Julep Oscar Collection Review

A few days ago, in honor of the Academy Awards, I showed you Julep Viola topped with Julep Oscar.  I received these 2 polishes in my Julep Maven box for February.  I also received the other polishes, as well as Viola and Oscar, to review.

 Elizabeth - Deep purple with multicolored shimmer.  This one reminded me of a darker, blackened version of Grape...Set...Match from OPI's Serena Williams collection.  The shimmer in this amazing.  Formula was perfect.  2 coats.

Glenn - red foil.  In the bottle and on the nail, this one was more true-red, than berry red, as shown in the picture.  That said, it's still a gorgeous color.  This one had the best formula of the 7 in the collection, and though it's a red, it's probably my favorite.  It really reminded me of OPI's Red Like Roses or Never Lon-Done Shopping (both favorites of mine and both long-discontinued).  This will look fantastic around the holidays. 2 coats, but it was opaque at 1.

Marisa - deep blue shimmer.  Julep's website and PR information called this one a "cobalt blue".  However, IMO, it's more of a very deep cerulean blue, as it does lean a bit green.  It almost reminds me of bluer Zoya Charla (and all the dupes), though it's much darker, and doesn't have the foily finish.  Y'all know me and my sparkly blues, so it will come as no surprise when I say I love this one.  2 coats.

Meryl - medium true grey.  I'm calling this a medium grey, but it's definitely on the lighter side of medium.  It's also not a taupe or a "greige", but a true grey.  I was kind of afraid it would wash me out or give me lobster hands, but it looked fine with my skin.  This collection is full of deep rich colors, so, at first, this grey creme seemed a bit out of place.  And I still wish they'd gone with something more vibrant for Meryl Streep, though when you think of it this matches her hair in "The Devil Wears Prada", so maybe they were right on the money.  LOL.  The formula on this one was thin, but very manageable, and was opaque in 2 coats.

Oscar - bright gold glitter.  As I mentioned in my earlier review, this can be worn as either a top coat or on it's own.  This is 3 coats of Oscar, so it is possible to reach opacity without having to apply a gazillion coats.  This is gorgeous, but somewhat distracting, and I'm not sure how this would be a practical look unless, of course, you were going to a party at Puff Daddy's house, but nonetheless, it's a beautiful glitter.  Application was super easy.  3 coats.  

Rachel - Deep copper shimmer.  This one reminded me of another copper by Julep, Zoe, though this one was much more wearable for me.  Rather than looking like a new penny, it looked like an old penny, only shiny (if that makes sense).  It also had that beautiful effect of looking blackened around the edges, kind of like a copper version of China Glaze Thunderbird.  The application on this was fantastic.  It was a little brushstrokey, as you can see in the pictures, but in all honesty, without the macro, the strokes weren't noticeable at all.  2 coats.  

Viola - deep browned purple.  As I mentioned in my previous post, this is a fantastic vampy color that I think looks amazing on shorter nails.  I also think this one is a bit unique in the fact that there is a good amount of brown in the base, so it's not a straight-up vampy purple.  Also, unlike a lot of other colors like it this one does not look muddy without topcoat.  I find that a lot of vampies can look muddy or dull until you layer them with TC, but that did not happen with this one and that gives it a major thumbs-up from me.  Additionally, I wanted to mention that in my previous review, I stated that I had a hard time with the application because the polish was very thick.  However, with the bottle that I received with this collection, rather than the one in my Maven box, I had none of the application problems I had before.  It applied very well, and in fact, was a lot like Meryl in that formula was a little on the thin side.  So perhaps I just received a bum bottle in my Maven box.  2 coats.  

As I previously mentioned, I am a HUGE fan of the movies and the Oscars, so I love this collection.  Glenn, Marisa, and Elizabeth were the definite standouts for me, though there wasn't a dud in the bunch.  Julep polishes are available on their website.  They are a little on the pricey side at $14 a bottle, though I recommend following them on Twitter and FB because they are often running discounts and specials.  You can also sign up to be a Julep Maven and receive a selection of polishes and other products for $19.99 and they often have codes to get your first Maven box greatly reduced.

