The week in nails, July 27

This is the time I dislike... The end of the month seems to be devoid of subscription box activity. Today's remedy for my doldrums is to show you the three nail looks I wore this week; all polish used was from Julep.

Two coats each, Bess and Charlie.  Julep Base Coat and Seche Vite top coat. No chips yet, day 2.

Julep Bess, with Charlie as an accent.  Saltwater taffy from Martha's Vineyard!

The blue is Julep Bess and the yellow is Julep Charlie. These were both part of my July Summertime Day and Night Big mystery box. Each of them covers really well, and you can almost get away with one coat, if you are careful.  The downside to these two polishes is that both of these STAIN like nobody's business.  I used Julep's base coat, but I don't have high hopes.  I can see some scrubbing with whitening toothpaste in my future!  Hopefully these don't chip for a long time.  

Earlier this week I also used only Julep polishes (I have so many! They are such pretty colors! They last so long without chipping! They are taking over my nail polish collection.)

Two coats Julep Grace with two sponged coats from cuticle up of Julep Camille.  No base coat, Seche Vite top coat.  No chips after 2 days.

Julep Grace with reverse glitter gradient in Camille.

I wore this combination by itself for two days.  Julep Grace is one of my favorite sheer pinks.  It is so sheer that you can't easily build it to opacity, like you can with OPI Bubble Bath or China Glaze Innocence.  4 or 5 coats of those will get you coverage of your nail line, Grace will not.  For this reason, I should probably have done a normal gradient, but I wanted the reverse for some reason.  Something different, I guess.

Another look at Julep Grace with reverse glitter gradient in Camille

This was nice and subtle, but I was getting bored of it.  Everything still looked good after two full days of wearing it, so I decided just to add on for the next two days.

2 Sponged coats of Julep Kyla, Seche Vite as top coat.  2 days no chips before removed.

Julep Kyla sponged on tips, Julep Camille sponged near cuticle.

Kyla was another polish from my July Mystery Box.  It's a lot of glitter to wear by itself as a full manicure, and it's a lot of glitter to wear in a gradient, but at least the change of color breaks it up a little bit.  I liked this, and got a lot of complements on it, but it did seem a little young to wear to work for longer than 2 days.  I like that Kyla is a jelly base, it worked nicely blending out to the clear base of Camille.

All of my Julep polishes come either from their monthly subscription box, or from the mystery boxes that they release a few times a year.  If you would like to sign up for the monthly box (and thus have access to the mystery boxes), my referral link is here.  Use code FREEBOX to get your first box for free! 

All products included in this post were purchased by me, all opinions are my own, and no compensation was received for this post.  This post also includes a referral link; if you use this link to sign up for a monthly subscription to Julep, I receive 1000 "Jules", which can be redeemed on the site for products.

Birchbox Limited Edition Boxes

Birchbox has just put out two new limited edition boxes in conjunction with the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Beauty Insiders' Choice Awards.

The first box is the Prestige Headliners box for $18.

Photo from Birchbox

The contents are:
Julep Nail Polish (one of my favorite brands)
Julep Essential Cuticle Oil (smells like lavender)
Living Proof Prime Style Extender (this stuff is awesome)
IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil
LA Fresh Eco-Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes
Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Triple Defense Shield Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50


The other box is the Mass Appeal box for $12.

Photo from Birchbox

This is the box I bought.  It contains:

Burt's Bees Ultimate Care Hand Cream 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (I have 4 of these and can't get enough! Best drugstore lip product I've ever tried!)

Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-On

L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow

Nivea a Kiss of Olive Oil and Lemon Moisture Rich Lip Care

Olay Pro-X Spot Fading Treatment

I have enough Julep polishes and cuticle oil, and already have the living proof product, so I wasn't really interested in buying that box.  The one with the drugstore products, however, I was all about!

If you buy both, you get a $4 discount, bringing the total to $26 for all of the above products.


I had some BB points to spend, so I picked up theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer since I've heard great things.


