The 8 Polishes You Need to Kick Off Autumn

Friends, it's officially that time again. Get ready to bust out your boots, your scarves, and your pumpkin spiced everything. Even though I'm a summer baby through and through, fall beauty and fashion is by far my favorite to indulge in. Give me the plaid button downs, the big blanket scarves, the soft, chunky sweaters. Give me matte lips, gold shadows, and vampy nail polishes. I want all of it, and I want it on my body right now.

In the spirit of all things autumn, I thought it would be fun to dive through my nail polish collection and pull out a few of the shades I'm most excited to return to my everyday rotation. It's time to retire those pinks and corals and get a little more moody in manicure country. From sultry oxbloods, to edgy navys I'm all about going extra dark and extra chic when the leaves start to turn.

Nails with Nude-itude: Neutral Polishes to Love

From nude, to blush, to off-white - if you want a timeless mani, a neutral polish will never do you wrong. Not only are they incredibly chic, but they are also way more forgiving when a chip appears. They'll go with just about any outfit, are appropriate for just about any occasion, and can be rocked the whole year round.

As much as I absolutely adore all of the candy colored pastel shades of spring time, sometimes a girl just wants to keep it classy. Trust, I have no qualms about wearing a robin's egg blue mani to work, but if I'm feeling like I want to seriously channel my inner #girlboss I'll reach for a posh neutral shade instead. Which brings us to today's post! I've rummaged through my collection to bring you my all-time favorite polishes with nude-itude. Not only are the colors lovely, but the formulas of all of these polishes are seriously spot-on.

New York Never Sleeps: October 2015 Julep Maven Box

Hello there, friends! It's about that time in the month where my nail polish collection grows ever (and ever unnecessarily) larger. That's right, my Julep Maven box is here once again, with a few hand picked goodies carefully tucked inside its happy purple facade. In keeping with the cities around the world theme that Julep has taken on this year, October's collection is aptly named "New York Never Sleeps". With lots of bold metallics and glamorous glittering polishes, this month's collection definitely channels the edgy attitude that the Big Apple is known for. On the makeup end, Julep has also launched brand new eyeshadow sticks and a reformulated powder blush this month. Basically, lots of exciting things are happening in the Julep world! Let's take a closer look.

September 2015 Julep Maven Box

Happy Sunday, friends! It's a bit of a gray, cloudy day in my neck of the woods, which makes me want to cozy up at home and spend a bit of time pampering myself. One of my favorite lazy day activities is giving myself a manicure, and what better time than right after my Julep Maven box has arrived! Continuing with the trend of finding inspiration from cities around the world, September's theme is Kisses From London. I have a special place in my heart for UK beauty bloggers, who were some of the first that I ever started following and are sort of responsible for sucking me into this whole blogging scene. I'd never been one with wanderlust, but after spending so much time watching the videos of these lovely girls overseas I've found myself totally dying to walk the streets of London (and have myself a massive beauty haul while I'm there). This collection boosts beautiful, moody hues that totally capture the feel of what I've seen and heard about the city, and it was really hard to just pick a few shades for my box.

Gold & Glitz: Flash Tattoos & a Matching Mani

As I slowly approach the ripe ol' age of 30, it's a bit amusing to look back at how my tastes in fashion and beauty have changed throughout the years (I don't know about you, but I'm having flashbacks to pink frosted lipgloss and stackable eyeshadow from The Icing). Fads come and go, we grow as people and constantly discover and rediscover ourselves over time. Looking back at my glitter-laden teenage days, I know that my preferences as an adult have become a lot more refined. Still, I don't think you're ever too old to embrace a little bit of sparkle here and there. Hence my recent love affair with the Flash Tattoo.

For those of you who haven't caught on to this summertime/music festival fashion essential, Flash Tattoos are simply the most blinged-out, grown-up temporary tattoos you'll ever come across. With a variety of colors, intricate designs, and metallic finishes, they are a far departure from something you might have acquired out of a machine at the bowling alley when you were 13 (why is it that you always ended up with a picture of a snake or lizard while your friends got a flippin' butterfly? The injustice!). A little bit whimsical and a little bit glamorous, Flash Tattoos are as quintessential to summer as beachy waves, bronzed skin, and bikinis. Having only ever admired pictures of them from afar, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to snag two sets from Birchbox last month when they were offered as a Plus item. As I clicked the "reserve" button I had momentary anxiety over possibly being too old to sticker myself with faux jewelry, but quickly decided to say screw it and embrace my youth while I still can. Pretty is pretty, and if something makes you feel good about yourself, you might as well go with it!

