Julep May 2014 Review

My May Julep box arrived a bit early (actually near the end of last month) because I was part of the crowdfunding thing for Julep's new Plie wand. I'm not sure if it's because I got my initial box early or if everyone had the same thing this month, but my box choice shipped separately from my addons, which they haven't done in a while. But it was less than a week apart, so not a big wait or anything (though if you're going to ship them less than a week apart, just ship them together! Save some money and some boxes and some packing!).

Opening the box

A couple ads, coupon codes, and the usual monthly quote

I was surprised to see that because I was part of the crowdfunding, I got a little bonus gift - a free polish! Now, it's possible that when I originally signed up for the crowdfunding, I knew that would be included, but that was a few months ago, so if so, I had forgotten, so it was a nice surprise. I do already have the polish, Yumi, but it's a pretty one, so I may keep it as a backup.

Thank you gift, Julep Yumi.

Onto the main product! The Plie Wand. I was definitely intrigued when I heard about this initially since I always have trouble doing my right hand with my left since I'm right handed and this new design is supposed to make it easier. I already had a fresh coat of polish on when it arrived, so I still haven't gotten to try it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Not that it's really essential, but I thought the packaging was pretty nice too with the padded holder that slides out of the main box.

Julep Plie Wand, extra cap with brush (just a back up), and extra cap without brush (to make any Julep brush fit the Plie wand)

With my right hand, using the wand straight, like a normal brush

With my left hand, with the bent wand for extra stability in the pointer/thumb crook

I'm also super happy they listened to all the complaints from customers about having to buy all new caps to accommodate this new wand - ick, right? My Julep collection is embarrassingly big (like, I have 2 large polish wall racks, one of which is full of Julep and is now going into a second row in front of the original row!). It would've cost me a small fortune to replace ALL the caps! So, they made it so all you have to do is take off the top square cover cap to reveal the little nubby cap and put the extra empty (no brush) plie cap on top and then you can just stick the wand onto the magnetic bit! Super easy.

Instructions for converting a normal Julep brush into a Plie wand brush.

There were a few polishes that looked interesting to me this month, so I went with the Boho Glam box, which included Jeanne, a light blue creme, and Paulette, a light purple with a golden shimmer in addition to adding on Maddy, a raspberry shimmer, and Laree, a pink with a golden shimmer. I didn't really see much shimmer in Maddy, which was a tad disappointing, but it's still a pretty shade of dark pink. Paulette and Laree were both really awesome because the golden shimmer shows up really well. Jeanne is pretty, but I mostly got it for Emily, who usually won't wear anything but blue polish.

Julep Paulette and Jeanne

Julep Maddy and Laree

Swatches

I also added on the Plie Wand Creativity Kit, which includes a dotting attachment and a striping attachment for the Plie Wand. Technically, I already have quite a few nail art tools, but I thought it might be nice to have the attachments for the wand if the wand turns out to work really well.

Julep Creativity Kit

May 2014 Julep box (with addons)

I'm excited to try out the Plie Wand. I really hope it does make it easier to paint my nails with my right hand. If you'd like to sign up, I'd love it if you'd sign up with my link! AND! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping! I started my subscription with a similar deal! :) If you already get Julep, which box and add-ons, if any, did you pick this month?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

Julep January 2014 Review

Well, I appear to maybe, possibly, be on the mend finally. A round of steroids and currently a round of antibiotics and I'm definitely coughing less and generally feel more human. I've been able to do my normal mom stuff again, so that's always a good thing, especially since Chris is back to work now. Anyway, on to the review!

I didn't do a Julep selection post for January since I was sick around that time (Dec. 20-24), but overall, it was an interesting collection filled with different finishes that I found appealing, but a lot of pastels and similar colors, so I wasn't at all tempted to order the full collection. I chose the Bombshell box this month and added on 2 colors. I would've added on an additional product set, but I'll get to that in a minute.

I kind of like the inspirational saying. Hopefully, 2014 will be my year. 2013 sure wasn't!

