Julep Plie Wand Reveal

Hey hey there!

I didn't abandon you again.  lol I was just busy.  (:  So tonight I have a different kind of post.  It's not really a review as it is just an introduction to a new product.  I finally received the Julep Plie Wand.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this product, it's basically a magnetic attachment that you place on the provided caps, and it's supposed to make polish your nails easier.

This is a photo of the box but there is a YouTube video below where you can see how it works and listen to all my ramblings.

I'm not going to type out everything that I said in the video because it's a lot but I will add a small update.  I didn't mention this in the video (because I just figured it out) but the extra cap that I show you doesn't fit on the Julep polish bottle because it's defective.  Actually 2 out of the 3 I received are defective.  The brush handle is stuck inside the magnetic cap cover.  /:

So if you have this product let me know what you think.  Did you have the same thoughts or issues as I did?  Did you love it?  Let me know in the comments below. (:

Dark Rose Mani

Hey Everyone!  I can't wait to show you all this mani.  I don't even know how I came up with it, but it's so ME!  Let's check it out!

I started with two coats of a sparkly dark grey that I mixed myself awhile ago.  Then I used Julep Joy (mauve) and Zoya Posh (red) to create the abstract roses.  Then with my go-to black creme, Sinful Black on Black, and a super skinny nail art brush I added random curved lines to make the roses look like actual roses and less like red and mauve blobs.  Then with the same black polish, I did a color block.  I also used Zoya Veruschka mixed with a little Zoya Zuza to create the perfect green leaves and then I added a matte top coat and done!

I think this is such a cool, gothic style mani with a little bit of a girly flare.  It's definitely something I would be seen in if it were a fabric.  I actually used to have a dress that sort of looked like this but I lost it.  ):  I think someone stole it to tell the truth.  Hmmm...I should look into that.

Well I hope that you all love it as much as I do.  I know it's not Spring/Summer looking but, like I said, it's so ME! (:

Product Review - Born Pretty Store Round Studs

**I received this product complimentary for testing and review purposes from Born Pretty Store**

Happy Saturday Everyone!

I didn't do much today because I just wanted to be lazy I guess, but I did get this post together.  Today wasn't a complete bust.  lol  I am going to review the 400pc 2mm nail studs from Born Pretty Store.

photo courtesy of bornprettystore.com

Look at all the pretty colors!!

Here is my mani using the studs.  I used Julep Meryl for my base.  I wanted to use a neutral so that the colors would really POP.  I only used four studs on each nail but in an ombre effect.  With other larger studs I've used, they tend to stick up on the sides due to the curvature of my nails which is why they don't stay on more than a couple of hours.  They just get caught on things and pop off left and right.  These are smaller at only 2mm so you can see they sit very flat on the nail.  I didn't use a top coat for the photos but I did apply one after the fact to reinforce them which definitely worked.  With my line of work, it's tough to get any type of embellishment to stay on, but these did fairly well.  I managed to keep them on an entire 24+ hours, some of them a bit longer.  I think that's pretty great considering.  If you are gentler on your hands and nails, I'm confident you could get better wear out of them.

I know I could have done a super fun, colorful mani using these, but I just really had my mind set on ombre.  If you'd like to see another mani using all the colors, check out my Christmas Day manicure.

Review Wrap-Up
Price: $ - $7.59 but right now they are 40% off which makes them $4.59.  I think the original price is a little high however it's right on par with every other nail stud packs I find at places like Sally Beauty Supply or Amazon.com.
Variety:  The choice of colors from this one wheel is awesome and they also come square shaped.  I can do almost any color combination so that's a thumbs up.

Quality:  Great.  They lay flat on the nail and the color doesn't peel off or fade from what I've seen.
Would I Purchase Again:  Not that I need to because this is a 400pc wheel, but yes, I would definitely buy these again.  Maybe for a fellow nail freak like me or a wheel with different shapes or colors.  If you like these studs you can purchase yours HERE.  And don't forget to use my Born Pretty Store code DRJ61 at checkout to get 10% off your order.  Once 10 orders are placed using my code, BPS will host a giveaway just for you.

