Last Nail Files: Zoya & Sinful Colors

Hello Polish Enthusiasts!  This week's mani is a homage to my son, who specifically requested Mommy wear more green polish.  That's his favorite color because the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are his very favorite thing, especially Leonardo!

Green is not really my thing, so it's only by luck that I had a bottle of Zoya's Tilda.  I spied it at one of Ulta's clearance sales for $1.97 which was too good of a deal to pass up.  My daughter picked out Sinful Color's Call You Later a couple weeks ago and the two paired really nice together.  They'll be perfect for St. Patrick's Day too.


I'm sad to share that it's the last weekly link up over at Jennie's {insert sad face here}.  I only recently got it together enough to have something to share on a sort of regular basis but have enjoyed seeing the other ladies work each week.  Plus it's nice to connect with others that can understand how the perfect new shade of polish can make the heart beat faster ♥.

OPI's Tiffany Case, Liquid Sand

Let's just ignore the state of my cuticles and enjoy the shimmer and shine brought to you by this polish from OPI's Bond Girl Collection from way back in 2013!  I was very late to the texture bandwagon, and now I feel a little sad I didn't appreciate them more when they were more readily available.  I do have a couple Pixie Dust by Zoya, but I passed on most of the polishes from this collection numerous times, despite how beautiful they look in the bottle, because I didn't think I would like the liquid sand formula & feel.

Happily, I have discovered texture polishes can be a fun switch up from creams and give even more sparkle that glitters.  When my hair saloon discontinued Tiffany Case, I had to snap it up.  Didn't hurt that it was less than four bucks as well.  I'm really enjoying it, I thought I'd give it a quick wear for a beachy feel but I think it will be even better as a wintry Frozen mani.  It's reminds of Elsa's blue dress so much, I almost break out into "Let It Go," whenever I look down at it.

Linking up the The Nail Files ♥

Nail Files with Zoya's Daisy

{Zoya's Daisy, Spring 2015}

Yellows are not my thing.  Mainly because my complexion means it's not very flattering on me.  So naturally, I'm always on the hunt for one that looks good.  The hunt is over, this is by far my most favorite yellow ever!


Linking up with Jen and the other polish enthusiasts!  My mani doesn't in anyway compare with the awesome sea creature she made - so go over and be amazed!

Nail Files: Neons & Electric Nights

{OPI's Hotter Than You Pink with Let the Beat Drop by China Glaze on Top}

It feels like a long time since I've had a mani that I was excited enough about to share!  I kind of got out of the routine of wearing polish while on our trip to Texas last month.  I just didn't feel like dealing with taking all my supplies with me on an eleven day road trip.

But now that I'm getting back into the swing of things, can't let all my summer brights go to waste, right?  I'm wearing a OPI/China Glaze combo right now.  This hot pink topped with multi-sized neon orange, pink and fuchsia hexagonal glitters is so cute for summer!


 I'm sharing this on Jen's Nail Files link up, so hop on over and check out of the other participants.  Jennie's got a super sweet ice cream cone & ice cream bar design!!! It's so cool!

The Nail Files: Sinful Colors & Julep + China Glaze Clearance Haul

I normally share manicures on Mondays, but this week I've decided to join my friend Kimberly on the weekly link up that she regularly joins in with, called The Nail Files, over at Jennie Shaw's.

Here's what I have to share.  I have been searching and searching for this Sinful Colors BloomBlast in Flower Power.  It's such a pretty milky pink shade with pink and white hex glitters along with some micro glitters.  It so pretty and jellish.  I love how the glitters look suspended in the layers of polish.  {{Swoon}}

I finally found it on Friday night - last night, so naturally I had to put it on immediately!  Here is Flower Power on two nails and because I thought it might be a bit too busy on a full hand,

The rest of my nails are done in Julep's Ariana. I don't know what I was thinking, well actually I do.  I was hoping it would match the brighter of the hex glitters.  I think the contrast between the two colors is a bit much for me, but now I know could totally wear a full mani of Flower Power.  It's actually a very pretty and "subdued" look in person.  Now I regret not getting the BloomBlast in Petal Be the Day.

I'm also on the hunt for China Glaze's Electric Nights, check them out in JessFace90's video.  I'm primarily looking for the glitter toppers as we already have a previous neon collection from them.  They are cleared out at both Sally's near us, BUT...we did run into some clearance polishes there this morning.

These beauties were all just $1.50 and buy 1, get 1 free!  Yep, that mean $0.75 each!!!  My daughter and I had to seriously restrain ourselves.  I let her pick out one, plus two more to give away as part of Easter gifts.

Seriously...less than $5 for all of them!  I don't usually run into these kinds of deals, I'm normally the one watching other people's finds on YouTube and being bummed I never hit them.  So we were pretty excited!

We bought two of these, one for a friend and one to keep.  This pink may seem run of the mill, but the shimmer makes it a stunner!   These swatches are what clinched the deal for me!

I love how this one looks like old school glitter, the kind you literally used to use back in your elementary days.  See what I mean, here, scroll to the bottom.  I also loved the multi-colors, of course!  I wish I could've found more from this older holiday line on clearance too!