These were sent to me for review

Julep Maven - Box 1

So last week, right after I showed you my review for Julep polishes, I caved and joined the Julep Maven program.  I thought it was a great deal at $19.99, and also, as nail mail is one of my guilty pleasures, I figured it was a good way to get a box of nail goodies every month.

I received my first box today, and I am very happy with it.  Here's what I found when I opened the box (it was all in a gift bag, btw)...

And here are the 2 colors I received...

Samantha - bright pink.  This one is amazing.  It has a jelly-ish finish, but it was opaque in 2 coats.  

Zoe - bright copper.  Seriously.  This is like the color of new pennies.  This is one of their not-yet-released fall colors.  3 coats.  

This is the "Bombshell" box.  Honestly, I had to do a little manipulation to get this box.  I took the "style quiz" at least twice, and it each time it came back as "All American Beauty".  Well, while that may fit my fashion sense, it's not exactly what I prefer on my nails.  So, I chose the strappy shoes instead of the platforms, Chanel as my designer, rather than J.Crew, and picked Colin Farrell over George Clooney (what?) and voila... I'm a Bombshell.

Also, keep in mind that Julep has a few coupon codes for the Maven program floating around.  I think there is one on Facebook, and also, when I took the quiz, I got a code in my email box to for 1/2 off my first month.  Unfortunately, I had already joined by that point, and I'm still trying to see if I can get that retroactively applied.  So be sure to check for those codes before joining.  

Even with paying full price, I still think this is a great deal.  I know Julep polishes get a bit of a bad rap for being such a small amount (.27 oz, compared to .5 for OPI), but as I have NEVER used a full bottle of polish, I think I'm good.  LOL.  Plus, there are other goodies, and 20% off all other items that you order (I am eyeing Stella) and free shipping (which when I get free shipping, I feel like I've won the lottery, so that's awesome!).

And, if you refer your friends to Julep, you will get $15 when they become a Maven as well.  You can join the Julep Maven program on their website, or by clicking here.

I paid for my own membership to the Maven program.  However, the links within this post are affiliate links.  I will receive $15 when you join by using my link.  When you join, you will get your own link.

OPI Burlesque Shimmers

Better late than never... here are the shimmers from OPI's Holiday 2010 collection, inspired by the movie Burlesque.

Ali's Big Break - bright pinkish-red jelly with golden and red shimmer.  This is one almost exactly the color of candy apples, though it seems a tad pinker.  The irregular shimmer is large and, due to the jelly base, it doesn't get lost.  I found myself moving my fingers all around and staring at my nails.  3 coats.

Let Me Entertain You - Bright fuchsia with golden and pink shimmer.  Like Ali's Big Break, this one has the same golden shimmer.  However, in Let Me Entertain You, because it's not a jelly, it gives the polish more of a metallic finish.  3 coats.

Rising Star - Coppery-gold metallic.  One of the more metallic colors in the collection.  At first, I thought it might be dupey to OPI Bling Dynasty, but I was wrong.  Rising Star is definitely more of a copper-gold, and doesn't have the pink and green shimmer of Bling Dynasty.  Like all golds, I loved this one in the bottle, loved the color as I was applying it, but didn't really like it with my pink skin.  2 coats.

Take the Stage - Rusty copper metallic.  Like Rising Star, this one is of the more metallic colors.  This one also has a fair amount of pink it it, as it looks like a happy marriage between a rose-gold and a reddish-copper.  3 coats.

Tease-y Does It - Smoky plummy-brown shimmer with dark pink and golden shimmer particles.  Unlike Let Me Entertain You, the shimmer in this one is very fine.  I also find that it as a tendency to get lost in the base, unless you are in direct light.  In the bottle, this one looks like it would a duochrome, but sadly, that doesn't translate to the nail.  I know this is a favorite of many nail bloggers and MUA members, and I really tried to like it, but there is something about it that makes me not love it.  3 coats.

The Show Must Go On - Deep orange-pink/golden-slightly-coppery duochrome metallic.  This one is most like Rising Star and Take the Stage in finish, with the only difference being the duochrome.  Supposedly, it's similar to MAC Bad Fairy, but evidentially they aren't dupes.  I wasn't able to snag Bad Fairy, as I was on vacation, but after seeing swatches, I think I prefer The Show Must Go On.  I wore it as a full mani and couldn't stop staring at my hands.  It's probably my favorite of this part of the collection.  3 coats.  

