Confessions of a nail polish addict tag

Questions:
1. What color are  you wearing right now?
Wet n wild wild shine "Putting on Airs"
2. What nail product can't you live without?
A quick dry top coat!
3. What is your favorite brand of nail polish?
Currently my favorites are sinful colors and julep! 
4. What nail shape do you wear?
Sort of squoval
5. What's your go to red, pink and neutral nail polish?
For Red It's Sinful colors "sugar, sugar". Pink is went n wild wild shine  "Tickled Pink" And neutral would be Ulta's "Set the nude"
6. Short or long nails?
I like short nails in the winter when I am wearing darker colors. Otherwise, sort of medium length works best for me! 
7. What nail polishes are on your wish list?
I used to have a wish list pinned on pinterest.  Now, really, the only polishes I want are the Color Club linear holographics. I'd also like to try Jessie's girl polish, and expand my collection of l'oreal.
8. When do you paint your nails? Morning, afternoon or evening?
Evening
9. What's your top nail tip you swear by?
Moisturize! 
10. What nail polishes do you regret buying?
The sally hansen magnetic nail polishes
11. Neon or pastel?
I love love love neon in the summer, but pastels are my favorite
12. What is your favorite nail polish color right now?
I'm all about pinks right now!

For more indepth answers and reasonings, check out my video!

March Nail Polish Picks

Hey guys! This is usually something that I do on my youtube channel (If you aren't subscribed there you should be. www.youtube.com/Jwhackers) but I decided, in an attempt to use my blog more, that I would bring this series over here! I am going to be sharing with you all of the nail polishes I wore this last month! These photos were all taken from my instagram, so if you are interested in seeing my manicures in real time, you should follow me over there (Jwhackers).

March was a pretty rough month on my hands. The winter was so long here (and still sticking around, apparently, as it's currently snowing -Argh!) and it really did a number on my hands. They have been so dry, and my cuticles and nails have been really damaged. Plus, I suffered a pretty bad break near the beginning of the month, so I didn't wear quite as much nail polish as I usually would. But I did manage to get a few manicures in that I really enjoyed, so let's go ahead and get into them,

Julep Lynn and Julep Natalia

Julep Marcy 

Sally Hansen Hard as nail Xtreme wear Ivy League
with Butter London Swinger on top

Probelle Into the blue with Sinful Colors
Petal Be the Day on top

Julep Lulu with Funky Fingers Teen Spirit on Top 

Angel Costume: Outfit, makeup & nails

I went to a costume party last night, and I wanted to film a video on the makeup I did, but I didn't get a chance to film. So instead, I took a bunch of pictures and I thought I would write up a quick blog post on what I did. I dressed up as an angel. It was a quick costume I threw together from things I had at home on hand, and a few other things I picked up from walmart and Salvation Army. I had a lot of fun creating the costume and the makeup look to go with it!

It was a masquerade party, so I wanted to focus a lot on the eyes, since that's mostly what you could see. I also focused on my complexion, because an angel's skin is bound to be flawless!

 For my makeup I used the following products:

Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in Creamy Natural
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in light
Elf High Definition Powder
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hour blush in exposed (on the back of my cheeks)
E.L.F. Natural Radiance Blush in Flushed (on the apples of my cheeks)
E.L.F. Baked Blush in Pinktastic (as a highlight on my cheekbones and browbone
Revlon PhotoReady Bronzer in Bronzed and Chic
NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencil in milk (as an eye shadow base)
Eyetini liquid eye shadow in ambrosia (as a base for my crease color)
Coastal Scents Hot Pot in M01 (all over the eye)
Coastal Scents Hot Pot in HP-ME14 (all over the lid)
E.L.F. Custom Eyes Eye shadow in moondust (in the crease as a blending out shade)
E.L.F. Custom Eyes Eye shadow in Purple (to darken up the crease and in the outer corner)
Urban Decay Eye shadow in Uzi (in the center of the eye lid to add some sparkle)
Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter (in my water line)
E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in black (to line my upper lash line)
Wet n Wild Color Icon Eye shadow single in Panther (to smoke out my black liner)
L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
Kiss looks so natural lashes (cut in half)
Maybelline baby lips in pink punch
E.L.F. Luscious liquid lipstick in nude pink
E.L.F. Glitter Gloss in Golden Glitz (on the center of my lips)

