Julep Maven August 2013 Bombshell Box

Whee Julep!  Today I have swatches of Julep's August 2013 Bombshell Maven Box.  In the box this month was Bea, Lacey, Double Step Foot Treatment & Friction Stick, and some Forget Me Not seeds! It's Julep's two year Maven Box-iversary, so us Mavens got a cute little package.

I switched my style to Bombshell this month.  I'm usually Boho Glam, but I thought the colors were similar to some I already had.  First up is a swatch of Lacey.
I only needed one coat of Lacey for full coverage. Its a deep blue with a slight purple shimmer.  Dry time was incredibly fast!  Application was great.  Sometimes with shimmer polish I can see the the brus lines.  I didn't have that issue here.

Julep Lacey

I might have to do another comparison post soon!  This looks verrrry similar to Essie Dive Bar to me :]

Next is Julep Bea.  It's a gorgeous lemonade creme polish.  I was not so happy with this polish.  Application was alright.  It was sort of streaky with the first coat.  When I waited for it to dry to do the second coat, to my extreme disappointment, it was still tacky (probably 10 minutes later).  I did a second coat anyway and topped with Seche Vite to speed up the drying.  Of course, major shrinkage occurred very quickly (you may be able to see in my nail art).

Julep Bea

The goodie product in this month's box was the Double Step Foot Treatment & Friction Stick.  This product contains chili pepper oil to promote circulation and shea butter to moisturize and prevent blistering! I only use mine at night because I mostly wear flip flops, so I don't need "friction protection" lol.  I love it.  It smells great and there is a little tingly feeling from the chili oil.  

As you know, I recently ordered some Winstonia stamping plates.  I have just been itching to do stamps, so here ya go!

Moustache and Glitter Nails

I used Julep Bea as the base.  The stamp is from Winstonia plate W109 stamped with Julep Lacey with a glitter accent of Rainbow Honey Koi Pond.  

If you want to become a Julep Maven, click here to read more about it!  If you decide you want to join, please use my referral link HERE because sharing is caring :]

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Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and IG @nauti_mermaid

Mermaid Mani!

NAIL ART WHAAAAAT?!  I know.  Three posts in one day AND nail art?  Who am I??!

What's better than glitter and holo?  Adding a mermaid.  Duh.

Mermaid Mani

My nails aren't long enough to fit the whole stamp, so her head kinda got cut off :/  I still like the look though!

Mermaid Mani
sun

I used Essie Butler Please, Color Club Kismet on pinky (and for stamp), and Chaos and Crocodiles Underwater Treasure to create this mani.  I ordered the Winstonia stamping plates based solely on the mermaid stamp.  Good buy I think! ;P

Redonk Long Post!

I finally figured out why I never get around to posting.  I hate editing my pictures lol.  Its' not like I even have a lot to do, I just crop them.  But I hate it. lol sorry!  SO here's another looooong post!

It was a GREAT month for my lemming squashing.  Y'all saw in my last two week post I was lucky enough to acquire EDM The Fifth Element.  Anyone remember what my other MAJOR lemming was...?  Anyone?  Anyone?.... Bueller?  YES!  Lime Crime Pastelchio.  Holy balls I almost died when I saw they were restocked.  I bought two bottles and Parfait Day.  It took FOREVERRRRR to get here (literally almost a month).  I don't know what the problem was.

When my package finally arrived, I was a little shocked.  The bottles are small as hell!  Not like I'll ever use two bottles, but these are not as big as I expected.  Anyways, application was a tad tricky.  The finish is in between matte and gloss so it kind of dries fast and a bit streaky.  A second coat fixed that right up.

Two coats Lime Crime Pastelchio and Parfait Day

Back when Ulta was having their 2/$15 OPI sale, I went and snagged the next couple polishes.

I was on a red-orange kick for a while, and OPI My Paprika id Hotter than Yours was perfect for me!  Its a creamy polish with a hint of gold pearl shimmer.  This is really a gorgeous color!  It's gonna be great when fall rolls around again.

Two coats OPI My Paprika is Hotter than Yours

Another lemming of mine that I never really discussed was OPI Russian Navy.  I was almost afraid it was discontinued because I NEVER saw it anywhere.  My mom was with me and she saw it first.  It went a little something like this:
Mom: Oh this is a cute one!
Me: looks over, thinks its RN, eyes go wide...frantic tone in voice What is it??!
Mom: turns bottle over Rus --
Me: football tackles Mom, snatches bottle OHMYGAWD I'VE BEEN WANTING THIS FOREVER!!!
Okay, I didn't really tackle her, but I about ripped her hand off snatching it from her lol This color is kind of hard to explain.  In the bottle it looks like a deep blurple, but when you get it on its a gorgeous indigo shimmer.

