Julep December Sneek Peak!

Hey guys!
Sorry I've been MIA, it's been midterms, and I have been coming home dead tired most days :)
I just wanted to do a quick post today, a sneek peak from Julep Maven. I have to say, two months in a row of awesome boxes! First the suedes, which I am eagerly awaiting (It always takes longer for Canadians, and storm probably is just elongatng the wait) and now more glitters!
I have to say, I am impressed. If Julep continues like this, I will be broke very quickly. Also, may I add how cool the ring idea is! I love that they give us a blank ring to do up ourselves, with whatever colour or pattern we choose. Very cool. I just hope they're are adjustable, so they can fit everyone's fingers. Anyways, here's the preview. Oh, how I wish I was a sneek peak maven.

Getting Back To Basics

I believe there are a few things every polish lover should own. Nothing expensive or too crazy, but things that you need if your going to start really getting into polish. I've had some questions about these, so I've decided to do a post on it. Here are the first 5 out of 10 things I think you should own, none of them over $10.00, because that's always a nice thing, right? :D the second segment, consisting of the last 5, will hopfullybe put up within the next week. I'll add the link here when I post it.


1. Nail Polish Remover
I hope this would go without saying, but if your going to use nail polish, you need remover. I don't care if you use peel off nail polish or whatever, you still should own a 50 cent bottle. It not only removes nail polishes and cleans up cuticles, but it cleans and preps your nails before you polish so your nails will last longer. Prep your nails with it even if they are clean. I like strengthening removers because I think, while they don't really make my nails stronger, they don't make them any weaker either. I think it's a delicate balance between cheap and strong, so I don't ever buy the really cheap stuff (scrubbing?!?! no thank you) but I don't have the crazy expensive stuff either. My current stuff is by Cutex, but I switch around when stuff goes on sale.


2. Thinner
Nail polish thinner is a miracle in a bottle. For 5 dollars, you'll never have gloppy nail polish again. Okay, it will run out, but it takes forever. With around 200 nail polishes, I've only used have of my 1 1/2 year old bottle of thinner. It's worth it. And, for all of you who think nail polish remover thins polish, DON'T! Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. Seriously, I'm begging you. Nail polish remover is meant to break down nail polish, it might look okay for a bit, but it will be ruined beyond repair in time. It will make glitters bleed and curl and melt, as well. Nail polish thinner is worth it. If you don't think you own enough polish to warrant a whole bottle of the stuff, split the cost and share it with a friend or two. But for the price of a drugstore polish, I know it's well worth it. I got mine from Sally Beauty Supply, they have great coupons and sales all the time on it.


3. A Black And White Creme Polish
These are the bread and butter of nail polishes. Not only do they make a fine manicure by themselves, they are great for nail art and as 'underwear' for other polishes. Sheer nail polishes look so much better with a nice opaque underlayers. Use white under neons to make them really pop, or black under duochromes to really push out the colour shift. While you can get some expensive, great blacks and whites (in that case, I recommend Cult Nails Nevermore and RBL's Underwear) there are also super cheap ones that also work extremely well. Whites are always a bit trickier, but you can get some nice ones that are inexpensive and many super cheap blacks are one or two coaters. I got Wet N' Wild Black Creme and French White Creme for 99 cents each at Walmart (in the States you can get them on sale for 50 cents each) and they work beautifully.

 

 

4. Cuticle Oil/ Balm/ Creme
Cuticles aren't everything, but the make the whole picture just look nicer. Think of them as the picture's frame. You can have a gorgeous Van Gogh or Da Vinci, but a cheap knockoff can look just as good (if not better) in a nice frame, compared to ugly, old framers with the million dollar pieces. Taking care of your cuticles not only make you nails and hands look better, it keeps them from cracking and splitting and peeling, which is very painful, especially if your painting you nails or using remover. Their are dozen of different remedies for cuticles and I'm sure that everyone can find something that they like and that works for them. Olive oil also works, but I do recommend a real cuticle product eventually, as it just works so much better. I use China Glaze's Orange Cuticle Oil, which I got as a freebie with a purchase at Sally's. If you are interested in getting a great oil for super cheap, sign up for Julep Maven here. You get a cuticle oil (with an amazing rollerball applicater) and 2 polishes for only a penny! Again, sign up here. You can always easily cancel after your first box, no questions asked.


5. Base And Top Coats
Another two must-haves are a good base and topcoat. I don't care if you're nail polish says 'All-in-One', fact of the matter is that there are somethings that only a layer of basecoat underneath or topcoat on top can do. Here a just a few. Base coats can prevent staining, even out imperfections on the nail plate, and help the nail polish adhere better, requiring less coats for opacity. Topcoats give a shiny glossy finish, even out polish and make sure the vibrancy of a colour doesn't fade. They both prolong a manicure, and help keep it chip-free longer than it would on its own. Even a plain clear nail polish under and over is better than not using anything, but -just like olive oil instead of cuticle oil- you should eventually get a real base and topcoat. NYC's topcoat gets alot of good reviews, and Revlon's Colourstay base coat is a great deal, and regularly goes on sale super cheap. Plus, you can always find a Revlon coupon for a dollar or two online.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to tune in for part two :)

Update! Get yourself some polish :D

Hey guys! Just a quick post today. I've updated my swap list/ blog sale with some brand new polishes, so please take a look here. Also pictures will be arriving soon to the blog sale, so if you want to see any, email me (or write up a comment) and I'll send you a picture of the one you want to see early. Also, I'm working on a new way of orginizing my stash list, I just have to decide. I like the idea of a google doc, like my blog sale, but I would like to have pictures right on the same page.
Anyways, take a look at my swap/ sale and feel free to buy something! TGIF,  hope you had a good week, and will have a great weekend! Don't forget about falling back (for those who live where you do) :D Till next time!

