Julep: Memorial Day Mystery Boxes

In honor of Memorial Day, Julep released a slew of mystery boxes. There were ten of them, and they each ranged in price and ranged in theme. The most expensive was around $45.00 and contained nailpolish and a clutch, the cheaper ones were around $10.00

Me, being a cheapskate, went with a fifteen dollar themed glitter box with one add on.

Here it is, in all its' glory.

One thing that appeals to me about Julep is that I LOVE MYSELF A MYSTERY BOX. They tend to have one every 1-2 months, and they all have different themes, some are just because, others may be based on a holiday like The Shamrock Mystery Box back in March.

Granted, with a Mystery Box, you're totally probably going to get repeats of colors that you already have in your ever-growing Julep collection, but as I've mentioned before, I don't really mind the repeats. I donate them to friends or the daughters of friends for them to enjoy. 

 

For example, I gave a bunch of doubles to my friend Andrea, and her daughter Audrey, and before a T-ball game, Andrea sent me a picture of Audrey with her nails all painted a different color with the caption "a Jamie manicure", so I know the extras go to good use :)

Recently though, Julep has offered different Mystery Boxes with the promise that there will be no repeats amongst all the different box offerings. Granted, that doesn't mean boxes are repeat free, but it means you can order two different boxes without the worry that you'll have the same exact colors in each. So, that's something.

Moving On:

My ONLY add-on was Blakely, bombshell polish. I had seen this color on numerous beauty blogs, and thought it was gorgeous. Blakely was from the July 2013 Maven Bombshell box. Prior to... let's say... Decemberish, of this year, I never bothered to log into my Julep account to choose whatever box I wanted for the month and just got whatever was with my profile [which was usually too boring for me once I actually saw it], or else I probably would've gotten this when it was offered.

Blakely is a purple turquoise molten color.

This is my best attempt at showing the purple/turquoise molten color because words escape me to describe it. [On my nails is Flora from the April box]

It's is a gorgeous color. I am so happy to have this color in my possession. It's going to be a tough call between this and Phia for my next manicure [and I also really want Sera eventually].

Anyhow, moving onto the box itself.

This is the inside of my tiny mystery box that I paid ten dollars for. It was a really cute box, and would've been great to regift something to someone, but Justin and I scarcely have room for extra things in our already OVERRUN by three cats apartment.

I have no fucking idea what the extra for this box is... Toothpicks? Bun holders? Cuticle Stabbers? Either way... NOT INTERESTED.

from l to r: Kamala, Missy, Roz.

Kamala, classic with a twist, is a color I actually don't think I have, which makes me happy. It's sort of sand colored with silver glitter? It sort of reminds me of being on the Jersey shore, at night, seeing the moon shine on the sand, before wandering off to the Wildwood boardwalk to ride the Nor Eastern. 

Sigh, I miss living in Jersey, sometimes.

Missy, IT Girl, is a color I know I have. I've even worn it before. I think it might be my third or fourth copy of that color. It's bright silver, like the color of a mirror. It goes on thick, and one coat usually works pretty well for it.

Roz, IT Girl, is a cranberry glitter polish. It seems more magenta to me than red, but it's a pretty color, and I don't recall it being a repeat for me. I even checked all my previous posts labeled "Julep" and it's not a color I own. I think it'll be a great fall color.

So I didn't own 2/3 polishes in my myystery box, so not too bad.

Anyone want their own Missy polish?

So... Going by Maven Prices, which puts every polish at a value of $11.00... I paid about fifteen dollars for this box, so the total value NOT including those useless cuticle sticks is, $33.00, so I got double in value, what I initially paid.

Personally, I like Julep's Mystery Boxes, but they're not everyone's cup of tea, and I respect that :) Eager to see what the next one will be.

Julep: May 2014

I actually had a dream about nailpolish, last night. 

I was in a hotel room, with my co-worker, and I don't remember what we were doing, but I was painting my nails with this candy scented nail-polish... WHICH BY THE WAY WOULD BE AN AMAZING IDEA... And I was using the JULEP PLIÉ WAND™ to paint my nails. Except I kept on getting annoyed because the nailpolish I was using wouldn't stay on my nails. It wouldn't dry. Like the second I finished painting a nail and went onto another nail [because I was totally painting them rainbow colors] the color would vanish from the nail I had just painted. My brain is strange.

