Wanderlust and Polishes

Happy Monday my dear friends!
I hope you have a great start to your week.  We had quite a bit of rain last night that melted most of the snow outside.  But the week before that, it was sunny, blue skies with lots of snow.  Although it is certainly cold, it is absolutely beautiful and I feel very blessed to have the chance of living in a winter wonderland.  How is the weather like where you live?

As an aid-worker for an Alzheimer's Disease Patient, part of my day would be taking her for a long walk.  She loves the outdoors;  with the proper winter gear, we are set to walk and walk with no problem.  Recently, I had the idea of taking a few polish bottles with me and taking pictures with them when an opportunity arise.  I call this new fad of mine #WanderlustAndPolishes, hehehe...  The lake where we usually take our walks is so beautiful,  I can't help it.

Remember this water decal nail art?  It's been 6 days and look! besides the normal nail growth, there's no chips nor signs of wear.  Mind you, I also clean homes as 'another' job (part-time), I do wear gloves, but still;  this mani is probably bullet proof, haha! And no, it's not gel or shellac, just plain polish on my natural nails.

And here are my babies out on a walk with me.

"And they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of golden star light in your eyes are blue...."

These polishes are called "Stardust" from Avon... so reminds me of that Carpenter's song, though...

I am sending you warm love from my snowy lake... (yup, that is a frozen lake behind me).

I hope you spend some time outdoors too, breathe some fresh air and feel the sun on your skin...
Rumor has it, it's good for you *wink*

Thank you for visiting my blog again dear friends!
I hope you have a wonderful week ahead of you...

Love, Maya

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Easy Painted Flowers Nail Art | Water Decals Nail Art First Impressions

What do you think of this nail art design?
It's shaped like a heart, all my love for you my dear nail art lovers :-)

Ever wish you could paint your nails as lovely as some artist does?  Well, they can paint the Michaelangelo on their little canvasses, their nails... and my, are they ever pretty!!!  But many of us are not that talented.  Thankfully, don't despair, technology had made it so possible to mimic such gorgeous designs so that we can just stick them to our nails and have them looking fabulous in no time.   Please continue reading to see more photos and first impressions.

Blue Bow Nail Art | Favorite Polish

What is your favorite color and favorite nail art design?
Corals, yellows, pinks..... Those are mostly my favorite colors... very girly, very bright and cheerful.  Love happy colors!!! Although it appears that something else is a real favorite, maybe at the moment, maybe have been all along... Blue!  A friend recently help a nail art contest and she asked: "If you could be a nail polish bottle, what would you be and what color."  I answered: Maya by Zoya.  My vanity dictates that I pick a name sake and my current fave color: Coral... So why Blue?

The Best Gel Polish Removal Wraps | Julep Party's Over, Sensationail Foil Wraps and Hands Down Bandage Style Wraps

In this post, I will be showing you comparisons of Gel Polish Removal Wraps
~ Julep Party's Over Rubber Caps
~ Sensationail Foil Wraps and
~ Hands Down Bandage Style Wraps

Wanderlust | Julep Subscription Box August 2014

"I believe it's time for another adventure."

Wanderlust - noun, a strong innate desire to rove or travel about.

Origin: 1850–55; < German, equivalent to wander(n) to wander + Lust desire; see lust

I am guilty of being attracted to this box because of it's name "Wandelust."  If money was no object, I would surely travel the world... lol..  Although it's not the world right now, I still wish to rove about and see new places and experience new things. Why is summer in Canada sooooo short? :-(  So now, we try to do as much as possible and soak up the heat as much as we can.  I am so dreading the coming of winter right now... I am gearing up for the cold winter months by racking in some polishes, lol.  Then I'll sit by the warm fire and do nails... for now, I will show you the polishes that come in my mail faster than I could use them... wa ha ha!!!

Poolside Collection | July 2014 Julep Maven Subscription Box and a Little Customer Service Story

I just received my August 2014 Subscription Box called Wanderlust in the mail today.  I am very excited to show you that box.  Aren't the colors super pretty?  I am excited about this Stardust Finish as the first one I got was super pretty.  But first, Let me show you what I got in the July 2014 Poolside Collection box...

HELEN by Julep | Polish Swatch {My 100th post, wow!!!}

Helen - smoky pastel, lavender creme. 
I like how unassuming this color is, yet it is cheerful, not dark. Perfect for those days when you would like a well polished finger tips without the screaming "look at me! look at me" lol...

Keep Your Hands Satin Smooth by using HAND CREAMS | What is your favorite Hand Cream?

 

How do you prefer your nails?  How about your skin?

Natural, with no polish?  Or do you like experimenting with different nail polishes and nail art?  No matter what we wear on our nails, or no matter how old we are, our manicure (or natural nails) would look prettier and more crisp if the surrounding cuticle is healthy and our hands well nourished.  Not to mention, we ladies love to give each other a soft touch or a pat in the back (how about a handshake?) 