And The Winner Is...

I hopw y'all had a great halloween. Besides  the rain it was super fun. I'd love to show you pictures of the cotumes, and my super awesome nail art, but during Frankenstorm, a window broke open and broke my camera/ipad in the process.
Anyways, happy hump day to all of you not-celebrating folks!
Now onto the giveaway. However, before I annouce the winner, I'd like to give you my thoughts on it. If you don't care, feel free to scroll down to the bottom, but honestly, I hope you weren't the winner, and someone who truly enjoys all of the blog wins.
Overall, I think everything turned out beautifully. Not many false entries, and no other major troubles. There were some troubles I had, mostly in the form of people who were just here for a freebie. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with you learning about the blog because of a giveaway, and decide to follow because of it or whatever. It's the people who don't care at all about the blog that bug me. People who say to not add additional info because they actually have to read it before they submit and they don't want to take that long. that write a comment like 'COOL!' or 'Nice Giveaway :)' that annoy me. I just really love this blog, my little corner of the internet for everything I like and care about.
Also, please look at what the site is actually about. If you even just scroll down, you can tell this blog has nothing to do with clothing. So, obviously, I will not be doing clothing giveaways anytime soon. Sorry, but that's the truth. Please also don't say I should be doing things that have nothing to do with the blog either. AKA, no face mask or shampoo or eye cream reviews and everything else like that. And no giveaways for those either. Think about it. You wouldn't expect that from anything else, so don't expect it from me. But really, would you expect them to be giving away maternity items from a small pet convention? No, so please don't expect that from me. Thanks.
Also, I doubt I'd ever do Paypal/Ebay/Visa cash and giftcard giveaways, simply because you don't get people who care about what the blog is about. I won't say all, but alot of people on those giveaways just want the money to buy something completly un-related. I'm not promising anything, just don't hold your breath please.
Somethings just won't change. I've gotten alot of conflicting opinions on certain things, and in that case, my opinion rules. For example, the stars that are the background. I had one person person tell me they loved them and another that they couldn't stand them. I'm really loving them right now, and not everything will change if one person doesn't agree. Heck, I'd end up having a person tell me they didn't like nail polish and wouldn't be able to do anything :P
I would like to thank all the lovelies that were so kind, I even had some of you offer to help me out, and said I could email any time. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. It's so nice to see such amazing people that are so amazingly kind. I am beyond words, and this is why I do these things, to show how much I love you all.

Anyways, before I get into something else, without any further adieu, THE WINNER IS....

YOZELLYN JAYANTI!!!

Congrats Yozellyn! I am contacting you right now. You have 48 hours to respond and claim your prize, so do it quickly before someone else can grab it!

Thanks so much guys! Stay tuned for more great things :D

Wild Thang

Today I'm showing you a relatively new brand, 2 Sisters Cosmetics. I was lucky enough to win a giveaway hosted by them, and then even more lucky when they graciously offered to send mine out specially when I realised they only shipped in America (And they realised they forgot to mention that, LOL). I got 4 colours to try out, and Wild Thang called to me and my lack of dark greens- especially dark green crimes. I was a little disappointed when this arrived and I reallied that it was a teal. Luckily (I think...) it leans way more blue in the bottle than it does on the nail. This was two, easy, nice drying, naturally shiny coats. No topcoat. I believe this is pretty true to life, except my fingers turned out exceptionally red. They do not look like that! And the pictures are indoors.
Also, may I add, I think the bottle and logo are adorable. I am always fond of bottles that don't copy OPI and/or don't look incredibly cookie cutter.


UPDATE: Sorry about the pictures! Eek! No ideas why they didn't download the first time.

Loch Ness Mystery

 

Let me start off this post by saying, I'm not a hippie when it comes to my polishes. I slather on formeldyde and camphor and other terrible thing to get that pretty colour on my nails. But with that said, I was really exited about getting to try Scotch Naturals, a water based, chemical-free, cruelty-free nail polish. I had my worries at first, did any of you have those kiddie nail polishes that were water based, but never showed up or dried? This was not the case with Scotch Naturals, it only took two easy coats, but if I wasn't taking pictures, one would have been fine. It dried quickly and it's such a gorgeous colour! These photos didn't show up colour accuratly though, in real life this is much less blue and much brighter. The last picture is the most colour accurate. The corner of the bottle in the first picture is pretty acurate too.

The best part of this is that you don't get the smell, though, I love it, and so does Blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don't forget about my giveaway!

An English, Indian Ocean.

 

 

 

 

I figured my first swatch should be my favourite colour. Only problem is that I don't have a favourite colour, I love all the polishes I own, or I don't own them, LOL.

However, with that said, one of the jewels of my collection is Indian Ocean; from Model's Own fabulous Beetlejuice Collection, a gorgeous polish from a wonderful friend of mine, the lovely Emma at Imagination in Colour. Model's Own is a British brand, so I was incredibly happy to be able to get this.

This is two coats layered over Joe Fresh Wave, another very pretty polish that goes with Indian Ocean perfectly. Natural light.

I loved Indian Ocean and first sight, and while some people can't stand having to layer polishes, it really doesn't matter to me. Especially when the end result is as pretty as this. The duochrome is much more visible in real life, it's quite amazing to have such a strong shift in such a light polish. This is definitely true love for me.

 

Price- £5.00 (for 14 ml)

Where To Buy- modelsownit.com (international shipping)

3-Free?- Sadly not.

Cruelty-Free?- Yes.

Bottom Line- I'd love to see someone try to take this from me, it's not going anywhere!

 

 

Are you a fan of layering polishes? What's your favorite International brand?

 Oh, speaking of  International, don't forget to enter our International giveaway.