1 Year Blogiversary Prize 3

Tonight's post is going to be picture heavy, again, so I'm just going to get down to business.  All of the polishes in this post were either purchased by me or donated for the giveaway and not for review.  Tonight, I only have three polishes from the prize to show you.  As always, click on the photos to enlarge them.  To enter, go HERE.

Here's the second prize again:

Prize Three

Sponsored by Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, Sharla Sells Avon, Enchanted Polish, Model City Polish, Elixir Polish, Polished 10, and Nail Bed Dreams.

 Avon Starlight, LA Girl 3D 3D Silver, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Birthday Wishes, Enchanted Polish Dragon Spit, Model City Polish Blue Eyed Beauty, Elixir Polish 1 Year Blogiversary, OPI The Grape Lakes, Sinful Polish Mesmerize, and Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Shower Gel.

Obligatory bottle shots:

Elixir 1 Year Blogiversary

1 Year Blogiversary is a light purple shimmer with red holo hexes, lavender squares, rainbow iridescent micro glitters, and giant black dots.  I adore the iridescent flecks.  They are so unexpected and so pretty.

Application was a little difficult as it was a bit thick for my tastes.  However, I tend to like things on the thinner side, so the consistency of this polish may be perfect for you.  I will also say that I thought I had a polish I could use as undies, but I didn't have a single match!  This is three coats over itself, but I usually like to layer my glitters over undies.  

The glitter spread evenly with a little manipulation.  I can also say that this polish is so unique.  I don't think I've seen anything that comes close!

The dots were easy to dig out, but weren't initially forthcoming on the brush.  I had to actively dig them out, which was pretty simple.  You can purchase Elixir polishes at Nicole's store.  Follow her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates on releases.

Model City Polish Blue Eyed Beauty

Blue Eyed Beauty is a dark blue jelly with teal and blue holographic hexes and dots.

I'm not usually a fan of the giant dots, but holy lord, they are amazing in this polish.  Here, I have layered 2 coats of BEB over 1 coat of Cult Nails Time Traveler, a deep navy creme.  The depth and sparkle in this polish is astounding.

Application was super easy.  No pooling, bubbling, streaking, and the glitters came out of the bottle of their own volition fanning out evenly across the nail.  

You can purchase Model City Polishes at her Etsy store.  Follow Nina at her blog, Facebook, and Instagram for news and updates.

Enchanted Polish Dragon Spit

Dragon Spit is a rusty red-orange holographic polish that flashes orange-ish gold in certain lights.  Here it is in indoor lighting.

Dragon Spit has such complex coloring that I may not be describing it right!  I think my photos are pretty accurate, but I can 100% say it's even more gorgeous in person.  Here is Dragon Spit in direct sunlight at sunset.

Unlike a lot of holos, DS had great application, which seems to be the standard MO for Enchanted polishes.  There wasn't any balding, streaking, or dragging.  I didn't need to use my special Aqua Base, either!

Let's just gaze upon this beauty once more...

Ahhhh.  You can purchase Enchanteds at her store, Llarowe, Harlow & Co, and Mei Mei's Signatures.  Follow Chelsea on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news of new polishes and restocks.  Be aware, though, that shopping an Enchanted restock is like shopping the Filenes Running of the Brides.  You'll need to watch for elbows and stampedes.

(Source)

So, which of the polishes in this prize is your favorite?  I'm loving them all, so I won't choose favorites.  :)

1 Year Blogging - a day of Julies.

Well, it's been 1 year of blogging as of today. I can't believe how rewarding and fulfilling it has been to share my passion with you guys. I truly appreciate each and every interaction I have with you guys, so thank you so very much for joining me in this journey.

