Julep: December 2014, The Countdown Collection

 I would like to point out that I got this about two weeks ago.  I've just been too busy to post about it with it being the end of the first semester at school, holidays, and field trips, etc. I've also been hanging out with friends a lot more at work and working out almost every day, so by the time I actually get home and collect the mail, I'm beat. 

I haven't even opened the  December Ipsy bag yet and I got that last week.

However, I'm very happy to say that my box from Julep got her on time, with no issues with delivery, my address didn't get cut off this month, the package didn't have to be sent back to sender, so it's all good.

Julep is a monthly subscription box that specializes in nail polish, but also, especially within the last year, they've started making a lot of beauty products.  They have some pretty nifty nail polish colors, and I tend to like their eye makeup like eyeliner and such. 

Well that's a nice surprise. Apparently Julep upgraded my entire box for free. Sweet. Happy December to me?

December was the countdown collection... Makes sense with New Year's Eve and such.

from l to r: Rochelle, Aurora, Sharma.

Rochelle is a pretty cranberry shimmer color. 

Aurora is a bright silver creme. 

Sharma is a bronze glitter.

Those are all the IT GIRL colors. I really like Rochelle a lot, it's a color that I don't think I have much like. Aurora is meh, I feel like I have too many silver colors just like it. Sharma is a bronze glitter, no opinion either for or against. 

from l to r: Sienna and Ilga.

Sienna strikes me as the perfect holiday color. It's a gold creme, which I like because I don't have any gold color like that. Most of my gold colors are glitter and can't be used as a solid base coat, but Sienna is a gold that i could use as a base coat if I wanted to.

Ilga is a dark red. As I've mentioned before, I'm not much of a fan of red nail polish. But for a red color, it's not too bad. 

Those were the classic with a twist colors. 

from l to r: Soleil and Paula.

Soleil is a bronze creme color. I don't have anything like it, and like Sienna, I like how it's a metallic base coat.

Paula is awesome. It's a bright electric blue color with a purple and silver sort of shimmer.

These were bombshell colors. 

from l to r: Karissa and Chatoya.

Karissa is a bright red color. It's very red?

Chatoya is a silver pink glitter color. It's very different from other glitters I have. 

Those were Boho Glam.

The upgrade also came with all three eyeshadow colors, an eye shadow brush, and eye primer.

Airglow

 Supernova

Equinox

And then I went to open moonbeam and found this:

I'm sure I could've called Julep and told them what happened and they would've sent me a replacement product, but it didn't seem worth it really, when they upgraded my box for free, and I didn't initially pay for this as it is, so I just let it be.

But that's what the dust all over some of those nail polish bottles was in my pictures.

from  l to r: equinox, supernova, and air glow.

Equinox is a beautiful shimmery silver color. I absolutely love silver eyeshadow and this is an amazing silver color. It's a dark silver and it has just enough shimmer and glitter that it really looks awesome.

Supernova is an amazing molten purple glitter, I'm sad that I don't think my picture shows the details of the color. It's a slightly darker purple with some pink glitter and it's really an incredible color.

Airglow is a nude shimmer. It's a very pale nude color. It's one of the few colors that I probably could wear for every day use at work and it would have just enough of a sparkle that it would kind of be different than what I usually wear and I like that about it.

So overall, I really liked the December box. I loved the eyeshadow, and the nail polish colors were a little bit different than what I usually get. 

And thanks Julep, loved the free upgrade.

November 2014: Julep "Friendsgiving"

Man, I can't even begin to tell you how much trouble I went through this month to get my Julep box. The box was supposed to be here on the 7th, it never got here. I checked the shipping status, and got that same error message I had gotten before about no such address existing. I called Julep and told them how whatever shipping company they use truncates my address, so the last digit in my apartment number is missing. They said I wasn't the first person to have that issue this month... SO YOU'D THINK THEY'D DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

They reordered my box for me, and changed my address, so it no longer said "Apt" just a # sign... But the box didn't even send till a week after they said they'd reorder it, and I just got it Wednesday. I really hope I don't have this issue with December's box.

 Eventually it did get to me... in two shipments?

In the pink box was just the mascara that came with my "classic with a twist" beauty profile this month. Nothing else... Just mascara. 

Ignore my marker stained hands- that's what happens when you teach special ed.

