Skincare: Travel Edition

 

NOTD: Southwest Inspired Nail Art

For this southwest-inspired (American Southwest) nail art I used NARS Vertebra Right (pinky and middle finger), Julep Jess (dots), and Essie Toned Down.

What are your wearing on your nails right now?

NOTD: China Glaze Let The Beat Drop and Julep Raegan

Here's a little NOTD I did with some polishes I got at IMATS! Hope you enjoy! Also, I'm not sponsored by Suja just FYI.

NOTD: Julep Keiko and OPI Samoan Sand

Here is a little NOTD I did a while back but never posted on the blog. It's Julep Keiko with OPI Samoan Sand. I did the stripes using striping tape. Enjoy!

Swatch Sunday: Julep Jess

Julep May 2015 Maven Box Polishes: Moni and Spencer

Julep Moni:

Nautical nails done with Julep's Spencer (gold) and Butter London's Royal Navy:

Julep May 2015 Maven Box

I picked up my Maven box this month pretty much because I needed a gold polish that was going to work for stamping and because I am an eyeshadow ADDICT (help me?). All Julep had to say was eyeshadow and I was all in on this box. Below is what the box looked like when I opened it. They were nice enough to include two pieces of salt water taffy in every box complete with allergy information. I love that little bit of extra care (I mean the allergy info. I know you were thinking I meant the candy ;) ). It's a great addition for the modern girl (or boy!) since so many people have allergies or special dietary restrictions.

Another look at my goodies just so we can perfect that #flatlay (insert winky face here). I seriously need to get emojis for my blogging already. Does anyone know where I can get those?

The eyeshadow duo (it reminds me so much of NARS in a good way) and swatches:

The pale gold color is a bit difficult to see but it is swatched right under where my watermark ends. I can't say enough good things about this eyeshadow. It really feels like velvet. That was not just a marketing gimmick. The shadow is very soft and very pigmented. It lasted eight hours on me which isn't that amazing but I do have oily eyelids so a lot of shadows don't have longevity on me. This is actually one shadow I don't mind reapplying because the compact is small and easily fits in my purse. Also it just feels super luxurious like NARS so I kinda want to just pull it out of my bag and show it off in the ladies' room.

For polish swatches, stay tuned!

Swatch Saturday: Julep Lorenzana Review

Julep's Lorenzana is one of my favorite neutral colors. A mushroom grey, it goes on opaque in two coats and is a great base for a lot of my leopard nail ideas. I also wear this color by itself a lot when I want a clean, professional looking color on my nails. 

Do you have a favorite go-to polish? A favorite "professional" color?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own and the products shown here were purchased with my own money.

Swatch Saturday: Julep Ada Review

Julep came out with a new polish for the February Maven box named Ada. Ada provoked my curiousity since it was described as a "bright rhubarb fizzy". What in the world is a fizzy, I thought. Apparently a fizzy is just over-glorified specks in the polish.

While the polish is a nice color, very flattering on brown skin tones (and paler skintones I imagine), and is opaque in two coats, I do not think this one is worth your hard earned money girls. My OCD/perfectionist self hates the fact that I can never get an even balanced smattering of speckles. Thus, to me, it looks as if a kindergartner did my nails. Not the professional vibe I was going for...sigh. Please Jane, can you make this a creme color? Do any of ya'll know dupes that are similar to Ada but have creme formulations?

What are your thoughts on Ada?

Winter Blues: Navy Nail Polish Suggestions

It seems blue nail polish is everywhere these days in two shades; navy and royal blue. Here is how you can try this chic winter look that is a great alternative after a holiday season filled with brights, glitter, and reds:

Butter London: Royal Navy $14

YSL: Bleu Majorelle $27

Julep Kristy $14

Part Two: How to Winterize Your Nails

In the last post, I told you guys I had teamed up with Julep to share how I winterize my nails. You can click here for the first half of this post if you missed it. If you are all caught up, here are the rest of my looks inspired by Julep's style personalities:

Bombshell
To me, the Bombshell, is the girl who is always perfectly put together and in line with what is currently in style. Since greys are very popular this year, I was inspired to create a nail look based on this outfit from Banana Republic (I believe). I also included a little bit of sparkle on the nails using Kiss Nails nail polish so that they are holiday ready. I used Julep's Lorenzana and Clara for the half moon manicure. Lorenzana has been my go-to polish this entire fall season. It's such a beautiful nude and the hint of grey makes it very of-the-moment.