On the back of the collection display card was an ad for their new products, Vanish (a cuticle softener/remover) and cuticle pusher along with a coupon (cuticle10). I just have to say that Julep did not handle the release of those 2 products well at all. They advertised the heck out of them on Facebook the week leading up to box selection time and then the day box selection opened, it became clear that a) neither one was the featured product automatically included in most of the boxes and (instead their revamped quick dry drops were - why not include the NEW product instead of the OLD one?) and b) they didn't have nearly enough stock for the amount of advertising they had done. They were sold out of the cuticle pushers before noon on the first day. I would've happily added on the set containing both Vanish and the cuticle pusher, but it wasn't available. On the very first day of selection. That's bad planning. Eventually, Julep got enough complaints that they added in a preorder option for the cuticle pusher, but again a) you were told you definitely wouldn't get it till weeks later when they came back in stock, and b) it wasn't available in the discounted set with Vanish and they ignored all questions about whether or not the set would become available again. You had to pay like $4 more for the 2 items separately. F that. So, maybe I'll eventually get it in a mystery box, but I'm not paying full price for either one. I don't even know that the 10% off code is enough for me. Especially since the code is only good till Jan 31 and the cuticle pusher still shows as out of stock. Will it be in stock before the 31st? I'd bet not. Anyway, rant over. On to the better stuff.

So, although the quick dry drops (now called Ta Da!) were an old product, I somehow never got them, so I wasn't so upset to get them. I tried them out on a manicure for my daughter (she's not great at sitting still after I paint her nails) and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked. Her nails were dry pretty much immediately. Granted, they all chipped the very next day, but I'm not sure how much that had to do with her being an active 3 year old rather than the drops.

Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops

Oh, and before I forget to mention it, the little bonus item this month can be seen behind my hand in the above picture - it's a little set of 2 nail buffers. They're fine. No complaints, really.

The colors that came in the Bombshell box were Mae, a soft lavender satin (matte), and Margot, an "old Hollywood gold shimmer". I've been getting more into mattes lately, but I'm not sure I'm wild on Mae. Holding up the swatch stick to my hands, it's more of a "maybe I've been dead for several weeks and didn't notice" look than something I like. A little too gray and lifeless. Margot, on the other hand, is gorgeous! It's a perfect gold! Lots of shimmer and a great metallic finish. Definitely my favorite of the colors I got. For my add-ons, I added Hope, a stark white satin (matte), and Farrah, a lilac silk (kind of a matte containing shimmer, it's a bit hard to explain). I was initially a bit concerned Farrah and Mae would be too similar, but they aren't really. The color tone is similar, but the finish makes them quite different. I definitely like Farrah more than Mae. And Hope is a nice basic matte white that I know I'll get plenty of use out of.

Julep Mae, Margot, Farrah, and Hope

Swatches (Hope, Mae, Farrah, and Margot - sorry about the confusing labels. I originally mislabeled the purples.)

January 2014 Julep

Apart from the snafu with the cuticle products, I'm pretty happy with my box. There's only one color I'm not a huge fan of and overall, I'm excited to have a variety of finishes to play with. I hope the variety keeps up! I have no idea what's in store for next month. I think last February was neons or something - that was one of my skip months I think. I do think it will be bright though, to keep people's moods up in the doldrums of winter. As always, I hope for sparkles. And maybe another shadow palette (though it's probably too soon to hope for that)!

If you'd like to sign up, I'd love it if you'd sign up with my link! AND! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping! I started my subscription with a similar deal! :) If you already get Julep, which box and add-ons, if any, did you pick this month?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

December 2013 Summary Part 1

Well, I decided on the summary route. I'll post the "display" picture for each box with a little summary of what's in it/my reaction. And I want to point out, I don't plan to do it this way again. It's just because I'm feeling really sick and I'm so behind. Next month will resume normal posts.