July 2015 Julep Maven Box

I'm FINALLY catching up on the last of my July subscription boxes (right as my August ones start to roll in). I picked out a few goodies from Julep last month that I ended up being really happy with. I found myself what I think may be the Holy Grail of base coats, a pretty apricot colored polish, and a cleansing oil to use in the shower. Come take a closer look!

Essie Gel Setter Review

Let's talk nails.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with essie polishes. I know they have quite a hardcore following, but I personally have never been thrilled with their polish formulation or their brush design. However they do have the most amazing range of colors, and I always manage to fall in love with their seasonal collections. Trying to maintain some self control, I usually just admire the bottles from afar, but every once in a while I'll decide to give essie another go and see maybe if I can understand what the fuss is all about.

This time around it was the launch of the new Gel Setter topcoat that reeled me in. These duo packs have been popping up at drugstores everywhere, and with my trusty set of CVS coupons in hand I caved and picked one up in the shade Bikini So Teeny. I wasted no time trying this out and slapped it on my nails pretty much as soon as I got home from the store. How did it fair? Let's take a look.

June 2015 Julep Maven Box

Hello there, friends! I think I've been a bit distracted from blogging lately thanks to my buddy Netflix. Pretty Little Liars is totally my guilty pleasure show, and I basically just spent the past week binge watching the 5th season so that I could catch up and start watching the new one that just began airing. Maybe that's not the most responsible move, but unless you've seen the show, do not judge. That 5th season was FLIPPIN CRAZY. I don't want to ruin anyone's day by hinting at any spoilers, but man. SO MANY PLOT TWISTS.

Anyway.

Back to the real reason you're here - my June Julep Maven box! This month Julep decided to change things up a little bit for their Mavens, and give them more flexibility and product choices than ever. While there were still your usual Limited Edition polishes to choose from for that month's theme, you could also add basically any Julep staple product to your order. This gave me the opportunity to finally try a bunch of products that I've had my eye on since I became a subscriber.

Butter London Patent Shine 10x Review

As a nail polish connoisseur, I definitely perk up a bit the moment I hear about a new launch. Whether it's a revolutionary new formula, a trendy finish, or a gorgeous seasonal range of colors, I'm always curious to see if that product is worth the hype. This time around I've got my eyes on the new Butter London Patent Shine 10x Nail Laquers, an ultra luxe formula that promises 10 different manicure-envy inducing benefits. I picked up three lovely neutral shades to try, and have made my way through several manicures of each. Was the formula is amazing as it sounded? Were they worth dropping a ton of cash on? Let's chat and I'll give you the full scoop.

April 2015 Julep Maven Box

Paradise is a state of mind indeed. It certainly hasn't been feeling tropical in this neck of the woods, but I am always up for channeling those summer vibes (especially with the help of my latest Julep Maven box). This month I went straight for the polish, choosing two vibrant shades as well as the new Bonding Base Coat. Base coat was the one manicure essential I was missing in my Julep collection, so I definitely had to jump at the chance of snagging one at a discount!

Rose Gold Glow

I adore soft, feminine makeup. Sheer washes of color, glowing skin - nothing too overdone or overly complicated. Pinky nudes and rose gold hues lend themselves perfectly to this kind of look, warming up your natural features while still managing to look natural. Here are some of my favorite products to do the job.

Spring Pastels - My Nail Polish Picks

Somehow, magically, the temperature has decided it was going to go from the teens everyday to the 40s.

*Does happy dance*

If it doesn't snow again until November I would TOTALLY be okay with that. If you haven't noticed my griping about the sub-arctic temperatures around New England, the long story short is that I am a summer baby, and I am counting the days to when I can be reunited with my flip flops.

For now, though, 40 degrees feels like a heat wave and I am ready to welcome spring with open arms. Open arms with perfectly manicured hands, that is. Nothing says springtime to me like soft, creamy pastel shades. Whether you're a fan of lilac, coral, or mint, I've got a rainbow of dreamy nail polishes to share that are perfect for setting the mood for spring.

March 2015 Julep Maven Box

When the reveal for this month's Maven box went up a few weeks back, I found myself even more excited than usual about the amazing choices we had to pick from - gorgeous pastel polishes, an entirely new line of lipsticks, liquid liner, an eye brightener and a makeup erasing pen. While I would have loved to have purchased add-ons galore, I decided to try and keep it simple and stick to the standard three products that come in my box. What did I decide to take home from the POP! Collection? Just you wait and see.

