Tag: nail polish remover

July Empties | #365DaysofEmpties Update

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! It’s now August, and it’s time for me to share an update on my #365DaysofEmpties project. July was unfortunately a bit of a fail for me. I only used up three products! I think because I emptied so many products in June, I just wasn’t close to finishing that many others in my collection in July. Nonetheless, I’m happy to be sharing my mini reviews on these products with you!
July Empties | #365DaysofEmpties UpdateI typically separate my empties out into different categories, but with only three products this month, I’ll discuss them all together. Also, I won’t be repurchasing any of these products for reasons I discuss in yesterday’s Upcoming Adventures, so you’ll get my mini reviews only this month.

Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Stick – 1 tube [BUY]

Mini Review: I really like this foundation stick because it does a great job at providing my skin some coverage while being no fuss to apply. It does cling to dry patches, so I recommend only using this if you have normal or oily skin. I used it with a primer and set it with powder, and found that it lasted all day. It inspired me to look for other foundation sticks that I may enjoy more!

Julep Conditioning Nail Polish Remover – 1 bottle [BUY]

Mini Review: This is one of my all-time favorite nail polish removers. It takes off all my polish while not drying out my nails or cuticles. Plus, it doesn’t smell. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive and is often out of stock on Julep’s website. If you are looking to splurge on a remover that you know will work wonders, definitely check this one out!

Bath & Body Works Merry Cookie Hand Soap – 1 bottle [BUY]

Mini Review: It took me so long to finish up this hand soap because I had it in a bathroom I don’t use as much. I finally ran out of this Christmas soap, and I have to say there was nothing really special about it. Basically, the soap smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, which is nice but not so nice I’d rush out for it again. Sometimes I get sucked into the festive products that stores offer just because of the packaging!

JULY EMPTIES: 3

TOTAL 2016 EMPTIES: 58

Unfortunately I am now just slightly behind on my goal of finishing up 100 products this year. I hope next month I will use up more products in my stash! I know I am running low on dry shampoo and night cream, so perhaps you’ll be seeing those in my next empties post! Please let me know in the comments what you finished up this month. I would love to know what you liked or didn’t like! Here’s to using up more products in August.

This post includes an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Julep Lena: The Wear Test

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Julep Lena: The Wear Test

Happy Monday! Today I’m doing something a bit different, and that is a true wear test of one of my polishes. I recently posted about my experience at the Julep Pop-Up Store in NYC (see that post HERE), and I received a couple comments warning me that Julep Lena is a stainer. I was quite surprised to hear that news, so I decided to put my nails to the test! Let me share my experiment with you, and how it turned out!

Base Coats Julep LenaMy experiment began with two base coats – Sally Hansen Double Duty and Sephora Collection. I used Sally Hansen Double Duty on my right hand as a control, and then painted my left hand as follows: one coat Sally Hansen, two coats Sally Hansen, one coat Sephora, and two coats Sephora (I wore one coat of Sally Hansen on my thumb). Because one of my commenters mentioned that she used two coats of base coat, I wanted to do the same to see if it made a difference. Once my base coat was completely dry (a very important step!), I applied Lena in two coats.

Julep Lena WearNail Polish Removers

After three full days of wear with no top coat, I had slight tip wear and just one substantial chip in my manicure. I was a bit nervous to take off my polish, but to continue my experiment I grabbed two removers to test out as well – CVS Strengthening Polish Remover and Julep Acetone Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover. I used the CVS remover on my control hand, and the Julep remover on the experiment hand. Are you ready to see the results?!

IMG_4244 No stains! Ta da! No staining at all! The only places you can even see remnants of the polish are under the nail on my ring finger (where I accidentally got polish stuck during application) as well as a tiny bit on the ring finger’s cuticle. Other than that, I did not experience any staining whatsoever, and both nail polish removers worked equally as well. I am thrilled with the result, and glad I don’t have any stained nails!

All in all, my Julep Lena wear test turned out well! Of course, I’m not 100% sure why others experienced staining, but it could be due to an old formulation, body chemistry, or even the type of base coat. Whatever the case may be, you should be safe to wear Lena with either of the base coats I mentioned. My biggest tip is to just make sure it is completely dry before applying Lena. You always want to have a strong, impenetrable base for your color no matter what polish you’re using. Please be sure to let me know in the comments if you’ve tried Lena, and what your result was. Also, if there are any polishes that you want me to do a wear test on, let me know that as well!

My August Julep Maven Box!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

I’ll be honest with you. When I first saw the Julep boxes online for August, I wasn’t thrilled with the options. I went ahead and chose the Boho Glam style anyway, as I had a free credit to use. I can’t pass up free polish! Now that I’ve had the chance to use the polishes I received, I am thrilled with my August box! Let me show you what was inside.

A pink box to celebrate Julep’s one year anniversary!

All August boxes came with a reusable tote bag.
From left to right, Isla, Piper, and nail polish remover.

I haven’t tried out the nail polish remover yet, but I did get the chance to use the new polish. I thought Piper and Isla would look perfect together, so I decided to a “Carly” manicure inspired by LacqueredLover.com! This style combines at least two different nail polishes in a unified look. I used two coats of each polish. One coat was very sheer, but a second coat achieved opacity. Piper is a metallic green, which I love. It is almost the metallic version of a mint, but a bit darker. Isla is a metallic white. I love the way they are both shiny and frosty. I never thought I’d be so impressed with these polishes! Here’s a cool Instagram photo of my manicure:

 

I love Julep products, and being a Maven member. If you’d like to join this monthly subscription, click HERE. Be sure to enter code COLOR2012 at checkout to get your first month for a penny!