Silver, gold, pink, blue, and green, oh my!  Yes there's quite a lot going on in Full Spectrum. I see it as mostly pink with some purple, and silver.  It really shifts a lot depending on how the light hits it, and is supposed to be a duochrome glitter.  See it here.

I Love Your Guts is from the last Halloween collection, and the one my daughter picked out and that I tried to talk her out of.  Besides the name, which is creepy, it looks like it's going to be a matte texture polish.  Both of which she doesn't like, but she begged for it and for just $0.75 I decided it wasn't worth the battle.  I think we'll probably be wearing it with top coat as shown on Peachy Polish.

I was surprised to see Road Trip colors already on clearance, this one is also for an Easter surprise.  Maybe this particular location got a lot of this one in, because there were several left.  See swatches here.

When we got home, my husband just didn't get the fuss about ultra cheap polish!  I'm so glad there are other nail polish fanatics I can share the excitement with online!

Mani Monday: Zoya's Loredana

I haven't done one of these in awhile, but that doesn't mean my nails have been bare!  Back when Ulta had their big clearance, I picked up four of Zoya's Matte Velvet's for less than five dollars a piece.  I know matte formulas are a trend in nail polish, but after seeing Loredana with a top coat, I don't think I'll ever be able to wear it in it's matte version!  This is so pretty, and the formula is really easy to work with.  I had to apply more layers than I'd like for opacity but totally worth it.

Mani Monday: Zoya's Brigitte with Marry a Millionaire from China Glaze

*Referral link included

After the blues of January and the reds from the first half of February, I was in the mood for a more subdued nail color and Zoya's Brigitte fit the bill perfectly.  It's one of my favorite go to colors.

Then my latest ipsy bag arrived and inside was Marry a Millionaire by China Glaze.  It's an older polish, from their 2011 Eye Candy holiday collection.  A mix of small pink & purple glitter with lots multi-color bar glitter, it was so cool looking in the bottle I had to immediately give it a try!

I love it as a glitter topper, and even though I thought it might look odd on top of Brigitte, I'm liking the combination a lot more than I thought I would.  I think because Brigitte is a mauve shade the purple glitters work better with it than I anticipated.  I don't have any polish with bar glitter so this is a fun & unique addition to my collection.

Mani Monday: In a Holidaze

Hey friends, sorry to disappear for a week but I got the flu and so I was down and out!  But now that I'm up and around, it's time to bring on the holiday reds!  Okay, I may be jumping the gun just a little since it's only November but the holiday collections are hitting the stores and even though I went to Ulta with the intention of getting another color all together...I just couldn't resist In a Holidaze from Gwen Stefani's 2014 OPI holiday collection.  It's got a jellyish feel to it, but is easily buildable.  I don't actually own a lot of reds so this is the perfect holiday addition to my collection.

Mani Monday: Candy Corn Nails

I used the Mommy's Little Monster box I got from Julep this month to give myself a mani with a Halloween flair :)  While not perfect, they did get a lot of notice & compliments!

Mani Monday: 100% Pure in Soul Mate

Last week I shared the Prestige Headliners Limited Edition Birchbox and the 100% Pure nail polish that came inside is so creamy and easy to work with!  This is two coats along with a topcoat.  I was so pleased when I painted my nails with it. I'm going to enjoy wearing it year round.  I think this shade of pink goes so nicely with my skin color and it's a nice addition to my polish collection, which is short on neutral leaning colors.  I'm very happy with my first experience with 100% Pure's nail polish.  Have you ever tried this brand before?  I'm hoping to pick up more soon, check out all the shades now available on Birchbox!

Mani Monday: Ulta Mint Condition

During Ulta's last clearance sale I picked up their 8 Piece Nail Pail with Mini Nail File for around five dollars.  I thought that was the perfect way to try out their in house brand for the first time.  I wore Mint Condition for a trip to the lake last month.  It was the perfect color for the beach, but the formula was a little on the thin side.  This was three thin coats, but the top coat did help it wear well and make it worth the extra effort it took to get it on.

Julep Maven: July 2014

*Referral Link Included

My monthly Julep Maven subscription box has arrived, later than in the past.  It took about a week longer than usual.  I read on some other blogs that they might have changed to a cheaper shipping service, boo to that!  I did get some Jules bonus points in addition to the loyalty points I get each month for taking a box so hopefully the delay is temporary.

This month we got to choose from their Poolside Collection and I went with my default choice Classic with a Twist because none of the box combinations really jumped out at me.  I didn't like both of any of the colors paired up.  This is the second month in a row I haven't been too excited about the combinations, click here see what I got in June, although I did end up really liking Bergen once it was on my nails.

Because I joined before they updated their service I still pay $19.99 a month but I can't customize my choices.  Customization is about $5 more per month, which I was tempted to do this time so I could get two polishes I liked and skip the lotion.  Since I don't know how exactly the customization works and you can't then go back to the previous price I didn't do it but I kind of regret it now.

