Julep January Maven Box - BoHo Glam

Hi everyone!  I still have super shorties, but I was able to shape them, finally. So, now, they look presentable enough to swatch with! I am finally getting a chance to post Julep's January box, almost a month late. Oops. This month's theme was neon & neutral, a big trend right now. Also, I recently got a new light box with a spiffy black background, let me know what you think!

 

Julep January Box - BoHo Glam (Fiona, Teresa, Hand and Cuticle Stick, Neon Hair Ties, Swatch Stickers)

 

Julep - Fiona

 

Fiona is a bright green neon polish. In true neon form, it dries to a satin matte finish. This is 2 coats. While the color is very pigmented, it was rather streaky on the first coat. Second coat evened out the streaks, but it was very difficult to get a level finish. Dry time was slow - average for Julep.

 

 

Julep - Teresa

 

Teresa is the neutral counterpart of the collection. It is a soft shell pink frost, and not what I would think of a neutral color, so kudos to Julep for thinking outside of the box! Despite it being a frost finish it doesn't look old fashioned or "grandma." In fact, I think it is very flattering on my skin tone & a nice shade for a more sophisticated look. Application was less than desirable, however. It was streaky and very hard to smooth out. This is 3 coats with a top coat of Gelous. Again, average dry time for Julep.

 

This month was a bit of a disappointment. The colors didn't wow me, and the formulas were very poor. The hand and cuticle stick was a big flop too. I gave it to the Mr. because he has horrible dry "man" hands & he got no results.

 

January also brought about an interesting change to the Julep bottle. The bottle brush has gotten a little wider, not by much & not really noticeable either. It does feel a bit stiffer and less conforming to the nail, which could have been a cause in the problematic applications.

Hopefully February will be a bit more exciting!

If you are interested in signing up for your own Maven box, click here. Don't forget to use the code "PENNY" to get your first box for one cent.

I Love NP Up To Snow Good

Hey guys! I am still technically taking a little break to let my nails recover from their break, but I totally forgot to post this swatch/review before all the nail drama happened. So, today, I have a polish that I teased you all with before the new year, a seriously gorgeous indie glitter. I Love NP!

 

I Love NP - Up To Snow Good over Zoya - Wednesday

 

Up To Snow Good is a great wintry mix of white hex and shard glitters, teal and sheer white square glitters, and a light sprinkling of tiny holo glitter, all in a clear base. It is really a fabulous glitter top coat, and will work with a good number of polishes. I layered one coat over Zoya Wednesday, because the two complimented each other so well without taking away  from how awesome the glitter mix is. The formula was really good for a glitter bomb. If you are familiar with Indie Glitter polish, then you should be used to the thicker suspension base. In this case, it was a perfect consistency for my taste, thick and smooth. If you prefer a thin polish, then you may want to add a drop or two of thinner. Up To Snow Good does have a bit of a chemical smell to it, nothing really strong or offensive like Klean Color, but I did notice it. Dry time was great, as well. I finished with a couple of coats of Gelous and a coat of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also want to point out how great the packaging is, very eye catching! I am a total sucker for stuff like this.

 

Overall, I am really impressed with everything about this brand and how well it is put together. The other polishes are really pretty, as well. I have quite a few more on my "to-buy" list!

 

Break down:

 

- interesting mix of glitter

- nice, thick formula

- 3 free

- smaller bottles, 4 oz.

- slight chemical smell

- $10 retail

- great packaging

 

 

I Love NP is available on line via Etsy.

Quick Update & A Tiny Break

Hey everyone! I want to apologize for not posting. As I mention, I went on a road trip to El Paso to visit family at the beginning of January. While we were there, my small person got really sick with a super nasty cold, and on the way home, I got that super nasty cold as well. On the very day I started feeling better, I broke two nails on my swatch hand almost all the way down to the quick. Luckily, my nails grow pretty fast, so I will be able to start swatching again very soon, but I wanted to post a heads up so no one will think I have gone M.I.A. I love this little space, and I love nail polish way too much! So I shall be back in a couple of weeks!

XOXOXOXOXO

Rescue Beauty Lounge Abi

Hey guys!  Hope all is well in your world. Today, I have another polish from my mini Rescue Beauty holiday haul. This is another one from the gorgeous GOMM collection.

 

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Abi

 

Abi is a pea green with a fine silver shimmer and a tiny bit of blue & pink shimmery flecks thrown in for added depth. Sigh. Isn't this the most lovely shade of green! I was so nervous about ordering this, thinking it was going to be more yellow toned and give me lobster hands, but I am in love! It is so fresh and bright, and especially unique! Formula was a bit different than I was expecting. It is on the thinner side and pretty streaky the first coat. Second coat smoothed it all out, nice and even.

 

 

I am on a mission to own every one of the polishes from the GOMM collection. Even jack, which is now gone. But, I will have it one day! Maybe...

 

Available online, at Rescue Beauty Lounge.

KbShimmer No Whine Left & Don't Teal Anyone

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a fun and exciting New Year's Eve. I spent mine with my little family and some of our friends hanging out, having some drinks, laughing and being loud. Good times for sure.

 

I have finally made the leap into the Indie polish scene with my first two (definitely not last) polishes from KBShimmer. I mentioned one in my 2012 Wrap Up post under the "Honorable Mentions" section because I was really impressed with it. More on that later. On to the pictures!

 

 

KBShimmer - Don't Teal Anyone

 

Don't Teal Anyone is a teal crelly with multi sized hex fuchsia glitters, med and large hex blue and gold glitters and micro fine bar fuchsia glitter. Hello gorgeous! I love everything about this polish; the base color, the perfect mix of glitter, the way it looks like the glitter is floating in the polish, just perfect. Formula was wonderful as well! I have always been leery about Indie glitters because I hate clumpy polish with a passion. This applied so smoothly, no clumping or dragging. I didn't have to fish for glitter either. 2 easy coats. It does need a good thick top coat to smooth out all that texture though.

 

 

 

KBShimmer - No Whine Left

 

No Whine Left is a rich burgundy crelly with multi sized hex blue and fuchsia glitters, large light blue glitter and a small amount of scattered holo glitter. This is the one that did me in (& made my "Honorable Mention" list). It is amazing. I love how the larger light blue glitter looks like it glows in the polish. I literally stared at my nails the whole time I wore it. Formula was a tiny bit thinner than DTA, but still very smooth and easily applied. Again, 2 coats, no issues, polish bliss. Nice thick, shiny top coat for the finish.

 

If all Indie glitters were of this quality, I would be broke. Even more than I am now! I simply cannot get over how amazing and lovely these are. I already have 9 more on my "to-buy" list!

For reference, I used 2 coats of Cult Nails Wicked Fast top coat for these swatches. Still trying it out, & plan to review it soon!

Polishes available on line at KBShimmer, Etsy, & internationally at Harlow & Co.