Julep Maven January 2014

Julep Maven: Classic with a Twist, January 2014

Wow, it looks weird to be writing 2014 on everything! I went to work today and managed to get it right every time... not a 2013 in sight ;)

My January Maven box came a few days ago, but things have been pretty chaotic with the holidays.  I've been working a LOT to try to get things ready for the two weeks I'm going to be out.

Oooh, Purple Box!

When I opened my mailbox, I was pleased to see a fuchsia Maven box!  They are normally black, and this was a nice surprise.

I did not notice that my picture of all the items together came out blurry until after I had already unwrapped everything and put away the packaging to reuse later.  Sorry :(

Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Nail Drops

The new item this month was a cuticle remover liquid... and it was not the item that was included in each Maven profile.  Bummer!  Instead, Julep sent out a reissue of their quick dry nail drops.  I didn't already have these, so I'm not *too* disappointed, but it is kinda lame that they would spend all this energy marketing a new product, and then not send it to everyone.

The drops smell like lavender (like their cuticle oil).  In fact, these drops have a lot of similar ingredients to the cuticle oil, with the addition of some silicone oils (specifically, hexamethyldisiloxane and cyclopentasiloxane).  The drops work pretty well.  You wait a minute for your polish to start to set, then drop it on.  I haven't really done anything crazy after using the drops, but they did help me not get dents or smudges in my polish whilst typing or getting into my coat and into the car.  I approve.

Julep Mona (top) and Abigail (bottom)

This month's polish collection featured two new finishes: Satins and Silks.  I chose the Classic with a Twist box, and received a graphite gray creme (Mona) and a peony pink silk (Abigail).

Julep... orange things

The extra this month was a set of two orange things.  I think they are buffing sponges?  I don't know. Let me know what to do with these if you have any idea what they are!

Julep Abigail

Abigail is a soft pink silk.  Julep's silk finishes are semi-matte with "a hint of opalescence".  I guess that means it is not a flat matte?  I'm not sure.  I AM sure, however, that this polish is amazing.  Most of the mattes and suedes (semi-mattes) that I have chip really easily.  They just don't last long.  This, however, does.  The picture above is my third day of wearing this, with no top coat, and there aren't any chips or tip wear!  This color was very subtle and lady-like.  I was wearing it for a New Year's Eve party and felt pretty darn classy holding my champagne flute with these nails.  This was two thin coats.

Julep Mona

Julep calls Mona "storm cloud gray," but I think it looks more like graphite.  I pretty much only wear gray, black, and white in the winter, so these nails will match anything I wear! ha.  I'm boring.

This is a very pretty color, though.  I usually use Julep Meryl as my go-to gray, but that is nearing the end of its life.  I'm almost out!  This is a good replacement.  It's a little darker than Meryl, but I like it just as much.  Two coats is almost unnecessary, but I never like to do just one.

If you want to try out Julep, use my link here and the code FREEBOX to only pay S&H for your first box.  Julep polishes are all 4-free and in my opinion, are good quality.  They go on nicely and last a long time before chipping.  Maven boxes are $19.99 per month and being a Maven gets you a discount on their site as well as access to sales and specials.

This post contains items purchased by me.  All opinions are my own, and no special consideration or compensation was received for this post.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.

The Week in Nails, December 8

This was a boring week, as you have seen these colors recently in my Julep review.

Julep Cara with Andrea as an accent

Two coats each, with OPI Natural Nails base coat and Julep Freedom Polymer Top Coat.  I wore this for 4 days.

Julep Celia

Julep Celia.  No base, 2 coats, no top.  I wore this for 4 days as well (up until yesterday, Monday).

All 3 of these polishes wore really well with minimal tip wear and zero chipping.  I was impressed!

The Week in Nails, December 1

This week was a lazy one for nails.  With Thanksgiving, I didn't bother going crazy.

