Julep Nail Polish Storage

It's no secret how much I love Julep and the Julep Maven boxes.  I get so excited when I get my box in the mail, I loooove getting new nail polish every month!  But because of this, I've collected quite a few nail polishes and needed a solution to store them.  The problem with nail polish is that the bottles are all different shapes and sizes so what works for one brand, doesn't work for another.  If you may recall with my nail polish storage video, most of them are in a clear shoebox holder with my Zoya polishes in a fancier acrylic box.  I didn't like storing the Julep polishes in either of those because the way that the Julep polishes are shaped, you can't see what color you are looking for.  You just see a sea of black caps.  And I don't want to store them upside down because then the polish would all be trapped up by the lid and that's not a great way to store them.

If you don't know what Julep Maven is, it's a subscription box where you get at least 2 polishes each month along with other goodies for $19.99.  If you haven't joined yet, well you should because if you use the code COLOR2012 it's going to cost you 1 cent!  Yup no joke.  Join here. (my referral link in included)

I went to storables and found these great little stackable trays that fit them perfectly and what I like best is that there are dividers.  So now I divide them into colorways so reds/pinks are in one section, purples/blues are in the next section, etc... That way at least I know which section to look for when I want to choose my colors.

 

Nothing fancy but just wanted to share because storing nail polish is one of those annoying things that it's hard to find just the right thing to put them in.

I change my polish on a weekly basis so I am kind of crazy about finding the right products to make it easier for me.  I stopped getting my nails done professionally because it was getting too expensive and now I really enjoy doing my nails but having the right tools is crucial.  These are the 3 things that I love and need to have when doing my nails.

Nail Tees Precision Applicators - I LOVE these. It's nearly impossible not to get nail polish on your cuticle or sides of your nail so these little q-tip like things are slight pointy and less "cottony" than regular q tips (you know how it q tips always unravel a little? These don't so they don't get into the nail polish that you want to stay on your nail.)  I just dip the pointy part into a bit of acetone and drag it along the areas that got polish on them and it creates a nice clean line.  I also use an eyeliner brush dipped in acetone to do clean up too.  Both work great but these are a bit more precise.

Dispensing Bottle with Stainless Steel One-Touch Pump - my manicurist always had a little pump like this for her nail polish remover and I didn't realize the genius of it until I started using it for myself.  Rather than having a bottle and having to pour it upside down onto your cotton ball this dispenser pumps UP and onto your cotton ball so that you get just the right amount.  This is especially helpful when using the precision applicators or the eyeliner brush for clean up.  I used to have to try to stick them into my nail polish remover bottle and try to get just the right amount.  The dispenser, when you pump it, leaves just the right amount into the lid part which you can just dip your brush into.  It just makes it so much easier.

Pretty Nails Jar Polish Remover - You know how sometimes just one nail gets chipped and you want to fix just that one but then if you have to get your cotton ball and polish remover out, it potentially ruins other nails?  Well, these jar polish removers make it so that you can just stick one or two fingers in and remove the polish and let the others stay pretty! 

It's the little things that make the biggest difference sometimes!  Do you have any great tools/tips on doing at home manicures?  I'm not the best so love to learn what others do to get a nice manicure as well!