February 2015 Julep Maven Box

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day. The boyfriend and I had a lazy afternoon, started watching Girls (and are subsequently addicted), and went out for a ridiculously delicious dinner at Max Fish (good seafood makes my tastebuds do a happy dance). It was a cozy, lovely day.

Speaking of feeling the love, that's exactly what I got from this month's Julep Maven box. With a brand new makeup launch to try, some pretty new polishes, and a special extra gift thrown in there, it was enough to make me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Lips & Nails to Match Your Valentine's Day Mood

Whether you're going out for a night on the town with your girlfriends this Valentine's Day or heading to a fancy restaurant with your hubby for dinner, I've got four amazing nail polish and lipstick pairings to suit your mood.

January 2015 Julep Maven Box

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

No really, though. I'm cozied up at home on a Tuesday morning thanks to the blizzard that rolled in to the Northeast last night. It's looking pretty crazy out there, and I am thankful to be indoors with plenty of fun and relaxing things to do to pass the time. This morning's activities have already included taking a lovely bubble bath (and cracking open a new book while I soaked), making some delicious french toast, and busting out my Julep Creativity Kit to attempt some nail art (pictures of which are sure to be shared later). And on the subject of nails, I realized I still haven't shared my January Maven box with you yet!

Julep Maven Box November 2014

For the longest time I had thought of November as being my least favorite month of the year. The temperature here in New England evens out to a constant, generally unpleasant level of cold. The trees are left looking particularly disheveled, holding on to the last of their leaves. My evening commute through the heavily trafficked darkness confuses my body into think it's 9 pm by the time I arrive home. It's a month of constant tired, cold, and crankiness. And yet somehow, despite the impending doom of winter, I've come to find many a thing to appreciate and look forward to. Cozy nights snuggled up with hot chocolate. Starting my Christmas shopping and crafting. Seeing friends and family while stuffing ourselves full of delicious Thanksgiving feasts. There's a buzz, an energy about everyone and everything, full of holiday excitement and festivity.

When my November Julep Maven Box arrived on my doorstep, I was immediately reminded of why my feelings of the 11th month of the year have done a complete 180. This month's theme is Friendsgiving, a word that has a special place in my heart. For about 8 years I was a competitive ballroom dancer at the University of Connecticut, and made many a lifelong friend doing so. We've made it a bit of a tradition to host our own Thanksgiving celebration, post the ones we have with our families, and dubbed it our annual Friendsgiving dinner. There is usually an abundance of delicious food (which may or may not include a turkey), wine, and good company. Its one of the things I look forward to most in the year, and now I'll be able to sport a super festive manicure for the occasion!

Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box

Happy Halloween, friends! I'm feeling all kinds of festive and happy today. I took the day off from work to give myself some much needed R&R and blogging catch up time (complete with an AMAZING bubble bath with my Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar, of course). One of the things on my to-do list was to share with all of you the Julep Trick or Treat Mystery box I ordered at the beginning of the month. As you may have seen, I signed up for Julep's Maven subscription, and I decided to add this fun surprise on to my first order. It cost $24.99 and promised over $125 worth of products. Even though I had heard mixed reviews about the quality of Julep's last mystery box, I decided I would take a risk and hit the "order" button. With that type of value, and my not having a ton of Julep products at home I figured...why not?

Julep Maven Welcome Box

As a self proclaimed nail polish junkie, it's kind of surprising that it's taken me this long to become a Julep Maven. Prior to now I've owned approximately 1 Julep polish (compliments of this Limited Edition Birchbox from last year) in a bright cherry red color. I loved the formula, but I never ended up biting the bullet and splurging on other shades. I did, however, subscribe to emails from the website, just to keep myself in the loop with sales and other discounts that might be going on.

Of course, when the word was spread about the Julep Trick or Treat Mystery box, my interest was piqued. I love all things Halloween, and I had just recently purged my nail polish collection. While I was hemming and hawing over whether or not to splurge and buy it, I decided to revisit the whole Maven subscription idea. With a code to get your first box free, and free shipping on my order (since I did, in fact, order the mystery box after all) I decided to take a chance and give Maven a try.

China Glaze City Flourish Collection - Peonies & Park Ave Swatches and Review

During my last ULTA shopping spree, I stumbled upon this amazing set of springy China Glaze polishes. Peonies & Park Ave contains one half of the China Glaze City Flourish collection, complete with 6 gorgeous creme colors ranging from coral, to lilac, to mint. At a $30 price point you're also saving $2.50 on each bottle. I mean, really. How could I possibly resist?