I know much of the buzz surrounding this collection was focused on the glitters, and yes, they are beautiful, but this part of the collection is no less awesome.  For me, The Show Must Go On, Ali's Big Break, and Let Me Entertain You were real stand-outs, though I fully admit I'm probably broken for not liking Tease-y Does It.  As for the formula, you'll notice that most of these were 3 coats.  As someone that loves 2-coaters, polishes that require 3 coats to reach opacity make me a little nervous.  That said, the formula on these was as such that 3 coats was not a problem, and you will probably want to do 3 coats in order to reach full depth of color and shimmer.  

This collection is now available at salons, brick and mortar beauty supply shops, and online e-tailers.  OPI retails for $8.50.  

Hopefully, I will have the glitter part of the collection up for you within the next few days.  

These were sent to me for review.

Yes, Another Falling Leaves Mani

I'm not sure if it's because of my aforementioned depression or another reason, but I've been feel wholly uninspired as of late. All of my manis have been disappointing in one way or another, so for my current mani, I turned to a design that I knew worked.

I know I've posted 2 previous falling leaves manis and I'm sure you guys are sick of them, but as fall is coming to an end in a little over a month, I figured I'd better get to cracking if I was going to do another. Plus, I just really love them.

For this one, I used a base of OPI All A-Bordeaux the Sled. For the leaves, I used plate m20 and ChG Joy, Delight, and Magical.




All A-Bordeaux the Sled is from OPI's new holiday 2009 Holiday Wishes collection. It's a deep brown/wine vampy creme. It reminds me of those chocolates that have wine in them. On the nail, it's definitely more brown that wine, but there's a nice wine-y undertone that keeps it from being muddy, a problem I find with vampy cremes. I know some reviews said it was nothing special, but I really like this color. If fills a gap for me, as I don't have many vampy cremes, especially not many that aren't purple based, but if you do, it may be a pass.

As for application, it took 2 coats to be opaque. The formula was pretty easy to handle on this one. Not too thin, not too thick. OPI seems to be getting better and better w/ their B3F formula.

The ChGs, of course, are from the Romantiques collection. I swear, I can't help myself from konadding with these. They are perfect every time. I chose Joy (a warm purple), Magical (a rose gold) and Delight (a copper) because I thought they worked well with AA-BtS, but any color from the warm Romatiques collection (and probably a couple from the cool collection) would have been awesome.

I got AA-BtS at TD for $4.99. They also have the Romantiques for $2.60.

Also, I've been using a new top coat, Beauty Secrets Top Coat. It's available at Sally's for ~$3 with a Sally's card. I really like it. It dries nails super fast. Unfortunately, I got some shimmer in my bottle, so if it looks like there's shimmer on AA-BtS, there's not... it's just my bottle of TC.

Lastly, I used Kiss Curved Tips as my nails for this mani. I have been using Nailenes pretty much exclusively, but I wanted something longer for a change. I really like using the Kiss tips, as it's easier to handle them than the full nails, because they are longer. I just cut them down to my desired length.

I hope you guys like this mani, and I should be back with more in the next few days. :)

A Couple Previous KOTDs, a Current NOTD and a Score!

I've been having some issues with my present nail/glue combo lasting for more than a day, so I have a couple KOTDs to show, both of which were removed before they'd even been on 24 hrs.

The first KOTD was achieved using Nina Pro In A Tiff, konad plate m64 and a combination of colors which included Misa Chocolate Icing, ChG Adore and Passion. I also matted it with Orly Matte Top. I swear I've become addicted to matting lately.

I loved this look on the nail, but once you saw the whole package with my hands and skin tone, it just looked odd. I was prepared to leave it on for a few days, but due to my aforementioned issues, it was lifting by that evening.

In A Tiff is a soft Tiffany-esque blue that is very similar to For Audrey. Unfortunately, there is too much light green in it for it work w/ my skin. Chocolate Icing is a rich metallic brown in the bottle, but on the nail, it looked like a brick red. Though, I bet w/ more coats, it would be bottle color. Adore is a metallic blue and Passion is a metallic gold.