If you are not yet a member, you can use my referral code.  It won't get you anything extra, but here are some codes that will:
For free shipping use code BBSHOP
For 15% off a $35 order, use code 7TEEN15

You can only apply one code at a time, so I opted to save 15% (theBalm is shipping free this month) instead of applying it toward a bonus sample-sized product.

Are you getting either box?  I can never seem to resist ;)

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.  If you become a Birchbox subscriber using my link, I will receive 50 BB Points at the end of your first month.  All reviews and opinions in this post are my own and no compensation was received for it.

American Apparel Grab Bag for Women July 2013

I recently bought a grab bag from American Apparel for $45.  It was guaranteed to have 10 items in it.  I added on a pair of cheap shorts to bring my total over $50 so I could get free shipping.  I ordered size medium, and except for 1 item and anything 'one size', everything fits ok.  I'm a 27 (size 4) in pants and usually a small in tops, but according to AA, I'd be a medium.  

All photos (except the last one) are from American Apparel, and where available, I took the sale price (even if some of the colors I received are not listed in the sale section)

Baby Rib Long Dress in Asphalt
Couldn't find on sale, $46 regular price

Blossom Hair Clip in Black
$6 on sale (no black shown)

Leather Bow [Hair] Clip, Yellow
Sale $7 (no yellow shown)

Nylon-Spandex Micromesh Leggings in Fluorescent Pink
On Sale $2

Rhymer Print Nylon-Tricot Side-Tie Bikini Bottoms (Just the bottoms lol) in Rhymer Blue
On sale, $8.

Rib U-Neck in Olive
On sale, $3.

Sheer Jersey Two-Sided Top, in Black
$2 on sale, black not shown

Sheer Jersey Long Sleeve in Light Blue
I received 2 of these.  Identical colors and everything.  $4 on sale.

Striped Double-U Neck Tank, Black and Natural Narrow
Striped not on sale, solids sale $14

I couldn't find the last item on the AA website.  It is a leather belt with rainbow stitching and even though it is listed as a size ML, I estimate it is size ML for toddlers.  Seriously, I can barely fit it around my thigh with it set as big as it can go!

The belt and the two hair clips.
I really like the belt, I wish it fit!

Overall value: $96 plus belt.  I didn't even bother estimating that since I couldn't find it and it doesn't fit.

It's an ok value, but most of that came from the maxi dress.  I'd say I got my money's worth, but I probably won't order this again.  It was tempting, and I'm glad I saw what was in it, and it's nice to have some more basics, but that's it.  One-time only.  I'll stick to grab bags like Golden Tote; I like the items much more than these.

Influenster Lifeway Kefir Program, July 2013

This is the second time I've been selected to receive a product from Influenster!  This time, they sent me a coupon for a free product from Lifeway.

I used it to buy their Lowfat Pomegranate Kefir, which was on sale for $2.99 at my supermarket.  I found mine in the refrigerated organic section by the produce, with things like pre-made guacamole and salsa.  I think next time, I'd love to try some of their frozen products!

This was my I-am-too-hungry-to-make-it-to-dinner snack tonight ;)

This kefir has the consistency of a thick, drinkable yogurt.  Very smoothie-like.  It is a little tangy and a tiny bit bubbly, and totally delicious.  I'm going to bring some in a thermos for my breakfast tomorrow!  Sometimes I just don't feel like eating anything in the morning, ya know?  This is perfect.  Plus, it has probiotic bacteria to promote a healthy digestive system.  This is a much tastier way of getting the good bugs into you, rather than taking a big pill of them!

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Influenster, however, all my opinions are my own and I am receiving nothing for this review, except hopefully more free items to review in the future.  It's just a darn good product and you shouldn't be afraid to try it!

Stunner of the Month, Women's July 2013

I first heard about Stunner of the Month through another subscription review blog.  For $9 a month, including shipping, you can get a pair of awesome men's, women's or unisex sunglasses delivered to your door.  I chose women's, but this can change from month to month depending on your every whim.