Boho Glam

Boho Glam is a very fun, creative style. So I really tried to capture the winter season on the nail. What better way to do that than a string of festive holiday lights?! I would recommend spreading reducing the light colors to maybe two or three, however. I chose four and it got a bit chaotic. I used Julep's Donna, Lexie, and January for the lights as well as Butter London's Royal Navy. The base was NYC's white but Julep's Soraphine is similar. You could use Julep's Plie brush to draw the string for the lights or grab a fine point Sharpie like I did.

It Girl
The It Gitl is someone who is very trendy and chic. Black nails are edgy and a look I always picture an "it girl" wearing; also nail art is quite popular these days so I wanted to combine the two for my nail look. I created the snowman using a dotting tool similar to the one that comes with Julep's Plie Wand. To get this look I used Julep's Soraphine, Jet, and OPI's In My Back Pocket which is similar to Julep's Cody.

Below are a few of Julep's suggestions for winter nail colors. You can get them here.

Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite! I can't wait to get my hands on Joanne and Shari! Ilsa and Kiki remind me of the movie "Frozen"!

Disclaimer:

MakeupandMasala was not compensated in any form for this post. The honest opinions in this post belong to the writer of MakeupandMasala.  All polishes listed in this post were purchased by MakeupandMasala and are part of her private collection. Clicking on links will not generate any revenue or perk for MakeupandMasala; they are listed purely for reader convenience. Julep provided the last image in this post. 

Part One: How To Winterize Your Nails

So as the weather starts to get colder, there are several things we can look forward to: decorated store fronts, hot chocolate, comfy sweaters, and.......dry, chapped hands?!

Well, thanks to MakeupandMasala and Julep, hopefully the last one will not be the case. We've teamed up to share with you guys some of the best tips and products to keep your tips and toes winterized:

One of my favorite tricks is product versatility. I keep the Julep Pedi Creme in my handbag at all times. I slather it on my feet during flip flop season when my feet need a little extra TLC. However, in the winter, I have found that, in a pinch, it works as a great hand moisturizer. This is especially important for me since I live in the desert and work in a lab all the time so my hands are usually very dry from the climate and the excessive use of solvents.

Let's be honest, We all like pampering and manicuring our nails. But the best part is definitely the polish! Another way I "winterize" my nails is picking out colors and patterns that are more on trend for winter. Cue the glitter. Winter is the season of holiday parties and excessive glitz and glam. I normally wear conservative cream finishes, but during the holidays I get a little fancy. In honor of the season, I created four winter looks to take you from the office to holiday parties and from day to night based on Julep's style personalities.    

Classic With A Twist

This look is one of my favorite since I, myself, am Classic With A Twist. I wanted a day to night look since I have to have conservative nails for work, but I want them to be holiday party ready. With this look, you can wear the timeless red nail to work and glitz it up before the weekend party. The glitter tips took me all of 10 minutes to apply before I was out the door and off to party. I used OPI's Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ for the red and Julep's Paris for the glitter. I actually wanted to use Julep's Coco for the red since the two came as a set during the Paris Collection, but I left it at my boyfriend's house after painting my nails there. 

Stay tuned to see more Julep inspired looks in Part Two! In the mean time, be sure to check out Julep's new nail polish colors! 

Disclaimer:

MakeupandMasala was not compensated in any form for this post. The honest opinions in this post belong to the writer of MakeupandMasala.  All polishes listed in this post were purchased by MakeupandMasala and are part of her private collection. Clicking on links will not generate any revenue or perk for MakeupandMasala; they are listed purely for reader convenience. Julep provided the first image in this post. 

August Favorites: MAC, Ole Henriksen, Nars and More!

1. Rainymood.com. I love the rain and this website gives me the next best thing! I just turn it on at night on my Iphone when I can't sleep. It's an insomniac's dream.

2. Lorenzana polish by Julep. I have been wearing this perfect nude color for a few months after getting it in my last maven box!

3. Ole Henriksen's Truth Serum Collagen Booster. I can't get enough of this. I layer it under my Murad Night Cream and I have had the most flawless, dewy skin all month long. It's especially great because I feel like I don't get huge breakouts anymore or scarring left on my skin especially during that time of the month. ;)

4. MAC's Springsheen Blush. This blush is a total dupe of NARS Orgasm and also of Milani's Rose D'Oro. It gives you the perfect summertime flush of pink for youthful cheeks.

5. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I am in the color Caramel. I have recently switched over to this concealer from Bobbi Brown since I feel like it creases less. I set mine with a little powder under the eyes and I am good for almost the whole day.

What have you been loving this summer???

Google +1 this post if you loved it!

NOTD: Pastel Argyle

NOTD: Green with Nicole by OPI and Julep

Here is a NOTD I did sometime ago but forgot to post. I think this was for an Artsy Wednesday. I used my Cheeky stamping plates, the Kardashian Collection Nicole by OPI's Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam, and Julep's Dianna.