Two coats OPI Russian Navy

I even did some nail art!  I had been wanting to do abstract roses for a while (seen on The Lacquerologist and @newlypolished on IG).  I think these look more like fried eggs than roses.  But not too shabby.  I'll just need a different color scheme next time lol

Abstract roses/eggs nail art

Next is China Glaze Purple Panic.  I LOVE the waxy matte look.  I have no clue why they call it "purple", its most def neon pink.  But whatever. 

Two coats China Glaze Purple Panic

I found some ChG Fairy Dust at Ulta too.  I had to get it based on what everyone always says about it. Y'all are blinded by the glitter nazis.  This was NOT as awesome as all the hype.  I was just meh about it.

GhG Fairy Dust over Purple Panic

Hold on to your panties!  I actually used a texture polish!  I know, its nuts.  I am so OCD about things on my nails.  If a glitter it to gritty I'm constantly touching them and picking at it.  Surprisingly, that did not happen.  This was my 4th of July mani.  Pretty boring, sadly.  I was in the process of cleaning and packing for my vacation so I didn't get to do what I wanted.  This was a quick substitution.  I used OPI Liquid Sand polish in The Impossible and SH Pacific Blue stamped with Color Club Harp On It.

OPI The Impossible and Sally Hansen Pacific Blue

Last but not least, I used Orly Androgyne.  I've had this for a while, I can't remember if I got it at Ulta or Sally's.  But its gorgeous.  There is so much to look at in it.  It's a dark greenish brown jelly base that builds to look black in two coats (shown).  There are gold flakies and clear iridescent hex glitters that change from gold to orange to teal to deep blue at different angles.  There's also some holo glitter thrown in.

Two coats Orly Androgyne

Yay! OK all caught up! Have a great weekend y'all! and enjoy this little nugget I found on vacation in Georgia! ;D

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Follow me on Pinterest & Instagram @nauti_mermaid

Moscato Spritzer and Random Nail Art

Well shoot guys!  I'm out of practice!  Completely forgot about my usual Friday post so I'm scrambling to write this quickly.

Today I have this simple drink recipe that I found on Pinterest.  To make a Moscato Spritzer,

You'll Need:
Moscato [Barefoot brand is my favoritest of all]
OJ
Cranberry Juice

Make It!
This recipe only calls for one ounce of wine with 1/2 oz each of OJ & cranberry juice.  I don't know about you, but that's what I'd call a shot.  So lets step this up a tad, shall we??  Fill your glass with a few glugs of wine...about half full.  Then add OJ & cranberry to taste.  We make big girl drinks around these parts!  lol

Random Nail Arts!
In my new found freedom of polishing my nails whenever I want, I have been stepping up my nail art [yay!].  Below are a few designs I'm particularly proud of :)

First, I have a successful kick ass blue to purple gradient* topped with glittahhhh!  I used Essie Bikini So Teeny as the blue base and phased into L'Oreal Royalty Reinvented then topped with China Glaze Make a Spectacle.  I did these with my polish buddy Katie [as in nail polish...not actually Polish] for the Bestie Twin Nail tag on IG.
*my quick gradient tutorial found here.

Next is a schweeeeet nude holographic and bright red freehanded leopard print mani.  I used Color Club Cherubic as the nude base, and China Glaze Hey Sailor as the red base.  I dotted with the same and used Sally Hansen Onyx for the black.  Also did this look for BTN with Katie.

On to the mints!  I REALLY like mint lately!  I used China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint and Color Club Harp On It for this mani.  I was attempting chevrons for the NailArtMar challenge by @californails on IG.  This was my first ever "chevron" attempt.  I don't think this should actually qualify as chevron, but whatever.  It turned out decent enough.  I used painter's tape [frog tape] to make the triangles.  

Lastly, for BTN and the NailArtMar [stripes], I did mint base with gold zebra stripes.  I used Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet, stamped with Essie Good As Gold [Bundle Monster stamp plate BM-223].  On the accent nail I used Black Cat Lacquer Doomsday [or as I call it: #HOLYSHITBALLZANDGLITTER].  

Okay y'all!  Enjoy your weekend!  Next Friday I hope to include a mocktail drink as well for all the youngins, pregos, or non-alcoholics...whatever your situation may be!  ;P 

"Danger Berry" Martini and Paisley Stamped Nails

Hello Loves!  Happy Friday!! Today I have a deliciously dangerous pomegranate martini recipe and a subtle stamped mani.