Wantable

This included:

• Starlooks shadow (Frosting - a sparkly light pink)
• Starlooks Eye Pencil (Exit to Eden - sparkly light green, though a bit darker and less sparkly than their Gem Eye Pencil in Fancy)
• Girlactik Glam Eye Powder (Nude Glam - a sparkly taupey color)
• La Bella Donna Liquid Eyeliner Pen (Black)
• Bonus item - Victoria anolin-Agg-Tval soap

Overall, I mostly liked what I got. When the sent out the email saying that Starlooks was a featured brand this month, I didn't initially want any, since I already get their subscription and I worried there would be possible dupes. Luckily, I didn't get anything I already had. I'm not a huge fan of the eye pencil because it's not a hugely flattering color, but the shadow makes a good base color. The Girlactik shadow is awesome, just like the shimmer powder I got last month. The La Bella Donna eyeliner pen seems pretty good. I'm kind of overloaded on black liners though. I switched up my profile a bit for next month to try to avoid getting more. The bonus item isn't a bad size, but kind of reminds me of hotel soap. The value of this box was $66. More than the box cost, but a tad low. I did only get 4 full size items though. I still like Wantable though.

Julep Monthly Box

I upgraded to the full collection which included 9 polishes (I added on one more), the Neutral Eye Palette, their Blank Canvas Mattifying Eye Primer, and a set of Twistband hair ties as the bonus (bah). I really like most of the polishes (that's why I upgraded!), but I think my favorites are Joelle and Shoshanna because of the holographic glitters. I think they look better with at least 3 coats though - Julep's swatches don't do them justice. The eye primer isn't bad and I was super happy with the palette. The colors are really soft, almost creamy (even though they're pressed powder), and nicely pigmented. I hope they make more palettes! I was very happy with my box.

Julep Naughty and Nice Mystery Box

Just to note, I added on the mystery add on (I think it was the Kajal liner and 3 of the polishes) and also bought their Eyes All Aglow set (I had a 40% off coupon - I figured why not? I got everything for only $31!) They just all came in the same box, so I took a picture of everything. The Eyes All Aglow set is fantastic. Mini liners, but I love, love the colors. Sparkly and very soft and smooth!
Of the polishes, 4 were new to me (first set of swatches) - I like Aviva and Brenda, but I'm not so sure about the other 2. The other 5 are dupes and are now in my swap list. Those are in the second swatch picture. The Kajal liner, part of the mystery add-on, was a dupe, but I love it, so I'm keeping it (swatched on the bottom of the last picture)! The mystery box also included a tube of their lip gloss in Timeless (keep), a 1 oz Rock Star Hand Cream (dupe and I just arranged a trade for it!), a 1 oz Blank Canvas Face Primer (keep), a set of Green Tea Blotting Papers (dupe), 2 foil packets of Luxe Repair (dupe), and 2 foil packets of Luxe Care hand cream (keep). A mixed box, but not bad for $31.

Square Hue

I tried to resist, but in the end caved and got Square Hue this month. It came with a glossy red, a pearlescent white, and a GORGEOUS silver holo! The holo makes it worth it! Love it.

Phone Case of the Month

This is a cute case and I like it better than last month's for sure, but I still kinda would prefer something a bit girlier. I guess it's easier to make everything gender neutral if they have a big subscription base and don't have time to see if the subscriber is a man or woman, but I've seen some very pretty cases. I think I'm giving them one more month.

Glossybox

My MIL gifted me a 6 month subscription to Glossybox, which was very sweet! This month we got:

• Anatomicals You Need a Blooming Shower shower gel ($3.39) - huge product! I'm not a huge rose scent lover though. Probably trading this.
• Michael Todd Pumpkin Mask ($10) - I got one of these from Ipsy, which I haven't gotten to try yet. Whether I like that one or not decides whether this stays or goes.
• Ardency Inn Liquid Eyeliner ($19) - Full size! As I said above, I like black liquid eyeliner, but I have soo many. I'll keep this, but I really don't need any more!
• Nails Inc Victoria Polish ($9.50) - Unlike earlier this year, when we got a mini Nails Inc from Glossybox, this one is full size! Unfortunately, it looks a lot like Julep's Coco, so I don't think I'm going to keep it. I didn't swatch it to be sure, but the pictures online look pretty similar.
• Naobay Oxygenating Cream ($26.14) - Absorbs quickly and smells nice. Definitely a keeper. I kinda wish we got the original packaging though! Cute!