7 Days of Halloween - Day 4

Halfway through the Halloween nail series and I've having a blast creating these fun and scary manis for you all.  Today's mani is my favorite of the whole lot...seriously.  It's one that I'm sure you've seen multiple times in different ways by different bloggers, but it's like a Halloween staple.  How can you make it through this spooky holiday without doing a blood splatter mani?

Here we have my Friday the 13th/Jason Voorhees inspired mani.  Yes, that's my attempt at a dirty hockey mask.  lol I don't think it's too terrible for a first attempt.  I honestly can't remember the names of the polishes I used to create the base color/effect but I remember they were Julep brand.  One was a light greige color and the other was a darker taupe color.  Both were cremes and all I did was apply one coat of the light greige and after it dried I sponged the taupe color in random spots.  Then I used a black creme to create the holes in the ski mask and Essie Forever Yummy - my favorite red for nail art - to do the blood splatters.

So what do you think?  Did I do Jason justice?  Let me know in the comments below! (:

Water Marble Wednesday - Blue

This week's Water Marble Wednesday is brought to you by the color BLUE!  I really thought it would be fun to do one the color of water since it happen's in water.  I used four different types of blue but all the polishes are cremes.  I honestly don't think I've ever done one with all cremes before.  It was different.

I started with one coat of the lightest blue which is the periwinkle color and then I started my design.  I just made the bulls eye in the water and then made "stripes" in by pulling the toothpick in opposite directions.  I guess it's more of a chevron type design...I don't really know what to call it.

I did screw up my pinky a bit because I thought I had cleaned up all of the excess polish from the water.  However I didn't see the tiny bit on the other side of my finger so when I took my finger out, there was a huge glob stuck there.  Gross.  lol  I would have redone it, but honestly it was 10pm and I was super sleepy.  Besides, I'm only human so I'm bound to screw up.  I like to think that's why you all keep coming back.  Because of my quirk and honesty about my imperfections.  (:

So don't mind the dirty looking cuticles either.  It's actually just the navy polish I used.  It stained my cuticles just a bit and I could not for the life of me get it cleaned up properly.  Sorry!

WHAT I USED:

Julep Eloise - navy

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover - teal

Color Club Blue-ming - light blue

Color Club Hydrangea Kiss - periwinkle

Now I have to get ready for work so I will talk to you all later.  Have a great Wednesday!

Beautiful Ruffian Mani

I won't keep you all very long because I assume it's just as beautiful where you are as it is here in Houston, so I'll just make it quick.

I have attempted this mani a few times and just never had a steady enough hand for it, but this time it worked out so well.  I did a ruffian mani!

Oooohhhh!  Isn't it wonderful?  I had lots of compliments on it for sure.  I know a lot of women, mainly the younger ones, think that mauve is such an "old lady" color - for lack of a better term.  But I on the other hand think that mauve can be so beautiful...like my mani!  (:

WHAT I USED:
Zoya Trixie - silver
Julep Joy - mauve

Julep Lucky

Hello My Lovelies!!

It's Saturday and the day before St. Patrick's Day so I hope you all go out and drink green beer (if you're old enough) and enjoy this super fun holiday weekend.  Will I be going out and drinking green beer?  No.  We don't ever go out and do anything but the bf is Irish so we will definitely be doing the corn hash and cabbage tomorrow.  Meanwhile I will be showing you a pretty glitter I just got.

This is Julep Lucky.  A super green multi sized glitter bomb with "gold coins" all throughout.  This was one that I actually bought as an add-on with my Julep Jules because I just had to have it.  The shade of green is gorgeous and I love the hints of gold.  I used 2 coats for this swatch.  Yeah...2!  I told you it was a glitter bomb.  The formula was a bit on the thick side but nothing that a drop or 2 of thinner can't fix, and it applied very easily.

Have a happy and SAFE holiday.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Julep Mindy

Good Evening!  I have been using a lot of dark, bright, and super saturated colors lately so I was ready for a nice "palette cleanser" if you get my drift.  I thought one of my new Julep's was a nice one.

