Julep April Maven Box: IT Girl

I've been getting a little behind on my posts lately.  I have a bunch of photos that are sitting around, waiting to be edited, so it seems weird that I'm going to bump this brand new review to the front of the queue... But for the first time, I was really excited and  didn't end up with any complaints about my Maven box.  Last month, I was super excited, but Sofia betrayed me.  This month, I stuck with my usual box, the It Girl.

I sat down with my Maven Box last night and was going to swatch them, then do a mani with something else, but the thought occurred to me that if I swatched these colors, I probably wouldn't wear them for a while.  And I haven't done a lot of nail art because of how busy my schedule is lately, so I went browsing through things I saved for inspiration.  I first saw this pattern on Spektor's Nails and checked out the Youtube video by IndigoNova1.  It turned out to be an awesome way to showcase these colors.

I wasn't even sure I wanted the It Girl box this month because I actually have been secretly loving their care products.  I am addicted to my Argan Oil and their handcream from my St. Patty's Mystery box has been in my purse since I got it.  I really wanted to try "The Best Pedi Creme Ever" but none of the other boxes really spoke to me.  Fortunately, after I committed to being an It Girl, they had a promo to add on up to two more products from this month's box for $4.99.  Can you say perfect?

In person, I really love Niecy (bright pink), Jessica (pale blue), and even Penelope (pale pink).  The best part?  Best Julep formulas to date.  I'm most happy with Penelope, which was my base on everything except my ring finger, which I wanted to be an accent nail, but it's kind of too chaotic for that...  In any case, it went on in three nice, creamy coats.  I used Jessica as a base on my ring fingers and it was opaque enough to be a one coater, but to level it completely because I was being sloppy, I added a second coat.  Niecy is very opaque as well and I'm going to do a pedicure with her later today!

In any case, this is the best Julep box I've gotten.  I love the colors, especially together, and they actually really inspired me.

If you like this mani enough, come vote for it on the Julep monthly contest on the FB machine!

Thanks for reading!

Face Off! Julep Portia Vs. Warpaint Glow Turq: FIGHT.

I typed in my title and realized that I was having one of those, "Oops, I forgot to eat..." days, but I've decided to leave it because even after eating, it amuses me.  I've been cleaning the house today and running errands because we're having friends over to our cozy abode this weekend and I have nail polish EVERYWHERE.  What else is new?

In any case, today I have a comparison post for you.

When I got my March Julep box, I did a post about one of their other new shades, another glitter top coat.  I ultimately picked Sofia because it was green and I can't resist green, but after she betrayed me, I really wished that I had picked the box with Portia.  Portia is a light blue jelly with iridescent rainbow glitter, which makes her the pretty one.

Lucky enough for me, Julep had a Twitter promo where you could get 50% on all polish orders last Friday and since I #TwitterStalk anyone for deals and promos, I ordered Portia.  However, over the weekend, I was at the mall and my husband wandered into Hot Topic again, looking for band shirts and nerdy shirts, giving me time to go shop their nail polish.  I quickly found a sale, Warpaint Beauty products all on sale for $1.99.  I picked up Glow Turq and another neon shade (I needed it!).  I'm really surprised I didn't take the whole display with me...

In these pictures, I am wearing one coat of Portia on my index and ring fingers and Glow Turq on my middle and pinky fingers, over China Glaze Smoke and Ashes.  I probably should have grabbed my plain black, but I didn't.  Oops...

I bought Glow Turq specifically so I could compare it to Portia.  When I got them side by side, I could immediately tell that they had different sized, same colored glitter in a similar base.  And Portia was still prettier.  Actually, waaaaaay prettier.  

The difference on the nail is less noticeable, but because Glow Turq has finer glitter, my camera hated it and would not focus on it.  Portia is still prettier.

When I was playing with Glow Turq, waiting for Prettier-Than-You Portia in the mail, I grabbed Sofia and by chance found out that Sofia glows in the dark.  I couldn't get Portia to glow though, so I think she is inferior to her sister in that respect, but still prettier.  I tried over black and over white, just in case.  In this picture, I have Portia on my middle, ring and pinky fingers and Glow Turq on my index, just for a glow test.  That's also why the white layer is awful.  I was testing another bottle of white and it was...well, I am going to gift it to someone I hate.

In any case, you can see it a little better here, how Portia's glitter is more varied in size and prettier.  Because she's the pretty one.  

But what's the final verdict?  Do I need them both?

Well, no.  And I do like Portia more in this case.  I'm hardly ever in a situation where glow in the dark nail polish is noticed let alone desired for that simple trick, and that is the only thing Glow Turq has on Portia.  Well, that and being more budget conscious.  It was fair cheaper to buy Warpaint than Julep, especially considering the size of the bottles and the fact that I have never seen Warpaint not on sale.  (Last time, it was buy one, get one!)

But Portia is still prettier.

Julep Box: March Bombshell

Today, I got a nice little stack of packages.  The last of my franken bases showed up and I promptly started finishing formulas and bottling my custom polishes.  I also got a nice big glitter shipment that I set about testing to see if they're solvent resistant.  I'm going to report on all of that later, but for now, my third package of the day has me scratching my head...

My Julep Maven box showed up and I was actually really excited about it.  After hours of mixing and pouring, I painted my nails with Natasha and Sofia.

I'm kind of sitting here wondering what I was thinking when I went ahead and painted this on my nails.  You see, I did a nail wheel swatch and I thought the same thing.  "This is horrid," I text my BFF.  But I still did it.  These two colors are from the March Bombshell box by Julep.  I'm an "It Girl" according to their quiz, but that box didn't speak to me as loudly as the Bombshell (It was the green, in case you were wondering).  But looking at the green over the orange, I just can't.  I CAN'T.  

On the plus side, I like Natasha A LOT.  So let's just forget the whole thing where I layered them on top of each other, like I thought Julep intended, ever happened and talk about her.  I thought she was similar to one of my America Apparel polishes, Lopez Canyon, and she is a little, but Natasha is brighter.  In this photo, you can see Lopez Canyon, Natasha, Lopez Canyon and Natasha.

I was a little annoyed with the application at first because the Julep bottle requires them to put a very long brush in it and I had a lot running down the stem.  In addition, the second coat was pretty thick and I still had visible nail line.  I cooled my jets for a few minutes to let it dry then added a third coat and finally got an even, beautiful coverage.  

And then, of course, I went and ruined it with Sofia... *grumble grumble*  I honestly like Sofia, just not with the polish it came with.  I'm going to forgive her eventually, give her another chance one day, maybe over blue...  I had originally considered ordering one more of the top coats, but I'm going to wait and see what other bloggers have to say about them at this point.  Unless they're way more awesome, I'm going to pass.

Just to end on a positive note, I want to show you one of my latest test creations.  I did this swatch really quick to send to my BFF with Natasha right before I did my earlier manicure.  I think it's a good way to cheer myself up to look at it again.

Thanks for reading!