I found out about this recipe from one of the girls I follow on IG.  I’m not exactly sure what she called it, but I have affectionately renamed it a Pomegranate Danger Berry Martini.

You’ll Need:

Stirrings Pomegranate Mixer

Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum

Ice

Stirrings Pomegranate Sugar (optional for the rim)

Make It!

Rim a martini glass with the sugar.  In a shaker with ice add one shot rum and two shots mixer.  Shake and strain into the martini glass.

These are soooo good!  I call the rum “danger berry” because it’ll hit you like a ton of bricks!  One minute you’ll be fine, the next, you’re five drinks deep, on the floor, drunk texting all the boys in your contacts list.  Happens to the best of us lol. Drink responsibly!  ;)

Paisley Nail Stamping!

Two coats O.P.I. Suzi Says Feng Shui
stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM315
in Sinful Colors Blue By You
(outdoor light)

Heck yes!  I’m keeping the nail art coming!  I’m trying to knock out all the stuff I hate doing first lol.  I don’t necessarily HATE stamping, but I’m super OCD about it.  If all the designs don’t come out exactly perfect it’ll bug me all week.  Anywho, I did two coats O.P.I. Suzi Says Feng Shui and stamped with Sinful Colors Blue By You using Bundle Monster plate BM315.

I picked up this O.P.I. at Ulta last weekend.  I had my eye on it for a while.  It’s a very pretty blue (shocker!  Seriously, I need to stop with the blues!) crème polish that leans more toward the teal end of the spectrum.  The outdoor sunlight pictures are more true to how it looks in real life.  Formula is amazeballz, like all O.P.I.s.  The first coat was a little streaky on some nails.  Perfectly perfect in two coats. 

Two coats O.P.I. Suzi Says Feng Shui
(indoor light)

I stamped with Sinful Colors Blue By You.  For some reason, I thought it would have shown up darker.  It’s a jelly glitter base, so I don’t know why I thought that way.  I painted it on my toes first (I’ll spare you the feet pics) and it was dark, but then again, that was two full coats.  Either way, I’m happy with it!

Two coats O.P.I. Suzi Says Feng Shui
stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM315
in Sinful Colors Blue By You(outdoor light)

Two coats O.P.I. Suzi Says Feng Shui
stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM315
in Sinful Colors Blue By You
(outdoor light)

Two coats O.P.I. Suzi Says Feng Shui
stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM315
in Sinful Colors Blue By You
(indoor light)

I’m (temporarily and reluctantly) on a Seche Vite strike because it shrinks my manis, so I bought Out the Door quick dry topcoat to try out.  Ugh.  Does NOT compare to Seche.  At.  All.  It’s not as glossy, very thin, made my design streak on some nails, and dry time took about five minutes.  The pictures shown obviously have no topcoat.  I didn't want to picture streaky stamping :( It will do in a pinch, but I'm not a huge fan.  I purchased it at my Sally Beauty Supply.  I forget how much it was and can't find the receipt, sorry :-\

A fellow nail junkie on IG informed me of the "wrapping technique" to prevent shrinkage.  I am definitely going to try it next time, because I don’t want to give up my Seche! ;(

Okay lovelies.  Like I said earlier, I’ll be shutting down my Tipsy Tips Facebook page tonight, hopefully, if I can figure out how to. 

To keep in contact, you can...
* Follow me on IG: @Nauti_Mermaid, where I’ll be posting all manis, swatches, and other personal everyday things;

* Follow me on Pinterest: miss_best, where I have My Nails, Nail Polish Whore (inspiration/ideas), AND Drink Recipe boards, among other stuffs; and/or 
* Follow me on Twitter: @LittleSweetTea.  If you follow me on Twitter, do so at your own risk.  I can be pretty inappropriate, or completely boring...depending on the day ;) 

If you don’t want to do any of that, I’ll still be posting here Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

Have a great weekend!  See you back for Swatch Tuesday.  I’ll be posting a few different swatches each Tuesday to try to get my untried polishes down to an acceptable number!

Birthday Dinner Nails

Last night we celebrated my Aunt's third anniversary of being 50 ;)  We went out to some super fancy-schmancy Italian restaurant and had to get all dressed up.  So of course I wanted my nails to match my dress!  

I used one coat Essie Licorice for the black base, then I used one coat Essie Shine of the Times on all but the accent nail.  I matted everything with Hard Candy matte topcoat.

