Julep in Kayla

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Kayla
(periwinkle purple color, iridescent finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
I wanted to make summer last, so I put on a light shade. I love Julep, but I don't think this one is what I was looking for, mainly because I'm not 13. I lived with it for about a day and then took it off. Bye, Felicia. I mean... Kayla.

Julep in Johnny

Brand: Julep

Shade: Johnny
(black color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
With Halloween around the corner I decided black is the way to go, and this is a great one. I originally got this shade because my dad's name is John. But now thinking about it, I wonder if it's named Johnny after The Shining? Yeah, that's probably it.

Julep in Marika

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Marika
(graphite gray color, matte metallic finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
What better color to pick for back to school than a graphite gray? Like a pencil! Do students even use pencils anymore? I dunno. Anyway, I did like this shade very much, but I don't love the matte trend.  I like my nails like I like my apples.  Shiny.

Julep in Leo

Brand: Julep

Shade: Leo
(bronze brown color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
I'm a Leo, so of course I had to get this shade from the zodiac collection.  They call this a golden honey color for Leo's "confident and majestic" personality. Hmmm. I call this shiny baby poop. I removed it about a minute after I put it on. It's a horrible color, and I cannot throw enough shade at it.

Julep in Suzanne & India

Brand: Julep

Shade: Suzanne & India
(cherry red & royal blue colors, iridescent finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
For July 4th, of course I had to whip out the spirit fingers as a salute to the red, white, and blue. Especially since the political scene is getting heated, it's a good reminder that at the end of the day, we're all Americans.

Julep in Darby

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Darby
(dark emerald green color, shimmer finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This shade is a good way to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day without looking like a leprechaun barfed on your nails. I took this pic about 5 days after painting my nails, so you see its rubbing off on the ends, but no chips.  Talk about luck!

Julep in Isabela

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Isabella
(neon periwinkle blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:

I loved this one in the bottle.  On my nails? No bueno. Maybe because they are so stubby and this bright color draws attention to it. Better luck next time...

Julep in Erin

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Erin
(gray green color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
You know I love some Julep, but I wasn't crazy about this shade.  I know gray is so chic these days, but depending on the light, my nails just looked sick. (Not in a good way.)

Julep in Kay

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Kay
(goldish beige color, iridescent finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
Merry (almost) Christmas! I really liked this shade, it's nice for the holidays but you can also wear it to work. Sometimes red gets to be a little too much, you know? This gold is subtle, sophisticated, and hard to tell when it chips.

Julep in Maddy

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Maddy
(raspberry pink color, glossy finish)

Color: $$$

The Scoop:
This week at work, we've got a big event to celebrate women so here's my salute to Jane Park, who founded Julep. She seems like an awesome lady and I love their polish (even more than Maddie, Jennifer's my go-to, for obvi reasons!).

Julep in Marion

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Marion
(teal green color, silver shimmer finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
I picked this one because Marion sounds like an Irish name to me, but this isn't the quintessential green St. Patty's (Paddy's?) Day shade. And I like that it has a hit of silver mixed in for a shimmer in the light.

Julep in Lucky & Margot

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shades: Lucky & Margot
(grass green color with glitter finish & pure gold color with shimmer finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
What better time than March to put the luck of the Irish on your fingertips? I think this pot of gold shade is a subtle tribute with a 4-leaf clover-colored accent nail. But the glitter was especially stubborn to remove.

Julep in Becky

Brand: Julep Nail Color, Silk Finish

Shade: Becky
(graphite color, metallic matte finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
I'm wearing this shade because the streets are covered in snow and I'm wishing we could see the pavement again. Also, I didn't love the "silk" finish here (aka: matte), so I added a topcoat.  Like black ice.

Julep in Aurora

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Aurora
(silver color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This is a great New Years Eve shade -- perfectly shiny for dancing (or watching Downton Abbey) as the ball drops. And it doesn't chip! (Update: It stayed on for a full 10 days -- wow.)

Julep in Emerson

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Emerson
(baby blue color, black speckled glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This came in one my Julep Mystery Boxes.  I was skeptical at first, but I liked it once I saw the different speckled layers on my nails. Like a fancy Easter egg.

Next Shade: Claire's in Snowball

Julep in Kayla

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Kayla
(bright periwinkle color, iridescent finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This happy shade came in my latest Maven box, and I got tons of compliments on it. Because it's iridescent, it goes from very blue to very purple depending on the light. A new fave.

Next Shade: Orly in Rage

Julep in Monaco

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Monaco
(electric blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This shade reminds me of being on vacation. It came in my last Julep Maven box, from the Bombshell collection, and bright blue just so happens to be Pantone's color of Spring 2014.  Very on-trend.

Next Shade: Ciate in Spending Spree

7 Red Carpet-Ready Manicures

Looking at the Oscar nominees for Best Picture this year, I realized I've actually seen most of them, which is rare for me. Usually, I just root for the one or two films I actually recognize, but this year I'm torn. Too many good ones!

So, I did what any sensible movie-lover would do: I turned to nail polish.
 

Here are 7 easy nail designs to help us decide who should take that little gold man home. Pick your favorite movies -- and manis -- below.
 

