet--since the bottle is so skinny and the brush is so long, it is hard to get excess polish off of the brush.  If you don't get enough excess off, it runs down the whole length of the brush before you're done painting the nail...and ugh!  Some of the other Julep polishes aren't as bad, but since this one was a thicker polish, it was hard.  Howeverrrr I ignored the thickness and celebrated because this polish covered completely in only two coats!  It tried a little more matte than I prefer as well, but with some Seche Vite top coat it was awesomely shiny!  Horray!

How are you guys enjoying the Maven program?  What category did you get?  I got Bombshell.  Sounds sexy...not sure how I got there lol.

<3 Whit

Julep Maven Discount! Get the first month box for only $10!

Hello my lovelies!  No, I did not fall off the face of the earth.  I'm sorry I haven't been updating.  I know I said I would, and I did well for about a week or so, I am still having trouble adjusting to my work schedule and just don't feel like doing anything when I get home!  I'll get some up soon, promise!

Anywho--I don't know if you ladies have heard about the Julep Maven program...I assume a lot of you have since they had some issues starting up, but it's all good now!  Basically you can visit the site for Julep, which is a smaller nail polish company based out of Seattle, sign up to become a Julep Maven and receive a box with more than $40 worth of beauty products every month at a discounted price and free shipping!

What you do is use this link (which is my referral link) to sign up and take their quick Style Quiz, which sticks you into a category so they can send you products that line up with your personal style!  I got put into the "Bombshell" category and this is what I'm getting in my first box:

-A new, not yet released fall nail polish called Zoe
-Bright pink polish, Samantha
-A nail prep product that corresponds to my "nail health" profile I filled out
-Julep "facial for hands" glycolic hand scrub

It's only $19.99 a month which includes free shipping and you can cancel at any time or request a new box if they pull some stuff you have or don't want!  You can even skip a month if you can't afford it, or easily get it shipped to someone else as a gift, and it comes wrapped already!  You also get 20% off and free shipping with all other Julep purchases!

SO it sounds like a pretty sweet deal, I think!  But you know what makes it sweeter? There's a $10 off coupon code I found that works right now! So you can get your first box for only $9.99!! That means you can try it for half the price and if you don't like the program, you can cancel and only be out $10.

Soooo please use my referral link and sign up and then use the code 'GET10' when you're checking out!  I can't promise this code is going to work forever...I'd assume it's only for the weekend, but try it out, and enjoy!

Yay!  Have fun, ladies :)