I Theodora You

OPI Natural Nail Base Coat and 3 coats of OPI's I Theodora You.  No top coat.  This is a really cute sheer pink.  It is on the bubble-gummy side without being too young-looking when it is on.  I wore this for two days (last Sunday included).  I think 4 coats would bring it to full opacity, but I was fine with visible nail line.

I sadly had naked nails for the next three days.  Work got crazy, I was tired, and I didn't feel like painting my nails for Thanksgiving, only to have it chip off with all the food prep and dish washing.

My Very First Knockwurst

OPI Natural Nail Base Coat and 3 coats of OPI's My Very First Knockwurst.  No top coat.  I really love this color.  It is very subdued and makes me feel like my nails look demure.  That is the word that comes to mind.  I have been wearing this for three days, and I barely have any tip wear.  I plan on keeping this on for at least one more day.

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.

The Week in Nails, November 24

Zoya Mason with Julep Cynthia 

This is what I ended up doing to cover the chips on my tips.  I wore this combo for 2 days.  I put a layer of Julep Polymer Top Coat over everything.

No-sponge glitter gradient with OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Julep Erica 

I then decided to do a little glitter gradient.  2 coats of OPI's My Boyfriend Scales Walls (an EXTEREMELY pale blue) with Julep Erica (orange/black/gold mystery glitter from the New Year's Mystery Box).  The above picture shows the process.  I first wiped off almost all of the glitter from my brush and lightly painted 2/3 of my nail with it.  When that was dry, I went back over about 1/2 each nail with another coat.  Lastly, the top third of my nail got more glitter, making it more opaque.  I find this easier than using a makeup sponge to fade the glitter onto my nail.

OPI and Julep

I wore this for 3 days.

Julep Reece

I had Julep Reece on my nails for the last two days of this week.  As usual, no base coat (I *still* haven't found one I like), and Julep Polymer top coat.  

This post contains items purchased by me.  All opinions are my own and no special consideration or compensation was received for this post.

Julep Diamond Mystery Box Review

On Columbus Day, Julep announced a new mystery box! Based on the two guaranteed polishes, and the promise of a value of at least $120, I bit.  This cost $24.99 and took 11 days to get to me.  Way to go, DHL, way to be slow.

What's inside?!

I got Mystery Box #1.  The pink thing under the little catalogue is a Scrub Mitt ($2.99 on sale).  I have mixed feelings on this.

Scrub Mitt

The Contents!
All polishes in little pink bags

First up is a familiar item:

Julep Pink Grapefruit Body Frosting, 4 oz

I received this in an earlier mystery box, so this will be saved for a holiday gift.  This smells like grapefruit and has a whipped texture.  It's on sale for $9.99.

Julep Mini Eyelash Curler

This mini eyelash curler is so cute!  I like that it is nice and compact; my big one takes up a lot of space in my makeup bag.  I may have to switch it out for this one!  I couldn't find this by itself, it is sold as part of the "travel essentials" set with a foundation/concealer brush and a makeup bag for $28.  I'll estimate this at $2.99.

Julep Doublestep Foot Treatment & Friction Stick

The doublestep foot treatment is for hydrating and preventing blister-causing friction on your feet.  This smells like peppermint and comes in a twist-up stick applicator.  I'm hoping it works, I have some pretty uncomfortable shoes!  Maven price $17.60, regular price $22.

The "extra"!
Grape Rock Candy

Sooo this lasted all of 40 seconds before I devoured it.  It was grape-flavored sugar and made my mouth purple...just like I had hoped.

Now, on to the polish!

The Polishes!

Left to right: Antonia, Helen, Coco, Kristy, Reece, Geo, Marion

Diamond Mystery Box #1

Let's see some swatches!

Julep Marion, 2 coats

Marion is from February 2013 It Girl.  It is a blue-leaning teal with a silvery shimmer.  This is super-pretty, but it will stain!  I'm glad the shimmer is as apparent on the nail as it is in the bottle, often times the bottle looks so much prettier than the dry polish.