Overall value $68.03! Not bad! I'm pretty happy with the variety, too! My only complaint for Glossybox is that I can't merge this gift subscription with my old account or move my Glossydots over so that I don't lose those Glossydots!

Well, I'm spent for now. I'll continue with the other 6 tomorrow. I do technically have 2 others (Citrus Lane and Kiwi Crate) that aren't even open yet, but they're Emily's and she's a bit overloaded from Christmas, so I'm saving them for next month. I may or may not review those 2 since they'll be old news by then, haha.  
 
(And just a disclaimer: I bought these boxes myself and was not compensated for these reviews in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

December Julep Selection Time!

It's that time of month again! Time for mavens to pick their Julep box! The window opens today, the 20th, and it stays open until the 24th. As many Julep polishes I have, I'm still really, really enjoying this subscription.

December's theme is "The Glitterati Collection" and seems to be a bit more themed towards New Years than Christmas, which makes sense. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. I like that I see several sparkly colors!

Julep's December collection

This month's featured beauty product is a neutral eyeshadow palette! Unlike last month's lip gloss collection, this one has me excited!! I love eyeshadow! This retails at $24 (or $19.20 member) and includes 5 neutral shades that can be used to make a variety of looks.  Also, unlike last month, there aren't different palettes spread out through the different profiles (though I do hope they make more palettes!), so you don't have to choose polish you don't like to get a palette you do or vice versa.

Julep Sweep Eyeshadow Palette

 For the 5 box choices, as usual there are:

• Modern Beauty - this is the beauty product only box. No polish. You get the eyeshadow palette as well as their new Blank Canvas Mattifying Eye Primer (retails for $22).
  As much as I want both of these, I need polish too, so I just can't pick this box.

  

  Julep Sweep Eyeshadow Palette and Blank Canvas Eye Primer
• Boho Glam - The eyeshadow palette plus Misti, a "smoky blue-gray creme" and Joelle, a "smoky holographic glitter".
  I must have Joelle. It looks like it would be an amazing topper. I'm less sure of Misti - it's really pretty and I like their ideas of it paired with Joelle or Gianna (which you'll see in a bit), but I'm not entirely convinced it will be terribly different from their Amy or Claire (no longer on the site - is that because this is just a renamed Claire?).

  

  Julep's swatches of the Boho Glam polishes Joelle and Misti

•  Bombshell - Eyeshadow palette plus Andrea, a bronze glitter and Cara, a "cranberry frost". I can't tell if it's more red or pink. I think pink.
  These are both really lovely. I was initially worried Andrea would be too much like Oscar, but it definitely looks much warmer. And I amazingly enough don't have a color like Cara, even though I would think that would be a fairly popular color seen in even a basic collection!

  

  Julep's swatches of the Bombshell polishes Cara and Andrea

• Classic with a Twist - Eyeshadow palette plus Jillian, a "deep eggplant with bronze molten" and Mia, a greenish silver metallic.
  Jillian looks like it will be gorgeous and I definitely don't have anything like Mia. It's possibly an odd color, but I think I need to see it in person.

  

  Julep's swatches of the Classic with a Twist polishes Mia and Jillian

•  It Girl - No palette, just 3 polishes: Evelyn, a "magenta purple creme", Celia, a light green metallic, and Shoshanna, a yellow holographic glitter.
  Evelyn is pretty, though looking through my swatches I'm not sure how different it will be from Nellie (oddly, their swatches of Nellie look way lighter than mine) or maybe even Janel (no longer on the site), without the hint of shimmer. I'm hoping since their Nellie swatch is lighter than mine and looks very different to their swatch of Evelyn, they'll be plenty different. Celia is something I don't have and although I have a gold holo, I don't have a yellow one, so I'm interested to see if Shoshana's different. It almost looks like it has a greenish tint in the bottle.

