April Julep Maven Unboxing ♡

It feels like it's been years since I've written a blog post! I know it's been less than a month, but April has felt like it's several months long itself. I'm graduating from high school in June and my advanced classes are kickin' my booty right now. 

Complaining aside, I am so excited to be unboxing my April Julep box!

| Addison- It Girl | $14.00, $11.20 Maven

I picked out this babe because I only have one other bright yellow polish and it's a China Glaze color that isn't very opaque. Little did I know, this would only be a little more opaque than Sun Upon My Skin, but it's cooler toned, brighter, and I love the way it looks even though it is a bit more neon than I expected from the pictures.

| Brigitte- Classic with a Twist | $14.00, $11.20 Maven

I don't personally own any good quality solid white cremes so when I saw Brigitte during the Maven reveal, I immediately added her to my box. If you remember Dana from my October unboxing (one of my go-to Julep colors) I've tried out a white Julep polish before and been really impressed and this isn't any different! It's definitely opaque and cool toned, makin' me look tan and springy.

| Oxygen Bonding Base Coat | $18.00, $14.40 Maven

The Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat (Sally's is a good deal) is my go-to whenever I paint my nails, which is about twice a week. I've noticed recently, however, that the tips of my nails look a little orange-y yellow tinted and I'm not sure what else it could be besides my trusty Orly Bonder. :( I decided to grab this guy for April since it's almost never available and it's a little spendy for me to try on a whim! I've tested it out once and I think its wear time isn't quite as good as Bonder's but I do like it so far!

Totals:

Full-price: $46.00

Maven: $36.80

If you're hooked on unboxings, I've also posted about my March, February, January, December, October, August, and July boxes!

If you want to sign up for Julep, use this link to get a free $62 value welcome box with a lip gloss and three gorgeous polishes! The link also hooks me up with a $15 credit if you sign up so it's really a win-win. ;)

Thanks for reading! What did you guys get in your April boxes?

xo

My Nail Care Routine

I kind of have an obsession with nail polish and doing nails. It started about three years ago, when I bought my first higher-end polish. I think it was OPI's Sweetheart since at the time, JuicyStar07 and AllThatGlitters21 had been raving about it and they were some of my favorite people to watch on YouTube. Now, I own something like 45 nail polishes and I constantly keep my nails painted.

I definitely don't think I've perfected my nail routine yet, but it's better than it used to be. I would say I paint my nails twice a week or so, depending on how long they last before chipping.

| CURRENT PRODUCTS |

• Non-acetone nail polish remover
• Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover
• Cuticle pusher
• Nail clippers
• Metal nail file
• OPI Nail Envy
• Orly Rubberized Bonder
• Seche Vite
• J.R. Watkins Hand & Cuticle Salve 

| ROUTINE |

The first thing I do to prep my nails is remove my old nail polish (relatively obvious, I know). 

Next, I apply my Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle remover to my cuticles all the way around my nails (in a "U" shape). I let that sit for 15 seconds, like it instructs (I'm kind of terrified to leave it on for too long), then I use my cheap cuticle pusher.

I start in the middle of my nail and push up and down all around the U of my nails to make sure that the whole nail is smooth. Afterwards, I quickly wash my hands with soap and water. While I dry them, I use the rag and push back my cuticles again to make sure they're all dry.
After my cuticles are all done, I'll cut my nails in a square shape. Since I have super weak nails, I always file the square edges a little to make them rounder, changing them into more of a "squoval" shape.

Once I'm all done with prepping, I paint a coat of OPI's Nail Envy on all of my nails, keeping a tiny gap from my cuticles.

After that dries, I apply a relatively thin coat of the Orly Rubberized Bonder to my nails and wait for it to dry. It dries pretty quick.

I then paint a coat of my polish of choice, wait for it to dry, and paint a second coat.

Once it's (pretty) dry, I'll do a generous coat of Seche Vite and apply my J.R. Watkins Hand & Cuticle Salve on my cuticles and all over my hands to restore their lost moisture.
And that's all I do! They usually last for 4-5 days, depending on my activity. I'm
almost out of my Orly bonder, so I may be purchasing a new base coat pretty quick. I'm not sure which one I'm going to buy next. Hopefully a trip to Sally's Beauty Supply will be in order pretty soon! :D The picture of my nails (actually from my Instagram) is attempting to show the shape and also how perfect and beautiful Essie's On a Silver Platter is. The glitter is basically holographic- it reflects freakin' rainbow! My non-accent nails are also an Essie nail polish, Boxer Shorts.
Anyways, thanks for reading! xo