My Costume:

Robe: a graduation gown I picked up at Salvation army for four bucks!
Mask: walmart
wings: walmart
white tights: walmart
white headband: forever 21
shoes: were a gift

Nails:

For my nails I used Julep's Dana, which is black light reactive and was a total hit at the party. And on top to add a little sparkle I did a coat of Julep's Paris.

Overall I was pleased with my costume! I hope you enjoyed!

October 2014 Julep Maven: The Black Magic Collection It Girl Box + add ons

My Julep Maven Box arrived in the mail today! I was so excited to see it. In case you weren't aware, Julep recently changed their shipping procedure! They now ship Julep Maven Boxes from their warehouse in Ohio and they now also ship Fed Ex! No more DHL! That means much faster shipping in general. And since I am in Michigan, once my Maven box is shipped it takes just a couple of days to arrive. So much better than the week to two weeks I was waiting when they shipped DHL. So happy about the change! 

The box was packaged absolutely beautifully. I always look forward to opening my maven box. This time it was full of burgundy colored paper shreds and wrapped in black tissue paper with glitter! Very halloween-y! 

The collection this month is the Black Magic Collection. It's full of a lot of darker vampy shades that are perfect for the fall and upcoming halloween season! The Beauty Product that was featured in the collection is a Nighttime Mask, which sounded intriguing, but I was all about the polish this month, so I chose the It Girl Box. As always, the It Girl Box came with three nail polishes. I also chose to add on one of the polishes from the bombshell box this month because I couldn't resist. There was also a fun little extra this month! Candy Corn! I was so psyched to see it. I love candy corn and I think this was the perfect little addition to an October box! Let's take a look! 

Let's have a closer look at the contents of the box this month. The polishes this month are really neat! 

The It Girl Box contained Ledi, Dana and Shailene! 

Ledi- Black Pearl Shimmer

Dana- White with an electric blue shimmer (this one glows under a black light! So cool!) 

Shailene- Bewitched Purple with Gold Iridescence (My favorite from this collection) 

And I also added on Nancy from the Bombshell Box because she's just gorgeous! 

Nancy- Silvery Sage Metallic

L to R: Ledi, Dana, Shailene, Nancy

Other than the candy corn and the polish, there was a little card with a quote. They do this every month, but I especially liked this month's quote. It's an Edgar Allan Poe Quote. "There is no beauty without strangeness" 

There was also a sneak peek from November's Maven Reveal. It looks like the beauty products that they will be featuring for November is not one but two mascaras. I don't have a good track record with Julep's mascara, but they have been killing it with their beauty products lately, so it might be something to consider. 

And the last thing was a coupon code! I always love being able to get nail polish at a discount. Here's the code if you want to take advantage of it! 

So that's it! That's my Julep Maven box this month! Julep is a monthly nail polish subscription service! You pay just 25 dollars a month and get great nail polish delivered to your door. For more information and to sign up check out Julep's Website and Julep.com or you can feel free to use my referral link! For every two people that sign up through my referral link I get a 15 dollar gift card to use on Julep's website! You can sign up using my referral link by clicking here 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to contribute more to my blog more often. I know I have neglected it for far too long! 

My favorite Yellow Nail Polishes

sally hansen hard as nails xtreme wear in mellow yellow
2 coats (needs 3 to get opaque)

Wet n Wild Megalast in lemon drop 2 coats over white

Julep Leila 2 coats (needs 3 to be opaque)

Lime Crime Crema De Limon 2 coats

For more about these polishes check out my video!

Happy Independence Day!

If you are one of my American readers, happy Independence Day! If not, happy Friday! I thought I would share my patriotic manicure with you today!

