I caved this month and picked up the June Julep Maven box – there were just too many fun new polish shades, I couldn’t bring myself to skip out on it. One of the shades I added to my box was Julep Manda, which looked like the perfect Summer shade.
I was also excited to try out this color because my nail polish collection had been completely devoid of light blue shades (I had shied away from pastels for quite a while just because I noticed they tend to be less forgiving when applying, plus they can easily turn out looking streaky.)
The Color
Julep Manda is described on their website as a ‘Sky blue with golden shimmer’. While this sounds pretty accurate, I did notice that the color shifts slightly in different lighting. Under warmer lighting, it looks like a light sea green, while in natural light, it comes across looking more blue-toned (as in the photo above, taken in sunlight).
My Review
In terms of the application, it did take a few extra coats to achieve an opaque finish. Basically, one coat of Julep Manda adds a nice sheer coat, two coats achieves about a 70% opacity, and finally, at three coats you get a nice solid color.
The polish itself goes on smoothly – the formula isn’t sticky or gloppy. However, one thing to note is that you need to make sure your brush strokes are evenly distributing the polish when you apply this, or else your nails will come out looking streaky.
The longevity is incredible. I applied the Manda polish to my nails five days ago, and it still looks exactly the same – there’s absolutely no chipping around the edges!
Final Thoughts
Overall, Manda is another winner from Julep – it’s a really beautiful, multidimensional polish that adds the prettiest pop of color for Spring and Summer. If you’re darker skinned, or plan on getting a tan this Summer, this will look amazing on you. It’s completely worth the little bit of extra effort you need to put in the application process.
Availability
Manda nail polish is available on Julep’s website for $14.00, or you can become a Julep Maven and get it for a little cheaper ($11.20). (It’s actually a really great program for online discounts, plus you have flexibility with the monthly boxes and can skip them whenever you want. Plus, right now you can join here, and get your first welcome box for free!)
Do you have a favorite light blue nail polish?
