My Top Nine Nail Polishes For Valentine's Day

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so I’m sharing some of my favourite polishes to wear for this occasion. Pinks, purples, peaches, and reds are the colours that I wear during this time of year. For each polish, I have a review and swatch post that goes into more detail about the shade and formula.

Click the links below for more information.

Pink & Red Valentine's Day Nails

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, so here is one of two nail looks that I created in honour of this holiday. Check back next week for the other.

NOTD: Julep Jennye

One of my blogging goals for 2018 is to create more Nail Art and NOTD (Nail of the Day) posts. After all, I started Writing Beauty back in 2011 because of my passion for nails. Although I have downsized my polish collection  over the years and have started getting salon gel manicures when life gets busy, nail polish will always be my first beauty love.

Today I want to share my thoughts on one of my favourite polish purchases from 2017: Julep Jennye.
I received this polish in my May 2017 Julep Maven Customized Box. As I was browsing through the site, this polish immediately caught my attention because it reminded me of a periwinkle crayon that was my favourite colouring tool when I was a child.

May 2017 Julep Maven Customized Box

I know it’s a bit late to be reviewing a May 2017 subscription box, but a busy summer and an even busier start to fall kept me from sharing a few exciting spring/summer releases. Now that I’m on a consistent schedule, more posts are on their way.

Since 2014, I have been subscribed to Julep Maven, which is a monthly nail polish subscription service that also offers makeup and skincare products. The best part is that you have multiple options for your monthly box: receive it as is, customize it, or skip it. If you are interested in Julep, you can learn more or sign up HERE. Even if a monthly subscription is not your style, Julep also sells its products individually, and standard shipping is always free!

To keep my beauty collection under control, I often skip months until I come across a must-have product. In May, I opted in because one of the foot care products really sparked my interest. I decided to customize my box to receive this item and a couple unique polishes. Read on to see what I received and to find out why I’m saving these items for winter.

Spring Julep Beauty Giveaway

In honour of the new season, I’m giving away Julep nail and lip products in pretty spring shades.

Products include Julep Reese Nail Polish, Julep Annalise Nail Polish, and Julep Admired Lip Gloss.

You can enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

April 2016 Julep Maven Customized Box

Since 2014, I have been subscribed to Julep Maven which is a monthly nail polish subscription service that also incorporates beauty and skincare items. The best part is that you can opt for a curated box, customize your box, or skip your box each month depending on your preference. When you begin with Julep, you take a quiz so that Julep can suggest a box with items you may like. If you don’t like what’s offered in your category, you can choose another. If you are interested, you can sign up for Julep HERE. Even if you’re not interested in the monthly subscription, Julep also sells individual polishes and other products. Shipping is always free!

Since I have quite a few polishes in my collection, I don’t receive boxes every month and will often skip boxes until one is offering a must-have item. In fact, the last box I received before this month was back in February 2015 (click HERE to see my review of that box). This April, I opted in for my box since Julep was including a free white polish with each box. Although I have lots of polishes, I don’t have many that are white and it’s always helpful to have a good white polish on hand for nail designs or french manicures. I also decided to customize my April box to get some products that I had been wanting to try for a while.

Read on to see what I received.

Spring 2016 Nail Polish Favourites

Happy Spring 2016!

My nail polish favourites for this season feature a combination of pink, peach, purple, and green pastels and shimmers. There are even a few jellies and duochromes in the mix this spring.

Which of these pretty shades is your favourite? To see swatches and more detailed posts on the polishes below, click on any names in mint green text.

Winter 2016 Nail Polish Favourites

My nail polish favourites for this winter feature a range of different shades from iridescent glitters to snowy baby pinks to blue and purple jewel tones to rich reds and berries and everything in between.

You can see my nail polish favourites from previous years and seasons by clicking HERE.

Which polish is your favourite from my list below? To see swatches and more detailed posts on the polishes below, click on any names in mint green text.

Julep Confetti Toss Wedding Nail Polish Set

It’s wedding season 2015! This year, the season is even more exciting for me because it will give me some inspiration as I embark on a bit of wedding planning of my own.

While I’m enjoying all different aspects of the wedding planning process, I love when I get to take on the beauty-related tasks. After all, I already think that I know which polish I will be wearing on my wedding day, but I won’t share that idea now since I may change my mind.

As frequent browser of the Julep site, I love to look through all the pretty polishes, makeup, and gift sets in the Weddings section which also has a very helpful wedding checklist. I had been eyeing one particular polish set called Confetti Toss for a while, so I finally decided to purchase it to see if it could be an option for a bridesmaid gift.