The red nails are Sinful Colors Sugar Sugar with Julep's America the Beautiful on top. The Blue Nails are Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Blue It with New York Color Disco Inferno Top Coat. The white nail is Julep Brigitte with accents of Sugar Sugar, Blue It, Sally Hansen Celeb City and a bit of Disco Inferno right in the middle. I love the way these turned out!

My favorite Orange Nail Polishes

I already shared with you my favorite Red nail polishes so next up I am moving on to my favorite oranges! Here they are in no particular order. 

1. China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy- this one is really more of a coral shade. It's got a lot of pink it in, but I figured I would share it with the oranges, since I am bound to have a ton of pinks to share with you when I get around to that post. Flip Flop Fantasy is the epitome of summer. It's a great neon coral that dries super fast (as most neons do) It dries matte, so if you want that super shiny finish you'll need a top coat. But, I love this polish! It makes my skin look super sad in contrast to the bright pop of neon coral fun! It's perfect for the toes in the summer. Guess that's why they named it flip flop fantasy! 

2. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed- This is a great basic cream polish. It's a great crayola crayon orange that applies like a dream. Not much else to say about it! 

3. Wet n Wild Megalast in Club Havana- This one is a near exact dupe for the one above, so if you like the color but you love the formula and the brush on the megalast polishes as much as I do, go for this one. This is opaque in two coats, dries relatively quickly and is just a great orange! 

4. Elf Party Peach- This is another great, super affordable bright orange polish. This one has gold shimmer running through it which adds a little something extra. It's super opaque as well. Just one coat is all you need! 

5. Maybelline Color Show Classic Camel- This is one of the polishes from the vintage leather collection. I was not much of a fan of the line of polishes, but for some reason I really like classic camel. It's a sort of rust brown-y orange, so it's completely different than any of the other oranges I am sharing with you today. Very fall appropriate. These polishes dry to a matte type finish, but this one is beautiful with a top coat to make it shiny. I just find it so unique that I had to include it. 

no top coat

with a top coat

6. Wet n Wild Fast Dry 9.0.2.1.orange- honestly, I think what I like the most about this polish is the name. So fun and I love that show! But I also adore the polish. The fast dry polishes are pretty watery, so be careful not to flood your cuticles! But they dry quickly and this one is a gorgeous sheer jelly orange base with a TON of gold shimmer running through it. It's a beautiful unique polish that can be worn on it's own in 3-4 coats, but I love it most when used as a topped for other orange polishes! 

7. Julep Kyla- I hate the formula on this polish. It's super goopy. BUT, it's stunningly beautiful. It's a sheer orange base with iridescent orange and pink glitters. This is beautiful on top of any other orange polish. It's not the type of polish you can wear on its own, but it's so pretty. 

top two nails are julep kyla on top of Elf party peach
bottom two are wet n wild 9021orange on top of Elf party peach

8. Julep Mariska- This is another goopy formula from Julep. I swear, their formula is really hit or miss. But Mariska is this gorgeous neon sort of orange that is just something else. It dries matte, so you do need a top coat if you want that shiny finish. But, if you're in the market for a neon orange and you can stand the formula on this one I highly recommend it! 

So that's it, those are the favorite oranges from my collection! I hope you enjoyed this and found it helpful. Be sure to stay tuned for the next post in this series where I will share with you my favorite yellow polishes! Take care 

June 2014 Julep Maven Box: Boho Glam

This month's Julep Maven Collection was called The Three wishes collection. I was absolutely in love with most of the polishes, and I almost bought the entire selection. Then I wised up and realized I couldn't afford to do that and instead went with the boho glam box.

Even though I am technically an It girl, I find myself purchasing the boho glam box a lot recently. The colors that were part of this box are Julep's Harlow and Natalia.

