Posts Tagged ‘nail polishes’

Ipsy February 2014: The Look of Love review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Once again, 2014 is not offering me the most exciting bags from Ipsy. There’s only one item I’m really looking forward to trying. I would have loved the nail polish if it wasn’t baby pink, so I hope I can trade for a shade more suited to my taste. Similarly, I wasn’t a fan of the bag as much due to the color. I like the slight contour of the zipper and you can see a peek of the bold patterning inside, but pink just isn’t my thing.

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products.

ipsy february 2014 bag items with card including skyn iceland mask, j.cat false eyelashes and glue, pop beauty plump pout lip gloss in fuchsia freesia, tini beauty eyetini cream shadow and base, and zoya nail polish in dot

skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud – This is a fascinating product that I’ll be trying soon. You take the clay and put it on your face, then add the activating gel. Apparently, the combination will actually bubble/fizz/foam in a warming solution. How fun! I love things like these and a few more samples of this would have made this bag well worth it.

J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue – I’ve never tried to apply false lashes, but I did have them put on before for a photo shoot. They seem like a fun thing to play with someday, so I might keep them around. They’re crazy long though, so I’d feel silly walking around with eyelashes like that. Maybe if there’s a need for them at a costume party…

POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Fuchsia Freesia – Ok, I really like the look and shape of this lip gloss, but it smells awful. Is it supposed to be like that? It kind of reminds me of gasoline at times and the strong odor makes it very hard for me to use this product. Pity, because I just love the packaging here. Once again, I could do without the bright pink shade though.

Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base In One in Violette – I’m so split on this product! On the one hand, it’s a lovely shade of purple, but on the other hand, it’s an eye product. I just don’t see when I’d ever use it, so I’ll probably trade it. If only this was a lip gloss tube instead.

Zoya Nail Polish in Dot – I was really hoping for the purple shade shown in the Ipsy spoilers. But of course, I got the pink (bleh). It does seem like a solid base color to use for nail art or a somewhat nude-looking color if I don’t want to draw too much attention to my polish color. Still, I’m going to try trading it first and if it doesn’t go I’ll use it.

So all in all, I was not thrilled with this bag. I would have been a lot happier if the Pop Beauty lip gloss didn’t smell funky and the Zoya polish was another shade. If you want to trade, check out my FSOT list.

[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 bag and wanted to share what I got!]

Julep February 2014: The Dramatic Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

I didn’t see the emails to choose February’s box until the day after selection closed. Luckily, my default profile of Boho Glam was offering items that I liked enough that I was cool with not being able to choose alternatives. That was also the time I found out from Brandy at MommySplurge that Julep retired their skip any month option and now only allow you to accrue one skip every six months. I’m sooo glad I got in *just* in time to get grandmothered in so I can still skip every month if I want. Whew!

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 boho glam february 2014 dramatic collection box contents

February’s Boho Glam Dramatic Collection box

julep a-list eyeliner duo information card

The info card promoted their eyeliner and liner brush, which was an add-on choice.

julep eye sheen information card

On the back of the info card is a look at the four shades of eye sheen.

set of julep polishes in cameron and rooney

My Boho glam profile matched me with Cameron in Stardust finish (love) and Rooney (meh).

julep eye sheen liquid eyeshadow in pale nude shimmer

The shade of eye sheen I got was pale nude shimmer. Probably a good match for me if I actually use eyeshadow.

julep polish in love

As a special gift from Jane the CEO, we got this bonus shade, Love. Perfect for Valentine’s!

I’m glad I got this box because I really like the special edition Love that I don’t think you can get any other way and I’m a fan of the Stardust finish I got. The brown color is ok and I haven’t decided if I want to keep it or put it up for trade. It might be good to have a neutral like that around. As for the eye sheen, I think they’re pretty cool but I’m not an eyeshadow person so it’s definitely going up for trade. Overall the box was decent and I’m glad I locked in the Love shade.

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).