When I received the set, I first noticed how nicely everything was packaged. The two polishes came in a pretty gold embossed cover and a pink bag with ribbons. The outer box is made of a very sturdy cardboard with a rich pink coating and silver Julep logos. It has a magnetic closure and the phrase “We believe beauty is about connection, not competition” printed on the side of the box. There’s extra room inside to add other gifts like wedding jewellery or accessories for the big day. The packaging makes this set a convenient gift for bridesmaids since the bride will not need to worry about wrapping anything.



The two polishes that come in the set are Nell (a blushing holographic full-coverage glitter) and Reese (a bright bubblegum pink creme). With two polishes in very different finishes, this set can be used to create many different nail looks. To see one that I have created so far, click HERE.

I think that the shades are perfect for bridesmaids because they will allow the ladies to express themselves with their polish without wearing a nail colour that’s too distracting. Since Nell is a very neutral pink shade that only needs a coat or two to look opaque, it can be applied quickly and will complement dresses in any colour. Reese is such a pretty pink that I think would look amazing with darker dresses in shades of navy, purple, emerald, and black, but also with lighter dress colours like champagne or silver.



I really like the idea of giving a polish set to bridesmaids because it’s a practical gift that can be used long after the wedding and may get more use than accessories chosen specifically to match the dress.

In addition to this set, there are a couple others that I may consider purchasing to see how they compare.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Confetti Toss set from Julep.

*referral links present*

Wedding Nails with Julep Confetti Toss

I created this nail look using the Confetti Toss Wedding Nail Polish Set from Julep. To see my full review of the set, click HERE.

The base colour in this look is Reese, a pretty bubblegum pink, and the glittery accents feature Nell, a blushing holographic polish. I used a nail art brush to make the vertical stripes, but the same effect can be achieved with a toothpick or a dotting tool.

I think this look would be great for bridesmaids, wedding guests, or even brides.

For more wedding inspiration, check out my wedding nail board on Pinterest by clicking HERE.

What will you be wearing on your nails this wedding season?

*referral links present*

Pastel Confetti Nail Art

 


I created this fun nail look for spring using two of the polishes that came in the Julep Cupid’s Mystery Clutch. The pastel pink base is called Fifi and the heart confetti is called Yuki. I love how this look can be achieved without any special nail art tools. It was also very easy to create.

After painting on the base colour and letting it dry for a few minutes, I used the brush in the confetti polish to dab random bits of white and pink confetti onto the nail on my ring finger. Next, I used the brush to pick up a white confetti heart and place it in the centre of my nail. I finished the look with a layer of top coat. The look lasted a long time and I received many compliments on it. I think this nail design is very versatile—it’s office appropriate yet also a pretty look for a bride to wear on her
wedding day.

What do you think of this spring nail look?

NOTD: Julep Fifi

I received Fifi in Julep’s Cupid’s Mystery Clutch that was available around Valentine’s Day. As soon as I opened the package, Fifi is the polish that first caught my eye since I love to wear pastel pink shades on my nails. 

Julep Giveaway!!!!

I thought it was about time to have another giveaway. This giveaway features a Julep nail polish in Mary Lee and a Julep Lip Gloss in Posh. 

You can enter to win these items by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. 

Good Luck!

****This giveaway is open internationally and will close on April 8, 2015 at 11:59PM****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Julep Cupid's Mystery Clutch Review

Lately, I’ve been enjoying the unique polish sets from Julep. Don’t forget that from now until March 31, you can get a free polish with orders over $15 by using the code GETCOLOR. The code can be used twice per person.

Normally, I avoid purchasing anything with “mystery” items since I prefer to know what I’m getting before ordering, but the two glitter polishes and sequin clutch were enough to make me want to find out what else would be included in Julep’s Valentine’s Day mystery box. Not to mention, it was only $24.99 for over $100 worth of products.



When I first saw the polishes, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were all in shades of pink and purple—my favourite colour categories for nail polishes. I love how they are all in different finishes as well. There are two cream finishes, one shimmer polish, and two confetti glitter top coats.
From left to right, the polishes include Fifi (tea time pink creme), Yuki (snowy heart glitter top coat), Valentina (pink chevron glitter top coat), Joanne (smoky plum creme), and Logan (sultry aubergine shimmer).

So far, I have already used Yuki for my Valentine’s Day Nail Look.



The clutch also came with a Julep Gel Eye Glider in the shade Navy Smoke. I was very excited to receive this shade as I think that navy blue really complements all eye colours. It’s less harsh than black and makes the whites of the eyes look brighter.



