Julep: July 2014, The Poolside Collection

 I would like to preface this entry, but saying, I'm very annoyed at Julep this month, which as most of you know, is quite unusual for me.

I'm not that angry about the box coming 8 or so days then usual... Perhaps a little confused? I know people, who got their boxes, when they normally got their boxes, so why did they get their box on time, and mine took about two weeks to deliver? 

Maybe it's because I added extras? I'm not really sure. They did change their shipping service this month, so maybe that's why it took longer to get to me? 

Normally, I wouldn't be so concerned with how long something took to get to me, but I've had Julep for over a year, and ALWAYS got my shit by the first of the month, sometimes even earlier. So I'm just wondering? I mean if they can't ship nailpolish by air, how did I get mine before? Is this a new law?

I do feel bad for the people who ordered the 4th of July nail collections that were extra this month. They probably didn't get those by the 4th, and maybe some of them were really looking forward to wearing America to celebrate the holiday.

Well whatever. 

We'll get to why I'm upset later.

Julep is a nailpolish/makeup subscription box. They've changed their subscription policy over the past few months, so for new members, there are now two options:

My Maven, which is about $19.99 with a three month subscription, and $25.00 per month without a subscription, and it allows you to fully customize what you receive in your box... So instead of just changing profiles, and getting like the IT Girl box instead of the Classic with a Twist box, you could customize a box and remove things in and out from all the different selections this month.

I'm truly tempted to change my subscription to that. I've been very "meh" about a lot of the beauty products shipped with my usual classic with a twist box, and then I'll like colors from IT Girl and another profile, but will have to settle for one over the other because I'm still grandfathered into the old subscription service. So, I do think, I'm beginning to truly embrace the concept of a fully customizable Julep box. That way I can swap out colors I don't like or beauty products I am not interested in for colors I will enjoy wearing.

The other subscription service is Maven Luxe, which is $40.00 a month, and is also a fully customizable box with more products, so you get more bang for your buck. I personally wouldn't be comfortable spending $40.00 on a Maven Luxe box. 

 This is what was inside of my big white box.

This is why I am annoyed. I added on three "Mystery Polishes" for my add-ons. I know you have a chance for repeat colors if you add random colors... BUT SERIOUSLY JULEP YOU SENT ME THREE OF THE SAME FUCKING COLORS!!! I mean are they idiots? Did they NOT realize that they were shoving three of the same colors in my fucking box? I AM SO PISSED OFF. I WASTED FUCKING MONEY FOR THREE OF THE SAME FUCKING COLORS, and to top it off, THEY'RE THREE COLORS I OWNED ALREADY!

The patriotic tootsie rolls don't even come CLOSE to making this better for me!

See, three of the exact same colors.

I AM ENRAGED!

It's not even worth contacting them because they'll just give me some bullshit about how they've already said that mystery colors and boxes and such can be product repeats.

I'll probably give one to Audrey, the daughter, of a friend, who loves her "Jamie" manicures. As for the other two... who knows.

However, because I filled up all my add-ons, I got two free polishes with my order. So from L to R: Farrah and Alexandra.

So that sort of makes up for my three fucking Cynthia polishes because I don't have any of those two colors, but I am still angry.

Farrah is a beautiful color. Only I wish it had a different name because it totally reminds me of Farrah from Teen Mom turned Porn Star and Erotic Author.

But it's a Silk Finish color, not that the different finishes really matter to me. It's a very light lavender with a silver sheen in it, and I like it very much.

Alexandra is a whitish fleshy type color? It's not a bad color. It's just not something I would have chosen for myself, but it's a nice nude color and will probably look good under some glitter finishes.

This months theme was the Poolside Collection, it had some pretty nice colors. I liked June's colors  a lot better, and hope the purchase some of those in the semi near future, but July's colors were also nice. There were at least two or three other colors I wanted aside from the ones I got.

Here's the box within a box.

I went with "It Girl" this month because it was the ONLY box that didn't come with the body milk, and I had seriously no desire to get the body milk which was the big beauty product this month.
 

Was IT GIRL my favorite? Oh hell no, I really liked some of the other colors in the other boxes better, but it was the only one that didn't come with the beauty product, and that's the ONLY reason I chose it.

SEE THIS IS WHY I WANT TO SWITCH TO MY MAVEN.

from l to r: Linden, Braiden, & Dawn. OH AND MORE TOOTSIE ROLLS!

Linden is my favorite color out of the colors I got this month. It's a bright summery blue and it reminds me of the color of pool water at a swimming pool... Though technically the water only looks a certain color based on what color the bottom of the pool is painted combined with the reflection of the sky... BUT ANYWAYS, IT LOOKS LIKE POOL WATER, I LOVE SWIMMING, AND I LIKE THIS COLOR. 

Braiden is a stardust finish silver glitter. It's a silver glitter. I mean I like silver glitter. My twitter name is @silverglitter, and it's really sparkly and shiny, but I've also gotten other silver glitter polishes from Julep that are very similar to Braiden. So, it's nothing unique or special, in my opinion.