Since I just mentioned the lotion I'll discuss that first.  Julep describes their Bare Body Milk ($24.00/$19.20 Maven Price) as: An ultra hydrating body lotion for thirsty skin. The lightweight, fast-absorbing formula leaves a soft, silky finish that’s not heavy or greasy, and our signature Beach Tonic fragrance lets you smell like summer all year long.

It is supposed to do the following: Milk thistle locks in moisture and helps protect against environmental factors, Olive oil delivers essential fatty acids to hydrate and repair, Grapefruit oil promotes cell turnover.  Orange peel oil brightens dry, dull skin.

I don't care for it, the smell is subtle but not for me.  I seriously can't get past the smell.  The lotion is very light, which is nice for day time moisturizing during the summer, but and when I tried using it on my legs & feet one night I didn't feel like it worked as well as the Carmex or Palmer's Coco Butter lotions I usually alternate between.  Considering how both are drug store brands and closer to a fourth of the price of Julep's lotion, I won't be switching.

Polish wise I was happier than I expected with Kelsey, a powder peach crème.  Apologies for the dry skin and cuticles in my picture for this week's Mani Monday but I was so eager to try it out I didn't stop to properly prep my hands.  It's very pretty and subtle, even though it's a peach color it feels like it's also fairly neutral, in a dainty feminine way.

The other nail color I received is Vicki, a pink flamingo crème.  In my photo above it looks much darker than it is in the bottle.  The light wasn't cooperating with me the day I took my pictures.  It is lovely and the perfect shade for summer.  It just isn't very unique or different from a lot of other pinks and I usually look for Julep to offer me something different from what's easily available locally at drug stores or places like Ulta.  This just kind of seems like a nice basic to have on hand, nothing too exciting.

This is a better view of both of the polishes that I got this month in my Julep Maven box. Both really are very nice additions to my collection, even though they aren't what I'd pick out at the store.  If you are interested in subscribing, please consider using my referral link.  I'd really appreciate it!

Mani Monday: Julep's Bergen

I got Bergen in my Julep Maven box last month and at the time I was not excited about it.  Both colors in the box felt more like fall than summer.  But then we had a week of rainy days and when I spied it in my collection it looked a lot more promising.  It's actually a fantastic grey blue that reminds me of stormy weather and the way the water looks in our Great Lakes along the shore.  It was a perfect early summer color.

Mani Monday: Essie's Fashion Playground

This one one falls under "YouTube Made Me Buy It" because I wouldn't have given it a second glance until after I watched a few reviews of Essie's Spring 2014 collection.  This is Fashion Playground, which they describe as, "Fun and games just met their match. this plucky pistachio green with subtle shimmer flirts with forever and plays for keeps."

Green of any shade is normally not my thing but this is the prettiest pastel shade and what makes it a hit with me is the shimmer.  It's just barely visible in the bottle, and only faint traces can be seen on the nail but it's what prevents the color from being flat and really pulls everything together for one of the loveliest colors in my collection.  I've been pleasantly surprised by how often I reach for this to wear.

Mani Monday: Julep's Elisa

I've been searching for the perfect shade of pastel purple nail color and picked this soft wisteria color Elisa with a buy one get one free coupon.  The visible shimmer in the bottle is barely noticeable on the nail and it also takes on a bluish cast in certain light.  It's not my perfect purple but it's still a very interesting shade and fun to wear!

Mani Monday: Julep's Saaya

I've been surprised how into peach and orange nail colors I am this season.  Saaya came in my May Julep Maven box and this golden apricot shimmer is so lovely on.  It's more pastel than I expected, making it perfect for spring, but is also a great summer color.  I'm really enjoying it and it just keeps looking better as my hands get a little tanned.

Julep Maven, June 2014

*Affiliate Link

I've decided to expand my Mani Monday posts to include all things nail polish related, and include my June box from Julep Maven this week.  I got the basic Classic with a Twist box, the time it included the normal two nail colors and the third item was a smoothing base coat.  I'm really glad they've included a third nail product, the blush I got two boxes ago was nice but since I signed up for nail products, I'm happier when my box includes just that.

I actually have a problem with ridges in my nails so I always use a smoothing base coat, usually OPI's Ridge Filler, so I was curious to see how Julep's Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat compared.  It went on very nicely and dried quite quickly.  By the time I was done with my second hand, the first was ready for the first coat of polish.  It dried matte.    I've only had the nail color I painted over it on one day, so it's too early to tell if it will help extend the wear.

Ariana is an enchanted berry iridescent chrome and is super pretty in the bottle, normally I try to take photos without the flash but this time I think it really helped pick up all the detail in the color.  It's prettier than I expected, but even though Julep isn't the only brand to be featuring a deep purple color for summer this feel more like a fall shade for me.  I will probably wait until then to wear it.

Bergen is a hazy blue-grey shimmer and I'm not too excited about this one at all.  Actually, I wasn't very into the entire Three Wishes collection at all.  If I had joined back when members could opt to skip a box, I would have done just that.  This is the first time I haven't been kind of "meh" about a box, but that may be in part because it didn't seem very seasonally appropriate to me.  Hopefully July will's option will be more my style.

If you'd like to become a Julep Maven, please consider using my referral link, I'd really appreciate it!