I have been with Julep for about 6 months now, and every month it's so fun to get it in the mail every month. It's $20 and you can change your shipment every month. It's usually about 3-4 polishes and a couple of extras, plus they add fun things like confetti and a quote having to do with that month. This month's is really cute. I have skipped two or three months because I didn't have the money that month or I didn't want what they were offering, but this month... I couldn't turn down SUEDES!!
If it weren't for my nail groups I would not have a clue what suedes were, but basically they are matte nail polishes. Not sure why they call them suedes versus just matte, but that's what they are. I couldn't decide which I wanted because they were all so pretty this month, but I went with Boho Glam since I wanted the matte top coat and not some scrub of some sort. Blah. Give me polish, dammit!!
Excuse my poor cuticles. I'm working on it. I'm a horrible cuticle chewer :/
Anyway, on my nails are:
Black is Julep Nora
Green is Julep Hailee
They are pretty awesome. I've never been a big matte fan. I want my nails to be shiny and sparkly -- OOH LAH LAH! I decided to give these a try and I am not disappointed. While I will not be having these on my nails all the time, I think it will be fun to mix the different textures of lacquers like I've seen on others. This would have been a great Halloween polish as well.
It went on smoothly, and it would have been opaque in one coat if I were being more careful and paying more attention, which I wasn't. We were watching Criminal Minds on DVR, and Shemar Moore takes your attention away. It's a proven fact that nails will get less attention with him on your screen.
The best part about matte? It's not as liquidy, so it dries a ton faster than regular creme or shimmer polishes. You do have to watch for it chipping off more easily though, but that doesn't bother me one bit since I change it almost daily anyway (truth be told...).
I hope that Julep decides to make more mattes (uh-hem, "SUEDES") in the future. It will make them really stand out from all the other companies that make cremes ONLY. It's a fun and unique look, almost as though you put chalk on your nails.
Watch every month for my review of the Julep Maven box of the month. I'll be sure to let you know if I decide to skip that month for whatever reason.
To join Julep and earn points toward free polish, go to: This Julep Referral Link
Get your first box for only ONE PENNY!! Use code: COLOR2012
Enjoy and happy Friday!! Remember, only 4 more days until Election Day 2012!
Love, Zen & Lacquer,
~Jess ☮
Okay.
I should have started this blog long ago. I should have started it MONTHS ago -- as soon as I became polish obsessed, but alas, I procrastinated. Just as I do with everything else, I just posted on Facebook all my awesome and not-so-awesome pictures of my manis.
But here I am. I get there... eventually. It took someone calling out mere laziness as a reason why I wouldn't start a blog. She's right. It was just laziness, and I love polish way too much to not start a blog.
Nail polish and doing my nails is my zen. It's my hobby. It's how I've made dozens of friends and discovered amazing independent polishes. It's how I spend 5 out of 7 nights of my week, and sometimes the girls' nap times, too. I rely on polishing my nails instead of drinking wine every night. It's how I destress from my fairly stressful life. It's how I reward myself for a job well done, weight loss, or just plain making it through a day without drinking a whole bottle of wine while the twins color on our front door and TV while I take the oldest to the potty for the 25th time in 7 hours. Polish is my color and sunshine when my world can turn a little gray from lack of human contact... okay, ADULT human contact. It's how I say to myself, "Hey! Look! So you ate that whole candy bar... so what? Your nails look FANTASTIC!"
I don't know what really started my obsession. I loved watching my friend Jenni posting pics of her nails, and then thinking why don't I do that? Pinterest probably didn't help, and joining Facebook polish obsession groups DEFINITELY didn't help. They are like meth friends for a meth addict. They talk about the thing you love the most and you decide you need to join. You want to be like them, so you do. I love my polish-obsessed girls. I love my indie polish making friends. I love (and hate!) Pinterest, but most of all, I love getting nail mail and then deciding how I am going to use it that night, or perhaps for the next week (depending on how MUCH I got!). I love getting a great deal, using coupons on Etsy to discover new awesome polish, and I especially love getting the polish I've wanted for a long time! Makes me happy when I have it in my hands. That is what you call EPIC nail mail!
Zen Polish would have to be the name of the polish I make, that is, if I ever made it. I won't. I'm not imaginative enough, and definitely don't have the drive. Too many awesome creators as it is. I'll just drool and buy. Screw Tiffany's. I want polish for Christmas!
Agreed, my polish loving friends? It's not merely an addiction. It's a cult. It's part of your being and your daily life. It's like your wedding ring -- naked without it, and it's a beautiful and simple accessory for your hands!
Start in on pics and reviews tomorrow!
~Jess :)
.JPG)