Brand: Julep Nail Vernis

 

Shade: Oscar

(gold color with glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$$

 

Inspired by: American Hustle, starring Amy Adams & Jennifer Lawrence

Brand: OPI Nail Lacquer

 

Shades: Big Apple Red & Be-Claus I Said So

(fire engine red color with glossy finish & red glitter with clear finish)

 

Cost: $$

Inspired by: Her, starring Scarlett Johansson & Amy Adams

Brands: Sephora Formula X Color and Red Carpet Manicure Nail Art Appliques

 

Shades: Dark Matter & White Matter, Champagne Wishes & First Class

(jet black & snow white colors with glossy finish, white & black floral decals)

 

Cost: $$$$ & $

Inspired by: Blue Jasmine, starring Cate Blanchett

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

 

Shades: Ignite the Night & Matte About You

(pewter & black color with glitter finish, clear color with matte finish)

Cost: $$

Inspired by: Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock

Brand: Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer

 

Shade: HRH

(royal purple color with metallic finish)

 

Cost: $$$

Inspired by: Philomena, starring Dame Judy Dench

Brand: Nail Rock Velvet Manicure Kit

 

Shade: Velvet Burgundy

(mulberry color with velvet textured finish)

Cost: $$

 

Inspired by: Dallas Buyers Club, starring Jennifer Garner

Brand: China Glaze Nail Lacquer

 

Shades: Smoke and Ashes & Graffiti Glitter

(forest green color with shimmer finish, emerald green with glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$

Inspired by: The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Margot Robbie

I think I've got to go with American Hustle. Gold glitter and Oscar are like peanut butter and chocolate -- a perfect match!

Find out who really wins when the 86th Annual Academy Awards airs tonight on ABC at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

 

Julep in Misti

Brand: Julep Nail Vernis

Shade: Misti

(smoky teal blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:

I'm a big fan of Julep, so much so that I'm part of their Maven monthly beauty program. I picked this one up in a recent Boho Glam box and I couldn't wait to try it. It reminds me of a peacock, plus I got a ton of compliments on this shade -- pretty fitting.

Next: 7 Red Carpet Manicures for the Oscars

15 Christmas Nail Polish Gift Sets

Santa brought me 15 nail polish gift sets.  Best.  Christmas.  Ever.

Brand: Butter London Luxe Rock 12-piece mini set

 

Shades: Yummy Mummy & The 444
(nude color with glossy finish & clear with gold glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

Pretty box, great shades. On a scale from 1-10, a 12. 

 

 

 

Brand: Ciate Mini Mani Month 24-piece set

 

Shades: Boudoir & Christmas Tree Caviar
(candy apple red color with glossy finish & gold, green, red caviar balls)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

A nail polish advent calendar? Genius. 

 

 

 

 

 

Brand: Deborah Lippmann Starlight 6-piece mini set

 

Shade: Twilight Zone
(greenish black color with multicolor glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

Can the holidays ever have too much sparkle?   

 

 

 

 

Brand: Dior Golden Winter Holiday Collection 2-piece full-size set

 

Shade: Diorific
(gold color with metallic finish)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

Didn't like the pearls, but the polish was nice. 

 

 

 

 

Brand: e.l.f. Nail Polish Collection 15-piece mini set

 

Shades: Sea Escape & Love Me
(dark green color with shimmer finish & clear color with red glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$$

 

The Scoop:

Awesome value, great set. 

 

 

 

 

Brand: H&M Nail Polish Collection 6-piece full-size set

 

Shade: $$

 

Cost: Petrol Sky & Skyscraper
(blue green color with glossy finish & clear with silver glitter finish)

 

The Scoop:

Festive shades for the holidays.

 

 

 

 

Brand: Hard Candy Cube of Color Nail Polish Collection 24-piece mini set

 

Shades: Green Glitter & White
(lime green color with glitter finish & white color with glossy finish)

 

Cost: $$$

 

The Scoop:

Lots of colors, but man, these smell horrible! 

 

 

 

 

Brand: Julep 2013 Gen Holiday Collection 12-piece full-size set

 

Shade: Kenya
(fire engine red with metallic finish)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

Beautiful gift box, irresistible shades. 

 

 

 

 

 

Brand: LA Colors Nail Polish Collection 18-piece mini set

 

Shades: Silver Glitter & Gold
(clear with silver glitter finish & pale gold color with metallic finish)

 

Cost: $$

 

The Scoop:

Surprising drug store find, another keeper! 

 

 

 

 

Brand: Lila Grace Nail Polish Collection 7-piece full-size set

 

Shades: Red & Gold Glitter
(orangey red color with glossy finish & clear with gold glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$

 

The Scoop:

Really low quality polish, skip this one. 

 

 

 

 

Brand: Lord&Taylor Deluxe Nail Polish Collection 18-piece mini set

 

Shades: Green Glitter & Silver
(clear color with green glitter & silver color with metallic finish)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

A bit expensive, but a nice set. 

 

 

 

 

Brand: Nails Inc. London My Nail Polish Diary 12-piece mini set

 

Shade: Fibre Optic Belgravia Square
(clear color with metallic red & silver feather finish) 

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

Just what this 13 year old girl (in a 40 year old body) needs -- a diary! Cute. 

 

 

 

Brand: OPI Take Ten 2013 Nail Polish Collection 10-piece mini set

 

Shades: German-icure, Tickle My France-y & Pirouette My Whistle
(burgundy with metallic finish & pale pink with glossy finish & clear with silver glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$$

 

The Scoop:

Their best-selling shades, a great collection. 

 

 

 

Brand: Sephora X The Twenty Two Nail Polish Collection 22-piece mini set

 

Shades: Flashy & Wham!
(cherry red color with glossy finish & clear with white splatter finish) 

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

I was on the fence at first, but I'm glad I got it for the neons, chromes and splatters.

 

 

 

Brand: Zoya Build Your Own Dream Box 6-piece full-size set

 

Shade: Hunter
(mossy green color with glossy finish)

 

Cost: $$$$

 

The Scoop:

The perfect way to get the exact colors you want.  

 

 

 

 

 

 For more behind-the-scenes scoop on these presents, check out my other blog.