Then I stamped the accent nail with Bundle Monster stamp plate BM-206 in Essie Good as Gold.  I really wanted the gold to be shiny and stand out more than it did (I thought it would look less matte), but I was okay with the end result.   

Two highlights of my year happened yesterday:  

1: I was featured on Nail Art Ooh La La for the first time on IG for this mani ANNNND

2: I got to eat truffles (the mushrooms) for the first time in my life!  I had always seen them on the Food Network and was dying to try them.  They.  Were.  Amazeballz!!

Now.  Here are some pictures of all the dessert and wine we had.  I was bummed I couldn't take pics of the meal.  I felt awkward having my phone out, so I waited until everyone else did lol

I couldn't tell you what all this is, but my favorite was the one on the bottom left corner of the big plate.
It was some chocolate mousse with creme brulee filling and candied kumquats
whaaaat?? lol

 And here is our party:  (clockwise from center) Aunt Sue, me, my mom, my daddy, my Aunt's friends Leo, Marie and Scott.

The Classics: A Spicy Bloody Mary and Cheetah Print (or Leopard, if you prefer)

For my first post, I’d like to start out with one of my all-time favorites – a Bloody Mary. My first taste of one was about a year ago while on vacation in Georgia with my aunt (YES I still remember because it was THAT good). This is not the same recipe, but it’s still effin good! I find it weird that I like them so much because I have such a strong aversion to vegetables – especially tomatoes (which are actually a fruit, but whatever)! I guess if you put enough vodka in anything I’ll consume it. :P Read on to get your veggie-packed deliciously scrumptious Drink Of The Week….

Here's how to make mine:
You'll need...

• Vodka (I just bought a huge thing of Red Cup Vodka, so that's what I'll be using in my drinks)
• "Whats-This-Here" (Worcestershire) Sauce
• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• V8 (Regular OR Spicy)
• Clamato Juice
• Lime or Lemon Juice

Now make it!
In a cup, add 3-4 glugs vodka (or pour while counting to 5), 3 shakes whats-this-here, 1 dash lemon pepper, and 3 shakes hot sauce (I exclude this if I use the spicy V8). Fill cup with ice and pour 2/3 full with V8. Fill remaining with clamato and a splash of lime or lemon. Stir up and get ready to do yo nails!! :)

I really like this Red Cup Vodka. I want to say it was $13 for a big jug (I’ll have to look up the ounce-age for ya later). I’m not an alcohol aficionado at all, so if you are a fan of Grey Goose, you miiiight not like this. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never had the Goose. Like I said, I’m keeping this semi budget friendly since nail polish comes at around $8 a bottle and I have quite the collection.

Cheetah (or Leopard) Print Nails
I started out with 3 coats of Zoya MINKA.  It's a very pretty nude color with a hint of iridescent goldish pink shimmer.  I was going to leave it as-is, but I got one too many drinks in me and decided to be adventurous! I hadn't used my Konad stamps in a while and thought the cheetah print was speaking to me.  It was a lot easier than I remembered, so I did ALL my nails with it.  After it dried, I was bored again and wanted to try out my nail pens I got for Christmas last year - and ta-daaa!! the pink and white dots were born!

I’m a huge fan of Zoya polish now. I got this one on sale at Ulta for $5 (regular $8). It would have been perfectly fine in 2 coats, but I smudged some, so I went ahead and put a third on.

Colors:
Zoya MINKA
Stamped with Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzler
Dotted with the Pink & White Nail Pen (below)

Tools:
(Top Left) Konad Template with Cheetah Print with scraper & stamper
(Bottom Left) Close Up of Cheetah Print Template
(Right) Pink & White Nail Pen

These Konad stamp templates are the shizzz! They take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have so much fun. You just paint the polish over the design, scrape the excess polish off, press the stamp onto the design then transfer it to your nail.

I hope you enjoy my drink and are inspired to take a walk on the wild side with your nails this week (haha that was gay - sorry!)

Upcoming:
To me, trying a bunch of drinks is fun and exciting! But who wants to buy 2,045,674 ingredients for a drink you’ll make maybe once or twice. So I’m keeping them simple with minimal ingredients – hopefully you’ll have most of them in your stash already. I have a few drinks on deck that require some ‘special’ ingredients, but I promise I’ll post more recipes in coming weeks that will have that in it too - because no one wants a half empty bottle of Midori Melon Liqueur sitting around forever.

I'd like to know: What are some of your favorite vodka drinks? Did you try mine? How was it?
PLEASE comment and give your input! I'd love to hear it! :)

Have a great weekend y'all!