Julep Maven Subscription - August 2012 Box

<<< Click the link to the left and enter "COLOR2012" in the coupon box to try Julep for just a PENNY!

It's here! 

My August 2012 Julep Maven Subscription Box! 

(Above, you see all my Julep Polishes to date in order of latest received from left to right!)

GASP! Look! It's a bigger box than normal!!

It's Julep's birthday!! (I swear Julep, I didn't know! Otherwise I would have gotten you a gift!)

Inside the box, Julep thanks its' customers for helping them make their first year a success and to enjoy the special tote! <GASP!> I love a tote!

At first glance!

So adorable! Thanks Julep!

Now on to my subscription items:

This month's "Classic With A Twist" box included the following items:

1. Julep Acetone Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover

2. Hands free pump for nail polish remover

3. Julep polish in the color Felicity

4. Julep polish in the color Alfre

I was able to use the polish remover immediately as I had some ugly chipped polish in serious need to be removed. I thought it felt a little drying at first, but the feel you get afterward is definitely one of softness. The remover works really well and doesn't have a horribly strong scent like so many polish removers. The hands-free pump is AMAZING! I have never had a pump for my remover before and I feel so spoiled now, even wondering how I got on without one before!

On the left is Felicity and on the right is Alfre.

Like the other Julep polishes, these are of excellent quality. These to shades are very opaque and would look great with even just one coat of polish. Felicity is a beautiful shimmering gold color with a very yellow undertone. The word that first came to mind when I put it on was "sun-kissed". Alfre is a very complex color and much more beautiful in person than it is in the picture. In the bottle, it looks like any other silver metal but when you apply the polish, it has a beautiful purple (almost plum colored) undertone. 

The theme of this month's box was "Metallics & Chromes". I definitely think Julep was able to match that description with these particular colors! 

On another note, this month's inspirational card reads as follows:

"What can you celebrate?

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." - Oprah Winfrey"

Nail Look of the Day

This weekend's nail look I am calling "Forgiving French".

Those of you that know how shaky I can be may understand that title! HAHA!

The white part of the manicure, on the tips of the nail, was achieved by using Kate by Julep. The white really only needs 1 coat of polish, however I am very rough on my hands so I used 2 coats. Then I tried to clean up my lines as best I could by using Julep's polish remover from the August box and an old eye shadow brush. After Kate dried, I applied 2 coats of  Audrey by Julep. Because I do not own a Julep top coat yet, I finished the look by applying 1 coat of #120 Diamonds by Sally Hansen Diamond Strength. 

Have a blessed day!

-Yours - Jessica-

Recent Julep Add On Purchase

I got my add on purchase from Julep the other day and wanted to share those 2 colors I added on to my monthly subscription. I purchased Kate and O Canada in addition to my June Julep Maven box.

                   

Kate is a beautiful creamy white color that has just a very slight gloss to it. Sometimes it's nice to have something that isn't matte but isn't insanely glossy either! O Canada looks similar to America in the bottle, except it does not have any blue. When applying O Canada to your nails, the polish has much less large pieces of glitter than America does so it would look very nice over another polish. I also found the glitter pieces a little more difficult to move around with this one, but I did ultimately still enjoy the finished look.

 These pictures show one coat of each of the polishes, O Canada on the left and Kate on the right.

So, I decided to go ahead and do a full manicure with both polishes and was very pleased with a outcome. For this look, I used 2 coats of Kate, 1 coat of O Canada and 1 coat of  Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Color in #120 Diamonds (simply because I couldn't find my plain clear polish).

Here is my belated "Canada Day" nail look, for my hubby! :-)

*A note about the Julep glitter polishes: When I used the America polish I did not apply a clear coat of polish over top and what I found was that some of the glitter pieces are so large that they can snag on things and peel your polish off. Applying the clear coat over O Canada has prevented this from happening and I have not had any issues with snagging! I can't wait to do it right with America next time!*

-Yours - Jessica-

Julep Maven Subscription - June 2012 Box

Each month I continue to be impressed by the customer service, quality of products and the perfect packaging offered by Julep! As a recap, Julep Maven is a monthly subscription service that focuses on nail color and care. You can get a month for a penny by checking out the link to the left or staying til the bottom of this post!

This month, again, I chose to stay with the "Classic With A Twist" box. The card included reads, "It's your time to sparkle. Classic with a twist. This month is all about matching lips and nails. The trend is back and hotter than July! We've done the work for you with our eye catching colors so you can step out with confidence and get your glitter on."

I love the little quotes and treats they include with each package! "We need less posturing and more genuine charisma. It's about a sparkle in people that money can't buy." - Marianne Williamson ... Also 3 yummy fire balls! What a cut throw back these candies have been! Last month pixie sticks, this month fire balls! (How sad some of us can remember when they were just a penny! lol!)

Here are the 3 colors I received with the box. On the left is Audrey, middle is Freida and right is America. Audrey and Freida are part of the subscription and America was included free. Since my husband is from Canada, I also purchased separately "O Canada" which should be arriving any day now and also "Kate". Here are my first swatches of the products, just 1 coat each.

Polishes are shown in the same order as the bottles above. Audrey is a beautiful cream color with a pink hue and some gorgeous shimmer when the polish hits the light. The pictures of Freida online, in my opinion, didn't do it justice. It's almost like a light magenta, more on the pink side than purple, also with that beautiful shimmer when it hits the light! The America is in a class of it's own! I am SO impressed with this polish. I have typically steered away from glitter polish because it never looks on my fingers how it looks in the bottle and I always end up very disappointed. Also, with other glitter polishes, usually they require about 10 coats for me to get the same glitter look you are seeing above. In the picture that is ONE coat. What's even more fabulous about America is that it is still quick trying, however it's not so quick that it is unforgiving. The polish remains tacky for a couple minutes to be able to move the glitter around as you so choose. BEAUTIFUL polish this month, Julep!

This next product is a full size Lip Gloss in the color Camellia that matches the Audrey polish to a tee. I was a little skeptical about this gloss because of the fact that Julep is primarily nail products, however I was pleasantly surprised with the color, texture and packaging of this product. 

It has a very light, sugary scent, but no taste that I can tell. I am very impressed with this gloss and I plan to purchase the one that matches my Freida polish as well!

Total value of everything I got in this box is $60.00 (That is not including shipping). My box, as usual, was $19.99 and that included shipping! Total savings this box was over $40.01 or 66%!

As stated before, I also purchased "O Canada" and "Kate" polishes at a discount to go with my box. Value of those polishes are $28.00 plus shipping and as a Julep Maven, I got them for $9.98 including shipping. 

Total out of pocket cost for my products and shipping was $29.97. Total retail value, not including shipping was $88.00. Total savings: over $58.03 or 65%!

Become a Julep Maven by clicking this link!

HTTP://JULEP.COM/?R=20360627

Use Code: COLOR2012 to get your first box for just a penny!

- Yours - Jessica - 

Julep Maven Subscription - May 2012 Box

Happy Friday everyone! I'm starting this blog with a review of my May Box from my Julep Maven Subscription. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this service so please check out the link to the left if you are interested and you can get your first month for just a penny! What comes in a Julep Maven box?? Keep reading!

Ok, so first of all I want to talk about the actual service. Julep is based out of Washington with one of their salons in beautiful Gig Harbor, where I used to work at Artbeads.com back in the day! Last month I had to call to update my credit card information and was greeted with a pleasant voice message where I was asked to leave my information for someone to call me back. Having had mediocre experiences with companies in the past, I honestly expected to be called back the next day. Boy, I was I pleasantly surprised when I was called back within 5 minutes.... by a PERSON ... who spoke ENGLISH!!! HAHA! HOLY COW! That never happens anymore! The lady who took my call was so kind and when I told her I used to work in Gig Harbor she personally invited me to come to one of the salons the next time I'm in the area and told me all about how Julep Mavens get a discount! AWESOME!

Their next A+ in my book goes to their shipping department. Each package arrives lightening fast AND with tracking information! I really do not like when you pay for something and you don't know where it is until you have it in your hands. So.... A+++ to the Julep Shipping & Customer Service Departments!

Now let's talk about packaging... SUPER CUTE! Each month, you subscription arrives in a very sophisticated looking black box with Julep Maven in white writing. When you open it, everything is packaged perfectly! Each box has arrived with a cute crinkle paper of some kind to act as padding and then each product in the box is carefully placed and wrapped in either a sturdy box or a cute bag or tissue paper and some ribbon. They even wrap any of the glass nail polish bottles in bubble wrap for extra protection!

Julep also includes a card to describe what you are getting in your box and I always seem to find some "extras" thrown in which is always wonderful in my book! Wait... did I say "thrown" ?? Most companies I've purchased from, when they include something extra, it always seems to be just an extra product they've had left over or something, a product that has nothing to do with anything else in the box, and it's just "thrown" in there. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate ANYTHING that is free. However, it just seems like such a nice touch to include a surprise extra that coordinates with something else in the box!

One of this month's cute "extras" was this Julep Daylight Defense lip balm with SPF 15. This product coordinates so well with the lotion that was included with my subscription this month. It is labeled as "Vanilla Mint" and it definitely is that! The lip balm itself is very soft and creamy and not oily at all. The vanilla mint scent is fantastic and the mint leaves a cool sensation around your mouth without being overpowering at all. The ingredients are natural and make me feel good about applying this product daily.

My next cute little summer surprise... 2 pixie sticks!! LOL! I haven't had one of these since I was little and so the memories just came flooding back! Thank you Julep for the flashback moment! :) So adorable!

This next little card was tied with a ribbon to the outside of the package. I LOVE Katharine Hepburn so I thought this was an adorable little inclusion with this package. It really seemed to fit with the box. As you will see the nail polish colors are bold but the other products encourage you to be responsible in having all your summer fun!

Now, on to the actual subscription products for the month! (Can you believe all that other stuff were just freebees??!) One thing you need to know about being a Julep Maven is that it is very much customized to you. When you sign up for the subscription, you take a little style quiz and it places you into a category: American Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell, Classic with a Twist, & It Girl. (But you can always pick which ever box you want in the end! Will explain that later.) My Julep Maven style is Classic with a Twist. So far I've just gone with their suggestion and have not changed to any other style boxes. So, the first product you see here is the Julep SPF 30 Daylight Defense for Hands & Face. The box reads, "The one-step solution for beautiful hands, nails and skin. Vitamin E hydrates skin and strengthens nails, while built-in SPF helps guard against fine lines and sun spots. - No parabens or sulfates - PABA-free - Ideal for everyday use"

My thoughts: This product feels so good on the skin! I have only used it on my hands so far and not my face, but I love what I'm feeling so far. The product to me has an extremely light citrus-y scent and is not oily, or greasy feeling; it just feels very soft. It really is a pleasure to wear! I plan on trying this out underneath my tinted moisturizer at some point on my face. 

Also with my subscription this month came 2 Julep Nail Polishes. LOVING these cotton-candy-like colors this month!! On the left is the pink polish called "Lauren". I would lean to say this is almost a hot-pink. One the left is the blue polish called "Claire". This is a beautiful true sky-blue color. 

These polishes were close to a recent nail tutorial I saw about water marble nail polish so it inspired me to give it a try! It's not perfect, but I love how the colors came out and when they blend, it gives a beautiful purple hue.

So there's my take on the water marbling with those 2 colors. Not too shabby for my first time, I don't think! 

Here are some FAQ about Julep Maven Subscription:

1. How much is the subscription? You can get your first month for just $.01! Seriously, that includes your products and shipping! After that, each box you choose to keep is $19.99 including shipping. 

2. What if I don't want a box during a particular month? Julep is AWESOME about this! Each month you will get an e-mail saying that your box is ready to view. You then have a few days to choose one of the following options.

a. Keep the box as is and do nothing. Your card will then be charged when the box ships.

b. Choose one of the other collections.

c. Gift the box to a friend (This is a great idea for a last minute birthday gift!) The box of your choice will be sent to the person you choose and your card will be charged when it ships to them.

d. Skip a month. (There are no penalty fees or anything of that kind when you choose to skip a month)

3. How can I become a Julep Maven NOW!? Just click the link to the left! If it doesn't show your box as a penny, just ask me for the latest coupon code!

--So that's it guys! I hope you enjoyed my review on this box and please let me know if you have any questions! I would love to know what you got in your Julep boxes this month!--

Yours... -- Jessica --