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Julep, not to be confused with a similarly named, minty cocktail, is a company that’s all about liberating nail colors and girlfriends who dare us to be different. Created as a tribute to inspiring women, each of their trendsetting shades is named after a female who emboldens us to be our most vital, beautiful, confident, and happy…while having fun along the way.

Julep believes beauty is about connection—the connection between beauty and fashion, the connection between girlfriends, and connection through physical space, which is why they’ve equipped their nail parlors with movable seating to enable communication between gal pals (even when one is getting a manicure and the other is getting a pedicure).

I got the privilege of trying the Favorite Things 12-Piece Nail Color Keepsake Box, which is so named because it was featured in Oprah’s Favorite Things for 2012. If these nail lacquers are good enough for her, they’re good enough for, well, anyone. It doesn’t get better than these handpicked, high-quality hues:

Rose: Juicy watermelon red crème
Lauren: Tropical pink crème
Carrie: Cotton candy pink crème
Maria: Shimmery, platinum rose frost
Gloria: Coral rose crème
Maya: Seashell pink frost
Lynn: Nude blush pearl
Audrey: Peach micro-shimmer
Morgan: Shimmery grape frost
Charlotte: Smokey violet crème
Amy: Rich turquoise blue crème
Susie: Muted mint green crème

With the accent-nail trend that’s so popular right now, you can create so many different combinations of killer colors. Here are two looks I did (please note: I’m neither a nail technician, nor a hand model):

From left to right, Amy with a Maria accent nail and Susie with a Maya accent nail.

I didn’t use a base or top coat, just two coats of each color. They go on easily and come off easily with nail-polish remover (not that I had to redo a few nails several times or anything…). They leave a shiny, hard finish, hence why they’re called “nail lacquers.” I can’t speak to their longevity yet (I’m only on day two), but I’ll give you an update in my next Julep blog post, which will feature a Q&A with the company’s fabulous founder, Jane Park. Don’t miss it!

I briefly mentioned that the collection comes in a keepsake box, but it deserves much more recognition. First, you’ve got to see it for yourself:

It’s a velvet-lined, white lacquer box that’s so beautiful, it’s befitting of the finest jewelry…and most precious polishes. As the home to nail colors featured in Oprah’s Favorite Things, I wouldn’t expect anything less than perfection (which it is).

Part of what’s so fun about having shades named after real women is that you’re bound to know at least one lady in your life who shares the same name as a color in this collection. And, it might even be representative of her personality. Out of just these 12 hues, Carrie, Maria, Audrey, Gloria, and Amy are perfect for my girlfriends who bear the same names.

While it’d be hard to part with any colors in this beyond-beautiful box, it offers a lot of holiday giving options. You can give the whole thing to one VERY lucky lady, you can give a female friend or family member a bottle of namesake nail polish and keep some for yourself, or you can give away every color (that’s 12 gifts!) and still be left with the gorgeous keepsake box (sorry, gals, it’s not going to anyone on my list). No matter how you choose to divvy up these luxurious lacquers, you’ll show your girlfriends that you treasure the gift of their friendship, which is ultimately what Julep was created to do.

—Missy