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Artsy Wednesday: Halloween

Happy Halloween, guys! This candy-corn inspired manicure was created using OPI In My Back Pocket, Julep Lexie, and NYC 134 French White Tip.

Be sure to check out the other girls' Halloween-inspired manis:

Lab Muffin - Maria's Nail Art - Unnaked Nails - Nail & Polish - An Accent Nail - Valiantly Varnished - MASPOOASE - Every Little Polish - MakeupnMorebyAnna



XOXO,

NOTD: Julep's Bess + OPI Lights of Emerald City

I was feeling a bit summer-y this week. Here are the results...

What are you wearing on your nails this week? Also if you liked this post, remember to press the Google Plus button at the bottom to like the post or comment so I can know if you want me to keep doing these kinds of posts!

XOXO,

September Favorites: Steven Madden, Bare Face Cleansing Oil, Lust Soap and More!

Another month has come and gone. I'm so excited that it is finally fall! Check out what I've been loving this month:

1. Pink Wild at Heart Body Lotion. I love this lotion! I wanted to try something new after running out of my Strawberries and Champagne lotion from Victoria's Secret and decided to pick this one up. It smells amazing; the scent is red passion fruit and musk. The best part is the pump action top which allows me to throw on my lotion quickly before getting into my clothes.

2. Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil. I got this in my September (I think) Julep Maven box. I was not planning on getting this box especially when I saw this product (I have plenty of facial cleanser right now), but I forgot to cancel the box in the middle of moving chaos so it ended up at my front door. It was the perfect serendipity for my hormone-crazed, oily skin as it washes my face without leaving it oily. My favorite part is the grapefruit scent. I love everything grapefruit and this one smells just like the body scrub and lotion Julep sent out a while back.

3. Steve Madden Leader Boot. I wanted a cute military boot to go with some of my fall outfits and I stumbled across this one at my local Nordstrom's. It also comes in brown! Let me know if you guys want me to do outfits to match these boots.

4. Naked Juice's Green Machine. I would never have tried this if it wasn't for my boyfriend. The juice looks absolutely disgusting with its green color (it even admits it on the bottle!). However, the taste is super fruity and it is a great way to catch up on one's daily fruit/vege intake.

5. Nude Tude Palette. I got this on sale off of Hautelook a while ago and I have been loving it. To me it is very different from the Naked palette (which I have) since this palette has more matte colors and the shimmery colors are not has glitter-heavy as the Naked shadows.

6. Lush's Lust Soap. I shower in this vanilla scented soap daily. It makes me feel super girly every time. 

7. Peach Bellini Candle from Bath and Body Works. I got this candle last fall and just started using it. In my opinion, it is the perfect transition candle between summer and fall. It has a sweet fruity scent reminiscent of summer, but also evoke the scent of fall parties and bubbly champagne. It looks like Bath and Body Works is not carrying this scent as a candle right now, but as I bought it in the fall/winter season, keep your eyes open since I am sure it will come back soon.

Do ya'll have any September favorites? What did you love that you think I should try?
XOXO,

Friday Finds: Biscoff Cookie Spread, Julep's Kai, and More!

Here are my favorite finds for this week. Click on the link in the description for more information/where to buy.

1. Biscoff Cookie Spread. I discovered this cookie spread next to the Nutella at my local Target and it is awesome! It has a delicious flavor and a hint of cinnamon (I think). It's the perfect companion to a slice of bread.

2. Julep Kai. This polish is such a pretty baby blue color and is part of the Julep sea salt collection.

3. Steve Madden Leader Boot. I wanted a cute military boot to go with some of my fall outfits and I stumbled across this one at my local Nordstrom's. It also comes in brown!

4. Wei Mud Mask. I got this in a Birchbox last February I believe. I tried it for the first time a few days ago when I wanted to have a spa night in and it will be a regular purchase. Keep your eyes posted for my detailed review in an upcoming blog post.

Happy Friday! XOXO,

ARTSY WEDNESDAY: Blue Manicure featuring Julep and China Glaze

I am a little late in posting this manicure, my apologies. The theme for this week was a blue manicure.

I used Julep's Bess for the base and did a sponge gradient with Julep's Taylor over the tips. Finally I used China Glaze's First Mate to stamp over the top of each nail with my Cheeky nail stamping plates. My boyfriend and I agreed that these are the best nails I have done to date. :)

Julep's Bess

Sponge Gradient

Be sure to check out the other girls' blue-inspired manis:

Lab Muffin - Maria's Nail Art - Unnaked Nails - Nail & Polish - An Accent Nail - Valiantly Varnished - MASPOOASE - Every Little Polish - MakeupnMorebyAnna