First, I wanted to remind you guys of all of the giveaway goings-ons around here! First, don't forget to enter the GIANT 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway. The prizes are listed here and entry is via the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of the post. Second, don't forget about the IG portion of my 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway. Check that out here. Remember, you must share the photo (easiest to take a screenshot and post it yourself) and use all of the tags or I won't see it. If you've entered and haven't received a response from me that looks says "#woabeggiveawayentry xx," then I haven't seen your post and you'll need to make sure all of the hashtags are present. Both of theses giveaways end at 11:59 pm est Monday, August 5, 2013. The third and final giveaway, for today at least, is the Reader of the Month giveaway. Today's challenge is a guessing game! Check out my post on Facebook here for information. It closes tomorrow, 7/30, at noon est.

Alrighty, let's get down to business! Tonight I want to share with you another one of my favorite manis to date. It oozes pastel femininity, which is a nice palate cleanser from the bold and vampy colors I've been sporting lately. Also a bonus, two of these polishes just happen to share my name! Let's take a look at Zoya Julie and Essie Mint Candy Apple topped with Shimmer Julie. The photos without the HK Girl bottle are matte and the photos with it plus the macro of Julie over, well, Julie are shiny.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of Shimmer Julie for review purposes.  All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Shimmer Julie

Color: Multi-color glitter bomb that favors gold, purple, and blue mini and small hexes with accents of green, red, silver, and caramel hexes.

Finish: Glitter Top Coat – glitter in a clear base to be worn as a top coat.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: Glitter topcoat – not designed for full opacity.

Glitter Application: Medium – requires the dab method, but spreads evenly.

Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application: Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability: Not designed for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: When I first received this polish for review, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find any undies that would do it justice. I didn't want to overwhelm the mani by having a bright and in your face undie when the topper already had a ton of vibrant colors. I think it worked really well over the pastel undies. Application was so easy. It's so densely packed that the glitters came out easily but required the dab method to spread across the nail evenly. I loved this mani so much that I wore it for several days. That's saying something since I usually change my mani every day! As you can see, I actually wore it matte the first day, which was absolutely gorgeous. I used NYC Matte Me Crazy, which is as good as Essie Matte About you but for 1/4 of the price. You can purchase Shimmer polishes for $12 from Cindy's Etsy store, or here are instructions for how to email her your order. Follow her on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates.

Zoya Julie

Color: Lilac with silver shimmer.

Finish: Shimmer – a polish that shimmers in the light.

Bottle / Brush: Tapered bottle and cap - bottle tapers from a fat top to a smaller bottom making it a little harder to hold if you hold your bottles while you paint.  The tapered cap actually makes for easier application as it's shorter than most caps, but provides enough length to help guide application without being too wide where you grip it.  The wand and brush are a little short, but they have average application.

Opacity: Medium – achieves opacity at three to four coats.

Glitter Application: N/A

Consistency: Thick – thick or it can be clumpy. The polish requires more than 2 coats, but it hits its max thickness at 2 coats. Meaning, it looks a little lumpy at more than 2 coats, but you have to use more than 2 coats to keep it from showing bald spots. Catch 22, much?

Overall Ease of Application: Difficult – pools at the cuticles.  Drags and clumps, streaks, or is bald in spots.  Does not spread well without massive manipulation.  It is quite thick after applying sufficient coats for full oppacity.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Long – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in over 8 minutes due to the thickness required for opacity.

Overall Thoughts: It's such a pretty color, but I was so disappointed by the application. Of course I'm going to keep it because 1) it's my name, duh, and 2) I really want to try it again after some thinner. As I've mentioned above, the polish became super thick on the nail after applying enough layers to reach full opacity. Plus, it got thicker on the brush as I completed my mani. All in all, it's so pretty that I'm going to attempt to use it again before giving up. I purchased Julie during one of their online promotions here. However, you can purchase Zoya at Ulta, Salons, and other beauty supply stores where they are sold.

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Color: Mint green.

Finish: Crelly – looks squishy like a jelly but opaque like a crème.

Bottle / Brush: Essie square - bottle is square, which is easier for me to hold in my hand or between my legs as I polish.  The cap is shorter than most salon brands, other than Zoya, but it is easy enough to hold.  The wand and brush are average with the brush being more on the narrow side.  Application is a little more difficult than normal due to the slender brush.

