For August's box, I went with American Beauty. Mainly this is because I was really curious about the "Rose Gold Metallic Chrome." I already have tried and loved a few other coppery/rose gold metallics like Essie Penny Talk, CND Copper Chrome and even (more on the copper side) SH Haute Chocolate, but why not try them all! *evil laugh* The truth is that there aren't many of that type of shade, so it was worth a try. Also, in this month's box was a really pretty gunmetal with some golden shards, and an acetone-free remover pump which actually turned out to be pretty awesome, and a reusable tote. If you're interested in trying Julep Maven, you can read about it here. If you want to join, you can do so on the Julep website. You can also use my referral link which will give me credit toward future purchases, and it would  make my day as I love these boxes. If you order, please don't forget to use the code COLOR2012 and you can get your first box for a PENNY, $.01, with free shipping.

Click to read more and see the swatches!

Julep Sienna - www.julep.com

Julep Sienna has been out for a while, but since the August Maven box's theme is Metallics & Chromes, Sienna was offered in one of the boxes alongside some of the new polishes released this month. It wasn't in the box I chose this month, but I added it on for $4.99 and it shipped seperately. I have all sorts of gold metallics, foils, chromes... You name it, but the photos I've seen of this intrigued me. It seemed almost like a silver/gold hybrid. It's a foil finish, but it's a very fine foil, so it's got great reflective qualities and is a real eye-catcher, so I'm happy I got it. Especially considering I didn't have to pay the $14 I'd have paid at Sephora. Honestly, I probably just wouldn't have bought it at all if I couldn't have gotten it at the price I did. However, for the price it's a great polish. It's got a nice texture and I had perfect coverage at two coats. 

My August Maven box, as I said, shipped seperately, but I will post about it when it arrives. I ordered the American Beauty this time which had a rose gold chrome and a gunmetal chrome with gold shimmer, so we'll see how that goes. 

If you're interested in reading more about the Julep Maven program, you can do that here. 

If you'd like to join the Maven program and get your intro box for one penny (free shipping included!) Click here and don't forget to use code COLOR2012! (this is a referral link. Referrals help you to earn free months of the Maven service. If you click, thank you! And be sure to share your own referral link with your friends and you'll earn credits too)

Click for more photos...

Minx #1 in Technical Tribal - Available at Ulta stores (not available online) - $18 for a full mani/pedi set - 

A few weeks ago Minx announced a new at-home applique called Minx #1. Unlike traditional Minx, there is no need for a heat lamp, nor a licensed manicurist to do it for you. As a manicurist, this should probably irk me, but honestly I am not the world's biggest fan of appliques in general and would prefer to do the art myself. Alas, there are just some nail looks that can't be achieved by traditional methods alone, like the quintessential Minx look: chrome. There are chrome polishes galore, but none come close to the mirror-shine of Minx. That said, I really only like these for a short-wear look; a Friday night out and the lazy weekend to follow. The original Minx is no more a long-wear product than their new at-home invention. 

Traditional salon Minx needs intense heat to "shrink-wrap" the nails. This product just needs to be stuck on, smoothed out and the excess filed of. The price is a steal considering that salon Minx will cost you north of $45 to be applied, and in this package you get enough for both a manicure and pedicure. 

The designs are just as cool as salon Minx, but they're all new, and there will be new designs launched quarterly, according to the company. 

Click for more pics and info...

For this manicure I wanted to get the look of antiqued and distressed metal so I used several metallic polishes and sponged them on to make a sort of textured look. The addition of a holographic teal to the tips was an afterthought, but I thought it made it look better. The whole thing was inspired by CND's recent spate of "acid-washed" colors on pointed almond nails with a really deep smile line for the french. I basically went with that theme, but changed up some colors and added texture, which I think makes it look neat. The holo at the tips is subtle but it makes it a bit more interesting.

Products used:

• China Glaze Millenium
• China Glaze 2030
• Orly Luxe
• China Glaze Techno Teal
• Seche Vite Topcoat

Click for more photos...

The nail stylists at CND who do fashion week, yeah they're awesome. They are undoubtedly the masters of interesting nail looks engineered for the runway. And with the big leap forward that nails are taking as concerns being viewed as almost an accessory, the runway looks are becoming much more acceptable on main street in a way that wacky runway makeup never could. Luxury nails, be it luxury art like this or luxury polish such as Chanel or Dior, are a very accessible way to add a designer label to your wardrobe in the form of an almost-accessory. Whether the country in the midst of a recession or not, you may not be able to afford that Chanel bag, but you sure as hell can afford to buy a Chanel polish, or to go out and get a fancy manicure that was worn down a fashion week runway.

Anyway, enough preaching about the godliness of nail art, let's get on with the manicure... I came across this manicure on BellaSugar, and immediately wanted to recreate it. CND stylists used CND Gold Chrome and BlackJack and some gold leaf to create a look that they call ‘Treasured Antiquities’…meets ‘New Rock N’ Roll.’ . I don't have those polishes... yet, but I used what I had and it looks just about the same.