[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 Starter Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

I’ve been waiting around for a Julep starter box that I really liked and I finally came across one with a beauty item that I would love to try. A typical box includes two nail polish shades and one beauty item (one of their style profiles features all beauty items). Up until now, every time I checked, that bonus product was something I either already had or wasn’t interested in. But then I came across the most recent one, which included the Luxe Repair Skin Serum and I was sold. I mean, the first box is free (you pay $3.99 shipping) so that’s a pretty awesome deal.

I got this one right after the Naughty & Nice Mystery Box, so I’ve got to admit it looked small and sparse, but I still liked it! I’m not sure if I’d spend $20 for it though, so I’m probably going to be skipping many months of my Julep subscription (luckily you can skip every month so you’re never stuck with something you don’t like). The current starter boxes now include the Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum as the beauty item, which I have, so I’m really glad I snagged this box while it was available!

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 (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes.

first look at julep maven boho glam starter box contents

First look at the inside of the box.

julep maven boho glam starter box contents with welcome card

I went for the Boho Glam style, so I got a cute card for that.

You also get a reusable baggie, which I’m guessing only comes the first time as a welcome gift!

set of julep polishes in tatiana and michelle

The two colors for this style profile were Tatiana and Michelle.

julep luxe repair skin serum

And the product I was very happy to receive, the Luxe Repair Serum!

I’m excited to try all of these items, but haven’t yet. I’ve been really getting into serums lately, ever since I read about how they penetrate your skin deeper (thanks for that info Yuzen!). I like the idea that it gets into your layers of skin well below the surface. It feels so enriching and nourishing!

[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 Naughty & Nice Mystery Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
3

When I saw this offer come through my inbox, I decided it was finally time for me to buy something from Julep. The first time I ever got any of their products was for free to test and since then I’ve acquired some more through trades, but never actually bought from them. The Naughty & Nice Mystery box promised a $125 value box with two colors, Brenda and Aviva, guaranteed. I’m thrilled with what came in it and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for other mystery boxes.

Julep mystery boxes are just under $25 per box and come with at least 2 polish colors and many other beauty products. These are one-time orders and do not require a subscription.

julep naughty and nice mystery box email with $125 worth of products including brenda and aviva polishes for $25

I just couldn’t resist.

julep black cardboard box

Hello Julep. (And hello my lovely new kitchen counter!)

first look at julep naughty and nice mystery box contents

I was very happy with this first look. Plenty of great products!

julep naughty and nice mystery box contents including rock star hand creme, kajal eye glider, blank canvas primer, green tea blotting papers, luxe repair samples, luxe care samples, lip gloss, and polishes in america, joanna, nellie, aviva, alaina, and brenda

A wonderful assortment of products.

travel size tube of julep rock star hand creme

Rock Star Hand Creme
Cute little travel size tube with a lid that twists to allow the lotion out through a hole on the bottom – interesting design.

julep kajal eye glider in brown shimmer and carbon black with sharpener

Kajal Eye Glider in brown shimmer and carbon black, with sharpener
This double-tipped eye liner has one end in brown, one end in black and comes with a sharpener. Perfect, since I needed one of those.

julep blank canvas mattifying face primer

Blank Canvas Mattifying Face Primer
I wasn’t thinking about getting a primer, but as it turns out I think it’s exactly what I need.

julep lip gloss in timeless shade

Lip Gloss in timeless
This is a nice subtle color and the tube is quite large! It’ll last me a long time and it smells fabulous.

set of julep polishes in america, joanna, nellie, aviva, alaina, and brenda

Polish colors in America, Joanna, Nellie, Aviva, Alaina, and Brenda. All the shades I got lined up… looks so lovely.

julep green tea facial blotting papers, luxe care hand creme, and luxe repair skin serum samples

Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers, Luxe Care Hand Creme, and Luxe Repair Skin Serum samples
All great samples to try!

Estimated value: $171.10 (Rock Star Hand Creme $7, Kajal Eye Glider $22, Blank Canvas $28, Lip Gloss $17.60, Nail Color @ $14 each: $84, Blotting Papers $5, Luxe Repair samples $6.50, Luxe Care samples $1) or $136.88 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!]

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...