First look: With your first box you get a mini screwdriver! Useful.
Note the nice little bag the Stunners came in.  Pretty excellent.
The box was also fun, but I didn't take a picture of the outside.

This month I received the "Rube Goldstein" sunglasses.

Hot pink.  Big.  Square-ish.  Awesome.

This color is pretty true-to-life.  They are a nice hot pink with some metallic details next to the earpieces.

Stunnin'.
They are taking over my face.
Sorry I'm not sorry.
These are f-ing awesome.

You can get your own pair of ridiculously outrageous sunglasses here.  I used the code trystunner (all lowercase) to get my first set fo' free!  Seriously.  I don't know if that code still works, but it's worth a shot.

This post contains items that I purchased with my own funds.  Nothing was received for making this post and all opinions are my own.  I get nothing if you click the link to their website.

Little Black Bag: From Start to Finish

I thought it might be interesting to chronicle my trading in Little Black Bag.

This is a site where you can buy a starting item at a discount, then "bundle" it, meaning you will receive a few other stylist picks.  You then have 1 week to trade your items for other items that people have.  This post will go through my trading process for the most recent bag that I opened.

This will be quite image heavy!!

Golden Tote July 2013 Selection

It's my favorite time of the month!  Golden tote selection time :)

For the first time, I chose the $149 tote.  You pick 2 items to start, then receive 4-5 more for a total value of $600.

These are the two items I picked for this month:

Image from Golden Tote

Image from Golden Tote

Are you going to get a golden tote this month?

This opinions in this post are my own and no compensation was received.

Why I Am No Longer Subscribed to... PantyFly

Today's edition of "why I am no longer subscribed to..." is featuring Panty Fly

Panty fly is a service that will send you 3 pairs of undies for $9 per month, including shipping.  There are three profiles you can choose from, "barely there" featuring thongs and string bikinis and the like; "sleek and sexy" featuring modern briefs, hipsters, high cut, and bikini; and "mixing it up" which will give you 3 pairs from either category.  At any point you can change your style or size for the next month. Panty fly now has added a "2 for her and 2 for him" package which is $12 per month.  I signed up when this company was just getting started, so I got a deal where I pre-paid $15 for 3 months. 

First Month

These were ok.  I picked the mixed pack, but the briefs little on the small side (I ordered size S) and the heart pair aren't the best quality.  Still, for $5 for all of these, not bad. 

Month Number Two

I upped my size to medium on the site (I wear size 4 jeans [27]) and these fit a little better.  I also changed my style profile to sleek and sexy, and was planning on changing it to barely there for my third month. 

However...

Dear Panty Fly Prepaid Members, 

We have experienced some issues with fulfillment this month.  We anticipated shipping on time starting the 15th.  However some of our prepaid members will be affected. We have experienced some delays with certain manufactures, this delay has resulted in our inability to meet these deadlines as promised.   We do not have a solution for this as of yet, we are writing to let you know if you are a prepaid member we are issuing you a refund of your payment for the remaining months you had left.  We apologize for the inconvenience.  We must issue these refunds to be in compliance with Visa and MasterCard terms.   If you have any questions about your refund you may email us at refunds@pantyfly.com Please remember that once we issue the refund it can take up to 5-7 days for your bank to post it into your account.  We apologize for the inconvenience. 

This will not affect everyone, only those who are on one of our prepaid memberships.  Monthly members have already began being shipped.  As they come from a different fulfillment facility.  We have however removed the Prepaid Gift options from our site.  We will only be allowing members to sign up from this point forward using the monthly membership options.You will get a separate email once the refund has been processed. If you paid via PayPal you will get an email from PayPal showing your refund. 

Sincerely, JasonPanty Fly

For the TL;DR folks, they sent this email saying that the pre-paid subscriptions were fulfilled by a different warehouse and they had issues and couldn't send out that month.  I got my $5 refund within two weeks, it worked out fine on that end. I'm just a little disappointed, and did not resubscribe.  I might try another underwear subscription service in the future, who knows.