Anyways Julep is primarily a nail-polish subscription service. They make other makeup and products, as well, and a lot of their makeup is decent, but they're mainly known for their nailpolish.

They've recently changed around their subscription service. I've been a member since March or April 2013, so I'm grandfathered into their old subscription, which was pay $20.00, you get two nailpolish colors [or three if you're an IT girl] and a beauty product. 

Now there's My Maven, which is $24.99 per month or $19.99 with a paid three-month pre-paid subscription and you can completely customize everything in your box, and you get $40.00 worth of product.

Then there's Maven Luxe, which is $39.99 per month or $34.99 with a three-month pre-paid subscription. It is also completely customizable, and comes with $60.00 worth of product. 

In Julep,you can skip a box with no penalties every six months, if you're a new member.. If you've already been a member, there is no change to your skip options. 

I'm just sticking to what I have, for now. My Maven sounds interesting, but I don't know if I'll make the change, I sort of like how it is. 

I was actually surprised with how big the box was this month. I didn't upgrade and get any add-ons, so I was confused. Usually the monthly boxes are so small that they fit into my apartment mailbox. My fiance had to pick this up from the office.

Ajani would not let me have a good first look at the box, we fought for control of it.

Julep is the second subscription, alongside Ipsy that I chose to keep, when I was ending subscriptions due to money issues with me being on FMLA. Julep was literally THE FIRST subscription box I ever subscribed to, and I love nail polish, so it was a definite keeper.

This is the Julep Plié Wand that was the BIG PRODUCT for all mavens this month. They started a kick-starter campaign for it back in like November to raise money to produce it. 

This is what Julep says about it:

What it is:

An ergonomic nail polishing tool designed to solve common polishing pain points and give you better results. Imagine if you’d spent your whole life writing with a pen cap and then someone finally handed you a full-size pen. That’s what it feels like to polish with the Plié Wand.

What it does:

Long, balanced design improves leverage, comfort, and control

Flexible handle twists and bends so you can get a better grip

Plié overcap fits on any Julep nail polish and attaches to Plié Wand

Precision brush lets you polish closer to your nail

I haven't tried it. I guess I don't care enough about my nails to try it. I mean I like painting my nails and nail polish, but it's not really a work of art to me like it is to some people, especially when I'm a pre-k teacher, and constantly working hands-on with kids, and I'm lucky if my manicure lasts a day as it is.

I'm also lazy, and don't want to clean the nailpolish brush after I finish using it, which also turns me off from using the  Plié Wand.

I'm not saying I'll never try it, I just haven't yet. Maybe, when the right occasion pops up, and I need super pretty nails, I try it, but I don't know when that will be. However, I do think it is a cool product.

from l to r: Maddy & Ramona

I went with my usual classic with a twist profile this month. I didn't upgrade and none of the other colors really appealed to me, and the big May product was the Plié Wand, so perhaps that's why the May color profiles didn't appeal to me.

Maddy is a bright pink color with a sparkly pink sheen. It's a pretty pink, but I also think it's a lot like some of the other pink polishes I have, just a different color shimmer. It doesn't strike me as a unique pink like some of the others have been.

Ramona is a very pale lavender pastel color. You can't quite see the purple that well in the picture, but trust me, it's a pastel purple color.

Does anyone remember Hard Candy Nail Polish? Or am I the only 90's baby left?

They were like the COOLEST things when I was a junior and senior in high school and I spent all my babysitting money on their nailpolishes, which came with a matching plastic ring, which went great with jelly platforms, which were also COOL back then.

[see my nailpolish addiction started early on.]

Anyways Ramona reminds me of the color on the right, minus the sparkle, but it's the same sort of shade of purple.

Man, now if only hair mascara would come back.

Anyways, so if you're a nailpolish freak like me, feel free to check out Julep.

I don't know much about their new subscription programs, but I can totally vouch for their products :)

Ipsy: May 2013, Fresh Picks

Since I had been in the hospital and then hadn't been home for about two weeks because I wasn't allowed to climb stairs... and third story apartment, no elevator, made it pretty impossible to get home, I had no idea that my Ipsy bag had even been mailed. I didn't even know any of the spoilers, for once, since I hadn't even really been on facebook or social media, so when this turned up in my mailbox, I was pretty surprised.

