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.
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
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.
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.*
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