Julep September 2013 Review: Classic with a Twist

I have the best sister! For my birthday she gave me 6 months to Julep.  She didn't know I was already a Maven (but I skip every month since it's out of my price range) so she signed me up through the waitlist.  It took from May until mid-August for me to become active.  I'm not complaining, it's an awesome gift! Julep makes some great long-lasting 4-free polishes.

Gold Paper, Orange Crinkles

There was a lot of concern this month because Julep was changing its shipping method to DHL.  However, it seems like they added a warehouse in NJ (which is closer to RI than WA).  I can't confirm if my box went through DHL or not, since the tracking link I was sent was through USPS anyway.  However, Julep has now changed their expected shipping times to correspond to the carrier change.  The free shipping now states it will take 5-8 days.  I received a shipping confirmation on the 28th and I had my box on the 30th.  This was no different from the two days it previously took to get my Maven box.

Julep September 2013

My little bonus extra was a one-step polish remover pad.  These are so handy for traveling.  The grey thing is a little card telling you what you get for referring people (1000 Jules per person, with 2000 Jules getting you a free monthly Maven box).

Julep September 2013

Julep has also changed their polish packaging.  They now come in individual boxes and I've seen sleeves for two and for three polishes.  I've never had a problem with nail polishes being broken or damaged during shipping with Julep, so to me this is just for the aesthetics.  They do look nice and professional, especially for a full price of $14 for only 0.27 fl.oz. (a little more than half of the normal polish size of 0.5fl.oz).

Left, Padma.  Right, Florence.

Padma is described by Julep as being a royal plum creme.  It is not a creme.  It has microshimmer which in my opinion makes it even better.  It adds depth to the color.  This reminds me a lot of OPI Russian Navy.  However, that polish is a dark navy blue with blue and red microshimmer, which makes it look purple.  Padma is a dark purple color with purple microshimmer, which obviously makes it look purple.  

Left Florence, Right Padma (check out that microshimmer in the bottle!)

Florence is a classic camel creme, according to Julep, and I think that's about right.  This one is definitely a creme finish, there is no shimmer at all.  It's a great nude color and I can see myself wearing it a lot when I need something subtle.

Florence with Padma as an accent

Cleansing oil close-up.

This month's beauty item is their new Bare Face Cleansing Oil.  If you picked the American Beauty profile this month, you got the cleansing oil and a mattifying face cream.  The It Girl style profile gets 3 polishes and no beauty products each month.  Any other profile (including my Classic with a Twist) receives 2 polishes and the main beauty product.

The cleansing oil has a mild, pleasant smell that is almost citrusy, but not quite.  It's a little woodier.  It feels like the other oil cleansers I have used, and washed off cleanly with water. My skin was nice and smooth and free of makeup after using it.  I already have a sample of an oil cleanser open, but I will definitely use this when I've finished the other one!

Julep is a monthly nailpolish and beauty product subscription box.  Julep costs $20 per month and gets you an every-day 20% Maven discount for the products on their site.  This brings the polishes down from $14 to $11.20.  You have the option of skipping any and all months if you would like to.  If you do this, you won't be able to access their "secret store" every month with products at an additional discount.  You will, however, still be able to take advantage of their mystery boxes and other special deals.

If you would like to sign up, use the code FREEBOX to get your first month for free! (I think you just pay a few dollars for shipping and handling).  You can use my REFFERAL LINK if you are feeling nice :).

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. All items mentioned within were paid for by me (or my sister, in this case, since it was a gift!).