  

  Julep's swatches for the It Girl polishes Celia, Evelyn, and Shoshanna

The add-ons this month are mostly populated by all the above items individually, but there's also an eyeshadow brush (I have way too many brushes, don't need it!), a polish duo that comes in a little bag, presumably for gifting, that comes with Evelyn and Christine, a bronze microshimmer. I couldn't find Christine in the store, so it looks like for now, this add-on is the only way to get it. I just wish it didn't come with one of the same polishes from the main collection! Make it 2 exclusive polishes and that's way more attractive!

Julep add-on set that includes Evelyn and Christine

Finally, their last featured add-on is Gianna, a "jagged gold glitter top coat". I don't have super great luck with this type of glitter polish - they tend to be very chunky, thick polishes, but their swatches of it are all so gorgeous and it looked so nice on top of many of the above colors, I decided to add it on anyway.

Julep's swatch of Gianna

On the upside, I only have 1 add-on this month! On the downside, I liked so many of the polishes and beauty items, I just upgraded to the full box, which comes with all the polishes (except the add-on exclusive ones, hence my adding on Gianna), the eyeshadow palette, and the eye primer for an additional $35 on top of the monthly $19.99 cost, so a total of $55 for the full collection. Well, at least I canceled a bunch of the other subs I had to give me a bit more room in the budget for holidays...I may change my mind. Probably not though. I can go without Starbucks (it's decaf lately anyway) next week to make up for it!

As usual, if you want to join Julep's subscription service, please use my link! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping!

(And just a disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.) 

Julep November 2013 Review

Back when I posted about Julep's November selection being open, I mentioned that I had chosen the It Girl box this month because I wasn't enthusiastic about the glosses. Earlier this month, my box arrived, nice and quickly using USPS (I wish they'd just send everything with USPS again, instead of DHL).

Opening the box

Monthly quote and a holiday catalog

Our bonus this month was actually a sample again instead of last month's candy corn that came with EVERY ORDER (even the one I made for something from November's secret store!!). The sample we got was of Julep's new Luxe Repair Skin Serum. It's a foil packet, which I hate because once it's open, it's open. It's hard to save without spilling it everywhere and I hate to waste any. And although I haven't tried it yet, I've read it's way more sample than you need for one face application and is quite messy. The reviews are also scattered - some complaints about it having a fishy smell and being too oily while others said it cleared and softened their face. I'm honestly a little scared to try it...

Sample of Julep's Luxe Repair Skin Serum (and a coupon code)

The It Girl selection does not come with the beauty product, this month a lip gloss. It does come with 3 nail polishes instead of 2. First, Lola, a matte navy blue. I LOVE it. I can't wait to wear it. I used to not really like matte shades, but I think I just needed to try them. To quote one of my least favorite kids shows, Yo Gabba Gabba, "Try it! You'll like it!" My second color is Winter, a very light gray creme. I think this will probably work best under a sparkle coat or with some dotting on top, but it may work alone in some wintery looks. The third color is Chloe, a "warm cocoa frost" as they put it, and I suppose at a quick glance it looks mostly like a frosty brown, but I actually used it this week in a mani and it definitely has a reddish tint to it. I really like it more than I thought I would. It's a great fall color!

Julep Lola, Winter, and Chloe

I also added on 2 colors. First, Cynthia from the Classic with a Twist box, which is a "desert sand microglitter". This one isn't quite as awesome as I'd hoped. Wet, it looks pretty good - there's a nice amount of sparkle and it almost looks holographic. Dry, it looks a bit more like the sandy description - it's kind of a mix of beige and white and the sparkles aren't as noticeable. I did only swatch 2 coats without a top coat though, so maybe a nice shiny topcoat would bring out the look it had when wet. The second color I added on was the featured add-on, Autumn. It's a red and orange glitter top coat. I love glitter top coats, so this one didn't disappoint at all. Nice fall colors! I paired it this week as an accent nail with Chloe. I'd like to try using it again in a gradient on top of another color!