Julep Reece

Oh my gosh, you guys, I have Reece!  I have wanted this polish *so* badly, but couldn't ever bring myself to buy it on its own.  This was an add-on in September 2013 and was part of the It Girl collection.  I got the September box, but didn't have the money or the Jules to get this as an add-on.  I was so glad to see it in this mystery box! It's even prettier in person.

Reece is a purple/green holographic duochrome.  It's amazing.  I am in love.  It looks muted and gray in some lights, but then other lighting brings out the purple or green and all of the sparkles.  Pictures don't do this one justice.  Ok, I'm done waxing poetic.

Julep Kristy

Julep Kristy is a midnight blue creme from the September 2013 Boho Glam collection.  This is a very, very dark navy, so of course I love it for the winter.  I've been using OPI Russian Navy a lot, but this is not shimmery at all, so I'm going to justify keeping it.  Yeah, it looks like some of my really dark purples, but it's technically blue, right? So I can keep it?

Julep Coco

I know this is blurry, but I've featured Coco before.  I got this color in my Popsugar Must Have for October, so it's nice to have a polish to give away.  I love this oxblood creme!  It's such a classy color to me.  This was from the It Girl collection in May 2013.

Julep Helen

Speaking of classy colors, I think my second favorite of this box is Helen.  This is from the Classic with a Twist from February 2013 and is a smoky lavender, according to Julep.  I think it is a great pink for my skin and I'm surprised I don't have anything like it already!  Two coats was almost unnecessary, I think I could pull off one with a top coat!  Even better.

Julep Marion, Reece, Kristy, Coco, and Helen

All in all, there was not a dud in the bunch! I was afraid I'd get a weird yellow or other unpopular color, but these were all amazing.  I am so happy that I bought this mystery box!

The two promised polishes were two diamond top coats.

Julep Geo

Geo is a lavender holographic diamond glitter top coat.  Whew, that's a mouth full.  It has a clear base with holographic and lavender glitter and lavender holographic diamonds.  It's so sparkly!

This is Julep Geo over Kristy (middle nail)

Twinkle, twinkle, little star....

Julep Antonia

Antonia is a pale pink holographic diamond glitter top coat.  This is very similar to Geo, but the glitter is all pink-based, and the diamonds are not holographic.  It's a little less flashy than Geo, but just as pretty.

Julep Antonia over Helen (bottom)

As with any other chunky glitter polish, it takes a little bit of effort to apply.  You need to dab on and position the diamonds without getting too much of the polish base on your nail.  It takes a little practice but is hardly rocket science.

Each of the 7 polishes is worth $11.20, Maven pricing, or $14 without. ($78.40 or $98)

Julep Marion, Reece, Kristy with Geo, Coco, and Helen with Antonia

This was a very nice mystery box, especially for $25!  I got $111.97 (Maven pricing) worth of goodies, including a polish I had been drooling over for months.  Not quite the $120 promised, but I did estimate on the eyelash curler, and with full pricing would have been way over the stated value.

Of course, I changed my polish to Reece after I swatched everything... how could I not?

Way prettier in real life! Yay Reece!

Julep is a monthly nail polish/beauty product subscription service.  They also do mystery boxes just about once a month, and members get special pricing on any products from their website.  If you are interested in trying Julep, please consider using my referral link here.   I will get 1000 Jules (Julep's point system for purchasing items).  You can get your first box for free using code FREEBOX.  If that doesn't work, FREEFB might.  You can skip any months you want and cancel at any time.  Their polish is great, and is 4-free.  

This post contains items I purchased myself.  All opinions are my own, and no compensation or special consideration was received for this post.  This post contains a referral link.

The Week in Nails, November 17

Julep Meryl

Grey Nails are my favorite.  I love this color, and it was the first Julep I ever received!  Unfortunately, that means it is old and on the goopier side since I've used up more than half of it.  Oh well.  It's still pretty!  2 coats, no base and Julep Polymer Top Coat.