Products used:

• China Glaze 2030
• Wet n Wild Black Creme
• Gold nuggeting foil

Click for another photo!

CND Copper Chrome $4.50 at transdesign.com

After my great experiences with CND's new formula with the Night Factory set and Anchor Blue, I bought a chrome finish just to check it out. It's hard to find a good chrome, and since most of China Glaze's are discontinued, I thought it was worth it to give it a whirl. Copper Chrome is a really warm gold, not quite a copper. Turns out it was a great buy because it's super metallic and great for Konading. One coat is enough, but I used two. It wears well and applies easily. The brushstrokes you see while applying really dry down well into a smooth finish. It's not the most flattering color alone but I think it'll come in handy for nail art. There's not much else to say about this polish, so I'll show you a couple more pics...

Click for more pics...

Hard Candy Beetle - $5 at Walmart

Last week when I picked up Hard Candy's new version of Sky, I also found this baby. You've probably already seen it, but in this photo-heavy post I'll show it to you in a few different lights and in comparison to Orly Space Cadet. You'll probably be surprised to find that I consider the Hard Candy one to be superior! It's true though. While the Orly is a good deal as far as it's relative size and price, the flecks of metallic multi-chrome shimmer are much more finely-milled and profuse in the Hard Candy one making it a better choice if you'd rather not layer or use eleventy billion coats.

The base is the same on both; some weird anemic teal jelly... Then you've got these metallic, light responsive particles floating around in both. The main difference is, as I said, the size and volume of these particles. On Space Cadet they're larger and there's less of them, so in the Hard Candy version you've got a more smooth and solid color and application. The bottle on the Orly is bigger and costs about double, but you'll use a lot more of the Orly unless you're layering. All in all, it's probably a flush deal, but my pick overall is the Hard Candy. Shock!

Marching on, let's take a look at a few photos...

I took another page out of Wah-Nails' book and did a tuxedo this week. I have been trying to branch out into freehand nail art since I'm not exactly great at painting miniatures like the likes of The Daily Nail or The Lacquer Files... I've been attempting to practice and hone my skills so that one day I might be, so I've been trying to re-create other designs I've seen done so I at least have a baseline to work off of. Today you're seeing China Glaze Cheers To You from the Holiday 2010 collection on all fingers except ring fingers. The more I wear this silver the more I love it. It's the most metallic silver foil I own, and I own a few. The pieces are so finely milled and the coverage is so perfect. It's almost like a chrome.

On the ring fingers I tried to recreate the tuxedo design from Wah-Nails. I think I did alright for my first try. I used Wet n Wild Black Magic for the base then with Migi Nail Art Pens in black and white I applied the design. It was pretty easy, but it was late and I was tired so it's not the most smooth or steady looking thing ever. I'll have to try again another time. I think this would be absolutely perfect for New Years but on the thumb I would add something champagne related or confetti or perhaps "2011." We'll see what I do, I need to get through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas first, lol.

Click for another photo...

L'Oreal Metallic Eye Duo in Electrified - $8 at Ulta.com

Recently, I saw a piece on Nouveau Cheap about this particular eyeshadow duo, and I was intrigued. I don't remember the first release of this shadow, and I'm not sure why. I'm usually sort of down on drugstore shadow, but I do own one of these duos in Platinum and I love it, so I snapped this one up. Apparently it's a re-release of a big hit from last year. Either way, I like it a lot. One side is a antiqued platinum sort of shade, which really sort of looks like a silvery taupe that glints a tarnished sort of light from some angles. The other is a deep wine with a charcoal edge to it. The lighter shade is incredibly metallic, and the darker side a bit less so. I really like using the light shade all over the lid and slightly up above my crease, then I darken the outer corner with the plum-wine shade. It's a gorgeous combo, but honestly the lighter shade is worth the price all on it's own, in my opinion. Both shades are so smooth and apply so evenly without skipping at all. They blend well, and stay on through an entire 12 hour day without creasing when used over a good primer like Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Click for more photos and swatches...

Milani Molten Rock Nail Lacquer - $5 at most drugstores

Milani's newest seasonal collection is another installment of their Liquid Metal line of polishes. Taking a blazing cue from other brands, they're really chugging out some interesting and unique foil-textured polishes. Molten Rock was the one of out six polishes that I just couldn't walk away from. The thing about these "metallic" polishes are that you might be expecting a smooth texture like a chrome, but this is more like a foil texture like the Orly Foil FX polishes. There's no real base; the polishes are basically made up of miniscule metallic particles.

It applied very smoothly in about two moderate coats, and the color is a rich midtone teal. It's not bright, and not vampy either. It's quite unique, in my opinion. If I could recommend only one polish from this six-piece collection, Molten Rock would be it!

Click for more photos...