Ajani was pretty curious about it too.

Ipsy is a ten dollar a month subscription bag service. They send a mixture of 4-5 products... hair products, skin care, makeup, perfume, etc, in a makeup bag every month, in both full-sizes and sample sizes. 

There's a waiting list to sign up for it, but I think you can skip some of the waiting if you connect Ipsy to your facebook account... at least that's what I did. 

Ipsy is one of two subscription boxes/bags that I decided to keep when I needed to cut down on spending money, when I went on FMLA for my surgery. 

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Duo 1, estimated to be worth about... $3.00.

I can't really find any comparable prices on their website, there's not really a similar product, but it's a decent size, so I'll estimate it to be about three dollars. Pacifica's products are 100% Vegan and cruelty-free as well.

My picture doesn't do my swatches justice. The color on the right of the palette is a glittery bronze color with sparkle, and the paler color is a beautiful pinkish purple shimmer. They're both completely gorgeous colors and look NOTHING like they do in the container they came in. 

Just goes to show that you can't judge a makeup, by first glance.

I really like these colors, they're nude enough for every day wear, but glittery enough to make a statement. 

Eau Thermal Avene, Thermal Spring Water, worth $9.00,based on an internet search that showed me the same product in the same size for that price. A full-size is twice the size of this, and costs $18.00, so that $9.00 does seem accurate.

But... WHAT THE HELL IS THERMAL SPRING WATER?

These are the directions that came with the product. Apparently it has a lot of uses... makeup removal, after hair removal, razor burn, diaper rash, reducing facial redness, itching, after a surgical procedure, damaged skin, after exercise, during travel, and in summer, and I do like the special illustrations that came with my directions.

I sprayed some on my face, out of curiosity, and it was cooling and refreshing. So, this will probably be something that will go great after being outside in Texas sun during the summer and working up an awful sweat, just walking to and from my car... LOVE THAT 105 DEGREE HUMIDITY!!

Nailtini nailpolish in Bloody Mary, full-size, worth $13.00

I don't like really like bright red and slutty nailpolish, no offense to anyone, who does.  It's just not me, I prefer cooler colors as opposed to warmer colors. It's a very very bright red. I do love nailpolish though. I wish I had gotten one of the other colors offered this month because they're more "me", but then again, you never know when I might want a red nailpolish for some reason, so I am satisfied with this.

Hang-Ten Classic Sport Sunblock, SPF 50, let's estimate it at... $4.00? It's a decent sized sample, but not full-size, which retails at $13.00.

This will go to use. I don't use SPF that high, I have medium skin, and I really like to tan over the summer, but I do tend to use stronger SPF on my face [I'm partial to Coola cucumer scented facial sunscreen in SPF 30, which I got in a birchbox, last summer] just not SPF 50.

However, my fiance is very pale, and burns very easily, and requires a high SPF, so I will pass this on to him, and I'm sure it will be very useful when we take out summer pilgrimage down to New Braufels/San Antonio for Schlitterbahn and Tubing :) 

Pur-lisse hydra balance moisturizer, worth about $13.75. To get this price, I did math. I got about one fourth of the full-size product, and figured out what 25% of the full-size product, which is $55.00 would be. 

I'm slightly excited about this product. It claims it helps with anti-aging and redness, which are two things I like. I also like moisturizers because my face gets awful in Texas heat, and I like any product that makes me look younger than I am, although, most people say I really don't look my age anyways... BUT STILL. 

I plan to try this after my shower later today.

Sorin was watching me the entire time that I wrote this and unbagged my products.

And Gandalf was watching me from behind. 

My cats are so freaking curious whenever I get a subscription box. I should get them like a Cat subscription box. 

Anyhow, my total for Ipsy this month is: approximately $42.75

I paid ten smackers for this bag, and the value was $32.75 over my initial purchase. 

Ipsy always gives you great value for your money. 

I was very happy with this month's bag. I will actually use probably all the products in it... even that weird thermal water.

So... ten dollars, great value, generous samples, check Ipsy out.