Julep classifies Harlow as a Golden Dragonfly iridescent chrome. It is truly a unique polish. It's sort of a gold/green duochrome that is gorgeous on the nails. The formula on this is a little bit tough to work with, but I think it's just stunning. You can see it featured on my nails here:

Julep classifies Natalia as a refined copper metallic. This one to me leans more towards a metallic pink than a copper. When I think of copper I think of a more orange-y brown shade. It's absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite Julep polishes that I have tried to date. You can see it featured here on my middle finger and thumb in this mani.

The product this month was something that I sorely needed. A base coat! The Oxygen smoothing base coat. I actually really like this base coat. It goes on and smoothes the nail as well as matifies it, and I think it makes for a great base, so I am very pleased.

Overall  Ireally enjoyed this month's Maven box. If you are interested in signing up for Julep, you can do so for just 24.99 a month. It's an awesome deal and so much fun! If you want to sign up, feel free to use my referral link: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/158571/

My favorite Red Nail Polishes

I have been meaning to do a series of my favorite nail polishes for a really long time. I will go through each of the colors of the rainbow (and then some) and share with you my favorite polishes from my collection in each color. I thought I would start out with Red. I just happened to have 10 favorite red polishes. I didn't plan it that way. For some colors there will be more, for others there will be less. But, for now, we'll start with my favorite reds!

1. New York Color Broadway Burgundy Frost- This is a deep burgundy red with a bit of a frosty finish. It's opaque in 2 coats, dries relatively quickly and is super affordable at under a dollar a bottle. 

2. China Glaze Poinsettia- This is a bright, tomato red that applies like a dream. So beautiful. Opaque in two coats and one of my favorite reds to use around Christmas time! China Glaze polishes are pretty affordable. I can get them for 5 dollars or less at Sally Beauty Supply.

 3. China Glaze Ruby Pumps- Another classic from China Glaze. Ruby Pumps is a favorite among beauty bloggers, and for good reason. It's a beautiful red with shimmer running through it. Just like Dorothy's ruby slippers! This polish is opaque in two to three coats and can be worn on it's own, without undies!

4. Wet n Wild Megalast in I Red a Good Book- This is another classic tomato red shade. Sort of primary crayon red. This can be worn with just one thick coat, but I tend to do two thin coats when I wear it. I love the brush on the megalast polishes. It's a nice wide brush that is super easy to use. The finish on this polish is a gorgeous cream. It's super affordable- under two dollars a bottle. It's probably my favorite red of the bunch and if you can only pick up one, I recommend that this be it! 

5. Ulta Eye Popping Poppy- This is different from all of the other reds I have to share with you. It's a bright poppy color. Sort of an orange-y red that is perfect for spring and summertime. This can be opaque in one coat, but again, I always do two coats. Ulta polishes are 6 dollars a bottle, but I got mine on sale for 2 dollars! What a deal! 

6. Sinful Colors Sugar Sugar- This is another super affordable polish. You can get sinful Colors polishes for $1.99 from most drugstores and can often find them on sale for $.99! Sugar Sugar is a deep metallic red that is absolutely beautiful. It's my other favorite red of the bunch. This practically glows on the nails, is opaque in two coats and is the perfect Christmas Red 

7. Sinful Colors Hot Chili- This is a deep chili red base with red and gold glitter pieces in it and it's stunning. The formula on this one is a bit thick, so it's not the easiest to work with, but it's a great color, and I would be remiss if I didn't include it. It's opaque in two coats and does not need anything underneath. It's a great polish! 

8. Elf Cranberry- This is another one coater polish that is super affordable. Elf polishes are just two dollars, and this one is stunning. It's a beautiful cranberry red that dries super fast and looks great on the nails. There's not much else to say about this one. It's fantastic. 

9. Revlon Parfumerie Bordeaux- This is a deep wine red with a cream finish that is the perfect fall red in my opinion. The parfumerie polishes are not only packaged in possibly the cutest way ever, but they run just 6 dollars, and they have the bonus of smelling amazing. Bordeaux smells like red wine and it's so pleasant to use. It applies smoothly and the color it just gorgeous, and dries to a high shine finish. No top coat required!  