Opacity: Medium – achieves opacity at three to four coats.

Glitter Application: N/A

Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application: Hard – applies with some streaking and balding.  Requires sufficient time between coats to ensure no balding. However, it requires quick work per nail to get a smooth result.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed working with this polish, which was a random act of kindness gift from my friend, Samantha. Application was a little difficult as you had to work fast to get enough polish on the nail before it dried and caused a dragging situation. Furthermore, it required three coats to avoid streakiness. Once it was all said and done, though, it dried quickly, which is a huge plus. This is also a perfect mint green for my skin tone - and for Shimmer Julie! You can purchase Essie's at most drug stores, Target, salons, and beauty supply stores.

So, there you have it! Thank you again for coming on this journey with me. I am truly thankful for each and every one of you!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of Shimmer Julie for review purposes.  All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

1 Year Blogiversary Prize 2

Again, this is going to be picture heavy, so less chit chat and more photos!  All of the polishes in this post were either purchased by me or donated for the giveaway and not for review.  Tonight, I only have three polishes from the prize to show you as well as an example Avon - a different color but from the same collection.  Let's get down to business!  As always, click on the photos to enlarge them.  To enter, go HERE.

Here's the second prize again:

Prize Two

Sponsored by Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, Kelara Lacquers, Polished 10, Soflajo, Elevation Polish, Sharla Sells Avon, and Nail Bed Dreams.

Kelara Lacquer Happy Blogiversary, Color Club (unnamed pink), Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Birthday Wishes, Soflajo My Sign's Aqua-rium, Elevation Polish Magens Bay, LA Girl 3D Dazzling Pink, Avon Saturn, Julie G Gumdrop Rock Candy, and Bath and Body Works PS I Love You Shower Gel. 

And here are bottle shots of the polishes in the prize:

Avon Starburst

The first polish I want to show you is Avon Starburst, which is a scattered holo in dark fuchsia.  The Avon in the prize is Saturn, which is an orange scattered holo.  

Can I just say that this polish was AMAZING?!  Like, seriously amazing.  It probably could've been one coat, but, as you guys know, I'm weird and did two.  

These photos are zero cleanup.  ZERO. CLEANUP.  Do you get what I'm saying?!  Amazing polish.  Such depth and opacity.  I'm almost speechless.  Looking forward to trying my hand at stamping with this beauty!

Kelara Happy Blogiversary

I used 1 coat of Happy Blogiversary over Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream.  Happy Blogiversary is a pink shimmer with multiple color and sized hexes.

Application was easy.  The brush strokes in the macro aren't evident at all to the naked eye.

Here it is with NYC Matte Me Crazy.

Since this was a custom, you can only get this polish from my giveaway!

SoFlaJo My Sign's Aqua-rium

My Sign's Aqua-rium is a glittery teal matte.

Application was easy, but it took a little bit longer to dry than the others.  This is three coats without a topcoat.

Here it is with HK Girl topcoat.

And here it is shiny with topcoat but blurred so you can see those gorgeous glitters.

Elevation Magen's Bay

I love her little pic and signature!!

Elevation Magen's Bay is a custom I had made for me by Lulu, the creator of Elevation.  I sent her photos of Magen's Bay in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands as inspiration, and this is the beauty she came up with!

A light teal base with teal and light blue dots, hexes and squares.

This is two coats.  Super easy application with a very quick dry time.

Again, since this was a custom, you can only get this polish from my giveaway!

You can get Avon products from my awesome Avon Lady, Sharla, and you can follow her page here.  You can purchase Kelara at their store.  Follow Tara and Kellen on Facebook and Twitter.  You can purchase SoFlaJo at her store and on Etsy. Follow Jody on Facebook. Lastly, you can get Elevation polishes at her store and Llarowe.  You can keep up with Lulu at her blog.

Aren't you guys loving these customs?!  I absolutely love them all!  And, man, I'm digging all of the holos in these prizes!