OPI Melon of Troy + Crackle

OPI - Melon of Troy + China Glaze Crackle- Cracked Concrete
with flash

I won OPI's Melon of Troy in Colores De Carol's giveaway that I blogged about in the past. It is from the Greek Isles Collection. This frost finished color can be best described as melon. When I envision something being described as melon, I always seem to think of this color.

OPI - Melon of Troy

For this manicure I applied 2 coats of Melon of Troy and topped it with 1 coat of China Glaze Crackle in Cracked Concrete. 2 coats of Melon of Troy is enough for an even application. This is a nice spring color, I added the crackle one day since it had been a while since the last time I wore crackle polish. Thanks Carol!

OPI - Melon of Troy + CG Crackle - Cracked Concrete
yellow light 

Melon of Troy - true to color

WHAT POLISH ARE YOU WEARING FOR SPRING?

NYX Glitterati Glitter Cream Palette

This NYX Glitter Palette is my first when it comes to full-on glitter makeup. It retails for $13 but I bought this on Cherry Culture back when they had one of their sales, paying a mere $7 for such a big palette; what a steal! Please note, it is currently out of stock on Cherry Culture and Nyxcosmetics.com but if for some miraculous reason you can get your hands on it and are looking for something different, I definitely recommend getting this palette.

DESCRIPTION: Add glitter and shine with NYX Professional Makeup’s multi-purpose, gel-based glitter cream – now available in a gigantic palette! A professional artist’s all-in-one glitter kit. The shades and formula are perfect for sparkle effects anywhere on the face or body. (nyxcosmetics.com) Net wt. .96 oz.


INGREDIENTS: Ozokerite, Synthetic Wax, Silane, Mineral oil, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Bees wax, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Acrylates Copolymer

CLICK PICS TO ENLARGE!

21 glitter pans in the palette

It contains 21 micro-glitter cream shades; from your most brightest neons to neutral colors. These glitters apply as a cream but be warned that they are not colored gel bases. You are getting fully pigmented glitters in a clear gel base. They are great for adding a little pop of shine over your regular shadows. The palette comes with a double-ended sponge applicator and another with a sponge tip and synthetic brush tip. In my opinion, the synthetic tip works better when applying over your eyeshadow. I have seen people state that they use it with water when applying so you may want to try that if you see that applying it directly doesn't work for you. I will say, since it is glitter, you may want to wait to apply your foundation and concealer until after you apply the glitters. This way if you have any fallout you can easily wipe it away with a remover wipe instead of it stubbornly sticking to your face from the foundation, etc.

Packaging is standard for NYX products and pretty sturdy for a palette. It is much sturdier than my E.L.F. palette whose lid fell off after a month of using it. This palette is sturdy enough that at times I have trouble opening it lol.

SWATCHES

You can see how pigmented these glitters are, even with just a clear gel base. My favorites are the silver, gold and bronze glitters since they work well for a bit of shine in a neutral eye look. I'm really glad I ended up getting this palette (I debated so much over it lol).

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS PALETTE? HOW DO YOU APPLY GLITTER TO YOUR SHADOWS?

Red Lips for IWD

In honor of International Women's Day here's a fire red lip!

Here I used Covergirl Lip Perfection Lip Liner in "Passion" to fill in my entire top and bottom lip. I suggest applying this liner in small strokes because it is very creamy, easily glides over your lip line. For a precise and even application, I used my Sigma L05 Brush to apply Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in "Hot." Add a tiny bit of clear plumping gloss for more pop. To prevent this lip look from feathering; apply foundation or concealer around the outside of your lips and your all set!!

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RED LIPSTICK?

Julep Maven Penny Box - It Girl

Left to right: Hand Cream w/ SPF 30, Hayden, Leah, Megan, Fast Dry Topcoat

We all know of the very popular Julep maven box by now but it wasn't until recently that I decided to jump on the band wagon along with fellow bloggers. I guess I didn't want to commit. But when Julep sent me an email with the "It Girl" penny offer, I was in there like swimwear! lol

I'm not going to go into how Julep works because I'm sure we already know. I took the quiz and got "It Girl." My package arrived in a small black box that was neatly packaged on the inside with scrunched up confetti strips and a ribbon holding the polishes. The polishes come very secured as each one was wrapped in bubble wrap.

What's included in "It Girl?"

• 3 color polishes - Megan, Hayden, & Leah
• 1 fast dry top coat
• 1 sample size hand cream with SPF 30

Left to Right: Hand Cream w/ SPF 30, Hayden, Leah, Megan, Fast Dry Topcoat

Packaging

I really like the packaging of these polishes. I think that's what attracted me in wanting to try them out, other than the color choices featured online. Julep polishes have the classic thin brush; not my favorite but get the job done. Each bottle holds .27 FL oz of polish.

Megan Nail Vernis (w/ flash & w/o flash)

Megan- mediterranean aquamarine shimmer. This color is on the metallic side, not my favorite. Here I applied 2 coats of Megan. You can see it doesn't photograph too well (left pic above).

Leah Nail Vernis (w/ flash)

Leah- grass green with a hint of shimmer. I do like the hue of this green but it goes on very sheer with the first coat. Here I applied 3 coats and would possibly want to do one more.

Hayden Nail Vernis (w/ flash)

Hayden- bold bright neon peach creme. This definitely applies as a creme. Here I applied 2 coats and was not fond of the color at first but now that I've been looking at the pics, it's starting to grown on me. Note: you may have to touch up the second coat in a few areas because they stayed a bit sheer on my nails.

Fast Dry Topcoat- I would say drying time is just the same as any another fast dry topcoat but I haven't been able to test out its lasting power. Now if you hate the smell of marijuana like me then I advise you to not pick this topcoat up! It reeks just like it.. or is it just me? Ha!

Overall Thoughts
I'm glad I only spent a penny on this maven box. It may be because I had such high expectations of these $14 polishes. Maybe it's just these certain polishes and that's why they were offered for so cheap?? Who knows.. what I do know is that I've already skipped next month's box and might just cancel my subscription.

If you want any additional information I didn't cover in this post you can visit julep.com

HAVE YOU TRIED JULEP MAVEN YET? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?