Julep Cinco de Mayo Mystery Box May 12, 2012

This is everything that was in my Julep Cinco De Mayo Mystery Box:

• Julep Marisa ($14 retail)
• Julep Emma ($14 retail)
• Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub ($11 retail)
• Julep Alyson ($14 retail)
• Julep Hayden ($14 retail)
• Julep Crystal Nail File ($6 retail)

Total retail value of $73 and I paid $19.99

I was really happy with this box. I received beautiful colors and I have been wanting to try the Glycolic Hand Scrub since I first heard about Julep. I do really enjoy the Glycolic Hand Scrub. It has a pleasant citrus scent and left my hands feeling super soft. I doubt I would ever pay the full price of $32 for 3oz but I will be happy if I receive it in another box.

This is Julep Emma. I have one coat on my pinky and ring finger, 2 coats on my middle finger and 3 coats on my index finger. Emma is described as a “seashell pink shimmer”. It’s super shimmery and looks so much better in person. I really like this one.

This is two coats of Julep Alyson. Julep describes Alyson as an “almond creme”.

I added 1 coat of Emma over my middle finger so you could see how Emma looks layered.

Hayden is described as a neon peach. Since it is neon it does dry to a matte finish. I added topcoat to my middle and index finger and left my pinky and ring finger without so you could see how it looks both ways.

I added Emma over my ring finger.

Julep Marisa is a beautiful navy with a teal shimmer.

With Emma over my ring finger.

Did you get a Cinco de Mayo mystery box? I would love to hear what was in your’s if you did.

If you’d like to sign up for Julep Maven you can use my referral link by clicking HERE (for every 2 people that use my link I get a free box). Or if you don’t want to use my referral link you can just click HERE.

Julep Spring Mystery Box April 15, 2012

I received my Julep Spring mystery box yesterday. If you are unfamiliar with the Julep mystery boxes, you pay $19.99 and you get a box full of products worth $60-200. You don’t have to be a Julep Maven to purchase a mystery box but if you are a Maven you get free shipping. With the Spring boxes Julep shipped various products and some boxes included gift certificates. I think I got the most common box. I was of course disappointed that I didn’t get on of the bigger boxes with more products and a gift certificate but the products I got retail for $74+ so I definitely got a good deal.

• Julep Basecoat ($14) The foundation to a long-lasting manicure. Protects nails from yellowing and staining caused by dark nail color. Professional quality “4-free” nail polish formulation, developed without carcinogens such as formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP.
• Julep Sienna ($14)
• Julep Anne ($14)
• Julep Melissa ($14)
• Julep Essential Cuticle Oil ($18) All natural blend of essential oils and Vitamin E hydrates and strengthens nails and cuticles. Extends the life of your manicure while leaving a glossy sheen. Use daily to soften rough cuticles and strengthen nails. The convenient roller-ball application allows you to take your Julep Essential Cuticle Oil everywhere you go.
• Nail File
• Chocolates

Julep Sienna – 2 coats, no topcoat:

Julep describes Sienna as a “sophisticated, shimmery gold” and that is precisely what it is. It’s really quite stunning, it’s sort of a silvery gold rather than a yellow gold so I think it will flatter all skin tones.

Julep Anne – 2 coats, no topcoat:

Julep describes Anne as an “ultra-saturated violet”. My camera didn’t capture this color accurately. It is a pretty bright violet. It’s showing much bluer in the picture than it is, it is definitely more purple than it looks here. It dries matte and uneven but a topcoat smooths it all out. You can see in the picture below how it looks with the topcoat.

Julep Melissa – I’ve already swatched this one HERE since I received it in my March It Girl box.

I’m really excited about the basecoat. I have tons of basecoats but just from swatching these two polishes the basecoat seemed really nice. I look forward to getting the Julep topcoat in the future so I can have a complete Julep manicure. My BF claimed the cuticle oil for himself when he saw the roller ball. I used it a couple times and I still prefer my Lush Lemony Flutter. I prefer the creamy texture to the oil.

Did you get a Spring mystery box?

Julep Maven – April It Girl April 3, 2012

I’m really loving my It Girl box this month. Take a look at what I received this month.

• Julep’s Exclusive Make-up Bag
• Niecy Julep Nail Vernis
• Penelope Julep Nail Vernis
• Jessica Julep Nail Vernis
• Toe Separators
• Milk Chocolate eggs

Penelope (2 coats, no topcoat):

Described by Julep as an “almost white creme with a hint of blush”. I don’t agree that it is almost white, it is definitely pink but it is the perfect pale pink! I have lots of pale pinks but this one is definitely my new favorite. The formula was fantastic, not streaky at all, very smooth.

Jessica (1 coat, no topcoat):

This is showing up much brighter in the picture, it is a very pale blue. Described by Julep as a “soft and sweet baby blue creme”. Again, the formula was amazing! More than amazing! It’s a one coater! I’ve never seen a pale blue that has coverage like this.

Niecy (2 coats, no topcoat):

Described by Julep as “a bright pink creme for sunny days”. It’s a vibrant pink, pretty standard but perfect for summer. Almost a one coater but not quite. Again I am amazed at the formula. These apply so smooth and even.

Julep’s Exclusive Make-up Bag (retails for $18):

I received an email prior to receiving the box stating that since this was my first box (not including my penny box I guess) they would be sending me this make-up bag. I like to keep my purse organized by using makeup bags for various things so this really sold me on getting this months box. It’s a really nice bag with pockets inside that fit Julep nail polish or they could hold lip gloss or mascara.

It’s quilted with the Julep logo.

The zipper pull is the Julep logo.

Overall I am really happy with this month’s box. Creme is my favorite finish so I was happy with all the polishes being creme’s. The formula on all three polishes really wow’d me. I do still feel like they are overpriced for the small amount that you get in the tiny bottles but they are starting to convince me otherwise. I absolutely adore my new make-up bag (although I doubt it will be used for make-up).

Julep nail polish is “4 free” meaning it does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Julep donates a portion of the proceeds of every sale to organizations that support women.

Julep polish retails for $14 each. Become a Julep Maven and receive a box of hand picked items each month for $20. You can get your first month for $0.01 by using code PENNY click HERE.

My First Julep Maven Box With Swatches March 21, 2012

The Julep Maven March 2012 It Girl Box

Charlotte (1 coat, no top coat):

Described by Julep.com as: “Demure lavender creme. Sophisticated with a twist.” I was very impressed with the opacity of Charlotte, one coat was all it took for this one. It was super shiny, the shiniest of the bunch. Very pretty color but nothing exciting.

Jodie (2 coats, no top coat):

Described by Julep.com as: “Deep rose with a golden shimmer.” And that’s exactly what it is! This is not a color that I would normally be drawn to or ever pick out for myself so I was surprised that I actually liked it.

Melissa (2 coats, no top coat):

Described by Julep.com as: “Sheer opalescent shimmer adds a soft glow when used alone and a high-fashion holographic effect when used over another color.”

1 coat of Melissa over 1 coat of Charlotte:

I really like the effect of Melissa over Charlotte!

1 coat of Melissa over 2 coats of Jodie:

I wasn’t as crazy about Melissa over Jodie.

I am still a little undecided on whether I want to continue with the Julep Maven program. I subscribed this month because I got the box for a penny with the code MARCHINTRO (might still be valid?). I did like the formulas and the quality seems good. I’m not crazy about the bottles, since they are tall and skinny I was worried they were going to tip over while I was using them. I also prefer a round handle, I feel like it fits in my hand better than these square ones. The brush itself was OK, I prefer the wide OPI brushes over other brands. I do not think these polishes are worth the $14 that they retail for. They are only 0.27 fl OZ, most polishes are 0.5 fl OZ. But with the Julep Maven box you get 3 polishes plus bonus items for $20 so they are under $7 a piece.

Decisions decisions! Can anyone give me some advice? Have you subscribed to Julep Maven and cancelled? Are you currently subscribed and happy? Thinking about cancelling? Considering subscribing? Help!

Down on the Farm! March 19, 2012

Just realized I was featured in a Beautylish article a couple weeks ago! Look HERE to see my piggies!!

If you haven’t heard of Beautylish, it’s a great community for reviewing products, getting and giving advice on skin care, hair, etc., and all things beauty! They also write some pretty great articles that keep you on top of the latest trends in beauty. Beautylish is a wealth of information and inspiration so check it out!

I’m so excited that Beautylish chose one of my designs to feature in their article! And how cute are those other designs?!?! Those sheep…gah!!

Also over the weekend, I received my Love VoxBox from Influenster so I have started testing those products out and am excited to share them with you. More information on Influenster to come for those that aren’t familiar with the website.

I also got my first Julep Maven box. For only a penny I got all this:

I believe the code MARCHINTRO is still valid so you can get your first box for only $0.01 too!

I will be doing a full post and swatches of my first Julep Maven polishes soon so stay tuned for that!

And the final bit of news I bring from the weekend:

I was so excited to find this collection! My BF got me the other Back to Boho Collection months ago and I have been keeping an eye out for this one ever since. I will also be doing a full post with swatches on this baby!

Happy Monday everyone!

St. Paddy’s Day Nail Art Inspired By My Awesome Beauty March 14, 2012

I have another St. Paddy’s Day design for you today. Sophie of My Awesome Beauty does some amazing nail art and yesterday she posted THIS tutorial. I used her tutorial and switched up the colors and added shamrocks instead of dots to make the design St. Paddy’s friendly!

I’m about to place my Buy 3 Get 3 Free Zoya order and thanks to those of you that voted in my poll these are the ones that I am ordering (in order of which got the most votes, some are tied):

Pandora

Sookie

Maisie

Gwin

Purity

Tallulah (Charla beat Tallulah by one vote but I decided I like Tallulah better!)

*all Zoya bottle photos are from www.zoya.com

Today is the last day to place your order with code SPRING3

Yesterday I finally signed up for the Julep Maven program. They are running another $0.01 promo code so I figured I needed in on that deal, can’t beat 3 polishes for a penny. I passed up all the other deals and then started kicking myself in the butt so I didn’t want to miss this one. I was apprehensive of this program at first because I had never heard of the brand Julep before so I didn’t want to spend $20 a month on polishes and manicure supplies that I didn’t get to pick out and that I wasn’t familiar with (quality wise). I’ve heard rave reviews about the polishes since the program first came out. I’m not sure if I will continue it at $20/month because I really don’t like not being able to pick out my own polishes but we will see. So I signed up yesterday and it already shipped today, I like that!

Here’s a little about the program:

You take a style quiz and that categorizes you into what type of box you will be getting. The categories are:

• American Beauty
• Boho Glam
• Bombshell Box
• Classic With A Twist
• It Girl (this is the one I got)

You get to see a sneak peek of what is going to be in your box and if you don’t like it you can request alternate products. I’m not sure if you get a sneak peek at the alternate products. If you don’t want to receive the box that month you can skip the month at no charge. You can also have your box sent to a friend for a month instead of yourself if you’d like.

You can buy a 1, 3, 6 or 12 month subscription.

Here are some of the bonuses of being a Julep Maven:

• Each box contains over $40 worth of product.
• 20% off all julep.com purchases (the polish retails for $14/each)
• Free shipping on all purchases
• Each box also contains a surprise product

Want to become a Julep Maven too? Click HERE to take the style quiz and enter code MARCHINTRO at checkout.

And here is what I will be getting in my intro box for just 1 cent!

I’m excited to finally try these polishes and see what this monthly program is all about and for just a penny! Woohoo!