It's mascara, I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I feel like the more mascara I have the better, so I'm eager to give it a try and see if it can help me fake the fact that I have no lashes.

This was the second box.

I kept my classic with a twist box, and just added one color. From l to r: Shari, Devon, and Kiki.

I wasn't really wowed with the color selection this month, so I kept my box and  just added Kiki to the order, although I did go add-on heavy with eyeliner :x

Speaking of which, I just realized that I never got a "bonus gift" for filling out all my add-0n spots. 

I don't really care, but it's sort of false advertising to claim you're going to do something and then not follow through with that claim.  It's totally not worth calling them about either... If I did, it would just take another two weeks to send me whatever the bonus product was and who knows if I'd even like it.

Anyhow....

Shari is a very light white pink color. I don't know if I'll ever wear it. But it isn't hideous.

Devon is pretty nifty, it's a gray color with a pink sheen:

[That was the best pic I could get that you can sort of see the pink sheen]

Kiki is a light blue glitter. It's nothing special, but I do like cooler colors like greens, blues, purples, etc as opposed to other colors.

This is every single gel eyeliner color minus the black one, which I own already.

I actually really like their gel eyeliner. It goes on smooth. I barely need primer. And it has amazing staying power, it's definitely up there as one of my preferred eyeliner choices, and it goes on the waterline quite smoothly.

Graphite Shimmer is a really dark gray color that looks more black than gray, and it's pretty awesome. I dig anything that is either black or gray.

Smokey Plum is a black purple. It's more black than purple, but it does have a hint of violet, it's a good color for when black is boring and I want something with a little more color but still dark. 

Bronze Shimmer is a nice neutral dark brown. I lack neutral colors for eyeliner aside from basic blacks, so it's an every day color that I can wear to school.

Regal Teal Shimmer is blue-green and bright. It's a nice wild color.

Smokey Taupe is a pale golden color, it has a nice sparkle, and it's also nice for every day neutral wear.

So as usual I spent far too much money on my monthly Julep box, but I would say I'm satisfied with the products I got, once they eventually got me.

Here's hoping December has far less shipping difficulties. 

Girl Meets Glitter: Ipsy, November 2014

Meh, that's how I've felt about my last two Ipsy bags.

For those, new to the party, Ipsy is a subscription box bag service. It's ten dollars a month, and you supposedly get a customized bag of beauty goods. You usually get at least what you paid, or more than what you paid, it's a good deal, I just haven't been wowed by it lately. 

This month's theme was "girl meets glitter."

I was really hoping that with a theme like that, I'd get some sort of sparkly makeup product... Nope. 

The only thing sparkly or glittery was this month's bag, which I did like. 

First up, some sort of Under the Eye cover.  A good product, in theory, since I have horrible under eye circles because I don't sleep well, at all, have horrible insomnia, and look it.

It was a tiny sample, it's 0.11 ounces, where as the full-size product is worth $24.00, which makes this sample worth a measly .10 cents. It's tiny. You can probably barely get one use out of it. Thanks for the crap Ipsy.

On my hand.

Blended on my hand. The shade isn't even close to my skin-tone, and my face is darker than my other skin because my face isn't covered like other parts of my body. Useless.

This is what was in the bag.

 Marc Anthony Hair Spray, worth approximately $1.40.

It's Hair Spray. I mean I like Hair Spray. I don't mind getting hairspray. But it's nothing special. I suppose it's a nice travel size for when I go home to NJ over the holidays.

SeaRX Face & Body Scrub, worth approximately $3.20.

It's supposedly anti-aging, but again, a really tiny sample, probably good for maybe one use... How can you even get an opinion of a product if you only get one use out of it?'

Not impressed.

Starlooks lip gloss in "Guilty Pleasure", worth $3.25.

 This is on my hand.

I do like Starlooks makeup products. I used to get their Starbox, I miss their Starbox, but haven't bothered to resubscribe yet :x and I've used their lip gloss before. It's a quality product and it lasts. I do like this color, as well. It's a nice pink, a little above a neutral color, but a nice shade of pink.

Be a Bombshell, eye base, in submissive, full-size, worth $14.00.

It's a very light and neutral brown with a slight shimmer. I like it because it's a neutral color, and I tend to wear neutrals to work. 

Total Value:  $21.95

Probably one of my lowest value Ipsy bags ever.