Julep Cynthia and Autumn

Julep Winter, Chloe, Lola, Cynthia, and Autumn

Julep Chloe (2 coats) and accent nail Autumn (3-4 coats)

November 2013 Julep It Girl box

 Apart from Cynthia, I'm once again happy with my selections! I can't wait to use Lola - I think that's going to be next! If you'd like to sign up, I'd love it if you'd sign up with my link! AND! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping! I started my subscription with a similar deal! :) As usual, the link at the top is a non-referral link if you'd prefer (but I'd be soo thankful if you used mine!). If you already get Julep, which box and add-ons, if any, did you pick this month?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

Julep Halloween Set, The Bogeyman, Review

Ok, so technically this was October as well, and I know I just said the last post was the last review for October, but this isn't a subscription review. It's just a purchase I wanted to review!

In the middle of October, Julep announced that they were releasing a few Halloween deals including a few sets, a few duos/trios, etc. I honestly wasn't terribly sure it would arrive by Halloween since I knew it would ship via DHL (the monthly boxes go out USPS which is quick, but any other purchase goes out DHL which suuucks), but I found one set, The Bogeyman, that I thought was pretty fun and decided to just go for it. The box had a bit of an adventure, getting lost somewhere for a day, causing DHL to label it as "missent" with a big angry red exclamation point. I called Julep and they found out it wasn't lost lost yet, it looked like it was just sent to the wrong post office or something. They said they'd resend it if it didn't arrive by Halloween. Thankfully, it did arrive around noon ON Halloween. So, at least I got to use some of the stuff that night!

Opening the box

These were, I think, my 5th or 6th baggie of these wretched things.

So, the set I bought included some polish, a ring, and a scarf! The ring is a white and gold snake wrap around ring with some rhinestones. I hardly ever wear rings other than my wedding set and my ring with Emily's birthstone, but I thought it was pretty fun. Emily likes it too.

Snake ring

It was a little big on most of my fingers, but it seemed to fit best with only a little looseness on my right pointer.

The scarf was similarly fun. It's a black thin gauzy material with a skull print. I don't wear scarves often either, mainly because I have big boobs and I don't want to make myself look even bigger, but this one was nice and thin and I really like it! I thought it looked pretty cute!

Skull scarf

The 3 polishes that came with the set were Nicolette, a white cream, Cleopatra, a matte black, and Marjorie, a shimmery orange. Very Halloweeny colors! I already had Cleopatra, but when I saw the set, it struck me that I didn't have a white! What a basic color to not have!! Marjorie was pretty fun and I didn't have a shimmery bright orange. In addition to these, I also bought (not added on, just bought) Missy, a metallic silver, which was part of October's collection. At the time, I didn't go for the It Girl box because I thought Missy would be too close to something I had. I'm so glad I bought it anyway! It's by far the best silver I've ever used! It's so shiny and sparkly!

Julep Nicolette, Cleopatra, and Marjorie

Not part of the set, Julep Missy

Swatches of Julep Marjorie, Nicolette, and Missy. I don't know why I didn't put Cleopatra in here, but you can see the swatch here.

Also, apparently, this purchase came with a free Cabochon ring. I thought it was a mistake at first since it's not listed as part of the set on the website, but it is listed as included for free on the packing slip. Maybe they just needed to get rid of them? It does have kind of a cheap feel to it, but for free, I can try it out. It's basically a clear stone you paint the underside of with polish and then set into the setting. What I don't know is whether it's reusable. Like, can I use polish remover to change the color of the stone from time to time or would that ruin it? Or does the polish just not come off once you've painted it? It is adjustable size, so I did get it to fit quite easily, but it's a big stone. I'm not used to seeing something that large on my hand, so I'm not sure if I'd like it once it's painted, or if I just think it looks cheap. It kind of looks like a big bottlecap.

Free Julep Cabochon ring, unpainted

Julep Cabochon ring, unpainted

Julep's Bogeyman Halloween set

I just thought this was a fun set and I'm glad it came in time for Halloween. I do wish they had started selling it at the middle/end of September instead, so we could have had these goodies for more than the day of Halloween. I'll still wear the scarf often, the ring occasionally, and polish is polish (although I use oranges infrequently), so I'll still get a lot of good use of everything but it would've been fun to use it throughout all of October.

As always, if you'd like to sign up for Julep's subscription, I'd love it if you'd sign up with my link! AND! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping! I started my subscription with a similar deal! :)

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)