Mani Monday

 
   I am linking up with my sister-in-law Leah over at Recipe for Love for Mani Monday again this week. This week I tried a nail polish technique called "The Jelly Sandwich." It's also sometimes called a glitter sandwich. You can see the instructions I followed HERE. 
      The technique is super easy though. Just apply a base coat and then follow with a coat of a jelly polish. I had to do a little more research online to figure out what a jelly polish is and luckily the gals on the Julep Facebook page are all really nice and helpful and gave me the names of several Julep polishes that would qualify. A jelly polish is kind-of sheer and has a jelly-like consistency and literally looks a bit like jelly when you apply it to your nail. Then you apply one or two coats of a glitter polish and allow that to dry before painting another coat of the jelly polish. Then you follow with a topcoat for shine. Basically, you are "sandwiching" the glitter between layers of the jelly polish. 

      For my manicure, I used Julep's Lily, which is described as a hot sizzling fuchsia creme. (I was also told that Julep's Lauren and Natasha are also good jellies.) I didn't have any polish with larger pieces of glitter so I went to Walgreens to buy a cheap polish that I thought would match Lily. I ended up buying Wet n Wild's polish called Take the Stage, which is a clear polish filled with tons of tiny fuchsia glitter and larger silver pieces of glitter. 

     I really love the final look of this technique. I think it would look even better if I had more large particles of glitter . And I think it would also look really cute with holiday-shaped glitter (like Julep's America stars polish for Fourth of July or hearts for Valentine's Day). 

     Anyway, I have no new pedicure to show you because my toes are still rocking Julep's Megan polish from last week. I am waiting on my new Julep polishes to arrive before redoing my pedicure. Crossing my fingers that they come either tomorrow or Wednesday!

     Are you digging Lily? Want to check out some other Julep polishes? Joining the Julep Maven program is the most cost efficient way to buy their products because you get discounts on everything and access to colors before everyone else! Plus, you can join now for just a penny (see the code below). Here are some others benefits of the Julep Maven program. 

• $40-$60 worth of nail products delivered to your door each month for only $19.99.
• You get to preview the colors you will receive each month.
• You can skip receiving a box if nail polish isn't in your budget for the month or you dislike all the colors. 
• You can switch to one of four other styles if you like them better.
• You can choose to send your box to a friend.
• Free shipping.
• 20 percent off your purchases on julep.com.
• You can earn a free month by referring two friends to the program using your referral link. (Mine is below and I'd be so happy if you used it!)
• You can cancel at anytime simply by giving Julep a call.

     Sound good? Then fill out a style quiz here so Julep can tailor your boxes to your personal style and use the code COLOR2012 or PENNY to receive your introductory box for just a $0.01. Or you can use the code 2FREE to get your introductory box for $19.99 and receive an additional two polishes in your box (for a total of four polishes and a nail product or five polishes.)

Mani Monday

     My sister-in-law Leah has started a new weekly blog post over on her blog A Recipe for Love - Mani Monday. She is posting her current manicure or pedicure (or both!) each week. What I fun idea, right? 
     I am linking up with her post today a little bit later than I meant to, but I was surprised when I checked her blog this morning and saw that we had the same exact manicure! (Julep's Lynn with Yumi as the French tip). So because I didn't want to post the same thing, I had to do a different manicure. Haha! Our taste is so similar. But then again, we both also have a thing for Rumely men so why should we be surprised? 
       I am also linking up because I feel partly responsible since I was the one who recommended the Julep Maven program to her and got her addicted too. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you can click the above link to find out more about the company and their monthly subscription box of nail and beauty products. If you want to receive your introductory box for just a penny, use the code COLOR2012 when you sign up and take the style quiz. Don't forget to select free shipping! 
      For my manicure, I used the Julep color Charlotte. It is described as a demure lavender creme. The Julep website says the color is, "Sophisticated with a twist. Elegant on a manicure." What I really like about this color is that you only need one coat to make a completely opaque finish. The formula is also really nice because it applies very smoothly. It is one of my favorites of my newer Julep polishes.

     

      On my toes, I am using Julep's Megan. It is described as a playful and sultry Mediterranean aquamarine shimmer.  It doesn't come out as dark as it looks like it will be in the bottle, but it's still pretty. I would love to wear it to the beach!