The last item is a lip gloss. Earlier this month I received one of these glosses in my February Julep Maven Box. I really like it and have used it every day since. It’s not sticky, it’s long lasting, and it has a nice sweet scent. The colour I received in my Maven Box is a red shade. The one I received in Cupid’s Mystery Clutch is in the shade Posh, a sheer black honey.  Since the shade I already have is similar, I will save Posh for my upcoming Julep giveaway.

Overall, I’m very impressed with this mystery box and will consider purchasing others in the future.
Did you order this Valentine’s Day box? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

*referral links present

Valentine's Day Nails

For this year’s Valentine’s Day nail look, I wanted to add a bit of sparkle.
I began the look with a base of Zoya Odette and then added lighter purple accents with Madam Glam Flirty Mood. To create the stripe of glitter between the two purple shades, I used Julep Nell. I finished off the look by adding white and pink confetti and a white heart on the ring finger using Julep Yuki.
I love this look because it’s festive but still classy. I wouldn’t hesitate to wear this design to work and I’m looking forward to wearing it for Valentine’s Day.
To see my Valentine’s Day nails from last year, click here. To see five other Valentine’s day nail looks, click here.
What will you wear on your nails this Valentine’s Day?

Nail Art: Winter Floral Nails

Florals in the winter? Why not! After all, nature’s in style year round; it just shows its beauty in different shades of colour when the weather gets cold.

I was inspired to create this look after realizing that Julep’s polish in Erin wasn’t the shade that I expected it to be. It didn’t really complement my skin tone, so I decided to transform it into something more wearable by adding a white floral overlay.

For the base of this look, I applied two coats of Julep Erin. Next, I used Konad’s White Special polish to stamp on a floral design from the image plate m65. It’s been quite some time since I last created stamping nail art. I’ve been so busy that I usually just paint my nails a solid colour. Creating this nail look reminded me of how much I miss adding designs to my nails.

I was very impressed with this nail look and felt more comfortable wearing the Julep polish after adding a flower design. The combination of the grey and white gave the look a very vintage wintry feel that was cozy yet chic.

What are your thoughts on this nail look? Would you wear floral patterns on your nails in the winter?

NOTD: Julep Erin

I received Julep Erin in the September 2014 Julep Maven Boho Glam box. It’s described by Julep as an oyster grey crème. I chose this specific box because, on the Julep site, this shade appeared to be a light grey with lilac undertones. In person, Erin is actually very greenish.

May 2014 Julep Maven Box (Boho Glam)

Back in July, I signed up for Julep and took the Maven quiz. I was sorted into the Boho Glam group and got my first box for free by using the code FREEMAVEN at checkout. If you are interested, you can sign up for Julep HERE and get started on your quiz to see which category you fall into. If you don’t like what is offered in that category, you can opt for another. Even if you are not interested in the monthly subscription, Julep also sells individual polishes. You can check out the pretty new spring shades on Julep’s Nail Polish Color Page by clicking HERE.

To see my intro box, click HERE.

What I really like about this service is that you can skip boxes and send boxes to a friend. Since I already have a decent collection of nail polish, I have skipped quite a few months since receiving my intro box. I decided to only opt in for boxes that were truly unique and contained products that were not similar to any in my collection.

For May, I missed the deadline and forgot to check out the box and make a decision before it shipped, so I received the Boho Glam version of the May box. To be completely honest, I would have skipped the box just from seeing it on the site because the polish colours were a bit out of my comfort zone and I know I won’t use the plié wand.  It looks like a very interesting concept but I prefer to just use the brushes that come with each polish. That said, I know that someone else will love it so I am giving it away, along with a precision brush, to one of my lovely followers. Click HERE to enter the giveaway (it’s open worldwide!).

Although the polishes looked a bit scary on the site, I loved them once I tried them out. The pretty purple is called Paulette (see my swatches HERE) and the blue one is called Jeanne (see my swatches HERE).

Overall, I am happy that I received the May Julep Maven box even though it’s not something I would have chosen for myself. I will use the polishes and I’m excited to be giving away the plié wand on my blog.

What are your thoughts on this month’s box?

NOTD: Julep Paulette

Sometimes my love for cream finish polishes causes me to forget about the other beautiful polishes out there. I’m glad that Paulette from Julep is here to remind me that jewel tones and shimmer finishes are pretty and fresh for spring.

GIVEAWAY: Julep Plié Wand + Precision Brush

I thought it would be nice to give away this Julep Plié Wand and precision brush to one of my wonderful followers!
The giveaway is open worldwide and will end on Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 11:59 PM.
To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway