Review: Sothys Paris Summer Chill Make-Up Collection (Spring/Summer 2019)

The Sothys Paris Spring/Summer 2019 Summer Chill Make-Up Collection draws inspiration from relaxing summer vibes for a Parisienne chic beauty look. 

Sothys, an avant-garde beauty expert, offers a line of innovative skin and body care as well as a makeup line with limited-edition collections inspired by the seasons. The Summer Chill collection features luminous nude shades that are complemented by fresh, vibrant tones of fuchsia and poppy. 

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.

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.

NOTD: Essie Take Me To Thread (Gel Couture)

Here’s another polish from my Essie Gel Couture Haul. Aside from pastel pink, my favourite nail polish colours are purple and grey. If I can find a shade that’s a combination of the two, I’m eager to give it a try; however, many of these grey-purple polishes are much too brown or warm-toned for my skin. Before placing my polish order, I looked at quite a few swatches and had high hopes for Take Me To Thread since it looked like the perfect shade of greyish purple for cool-toned skin.

NOTD: OPI Bogota Blackberry (gel)

Around the winter holidays, I love wearing deeper shades of polish. This year, I have been so busy with baking and cleaning that I haven’t had much time to take care of my nails, so I went to the salon for a gel manicure.

NOTD: China Glaze Fifth Avenue

I can’t believe that this is my first official blog post on China Glaze’s Fifth Avenue. I’ve owned it for many years (as you can see from the condition of the lettering on the bottle), and it has appeared in some of my seasonal favourites posts, but I have never written a full review on it.

NOTD: OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI (Gel)

It’s been a while since my last Nail of the Day (NOTD) post. Due to a busy schedule and some special events, I have been getting gel manicures at a local salon for the past few months. They use OPI Gel polishes, which I am really enjoying. I have tried Shellac in the past and the gel is very similar in that it is long lasting, resistant to wear and tear, and is completely dry within a minute or so under a curing lamp. However, I prefer the gel over Shellac since it doesn’t make my nails feel as thick, and the gel is cured with an LED light rather than a UV light. I also like that I can remove the gel at home without any acetone or chemicals even though it is not recommended. I must confess that I have discovered that after a few weeks of wear, I can peel the gel off in one piece without any issues while in a hot shower. I have not been able to do this with Shellac.

Of all the OPI Gel colours that I have tried, my favourites include Let’s Be Friends! from the Hello Kitty line (a perfect pastel pink for brides) and the one that I’m wearing in the photo above which is called I Cannoli Wear OPI from the fall 2015 Venice line.

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.

NOTD: Essie Peak Show

With winter lingering around for another month or so, I thought it was the perfect time to write a review of one of the polishes released this season.

Fall 2015 Nail Polish Favourites

This fall, my favourite polishes include a mix of bold creams and shimmery neutrals.

NOTD: Essie Romper Room

I first posted about Romper Room in my June Nail Polish Haul (check it out HERE). This pastel pink polish is part of Essie’s Spring 2014 Hide & Go Chic Collection.

NOTD: China Glaze Light as Air

Light as Air was released with China Glaze’s Spring 2010 Up and Away Collection. This collection is one of my favourites from China Glaze since it includes a good amount of pastel cream-finish polishes. Since Light as Air is one of my favourites in the collection, I thought it was about time that I reviewed it.

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. 

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.

NOTD: Essie Topless & Barefoot

During the summer, I usually wear lots of bold pink, pastel purple, or creamy bright peach polishes. Sometimes I get tired of all the colour though and want my nails to look polished but similar to their natural state. 

Madam Glam Nail Polish (Review + Swatches)

Today, I’m very excited to share a wonderful new nail polish brand with you. Madam Glam, based in the Fashion District in New York, is a French inspired line sold exclusively online. It offers around 100 glamorous colors from chic and sophisticated to more audacious and sassy.

As you can see from the polishes above, the Madam Glam line features colours in a range of shades, finishes, and formulas. From neons to glitters to pastels to nail care treatments, this brand has something for everyone. There’s even a selection of chic, rich, and trendy gold polishes that are perfect for the upcoming fall season.

All Madam Glam polishes are “five-free”, so they do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DiButyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde Resin or Camphor. When on the Madam Glam site (http://madamglam.com/), you can see an ingredients list for a polish by clicking on its picture—very convenient and reassuring for those of us who love polish but are trying to use beauty products with fewer harsh chemicals.  The best part is that Madam Glam polishes are cruelty-free so they are not tested on animals.

This online company also makes it easy for shoppers worldwide since free shipping is available for orders over $25, as well as free exchanges and returns.

To get a closer look at the polishes, to see what the colours look like on the nail, and to read my thoughts on each colour, check out the swatches, bottle pictures, and reviews below.

Wedding Nails: Flowers & Shimmery Stripes

In honour of wedding season, I have created this pretty nail look that features clusters of white flowers on a background of shimmery light pink and purple stripes.

This look began with a base of one of my favourite pale pink polishes, Zoya Marilyn. Next, I used a thin nail art brush to create greyish purple stripes with OPI’s Loyalty Islands Lilac.



To make this look a bit more intricate, I added floral cluster decals from Born Pretty Store. I selected a different cluster for each nail to give the design an effortless style. The decals come on a large sheet with twelve designs in creamy white shades with silver accents (flower nail stickers). They last just as long as the polish and are very easy to apply. They are also very affordable at approximately $5 (plus 10% off with the code Beauty4K31 and free worldwide shipping) for so many different designs. I’ve already used the bow decals for my modern Tiffany-Inspired Nail Look, and I plan to use the hearts for a future Valentine’s Day nail look.

What do you think of this wedding-inspired nail design?

NOTD: Julep Jeanne + BPS Bow Nail Decals

My May Julep Maven Bogo Glam Box came with a pretty purple polish called Paulette (see swatches HERE) and Jeanne (pictured above).

To be honest, when I first saw Jeanne, I wasn’t sure if it was a polish that I could wear. I’m very partial to nail shades that are light, pastel, and cream finish. After trying Jeanne, I realized that it is very bold but also quite fun for spring and summer.