I don't like Dawn. It reminds me of yellow mustard, and I hate mustard. I'm also not a fan of yellow nailpolishes, at all, unless they're bright neon yellow, so meh to Dawn. It's just too yellow. 

So there we have July's box. I wasn't very thrilled with it. I'm angry about the three repeat colors I got as my add-on. I didn't like Dawn. And Braiden was just meh.

However, I do very much like Linden and Farrah, and I can find uses for Alexandra, so this month wasn't a loss, overall, but not an OH MY GOD AWESOME month either.

Ummm. You can't win them all? 

Julep: June 2014, The Three Wishes collection.

School's out for the summer, which means, I spend at least two hours of my day, sitting here, and reading books on my kindle. The latest summer read is The City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare... The entire Mortal Instruments series is one of those book series that's so badly written, but quite enjoyable to read, especially at the pool. Though, I do admit, The Infernal Devices series, which is sort of the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series is an enjoyable read. 

After my tryst at the pool with my kindle, I went and checked the mail, to find I had to pick this up from the office:

I wasn't quite sure what it was. I ordered one of the Memorial Day Mystery Boxes from the sale over the holiday weekend, so I thought it might be that.

I opened the box and under layers of brown paper was this:

My monthly Maven box from Julep alongside with some random extras I added. I didn't pay a cent for the box, I just used some Jules I stored up since I have nothing better to do with them since they can't apply towards mystery boxes.

Julep is mainly a nailpolish subscription box service. I've been a member since last March or April, so I'm grandfathered into their old subscription service, which is I pay $19.99 for a monthly box of products based on the profile I choose for that month.

They've recently vamped their service for NEW members. There are two options now: 

My Maven, which is $24.99/$19.99 [with a three month subscription] and you can customize a box for $40+ of products.

My Maven Luxe, which is $39.99/$34.99 [with a three month subscription] and you can customize a box of $60+ of products.

I don't know anything about their new services, but I do like the idea of complete customization, and have thought of converting over, but haven't since I still like the box I get every month.

I have a special relationship with Julep, they were my FIRST ever subscription box.  I'm very attached to them.

A closer look at what was inside my box.

I did add on three products this month. So, let's start with those. 

Julep also had a promotion, if you added on three products, they would send a fourth product, for free.

Mae, was my free product. It's from the bombshell collection. It's sort of purple gray periwinkle color with a satin finish. It sort of reminds me of the color of the sky during a stormy summer afternoon in Texas. 

from l to r: Hope and Cameron

Cameron, Boho Glam, is a repeat for me. I got it in my February box. It's a silver purple glitter color with a stardust finish. I've worn it. My prek girls loved it. 

One problem I find with duos that I add on is that they nickname the duos... Something like: Winter Lights, and I don't actually look at the colors that are in that duo, I just think it looks cool and order it.

But...

I don't really mind repeats. I either give them to friends, or the daughters of friends.

Hope is IT Girl, and a satin finish white color. I don't really wear white nailpolish, that much, but I think in winter, with a shade of silver or gold glitter, it would look quite festive.

from l t r: Sienna and Tracy

These are actually both repeats for me. But again, it's my own fault for not actually looking at details of sets before I place orders.

Sienna, Classic with a Twist, is the color of silver mirror glass with a gold tone. It's a pretty color.

Tracy, IT Girl, is blue silver sparkle.

from l to r: Veronica and Marjorie.

These were both new colors for me.

Veronica, classic with a twist, is a darkish rose pink color.

Marjorie, IT Girl, is dark orange.

They both remind me of the colors of a pretty sunset.

Onto my Maven box.

This month was the Three Wishes collection, and I really wanted to upgrade to the entire collection of nailpolish, but my FMLA ass couldn't afford it. I'm hoping some of these colors will go into future secret stores, and I can get them then. 

The add on this month was Pixy Stix, which are one of my favorite childhood candy, so I was quite pleased with this. I just wish I had gotten a blue one, instead of two purple because the blue flavor is my favorite.

I went with IT GIRL this month because I really liked the colors moreso than my usual profile which is "classic with a twist." I also had no reason to want the Base Coat or Top Coat that came with my usual.

from l t r: Phia, Jennine, and Savoy.

Phia is my favorite. I don't even know how to describe it. It's a light purple silver orchid glitter color. I can't wait to wear it.

Jennine is also gorgeous. It's a turquoise Stardust finish polish with light green and dark blue glitter in it. I also can't wait to wear this one.

Savoy is a silver gold chrome color. 

Overall, I am very pleased with this month's box.

Granted, I got a lot of repeat colors, but that was mostly my own fault.

So anyways, I love nailpolish, and their polish is very high quality and very good lasting ability, and this comes from a completely hands-on prek teacher.

So if you're so inclined, check Julep out.