Nina Pro is available at Sally's. Adore and Passion are from the Romantiques collection and though I have no idea what collection Chocolate Icing is from, it is available at TD. In a Tiff applied okay. This is 2 coats. It was a little thin, so it was a tad difficult to control.

This second KOTD is OPI Music Hall Curtain Call with plate m20 and ChG Passion, Cherish, and Poetic (I think... for some reason, my brain is shot today). I also used Matte Top.

Yes, another "falling leaves" konad. I loved the first one so much that I had to try it with another color combination and I may have to try it yet again, so if you get tired of the leaves, I apologize in advance. I loved this one as well, and MHCC actually worked with my skin because there is so much pink in it. Unfortunately, it was lifting up as well, so I had to remove it. I also had other issues (with both of these, in fact... but more on that in a bit).

MHCC is from OPI's Holiday 2006 Rockettes collection. It's a gorgeous pink-copper-orange-gold metallic. It kind of reminds me of Man of La Mancha, if MoLM had been a foil-ly metallic and not a duochrome. Shiny, it's a hard color to describe, but matted, it becomes a rusty orange with tons of pink undertones. That's why it worked with my skin. I have 4 from this collection and each one is a amazing. I got mine on eBay for ~$7, and I think at this point, it's only available at eBay or in a dusty. This is 2 coats.

Lastly, 2 of my local Krogers are closing to consolidate into one big Kroger. I'm a little miffed about them closing my favorite Kroger, but since they are marking down all cosmetics to clear them out, I'd dealing. Last night, my sister and I happened to go to the other Kroger that is closing (I've already shopped the one near me 3-4x). And lo and behold, they had an OPI Espana display on the top shelf. WHA??? They were marked down to $3.99. There were only 4 left, but I snatched them up. Then some older woman proceeded to stalk me for 10 minutes seeing if I'd put them up. No way, lady... these were mine. I got Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, Suzi Skiies the Pyrenees, No Spain No Gain, and Pamploma Purple (my current NOTD). I was so excited I couldn't pass them up, despite my no buy.

Finally, here's a pic of Pamploma Purple. No flash, so you can get a true color representation.

I apologize for the glue around my cuticles. I've since cleaned it off. As for the color, It's an amazing plum-my purple with very fine and sparse purple shimmer. In fact, you'd think this was a creme until you got right on it and held your hand at just the right angle. The shimmer is not noticeable in the bottle. This is 2 coats and it applied like a dream. However, I did have an issue with it bubbling on 2 nails on my right hand.

Also, as I mentioned this earlier in this post, I wanted to tell you all of an issue I'm having with Orly Matte Top. Lately, it's taking forever to dry and it's making the polish very soft in the process, so I'm getting tons of dings. I think the problem is that I'm applying it over set, but not fully cured nail polish. I don't have this problem when I apply it over NP that is 1-2 days old.

Not sure if I'll be around much this w/e as I'm planning on finishing the murals in my kids' rooms. Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend.

Falling Leaves KOTD mattified

I'm not going to do too much gabbing here. I just wanted to do a quick post of this mani before I head out to run errands. This is the mani I posted the other day (2nd one down), topped with a coat of Orly Matte Top. I adored this shiny, but there's something so pretty about it matted. The colors in the design become much more pronounced and there's a crispness to it that you don't see when it's shiny.

Two Fall KOTDs

I loathe summer. Can't stand it. I hate the sun. Hate the heat. Hate seeing half-dressed people showing their non-sandal-worthy feet. Hate. In fact, I'm pretty much Megan Grumpypants from May to October. And thought it's not yet October, it is finally fall. Yay! So I wanted to do something to celebrate it.


This first KOTD was created using my previous VSB mani. I used ChG Delight and plate m56. M56 is a french plate, but I suck at those, so I just use it for creating diagonal lines. It's easier to control that way.





Unfortunately, after I did it and it had dried, I noticed that my nails were lifing up. :( So I removed them and started fresh this morning.

For this next mani, I used OPI Midnight in Moscow as a base and ChG Passion, Emotion, and Delight as my konad colors. I used plate m20. I wasn't planning on doing a konad on this mani, but I wasn't very happy with MiM. It took 3 coats to reach full opacity and by that point, it was so saturated with color that I couldn't see any of the red sparkle, outside of full sun. So I decided to jazz it up with a konad.