This is Mindy from the January American Beauty Maven box.  It is described as a "porcelain pink sheer". I think that's nearly dead on.  It's very sheer with just a tinge of pink though.  I used 3 coats for these swatches.

I know this isn't much but it's pretty, I think.  (:  If you're a Julep Maven let me know what style profile you choose!

Julep Maven March Box

Hi My Lovelies!!

Today's post is a little different.  I haven't shown you any of my Julep Maven box openings in a while, because I haven't been super duper excited about any of them yet.  I liked everything I received, but I didn't feel like they were blog worthy until now.

Julep decided that this month they were going to do away with the American Beauty box and revamp it into the Modern Beauty box.  This box contains no polish but instead beauty products.  I thought I didn't need any more polish (for now) so this was perfect.

Here is my box!  Are you ready?!

I love how they pack the boxes with such pretty paper and little quote cards.

Inside is the hand lotion and a glycolic scrub that I knew I was getting.  The extra item of the month is Julep's Strawberry-Mint Lip Balm.  This is great because I love lip balm.  I can never have too many.  I have them stashed all over the apartment and in my purse just in case.  Oh and they are all different brands and types.  lol

So of course the first think I put on is the lip balm.  It glides on super smooth and is very glossy.  You only need one swipe on your bottom lip and then rub them together and you're good to go.  I was very excited about the scent because of the mint.  I thought when I put it on my lips were going to get that cool sensation, but they didn't.  It's really just like wearing strawberry lip balm.  There is no mint to be found in the scent or the flavor.  Yes!  Flavor!  It tastes just like strawberry everytime you lick your lips.  This is probably going to be the new lip balm that lives in my purse.  That way at work my lips will never look dry or chapped.

The glycolic hand scrub I really liked.  It's pretty much just glycolic acid with "finely-milled apricot seeds".  The ground up seeds help slough off dry, dead skin cells and the acid softens and brightens the new skin leaving your hands looking and feeling super soft.  I also noticed after I washed it off that my hands felt like I had just put lotion on them, but not greasy.  Just silky.  The things I like most about the scrub is that it's paraben and sulfate free and it's gentle enough to use daily.  You can also use it on your elbows, knees, or wherever you need.  The one and only thing I don't like is the scent.  I was hoping for apricots but it's more of a floral scent.  Luckily it fades quickly.

I had mixed feeling about the Rock Star hand lotion.  It's full of shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E to help keep your hands super soft and hydrated.  I loved how my hands felt after application.  It's not greasy and it absorbed pretty quickly.  However I couldn't handle the smell.  It has the same floral scent as the hand scrub but much stronger.  It actually gave me a splitting headache.  I've had the lotion on my hands for about an hour now (I wanted to give you all an accurate review) and I can still smell it.  This would normally make me super happy but I'm not a floral scent kind of person.  I just prefer unscented lotions.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to get past the scent and continue to use this product, but if strong smells or floral scents don't bother you then by all means, you need this.  My hands still feel very soft and if it were unscented I would definitely continue use.

I feel like with most of the Maven boxes I get, it's really a mixed bag and I usually end up liking only one item and not the other.  This box was no different.  If they change up the scents of the scrub and lotion, I would give this box an A+!  Instead it gets a solid B.  That's fair right?

Review Wrap-Up
Price: $...It's only $19.95 each month for at least 3 products.  If you get a Maven box of polish, it's a steal IMO.  Each polish costs $14 and you are getting 2 and a beauty product for $19.95.  I mean you can't beat that.
Variety: The Julep Maven subscription gives you 5 different Style Profiles to choose from.  Each profile gives you a different combination of polish colors.  You can also change styles each month or purchase extras from the Julep Shop.  If you aren't sure about which style to choose, just take the Maven Quiz to give you a push in the right direction.
Quality: I've never had an issue with the quality of any of the Julep products.  The only thing I may not like is the color or in this case the scent but never the quality.  (:
Would I Purchase Again:  Yes!  I always have the option to skip a month if I'm not feeling it, but I really like the idea of the Modern Beauty box.  I look forward to seeing what beauty products are in April's Maven box.

If you aren't a Julep Maven, you can sign up using my invitation link (http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/18489/) or you can use my unique invitation code (1423653) when you sign up.  This will help you and me both earn Jules to redeem for Maven products each month.

Pinterest Week Day 5

So my recreation of this mani came out not quite the same, but I did my best.  Don't get me wrong.  It came out great, but it's a water marble so there was no way I could get it 100% right.  Check it out.

Day 5:  did my nails
MY PIN HERE
ORIGINAL POST HERE

Elizabeth of did my nails is part of the Twinsie group and as a theme for Twinsie Tuesday they did black and white manis.  I just loved her version of the water marble.

WHAT I USED:
Julep Meryl - grey
Sally Hansen White Tip - white
Nails Inc. noho - black

I haven't done a water marble in so long so I'm glad this one was super easy.  The Nails Inc. noho spread surprisingly well.  And it still came out leather-y.  It was cool.  Anyway when I dipped my fingers, I dipped them the wrong way so the flower design is on the wrong side.  Oh well.

This is Elizabeth's manicure.  Isn't it so cute?!  Glad I came across this one.  I also love that it's black and white.  It's very non-traditional for flowers.  Whatever.  I know this was a little late, but at least I finished it.  I was putting it off all day.  Not because I didn't want to do it, but because I kept getting distracted with Facebook and tv.  Oh and food!! (:

Pinterest Week Day 2

So yesterday was a fun start to Pinterest Week.  I got some great feedback on that mani.  I hope you all are excited about all the recreated manis to come too.  Let's get started with today's!!

Day 2: devilish.designs.

MY PIN HERE

ORIGINAL POST HERE

Are you in love yet?  I can't bear to take it off.  This was my first attempt at a cloud mani as well as Kelly's.  She is the blogger of devilish.designs.  Seems kind of fitting right?

Kelly's manicure was done using acrylic paints for the gradient and Essie Shine of the Times.  Since I have none of those, I used some of my favorite polishes in similar shades.

WHAT I USED:

Zoya Zuza - turquoise

Zoya Dannii - purple

Color Club Blushing Rose - pink

Julep Meryl - grey

China Glaze White on White - bet you can't guess what color this one is.  lol

Nubar 2010 - flakie top coat

The part I found the most difficult was the gradient.  I'm not the best at them, but I don't think I'm that bad either.  (:  I just couldn't the turquoise and purple to fade together very well.  I had to redo them too many times.  However I am completely in love with how this mani turned out for Kelly and for me.  I think I recreated her mani perfectly.  Check out the photo below to see for yourself.

Please leave your comments below letting me know what you think of Pinterest Week so far.  Remember you can request a certain mani from any of my Beauty board pins.  I will do my best to recreate it for you.  (:

Crumpet's Sat-ART-day Club Presents Dotting Tools

Today we are creating a mani using dotting tools.  I love creating dotticures so I'm super excited this was one of the themes.  However I am not pleased with my mani.   It was much better in my head, but here it is anyway.  /:

WHAT I USED:

China Glaze White on White - white

Zoya Zuza - turquoise

BBCouture Dark Knight - black

Julep Meryl - grey

So that's it.  I thought the frame technique would be cool, but not so much.

More Skittles

Yep!  More skittles!  I just loved my blue mani so much that I wanted to do it again, but this time with pink and purple.

This is my right hand and I chose to do a v-french mani with pink rhinestones on my pinky and ring finger, grey stamping on my middle and thumb (seen in the photo below), and then heart-shaped glitter on my pointer.  Is it all over the place?  Yes!  Am I happy with it?  Yes!

 On my left hand I chose a different combo which I am much happier with.  So, uh, you wanna know what I used?

WHAT I USED:
purple - Zoya Zara (another amazing purple from Zoya)
silver - OPI Designer...de Better!
grey - Julep Meryl (my fave grey polish right now)
heart glitter - Nicole by OPI Step to the Beat of MY ♥ (stupid Justin Beiber)
pink - Color Club Blushing Rose (not the best formula - patchy)
stamp - Bundle Monster plate BM-225

I think this is out of my system now, so I promise, no skittles tomorrow.  lol.  Have a wonderful night!
D