So, how do we keep our hard working hands happy and beautiful?  Please continue reading for some hand pampering tips and some hand cream reviews.

WANDERLUST - Another Julep Box | July and August 2014

Poolside Collection | Julep July 2014

 

Hmmm, just wanting to share my selections for July 2014 from the Julep Poolside collection.  It's that time again when Julep offers the 'window' for selecting what you would like to receive in your monthly box.  That window is now open for August.  I was a little disappointed that this window is already open when I haven't received my July box in the mail yet.  I almost forgot what I got in my July box until I revisited this draft that I made last month.

GALAXY Nails | Over the Moon Gorgeous!!! | OMD2 Theme: Galaxy

Waaah! Okay, this design is totally over the moon gorgeous...

Over the moon gorgeous Galaxy Nail Art has landed! lol... Please check out this post for an out of this world Nail Art design ;)

HAUL: Well Manicured | Nail Care and Nail Art Tools

A proper nail artist needs proper tools, won't you agree?

"To do a job well, one must have the proper tools.  

But the tools themselves don't do the job.  

One must attain the skill to use the tool well."

What tools do you usually use for your nail care routine?

Recently, a friend received a 50%-off-coupon from Julep with her Welcome Box.  Yes, she subscribed! Yay!!! I rode-on her discount and purchased some tools along with her order.  I got the  Plié Wand and the Well-Manicured Kit. (As well as the "Gem Collection", you may read about it more here.)

Wish Upon a Star | Chome Polishes from Julep | OMD2 Theme: Duochrome

"Pleasant dreams may come true, it can happen to you... 

when you're young at heart."

-- Frank Sinatra

Sparkly Cupcake, anyone? | OMD2 Theme: Lavender

In need of some comfort food?  We'll I feel like celebrating... so....
How about some sparkly-licious cupcake?

“What can I say? I've never met a cupcake 

I didn't want to get to know better.” 

Three Wishes | Julep June 2014 | Special Post

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
I present to you Julep's June 2014 Collection named "Three Wishes"

This collection is composed of glitter (yay), metallics and chromes... Of course, wishes comes with shine and sparkle... right? I am very excited about these new polishes because....

I hope you would continue reading.  You'll find polish, swatches and haul photos with a little bit of a personal, very meaningful story (at least to me ;)  I hope that you would enjoy...

                

Party's Over | Julep Glitter Remover

Glitter mani is on the rise.  It has gained much popularity nowadays.  

No surprise there, I think. All girls have sparkle in them.  

Don't we just love things that shine?
There is an abundance of glitter designs that can inspire us.  

But many, myself included, shy away from it because of the removal annoyance.  

Yes, it's not that easy to remove a glitter mani.  

I wanted to try this product for a long time now.  But I waited for good sales to grab one.  

Yay me!!! When the price was right, I ordered it and now it's finally here.  

Let's see how it works, shall we?

My Pretty Namesake | Featuring Maya and Dakota from Julep

"Peachy pink seashell, like a shimmering pearl." 

- That is how Julep describes "Maya"
On my nails, I have "Maya" painted on 4 of my fingers and "Dakota" on my ring finger.
I was very excited to try to color.  Well, as you know... It's a bit of a name-sake (uhumm ;)

What do you think of these colors?

Your Own At Home Nail Spa | Nail and Hand Care

On the nails:  2 coats of Audrey by Julep
with pink iridescent hearts and micro-beads.

     Ever wonder why your manicure doesn't seem to last more than a few days? No matter what your manicure is, it would look even better when your hands and cuticles are healthy. Follow these simple steps to healthy, good looking hands and treat yourself to a very inexpensive at home pampering.  You can even play a relaxing spa music while at it ;)

Red Flowers and Golden Glitter

Monica - Dark pink, almost red polish with blueish-purple and silver micro glitters. 

Julep Nail Polish Haul (Oscars Special Sales, Late Post :)

In this haul I have:
2 Oscars gold-sequin bag
From left to right: Ava, Yumi, Paris, Greta and Anisa
Holly, Greta, 2 Oscars (golden-glitter), Monica, Wendy and Portia
2 Freedom Polymer TopCoats

Julep have been offering great deals a few days before their Maven Window.  A few girls have been commenting on Julep's FB page that they have been missing these sales.  I feel bad that just days prior to this, they spend over $25 US without the added perks.  So, this would be a kind-of FYI to my dear fellow Mavens. ;) If you are not into Julep yet, please allow me to elaborate. ;)

Pink Glamour and Glitter (Featuring Julep's Ava, Yumi and Paris)

Pink Glamour and Glitter 

Featuring Julep's Ava, Yumi and Paris