Looking at the rest of this month's products.. They didn't really go with the theme. There isn't an overall glitter theme or anything. I would've preferred a Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil or the Nicole by OPI glitter nailpolish to almost everything I've gotten.

Oh well... You win some... You lose some..

Here's hoping December's bag is a hell of a lot better.

Julep: Trick or Treat Mystery Box

Before I get into the brink of this entry, I'd just like to take some time to write about how awesome Julep's customer service is. I was expecting this box on Friday, and when I when to check on the delivery status of the package, it said that the package was being returned to sender because no such address existed. I was confused, I've gotten millions of packages here from Julep and other places... Maybe Fed Ex was fed up with me because my apartment accepted a package addressed to me, the other day, where I totally put the wrong apartment address, and they didn't want to delivery it, but the office people recognized my name, and made them leave it here... who knew...

So anyways, I called Julep up on the phone, told them what happened, and they had no problem resending my package to me, no questions asked, and told me to expect it sometime this week. They were so nice and sweet to me.

Then this showed up in the mail today:

 I'm not quite sure if my picture accurately portrays how beat up that box is. It's re-taped back together, bent in, and my address was wrong... I don't know what happened, the last number was left out, and hand-written in, and I got it today. No wonder they wanted to return it to the senders...

But in the end, the vanishing box, still got here. I think my replacement box got sent out yesterday, so we'll see if I get another box. If I do, it'll be interesting to compare the contents of the two boxes. If I get repeats, no biggie, I promised our landlord that I'd give her some of my doubles, which I have several of, as it is because she's interested in sampling their polish since she sees how many packages from them I get a month. 

The first look at the Trick or Treat Mystery Box.

Now, tons of people were PISSED OFF [me included] about the lack of "jewels" in the September Jewel Heist Mystery Box, and were quite vocal about to Julep on their facebook.

Julep  said they learned from the feedback, and were eager to make a more pleasing Mystery Box, so even though the Trick or Treat Mystery Boxes would be recycled colors, they would be more theme related. So I was eager to see what it would contain. I was expecting a lot of oranges, yellows, greens, and blacks.

Ajani took a liking to the box it came in.. He's still in there, and doesn't seem to be leaving any time soon.

from l to r: Payton, Leah, Roc Solid, and Millie.

They were my "Trick or Treat" add on and mystery color. 

Payton, Bombshell, is a bright mint green. I feel like my nailpolish collection lacks some good green color polishes, and green is my favorite color, and I'm very happy with this color.

Leah, IT GIRL, is a shimmery green. It's a different shade of green than Payton, as you can see in the picture, and it has a greenish silver shimmer. I like it.

Roc Solid, IT GIRL, is sort of a teal colored gray. It's very much a me color. 

Millie, Boho Glam, is a cross between gray, blue, and purple. It's also very much a me color.

Love these four colors, they're the sort of colors I tended to buy in bulk when I used to get my cheap drugstore nail polish back in the day. 

Verdict: LOVE THESE COLORS

Four colors, each worth $11.20, at maven prices, total value, $44.80, definitely way more than I paid.

The inside of the big box.

Nail mask, worth $2.o0

I have never used one of these and never plan to use one of these. I'm sure they're great, they're just not really my thing. 

Verdict: FAIL, only because it isn't a "me" product.

Julep's Blank Canvas Eye Primer and Candy Corn, worth $17.60.

I have nothing against eye primer. I've used it before, although I tend to use strictly Urban Decay's eye primer, but I think I now have a total of three of these Blank Canvas Eye Primers... so maybe it's time to switch loyalties? 

I just rarely have a time, where I can sit down, and really work on making my eye makeup look pretty. I'm too busy. For school, I put on enough eye liner and mascara to make me NOT look like a corpse, and run out the door. 

And my friends group consist of a bunch of awesome geeky nerds, who care far more about what MtG cards they're going to get in their booster packs than what my makeup looks like, so I don't really have any social opportunities where I can really find a reason to dress my makeup up. Therefore, I just don't really have a reason to use primer.

Verdict: Like, just don't have much time or reason to take advantage of such a product.

The Candy Corn is already gone.

Verdict: LOVE[D]

 Luxe Care Hand Creme, worth $16.00

Hand Creme is useful. I swear between Julep and Ipsy, I'm never ever going to have to buy hand creme ever again. 

