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Of Life and Lacquer > Alma

Zoya Bubbly Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 5 May, 20144 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey, look! I have all 6 polishes here because Peanut did NOT break any of them. Yay! I’m still a little sad about the loss of Rocha (and about my table being ruined!), but I’ll just classify this as Peanut’s first polish destruction. I’m sure that there will be many more to follow. Today I have the Zoya Bubbly Collection to share with you, and I can tell you that I am a bit surprised. Surprised good or surprised bad? Keep reading and you’ll find out…

Zoya Harper

Zoya Binx

Zoya Muse

Zoya Staasi

Zoya Jesy

Zoya Alma

When I first saw the promo pictures for this collection, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, the idea of jelly polishes with holo glitter seemed kind of strange considering the images that were released.I wouldn’t really consider these polishes holographic in the sense that we were all expecting and hoping that they would be. These are very thick glitter polishes in a tinted jelly base which means that they are very sheer. I applied 3 thickish coats for all my swatches because I wanted them to be fully opaque without having to layer them over a solid color. The final result is a lovely glitter packed finish that almost makes them look metallic. I certainly was not expecting to like these, but I kind of do. I’m not like dying with excitement, but I do think these are pretty and anticipate that they will be fairly well-received. So what do you think of these? I’ve been hearing mixed feelings about these and I can tell you that if had to pick one or two, I would go with Muse and Harper because I just love how they look. If you want to get your hands on these, they can be found at Zoya.com for $9 each. They should start shipping out May 15 which is right around the corner. Don’t forget to check out my swatches of the Zoya Tickled Collection! Will you be getting any of these?

Julep Beauty Resolution: Play With The Color Wheel

Posted on 31 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Hello my polish beauties! I am slowly getting back to normal after 6 days of complete flu agony. Since I just started my job, I was not allowed to miss work (we’re doing training) so I really had to tough it out. If you’ve ever been forced to go to work when you’re beyond sick, you probably know how miserably slow your days seem. I no longer have severe flu symptoms, but my cough is still pretty bad. Hopefully this weekend I will have plenty of time to just lay in bed and feel better so that when Monday comes around, I can be in tip top shape! I’ve been so bummed out these last couple of weeks because I just haven’t had time to post regularly or visit all my favorite blogs, but hopefully I can catch up this weekend.

About a month ago, I was invited to be part of a Julep Beauty Resolution Campaign. This particular assignment called playing with complimentary colors so I was sent two polishes to experiment with: Trina and Alma. I actually reviewed both polishes individually and created two separate looks:

This is what I did with Trina. You can read my complete post here.

This is what I did with Alma. You can read my complete post here. In fact, this look earned the honor of being Julep’s NOTD!! I was so happy and excited!

Today I am combining both colors in one manicure. Nicole and I always remember the first time that I ever combined yellow and purple in one manicure. If you are brave enough, you can check it out here. Just be warned that it is NOT pretty and that it was done in the very early days of my blog. So are you ready to see what I did? It’s not that revolutionary, but I am definitely trying to combine colors that I would normally not try to use together–especially after the earlier disasticure.

I started with 2 smooth coats of Julep Trina. One of my friends asked me if I knew of a dupe for Trina but I couldn’t really think of one. I thought of Essie Sexy Divide but it’s not really a dupe. If you know of a good dupe, let me know! 🙂

And this is how I ended up combining both colors. I know that it’s nothing out of this world, but I kind of like it! I added a strip of gold tape to really bring both colors together. If you haven’t joined Julep’s Maven subscription program, what are you waiting for? You can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP to get your intro box for one cent. Yep, for a penny.

So what do you think about my bold experiment with yellow and purple toned polishes? Win? Fail? I can tell you that I’m definitely not used to using colors like these together so it may take some time for me to get used to it, but it’s always nice to try new things. Well, that’s all I have for you tonight. My giveaway for a bottle of Silly Lily Polish in J-E-L-L-O ends tomorrow so don’t forget to enter here! I can’t wait until work is over for the week tomorrow…I am giddy just thinking about a whole weekend of being lazy in bed. Thanks for stopping by today and I will talk to you later!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Julep Alma

Posted on 23 January, 201323 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus on rollerskates I’m tired. Book learnin iz hard. My brain is being crammed with so much information at work that I feel almost like a zombie once I get home. To be honest, I am enjoying learning so much new stuff so I shouldn’t complain–it’s just a lot of work! If you can believe it, I haven’t been wearing nail polish to work because I’m still getting a feel for things. Since I don’t want to cause any type of waves during my probation period, I am remaining very conservative…just wait until this passes because I’ll be causing some nail tsunamis for sure! Today I decided to use the other Julep polish that I got recently: Julep Alma.

Oh, Alma! You’re one of those pretty/ugly polishes that I always think is going to look better on me than it actually does. Actually, this color reminds me a lot of the creme version of China Glaze Trendsetter! I had a little weird issue with this polish and I’m wondering if it’s just my bottle or if other people had the same happen to them. When I was applying this polish, I noticed little chunks–like super tiny little balls. After the first coat, I thought that maybe I hadn’t primed my nails well and I had some residue from another product, but the second coat also had the little chunks. Remember Chunk?

Anyway, once I applied the top coat, I think the chunks pretty much disappeared, but it was definitely strange! I applied two coats here and got good coverage.

I just realized that I have used this stamp combination quite often. I just absolutely love it! Both of the images can be found on Bundle Monster plate BM 310. I used the inverted full coverage stamp as my accent nail, and I love how it looks almost leather-like since I didn’t apply top coat after stamping. If you’re a stamper, I’m curious if you know of a black polish that works for stamping. I haven’t found any others that are as pigmented as my Konad Black.

You know I’m going to say it so here it is: If you’re interested in becoming a Julep Maven for just a penny, you can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP. You can’t really beat one cent, can you? I am looking to explore more subscription type boxes so feel free to leave me a comment if you know of others that are good. I have been very satisfied with the Julep boxes because I think the subscription service is a great deal. Definitely give them a try if you’re curious!

I am BEYOND excited that I only have two more days before the weekend. WEEKENDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! You know what kinda sucks, though? It might be raining here. It literally was in the 80’s earlier in the week and now it’s getting cold and rainy…get it together, bipolar California! Do you have anything fun planned this weekend?

Let me know what you think about this polish and stamping. I love reading all your comments! Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Disclosure: Julep Alma was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.