Julep Nail Polish Review - Blake

So I recently learned that Julep was having a sale on their nail polishes (AND free shipping all summer long)! I had to dive in!

I first heard of Julep when I was planning my wedding. I was looking for a place to host a pre-wedding mani/pedi with my bridesmaids and mother-in-law. Julep was having a grand opening in Bellevue AND they were selling $100 gift certificates for $50 at that time so I jumped all over it! We had a fabulous time getting our nails done - Julep is very clean and the chairs are movable so that you can sit closer to all your friends making it more conducive to chatting!

So I love everything about Julep-the nail salon (was very impressed that my French mani/pedi lasted throughout the honeymoon without a chip), the lack of chemicals in their polishes, and the fact that they are local! I had never had the urge to purchase their nail polishes until I saw their new packaging. I love the sleekness of the bottle. It looks sooo chic!

I bought Blake to try out (I had heard that their polishes are very opaque-only needing one coat?!) and was super excited! Blake is described as "Sunny yellow. Creamy and buttery yet fat-free." LOVE it! It's perfect for summer, especially if you have a tan! I've received sooo many compliments from co-workers to complete strangers! It's beautiful - however, it does need 2-3 coats to get it opaque and not streaky. The brush I would liken to Essie's brushes.

To purchase, visit Julep and enter code: GIRLFRIEND for $15 off $30 with free shipping all summer long! $1 will be donated to organizations that support women through their Powered by Girlfriends program for every nail polish sold.

Disclosure: Product was purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own and completely honest. This post is not sponsored in any way.

Product Testing

I've always wanted to be a product tester - I mean, the first person to be "in the know" about something and have companies want and value your opinion?! How awesome of a job would that be? Alas, my career path didn't quite get me there to be an "official product tester", so instead, I did some searching online to see if I could do something like that during my spare time! I came across SheSpeaks (http://www.shespeaks.com/), which is created by women for women to give them a forum to connect with others and to express their opinions! Pretty cool concept! I haven't had much opportunity to do any product testing from them save for a survey and now finally . . . some chips!

I received a coupon from SheSpeaks for a free bag of Tostitos Artisan Recipes. I picked up my bag (Reg: $3.99, on sale for $2.99) at my local QFC. Usually with "new products", it takes awhile before it's available in stores, so I was super happy that it was so easy to find! I picked out the Roasted Garlic and Black Bean Tortilla Chip flavor (the other being the Fire-Roasted Chipotle flavor) and brought it home to try with my husband. I decided to serve it with Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Hummus and their Edamame Hummus. The chips were super yummy - not too salty so that they can be eaten on their own and won't overpower the dip either. My husband thought they were really good too, and with each bite, kept commenting how good the chips were (he had no idea I was going to jot down notes on his reaction for this review)!