10. Zoya Blaze- Zoya is one of my favorite brands as of late. It's not the most affordably brand. The polishes run 9-10 dollars a piece. But the quality of these polishes are amazing. The brush is great, the formula is awesome. And this polish, Blaze, is STUNNING! It's a gorgeous sort of berry red shade with holographic glitter running through it. This is truly something to see, and this picture does not do this polish justice at all. This finish from zoya is one of my favorites, and I sort of want to get one in every color! 

So those are my favorite Reds! I hope you enjoyed and I hope you'll stick around for my next entry in this series which will be on my favorite orange polishes. And if you want more info on these reds, check out my corresponding video! 

April 2014 Julep Maven Box: Classic with a Twist

I have been a Julep Maven for about a year now. If you are not familiar Julep is a nail polish subscription service. You pay just 20 dollars a month and you get nail polishes and products delivered to your door. The wonderful thing about Julep is, there is a window of time towards the end of each month where you can choose between multiple boxes, so you can customize the box to your liking, and you can also add on additional nail polishes from the other boxes at a discounted rate. Also, if you just aren't feeling the collection, you can choose to skip the month and not be charged. I generally tend to skip the monthly boxes and instead opt to order from them when they have sales. I have gotten a ton of Julep polishes for 99 cents, and since I am a maven, I get free shipping with every order. It's a fantastic deal!

But, I just couldn't skip this month. I was way too drawn to polishes this month. The collection is called the vivids collection, and it was all I could do to keep myself from buying an upgrade and getting every single one! Plus, The beauty item this month is blush, and if you know me, you know I am a sucker for blush! So I immediately logged on as soon as the maven window opened and made my selections. After much hemming and hawing I went with the Classic With a Twist box (I am usually an It Girl!) and decided on the pearl pink blush. My maven box shipped on the 27th of March and arrived in my hot little hand on April 1st! Super fast!

I chose Classic with a Twist because the nail polishes are just gorgeous. These are going to be perfect on my toes for summer. The polishes included are Caitlin and Mariska.

 Julep describes Caitlin as a shocking hibiscus with Gold shimmer. It's a bright in your face beautiful pink with the tiniest hint of shimmer on the nail. The formula is fantastic. A little thin, but not too thin, if you know what I mean. It's got a bit of a sheer jelly finish but is opaque in 3 coats. It's beautiful!

Julep describes Mariska as a juicy tangerine shimmer. It's a gorgeous bright orange shade that I instantly fell in love with. I am generally not an orange nail polish fan, but there is something about this polish! It's a bit thicker in consistency than Caitlin, but not at all gloopy. Very easy to work with, and very opaque. It's practically a one coater. The shimmer in this polish is not discernible on the nail, and it's so bright that it's practically neon, which means it dries to a sort of matte finish. But that's easily remedied if you don't like that look. Just add your favorite shiny top coat!

Caitlin and Mariska, with flash, so you can see the finish

Caitlin and Mariska, no flash, best representation
of the true color (sorry for the blurriness)

I am very pleased with the nail polishes and I can't wait for warmer weather so I can pull these beauties out and wear them. I think they would even look good together in a color blocking manicure! 

The blush that I chose to accompany my pretty polishes is pink petal. The other choice was a peach-y shade, and I had a really hard time deciding but ultimately went with the pink. The packaging is really nice and sleep with the julep logo in the corner. And the blush itself is really nice. I am very impressed. It's a very pigmented bright pink with a nice sheen. It's very soft and easily blend-able! I haven't worn it on my cheeks yet but it swatches beautifully! It's supposed to be a pore minimizing blush, so I have high hopes for it! 

petal pink blush, with flash

petal pink blush, no flash

So there ya have it. There's my overview and mini review on the April Julep Maven box. I am very pleased with it! If you are interested in signing up for Julep, feel free to use my referral link. 

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/158571/

And you can also use the coupon code FREECOLOR and receive your starter box for free (just pay shipping) It's a great service, and I think you will really like it!