I love this. This is my first time using 3 colors and I just let the leaves be free form. There's no rhyme or reason to my placement other than making sure I had a good mix of the colors on each nail.

If you are interested, MiM is from OPI's F/W 2007 Russia Collection and the ChGs are from the Romantiques collection. MiM is gorgeous in the bottle, but on the nail, it didn't live up to my expectations. However, I love it as the base for this konad.

ChG Delight Swatch

In yesterday's KOTD post, I mentioned swatching ChG Delight on it's own. It's such an amazing color, and I don't think it's gotten it's due accolades. I don't think the Romantique collection in general has been praised nearly enough, to be honest, and I think I'm part of the problem. I only use them for konadding because they are pretty much flawless when used with a Konad. While I'll continue to use them as my go-to konad colors, I need to start using them as full-nail colors. There are some real winners in the collection.

While I didn't use it for a mani (yet), I did a quick and dirty swatching with Delight. Please see the post linked above for KOTD with Delight. And while I loved it for the konad, it was just as amazing on the nail by itself.

These pics are one coat. One. It was a wee bit brushstrokey, but given the finish, you'd think it would be a lot more difficult. As for the color, I know I sound like a broken record, as this is how I described it yesterday, but it looks like newly minted, uncirculated pennies. And though the collection was released in the spring, this color would be fab for fall.

I don't know if you can still find these in B&M stores, as the collection came out in the Spring. Perhaps at independent beauty supply stores, but Sally's has been out of these for months. I got mine from VNS, but all the big e-tailers carry them. And in the less-than $3 range online, it's perfect.

KOTD: OPI Taos Twist w/ ChG Delight

I'm sure you all are aware that I'm an eBay junkie. Before I started this cold-turkey no-buy, I had a wonderful, er... bad habit of clicking BIN on rare/HTF OPIs if the price wasn't bananas. Well, one night while the house was quiet and I was feeling spendy, I bought OPI Taos Twist. I've been lemming OPI Hey Vito! Is My Car Red-y, something fierce, and I just can't bring myself to spend almost $40 shipped for a damn bottle of OPI. $10...> okay, $20...? rarely, but okay. $30+...? No thanks.

Since I'm unwilling to pull the trigger on Vito, I've been trying to find other red dupey OPIs. Now, I realize OPI red cremes are like Starbucks... everywhere, but there's something about that Italian Stallion, Vito, that makes me crazy, so I've been trying to find something close and cheaper. That's what lead me to say YES to Taos Twist.

Oddly, enough, TT is much older than Vito, but it's less expensive. Go figure. It's from OPI's 1993 Fall/Winter Alpine Collection. The only remaining, non-d/c'd color from this collection is Deer Valley Spice. Everything else is gone to np heaven, including TT. I'm a sucker for d/c'd, rare, HTFs, so after reading a description of the color, I pulled the trigger. I got it for $13 shipped. As far as I know, you can only find this one either on eBay or at dusties. Here's a pic of TT by her lonesome on my nails:

TT is a true red creme. It's warmish, but it doesn't pull orange, so it looks good w/ my pale skin. The pic is 2 coats w/ one coat of TC. Also, it was a bit of a PITA to apply. It was super thin and runny and I really had to work w/ it. All in all, I liked the color, but I left my nails kind of long this go around, and that coupled with my man-ish fingers gave me tranny hooker hands, so I opted to tone the red down w/ a konad.

For this, I used ChG Delight from the Romantiques warm collection. Delight is the color of brand-new pennies. I'd never used this color before on any konad, but I've fallen in love w/ it. One day, I plan to do a full mani w/ it. It's so pretty. I also did a freehand french with Delight, just because I felt the design needed something to finish it off. Plate is m21.

I'm debating whether or not to matte this one, too. It seems like I have to matte every color on my nails at some point or another. I love it, though. It's a great way to perk up a mani w/o having to redo anything.

So w/ this post, I am caught up on my NOTDs. I have a few manis hiding on my camera that I need to show you at some point, and I hope to do it soon, but being a scatterbrained as I am, no one plan on it. 'k? :P