Verdict: Neutral, I don't love it or hate it.

Brilliance Glycolic Hand Scrub, worth $18.40.

I'm intrigued by this product. I totally prefer a hand scrub to a hand creme. As a special education teacher, everything I do is very "hands on", so it'll be a nice little treat for my hands that I can use to wash school  off of them, and I always love the way exfoliating products feel on my skin when I use them.

Verdict: Very Curious

from l to r: Beatrix, Valerie, Josephine, & Faye.

Beatrix, bombshell is awesome. It's a black polish with thick chunks of silver glitter in a pool of rainbow glitter. It's very much a me color. 

Valerie, bombshell is a turquoise with a gold shimmer in it. You can also see the gold shimmer in my picture. It's also very much a me color.

Josephine, IT GIRL, is more of a navy color than my picture shows. It may be a really good color for my wedding since my bridesmaid dresses are all navy blue.

Verdict: LOVE THESE COLORS

Faye, boho glam is a shimmery golden sand color. It's not the ugliest color I've ever gotten, but it doesn't wow me either.

Verdict: Meh

Again, four colors, worth a total of $44.80.

Total:  $98.80, with Maven Prices.

Well over what I paid for it, and I'm actually very satisfied with this box. I love basically all the nailpolish colors that I received, and I wasn't wowed with all the beauty products that I got, but there's really nothing [except maybe the nail mask] that I would call a waste of space. So Julep did redeem themselves for the Jewel Heist Fiasco with this box. Everything fit nicely, for the most part, with the Halloween theme, and I very much like the selection of products that I got in this box.

Ipsy: October 2014, Beauty Candy.

Today has been a day of many packages in my household... My new rainbow keyboard came from newegg, my Halloween costume came despite me putting the wrong address on it [thank goodness, the apartment people, who work in the office, know Justin and I by name], my new workout bathing suit came, my new work clothes from Old Navy came... Oh and Ipsy came.

 

Ipsy  is a subscription bag service. It's ten bucks a month, and you get a makeup bag sent to you every single month full of full-size and sample size beauty products. It's probably, one of the best subscription services, as getting the most bang for your buck, in my opinion. 

They supposedly some kind of Ipsy match service to pick your products for you, but I don't really believe that since I do tend to get a moderate amount of stuff, I'm just "meh" about.

This is what was in my pink envelope. This months theme is "beauty candy."

 

 The bag this month was nothing special, it's a nice color, but I'm quite disappointed that a bright teal bag has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Halloween.

 

  Acacia, Protein BB Cream, by ECRU New York, worth $12.00, which seems quite expensive for a 1 fl oz bottle, but that's what the website claims.

My hair is a wreck. I swim every single day, except for the next five days because I sliced my finger open cutting carrots for a salad, and had to go to the E.R. yesterday, and they told me pools are off-limits for the next few days due to germs :(

 

But I digress, the point it, my hair is wrecked, thanks to the glorious chemical known as chlorine. So... If this product can somehow minimize all the damage to my hair, from swimming, it's a product, I don't mind trying. 

 

This is the contents of my bag.

 

 Noyah lipstick, Deeply in Mauve, worth probably about $8.00 because it looks like it's half the size of a regular lipstick, the picture is out of focus, purposely, to show you the glitter.

It's more purple and darker than my picture shows.

Meh. I hate lipstick, and I would never wear a color this dark. 

Rose Berry, Figs & Rogue, Hand Cream, worth $3.00.

I'm indifferent to this item. I don't like nor dislike hand cream. It's something I use, especially in winter, so it's a useful sample, just not something I would have chosen for myself.

Skyn Iceland, glacial cleaning clothes, worth $5.00

I like facial cleaning clothes, especially if they help get makeup off of my face. Very useful item. Maybe it'll help my skin in some shape or form.

NYC BIG CURL MASCARA, full-size, worth $4.99.

I love mascara, I'm excited about a full-size mascara product, especially since it seems one of my mascaras are always empty, so it's nice to have a refill. Very happy with this.

Total Value: $32.99

Not the most expensive bag I've ever gotten, but not the worst either, and still over what I paid for it.

Overall, this bag was "meh", I guess with it being October, I was hoping for more Halloween themed products. I wasn't very happy with what I received this month.

If you're interested, check Ipsy out.