NOTD: Halo Effect

I must admit, I had a hard time working out the kinks in this manicure! But, I think I finally got it down What do you think: Is halo in or out?

To achieve this manicure, first I painted my nails gold. Then I painted my nails turquoise leaving the sides and cuticles exposed. Finally I repainted the tips gold.

Note: the outdoor lighting made the turquoise color come out a bit darker than usuual check out this post for the accurate color :)

Products Used:

Avon- Gold Vision | China Glaze- For Audrey.

Julep Maven Intro Box Review: Eva & Sienna

I recently discovered a nail polish subscription site called Julep Maven. For $19.99 a month you get a box containing at least 2 nail polishes and a beauty product that is chosen for you based on a quiz you take to determine your style. The retail price of each box is said be be $40 {each polish retails at $14}.

Polish colors: Sienna, Eva.

If you don't like what's in your box, you have the option of skipping the month or requesting a different box prior to being charged for that month's box {each of the 5 style profiles has their own unique colors}. I was assigned the Classic With a Twist box, but I requested the Bombshell box instead because I liked those colors better :)

Finally, I used the coupon code "color2012" {I believe the code "penny" might also work the same} and got my first box for $0.01- a penny!

Click my link if you'd like to check it out and join: HTTP://JULEP.COM/?R=23545184

Here is a review and swatches of the box I picked:

Sienna- "Juicy raspberry crème"

Eva- "Sophisticated, shimmery gold"

 Both nail polished are opaque after 2 coats which is good since the more layers you add the higher the risk for peeling and chipping. Julep varnishes contain 8 ml of product compared to 15 ml in OPI and 

14 ml in China Glaze bottles. I'm glad I don't need to use a third coat as this would greatly dimish the amount of manicures you would get from one bottle.

The gold polish did have minor streaking and could have used a third coat, but if you're careful applying the polish 2 coats will be fine.

So far, it seems like a pretty good deal for the quality of polish you get {and for a penny this intro box was a steal!}

 If you'd like to check it out and join use my link: HTTP://JULEP.COM/?R=23545184

Products Mentioned:
Julep- Sienna, Eva, The Best Pedi creme ever.

***Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored,

 all products were purchased by me with my

 own money {penny in this case!!!} All 

opinions are my own.

NOTD: China Glaze Golden Meringue

Today's polish is extremely sheer. In the bottle it reminds me of China Glaze Sunset Sail 

{reviewed here}, but on the nails it is a sheer peachy nude color with a prominent gold sheen.

 After applying 4 coats I could still see my nail line, so I added an emerald green color and made it a french tip.

It would be really pretty with a white tip too.

This is what it looks like over a white base. In my opinion, it looks better on its own.

Products Used:

China Glaze: Golden Meringue | Avon- Noir Emerald, French Tip White.

NOTD: Inverted French Tip

I love this color combination, but I must admit- this manicure turned out kind of weird lol... 

I love this pastel pink color, it is opaque after 2 coats, and the silver only takes one!

In other random news... I tweeted {follow me @roxypie89} about this amazing 50% off clearance sale that Ann Taylor had and I can't wait to share all the goodies I ordered with you guys!

Products Used: 

Avon-Pastel Pink | Black Poppy {unnamed} metallic silver.

Lush UK Online Order #2 + Storage

My second order arrived in 4 days! This time it was a bit tragic- some of my items didn't make it in one piece {don't order all bath bombs, they will bump into each other in the box and break}. Tip: request that each item be wrapped in both clear wrap and newspaper to diminish breakage. 

I did contact customer service via e-mail about broken items and they resent 2 bath bombs at no charge that I was planning on giving away {I figured the bubble bar was going to be crumbled anyway}. It has been a week and I have yet to received my replacements. Other than that their customer service is extremely nice and accommodating!!! I will definitely order online again :)

Dorothy bubble bar- This has that ylang ylang smell, but it doesn't really smell like anything... just soapy. I can't wait to see the blue water it creates! Yes, it was smashed when I took it out of the box, but I figure, I'm gonna crumble it anyway.

Youki Hi bath bomb- "A seriously sexy jasmine bomb for romantic bath times"It has glitter and pop-rocks {most of those fell of during shipping} I don't like the smell of this one, it's so strong that it's the only thing I smell when I open the storage box I keep all of them in. Jasmine overload? Definitely. I'm hoping the smell will dilute in the bathtub. **This one is no longer available on the UK site.

Space Girl bath bomb- "bright sparkly fragrance, coupled with a deep space colour and a sprinkling of glitter" If you ask me, this one smells more like blackberries {artificial} than the blackberry one below. It's slightly sweet, and powdered with glitter!

Blackberry bath bomb- "bergamot and frankincense " This definitely does not smell like blackberries, 

it isn't strong or sweet. If I knew what bergamot and frankincense smelled like maybe I'd be able to say

 it smelled like that... Until then, it has a pleasant non-sugary smell.

Rocketeer bath bomb- "water change from blue to yellow to green as the yellow flames push the rocket around the tub" This one doesn't have a distinct smell, I can only pick up a mild citrusy undertone. I can't wait to see all the colors!

Sex Bomb bath bomb- " Clary sage, jasmine and ylang ylang" I thought this one was going to smell more like roses since it has one stuck in it, but it doesn't. It smells faintly of jasmine and flowers.

Think Pink bath bomb- "combination of tonka and vanilla absolutes" This smells just how it looks, sweet but not overpowering... If the color pink had a smell I'm thinking this would be it. All the flowers fell off {I placed them back for pictures} and chunks of it became power during shipping, but it still looks nice.  FYI: This is the smallest bath bomb ever.

Twilight bath bomb- Review here. It broke, just what I was afraid of :( This might be my second favorite bath bomb {after Dragon's Egg!} It smells sweet like candy.

Dragon's Egg bath bomb- Review here. My favorite! It has a nice citrusy clean scent, reminds me of Cocoa Pebbles... and the smell get's better in the tub. This one was absolutely pulverized, but at least you can see the confetti it has. :(

Samples:

Karma Kream body lotion- This smells just like the bubble bar... It's not my favorite fragrance.

Woosh Shower Jelly- This smells just like citrusy lemons!

This is how I organize my lush bath products, it helps with the smells mixing {a little}:

Hope you found this helpful :)

Products Mentioned:
Lush UK site: Dorothy bubble bar, Youki Hi bath bomb {no longer available}, Space Girl bath bomb, Blackberry bath bomb, Rocketeer bath bomb, Sex Bomb bath bomb, Think Pink bath bomb, Twilight bath bomb, Dragon's Egg bath bomb.
IKEA: Pull-out storage unit {article number: 801.980.40}