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Posts Tagged ‘nail polishes’

Julep Jewel Heist Mystery Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, blotting papers, boxes, brushes, eyeliners, julep, julep maven, makeup, mascaras, masks, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions

18 September 2014

I skipped the September box, so I was looking forward to a mystery box that I might want. When I saw the Jewel Heist one, I was intrigued enough to order it! I would definitely have loved to win the whole birthstone collection. I only have one of those colors right now.

Julep mystery boxes are just under $25 per box and come with a mix of polish colors and beauty products. These are one-time orders and do not require a subscription.

julep jewel heist mystery box contents including mask noir, double duty makeup brush, green tea blotting papers, gel eyeliner, lengthening mascara, and polish in alma

Great selection of items overall, though that polish color is ick.

julep mask noir peel-off mask with power cell complex

Mask Noir
Yes! This has been on my wishlist, so I’m very happy to get it. I love masks.

julep double duty makeup brush and polish in alma from trina turk fall '12 collection

Double Duty Makeup Brush & polish in Alma
I had no idea what kind of brush this is meant to be, but I love having another tool to use. Turns out it’s two brushes in one! As for the polish… it’s from 2012 and it’s not an attractive color at all.

Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers
I’m a fan of these even if I always forget to use them. They smell amazing and I’ll try to make good use of them!

Ink Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black
Oh, dilemma. I’d like to try this, but I’d never use this much and I don’t even have a brush to apply it with. Should I trade or try?

julep boho glam lengthening mascara in espresso brown

Boho Glam Lengthening Mascara in Espresso Brown
This came in a previous mystery box, so it’ll go up for trade. They must have a lot of overstock!

I definitely like the value of the box and the selection of items overall, even if I wouldn’t use them all. I sure wish they’d picked a better polish color (and one not so obviously from years ago). I certainly would have loved to win one of the prizes this time!! Oh well, here’s to next time.

Estimated value: $121 (Mask Noir $32, Double Duty Makeup Brush $28, Nail Color $14, Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers $10, Ink Gel Eyeliner $22, Lengthening Mascara $24) or $96.80 at Maven prices (20% off)

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Julep August 2014: The Wanderlust Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, cuticle serum, iphone app, julep maven, nail polishes, nail serum, nailcare, pictures, products, reviews, serums, subscriptions, tools

22 August 2014

I skipped July’s box, so this was the next one I received after the Memorial Day mystery box I got about two months ago. This review is a long time coming – I’ve been sitting on the box for two weeks, but when I got it, an item was missing. I emailed them about it and got a replacement sent out – and then I saw they’d sent to the wrong address (the billing one that I haven’t used for months!). So I emailed again and they sent me another one, this one to the correct location. So finally, I have the full box to share.

While I liked the colors of this collection for their vibrance, when I saw the Happy Mani-versary special edition being offered for Julep’s 3rd birthday, I couldn’t resist. It offered this cool cleaning tool that will really help with my polishing efforts (I’m a big sucker for tools) and the Ta Da! Quick Drops I’ve had on my wishlist, PLUS a bonus polish shade that is just purple enough for me to want. The nail and cuticle serum is a nice extra to have along with everything else, though I already have one.

Julep is just under $20 per box and comes with 2 nail polish colors and a beauty product, 3 nail polish colors, or 2 beauty products (depending on your style profile choice). They offer plenty of upgrade and add-on options too. Boxes are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (skips are earned every six months for subscribers Dec 18th, 2013 and later). You also have the option of gifting your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes.

julep maven anniversary exclusive august 2014 wanderlust collection box contents

August’s Anniversary Exclusive Happy Mani-versary Wanderlust Collection box

julep mighty nail & cuticle serum, queen anne polish, ta da quick dry drops, and cleanup tool

Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum
Queen Anne polish
Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops
cleanup tool

Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum: I’ve tested this before so I might just trade it. I still have a lot of the original left, but maybe it’ll be good to have the next one ready.

Queen Anne polish: I probably don’t need any more purple polishes, but I can’t help it! This is a festive, sparkly polish that is very befitting a birthday.

Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops: This smells a bit like aromatherapy and it’s so fun to drop them on your nails. I think it works quite well! It’s not instant, but it’s pretty fast.

cleanup tool: One of the main reasons for getting this box and now I’ll have two due to the shipping fluke! It was smaller than I expected, but a nice sturdy metal and perfect size for handling.

julep wanderlust collection card and quote card

The Wanderlust Collection and quote cards.

julep gel eye glider eyeliner info card, discount offer card, refer friends card, and julep app info card

The info cards.

I’m very happy with the items in the box and the value of the combination. It’s even better that I ended up getting an extra cleanup tool out of it, which I might gift or trade. I kind of wish I’d gotten some of the polishes, but I really can’t use up that much nail polish so I’ll console myself by painting my nails with that I do have. The bonus item is a nice screen cleaner that I’ll totally have to use. I’ve already downloaded the Julep app for use and I’m glad I have an easier way to making sure I don’t forget to skip a month.

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

Beauty Box 5 August 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty box 5, boxes, facial wipes, hair masks, lip glosses, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions, sunscreens

20 August 2014

This box didn’t wow me, but it had some solid items to try. I’ll keep it around for a bit longer before deciding when I might want to cancel it. I’m accumulating a whole lot of product and I really need to get to using them more!

Beauty Box 5 is $12 per box (or as discounted as $99 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 5 cosmetic products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. You also have the option of buying it as a gift your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

Purlisse pur-protect SPF 30 sunscreen: This feels much like your typical lotion and smells a bit like baby powder. Certainly not the icky sunscreen we’ve all encountered, so that’s nice. I can’t tell its effectiveness with just a little use so far, but time will tell with that.

La Fresh Travel Lite Oil-Free Makeup Remover Wipes: I’m a big fan of La Fresh and I’ve bought a ton of their various wipes and even body oils. This is perfect little travel pack I’m going to bring with me on my vacations. I love wiping off everything from my face either at the end of a day (when I’m too lazy to wash) or in the morning, to help freshen up and wake up.

Nanacoco Lip Gloss in First Kiss: I like the flat angled applicator for this. The formula is more on the gooey side, so when I tried to apply just a little for less pop, it didn’t go so well. The second time around I used it normally and got great color. Lesson learned: go big and bright, or go home. I thought I wouldn’t really use this, but you know, the pink actually isn’t as in your face as I was afraid it would be.

Novex Brazilian Keratin Professional Hair Food Therapy: I haven’t had time to try this out yet, since ideally you’d keep it on for 25 minutes, shower cap and all. I’m always up for a deep conditioning treatment for my hair though! I just don’t seem to get the sort of glossiness that all those commercials talk about. I sure will keep trying and the Brazilians know what they’re doing, right?

Style Essentials Nail Polish: I’m not sure how I feel about this color. It’s a decent polish, but there’s nothing exciting about it. I think a more summery color would have been gold or blue glitter. I’ll probably make use of this more for nail art in the future.

This theme was “radiant & remarkable” and indeed, these items would bring out the radiance. Remarkable though? Not as much for me. What do you think about this box?

Petit Vour June 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, cruelty-free, hair care, nail polishes, petit vour, pictures, products, reviews, serums, skincare, subscriptions, vegan

30 June 2014

This month’s theme is “bon voyage” to get you travel ready. It features a bunch of items you can bring along to take care of yourself while on the go.

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

contents of petit vour june 2014 box removed from packaging

A closer look at some of the items.

EVOLVh UltraShine Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner – If you want to feel like you just came out of a salon, you need to try this shampoo. It lathers fantastically well and smells so luxurious! All day long I kept getting a whiff of it (a sweet sort of scent) and thinking I just stepped out of a professional haircut. Definitely one of the nicest shampoos I’ve tried. The conditioner has a more refreshing scent and it didn’t make my hair super slippery like I’m used to. Maybe it was getting absorbed into my hair? It worked pretty well, though I had a little chunk of hair that didn’t smooth out on its own without a hairbrush.

MUN No. 1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum – I’m not sure if this sample is enough to really get a sense for how this serum performs… at first use it feels nice and smells herbal, so it’s promising. I did have trouble getting enough out of the tiny tube and it took awhile to apply the amount I wanted. We’ll see if I notice anything by the time I finish it up.

ncLA 5-free Luxury Nail Lacquer in Santa Monica Shore Thing – I’ve heard of this brand and got their nail wraps in a previous Petit Vour box, but this is my first time trying their nail polish. I got the shade Santa Monica Shore Thing, which is a creamy minty green. On the nails, it’s a slightly darker shade than what you see in the bottle and two coats provides a nice even color. It’s a more liquidy formula that applies well and smells rather like Julep’s polishes… somewhat apple-scented, I’d say.

TAY Rosehip Balancing Cleanser with Seabuckthorn – Immediately fell in love with this – not only is the packaging fantastic, it smells lovely and feels great. I’m a fan of this brand based on that.

Once again, Petit Vour delivered with nice products that I will use all of and would be the sort of thing to bring on my summer vaca. I really enjoy their curation of beautiful, luxurious, vegan products. What do you like best from this month’s items?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Beauty Box 5 June 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, beauty box 5, body washes, boxes, conditioner, hair care, mascara, nail care, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, shampoo, skincare, subscriptions

12 June 2014

Holy cow, it’s June box time already?! With summer in full swing, we got a summer chic theme. These products add up to a nice, simple beauty routine. Just wash, cleanse, rinse, and then apply a touch of mascara and nice nail polish! Not much more you need, other than a lip balm, I’d say.

Get a free box to try or $12 off a subscription!

Nicka K New York Nail Color in Ripe Apple: I first came across this brand in an Ipsy bag. I love the look of their bottles and the polish is a good consistency. Applying it was pretty straightforward and two applications offered the perfect kind of coverage. This color is bold but not too bright. A great darker look to fire engine red nails. I’m getting into nail art and this will be not only a nice canvas for designs, but great for little flourishes.

Organix Coconut Water shampoo & conditioner: These smelled really nice! I’m not even into coconut scents generally, but it was light enough to be pleasant and not suffocating. My hair felt pretty good after the shower, but once it dried it felt pretty normal again. I wouldn’t say this brand offered more or less shampooing and conditioning for my hair. I do like their argan oil conditioner though.

Glam Naturals mascara: There certainly will be no clumping with this mascara! It’s a much more liquid consistency than most mascaras I’ve tried. It’s perfect for when I want a little boost to my lashes, but still want that natural look. What a refreshing change from mascaras I’m used to. So far no smearing either; it seems to have good staying power.

Eslor Introductory Collection samples: I’m enjoying this set of products. They smell nice and are gentle. The scrub was a dry sort of formula, which is nice so a little mixed with water can cover a lot of area. It did tend to stick to the sides so I felt like I was losing out on product though. The mask is a green one that tingles a bit upon application. Everything felt good on my skin.

Vita Bath body wash in Dreamy Pink Frosting : I don’t usually use body wash, but I did give this a try and I like how it foams. It smells of sweet candy, so probably not something you’ll convince a guy to use. I didn’t notice if I smelled like that after I dried off though, so it can be a fun scent in the shower that doesn’t linger around too much.

I think the box as a whole was a nice package. I could use each item without feeling like I was covering the same part of a routine twice. They all build on each other to help you prepare for a day! What do you think of the box this month?

Julep “The Perfect 10” Memorial Day Mystery Game Box #5 with Bare Face Cleansing Oil review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, julep, julep maven, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions

10 June 2014

Ah, another mystery box. I’ve been waiting on this one to arrive for ages! When I got the shipment notification, it said it would arrive between Tuesday and Thursday of last week… and I just got it. I’m not sure what happened but I haven’t had a box get delayed like this before and I’m not pleased. But it’s finally here and time to evaluate it based on the merits of its contents and not how long it took to arrive! I chose this based on the “so fresh & so clean” clue with a picture of the cleansing oil and konjac sponge combo that I’ve had on my wishlist.

Julep mystery boxes are $10-40 per box and come with a mix of polish colors and beauty products. These are one-time orders and do not require a subscription.

julep perfect 10 memorial day game day box #5 mystery box with $102 worth of products including bare face cleansing oil and konjac sponge for $25

What a beautiful gift box!

julep perfect 10 memorial day game day box #5 mystery box open with $102 worth of products including bare face cleansing oil and konjac sponge

Here we go…

julep perfect 10 memorial day game day box #5 mystery box contents including bare face cleansing oil, konjac sponge, buff lip scrub, and polishes in tracy, marjorie, and claudette

A nice mix of products, though the oil leaked.

julep bare face cleansing oil with power cell complex

Bare Face Cleansing Oil
It’s been a long time since I’ve used oil on my face for cleansing. Smells kind of like a tart flower.

julep konjac sponge cleanser and exfoliator with suction hook

Konjac Sponge
I’ve been wanting to try this product from Julep! I didn’t realize it would be moist like that.

julep buff lip scrub pen with fuzzy application tip

Buff Lip Scrub Pen
I already have one of these so I’ll try to trade. It’s fun, but not sure how useful it is.

set of julep polishes in tracy, marjorie, and claudette

Polish colors in Tracy, Marjorie, and Claudette. I can see myself using all of these.

two bottles of julep bare face cleansing oils side by side, with one bottle missing a lot of product

Both oils leaked and got absorbed into their boxes. What did they do to these things during shipment?!

This box was a nice value, especially with the bonus Bare Face Cleansing Oil I got for free with code OILPERK. I’m pleased with the variety and value, though I’m going to need to contact them about the faulty product I received. Why are those bottles so leaky? Still, I like what I got and look forward to using it all. The oil warmed up my face with rubbing and I just imagined it melting away the oil on my face as I did that. I hope it works! So what do you think of this box?

Estimated value: $102 (Nail Color @ $14 each: $42, Bare Face Cleansing Oil $28, Konjac Sponge $12, Buff Lip Scrub Pen $20) or $81.60 at Maven prices (20% off)

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

Julep June 2014: The Three Wishes Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, julep maven, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions

02 June 2014

I guess I’m pretty consistently a cross between a Boho Glam and a Bombshell. With this shiny collection, I opted for the Bombshell profile colors because of the purple hues. I love all things purple! This time I had a tough time since I loved the colors of It Girl too, which included a stardust finish – my fav sort of finish. I was curious about the new oxygen nail product though, so I got that. I also decided to add the creativity kit so I can have some fun with the Plie Wand doing nail art.

julep maven bombshell june 2014 three wishes collection box contents

June’s Bombshell Three Wishes Collection box with Plié Wand Creativity Kit

julep oxygen technology info card, discount offer card, and quote card

The info cards.

Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat
Smokey was super interested in this technology. It’s quite the matte finish.

set of julep polishes in colette and sera

The Bombshell profile came with Colette and Sera, both nice purple hues.

Plié Wand Creativity Kit
Let my inner artist shine!

I’m still getting the hang of the tools and my first try at nail art with them came out ok, but it’s very simple. I’m sure I’ll get better! The base coat I’m not used to using, so I probably wouldn’t get it again, but it’s great for creating a matte finish to work from. Overall the value of this box was not as high as to me as I would have hoped, but I do like what I got.

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

Julep May 2014: The Fresh Twist Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions, tools

28 April 2014

It was a tough choice between my default profile of Boho Glam and the fun bright colors of the Bombshell profile, but ultimately I decided to stick with Boho Glam. Sort of wanted both! Many moons ago, I decided to contribute to the crowdfunding for the Plie Wand that came out this month and I was happy to receive it.

julep plie wand crowdfunding thank you card

Aww a nice thank you note.

julep referral card, discount offer card, fresh twist info card, and plie wand info card

Some of the info cards.

julep quote card and brilliance glycolic hand scrub info card

Their hand scrub gets a new name.

Everything you need to know about the Plie Wand usage and maintenance!

julep maven boho glam may 2014 fresh twist collection box contents

May’s Boho Glam Fresh Twist Collection box

julep plie wand nail polishing tool and extra cap and brush

The Plie Wand and extra cap and brush. Works really well!!

I’m really happy with this box and feel like I got a great value even without the bonus polish. I’m really glad to have the extra cap and brush, though I don’t think I really need the brush part since the wand works quite well for me as is. At first I thought those brushes were superfluous, but then I read the card and it turns out they’re shorter than the ones you’d find on a polish. Now I regret not getting the fun dotting and striping tools, so when I get a chance I’ll have to add them to another order. 🙂

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

Julep Speckled for Spring Mystery Box with Kimberly review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, julep, mystery box, nail polishes, nails, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions

15 April 2014

Since my first mystery box (which I loved), I haven’t seen one come across my inbox that truly intrigued me. But then I saw the fun speckled designs for the Speckled for Spring Mystery box and I decided to spring for it (har har). There was one complete mystery one, one with Kimberly (the purple one), and one with Emerson (the blue one). Can you guess which one I got? My favorite color is purple… 😉

Julep mystery boxes are just under $25 per box and come with a mix of polish colors and beauty products. These are one-time orders and do not require a subscription.

julep speckled for spring mystery box contents including lengthening mascara and polishes in kimberly, catrina, lois, farrah, dakota, and karen

A very light box with nearly all nail polish. Not the most spring look.

set of julep polishes in kimberly, catrina, lois, farrah, dakota, and karen

Polish colors in Kimberly, Catrina, Lois, Farrah, Dakota, and Karen. I like the two on either end and the brilliant yellow.

Boho Glam Lengthening Mascara in Espresso Brown
My very first brown mascara!

julep boho glam lengthening mascara in espresso brown brush

The brush has firmer bristles than I’m used to. I like the shape, which makes it easier to get onto my shorter lashes.

I’m not very impressed with this box, especially in light of everything I got in my first mystery box. All I got in addition to the polishes was one beauty product. It’s a decent product and I will use it, but the lack of extras combined with the lackluster set of colors leaves me wanting more. I definitely like the speckled Kimberly I chose the box for and I’m cool with Catrina because it’s bright and Karen because the peachy glitter is certainly springy. The other three I’m undecided on. Perhaps next time I will be more careful with my purchase (and I’m certainly going to search for a discount code first, since there was an active one for 30% off that I could have used!!). What do you think of this box?

Estimated value: $108 (Nail Color @ $14 each: $84, Lengthening Mascara $24) or $86.40 at Maven prices (20% off)

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

Julep February Secret Store: Rosa & Clean Slate review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, nail polish remover, nail polishes, nails, products, reviews, subscriptions

02 March 2014

When Julep’s February secret store opened up, I took a look at what they were offering and immediately wanted the Rosa amethyst glitter shade from the Birthstone collection. Not only is it Panda’s birthstone, it’s my favorite color. I also took advantage of a 50% off code I had that was to expire soon and got the Clean Slate Conditioning Nail Polish Remover & Pump.

Julep offers a secret store collection to Mavens (subscribers) for a limited time each month. The store contains first access to limited edition items and special sale prices.

julep maven secret store february 2014 selected products including rosa amethyst polish and clean slate nail polish remover with pump

Rosa and Clean Slate from February’s Secret Store

julep polish in rosa, an amethyst glitter for february from birthstone collection

This gorgeous purple glitter, Rosa, is the February shade of the Birthstone Collection.

It’s kind of hard to see the shade on the black background, but it’s a wonderful purple that is blue-ish at times. The gold cap makes it look a lot cooler but it still looks good on the nails. I did find the ratio of glitter to polish made it hard to apply this polish with just one or two coats (unless they were very thick). The glitter bits got dispersed very easily and I wanted a more dense concentration of them.

julep clean slate acetone-free conditioning nail polish remover with pump

I decided to restock on this nail polish remover at half the price.

I got this in a trade awhile ago and noticed that my supply was running low. Since I had a coupon code to use, I decided to get this since it’s one of the most effective nail polish removers I’ve used! It helped get off some hard to remove glitter polishes far easier than I expected. Plus, the pump design is really cool and makes me feel all professional.

Become a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

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Posts Tagged ‘nail polishes’

Julep Jewel Heist Mystery Box review

Julep August 2014: The Wanderlust Collection review

Beauty Box 5 August 2014 review

Petit Vour June 2014 review

Beauty Box 5 June 2014 review

Julep “The Perfect 10” Memorial Day Mystery Game Box #5 with Bare Face Cleansing Oil review

Julep June 2014: The Three Wishes Collection review

Julep May 2014: The Fresh Twist Collection review

Julep Speckled for Spring Mystery Box with Kimberly review

Julep February Secret Store: Rosa & Clean Slate review

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laelene

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