I may or may not have taken that picture whilst TAing, hence the dry-erase marker.  I wore this for 3 days.

Geometric Taping

My boyfriend and his friends were watching a hockey game and this is what I did.  It took most of the game to finish, but it was worth it.  I used OPI Russian Navy on most of my nails, with Julep Alexandria over the ring fingers, then taped off triangles and painted them.  The triangle colors are Nailtini Mai Tai, OPI Russian Navy, Julep Sienna, and NYC Tudor City Teal.  No base, no top (it needed one, but oh well), and I wore it for 3 days.

Zoya Mason

2 coats of Zoya Mason.  No base, no top, and I'm on day 2 of this (it is Monday).  It's a little chipped but I don't feel like taking it all off.  I might just do some designs over the chipped tips?  You will have to find out next week.

The opinions in this post are mine; all items mentioned within were paid for by me.  No special compensation or consideration was received for this post.

The Week in Nails, November 10

Water Marble

Base of Julep Alexandra, marbled with China Glaze Riveting, Essie Bordeaux, and Julep Charlie.  Julep Polymer top coat.  I wore this for two days.

Julep Lynn

2 coats of Julep Lynn and Polymer top coat.  I had to give a work presentation and didn't want my water marble to be distracting, so I went with my usual standby for demure nails.  I wore this for two days.

Orly Rock-It

Two coats of Orly Rock-It and no base or top.  I wore this for 3 days.  

This is the first time I have worn this polish, and I love it!  It has so much depth to the color.  My picture isn't the best, but it's a ruby color with a gold foil effect.  It wore really well, and I really like this brand's rubberized grip for the brush.  I bought this at Marshall's for $4.  Good deal!

This post contains items purchased by me.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and no special consideration or compensation was received.

My First Water-Marble

Preparation

First I used two coats of Julep Alexandra on all nails and let it dry. Next, I taped off all around my nails to make clean-up easier. 

Into a cup of water (stir first to break surface tension so the polish disperses) I dropped Essie Bordeaux, China Glaze Riveting, and Julep Charlie. For the first practice nails I also dropped in Julep Alexandra, to make it look like only parts of the nail were marbled. 

Starting off

Swirl the polish with a tooth pick until you get a pattern you like. Dip your nail into the patterned part of the polish that you like. With your finger still in the water, clear all of the excess polish away with a toothpick. 

Clean up and the final product

Pull your finger out of the water, remove the tape, and clean up any stray polish. Seal with a top coat and that's it!

Right Hand

Left Hand

This was easier than I expected, but it took a few tries for me to get the hang of it. I kept smudging the polish one way or another. 

The Week in Nails, November 3

Julep Cleopatra with China Glaze Marry a Millionaire on Tips

Matte Black and Sparkles, no top coat, for the 3 days leading up to Halloween.

NCLA Dracula's Bride Nail Wraps

Halloween: Dracula's Bride Nail Wraps.  Everyone asked if I did this myself, and were all disappointed when I said they were nail wraps.  I guess they have come to expect great things from me? 

Julep Aisha (berry) and Cynthia (microglitter)

The final two days of the week (my nails were naked today) I wore two of my November Julep polishes.  Aisha was on my thumb, pinky, and first finger, and Cynthia on my middle and ring.  I should have used a top coat over Cynthia at least, it is semi-matte and chipped pretty easily.

Julep Maven, Boho Glam November

Julep's November box came today! I selected Boho Glam as my style this month, mostly for Alexandra, but also because I liked the gloss color the best.

Boho Glam November 2013 First Look

This month, Julep also included a holiday catalog with some of their special gift sets.

Luxe Repair Skin Serum Sample

The extra this month is Julep's new Luxe Repair Skin Serum.

Julep Boho Glam: Aisha (top) and Alexandra (bottom)

Aisha is a wildberry creme and Alexandra is a blonde creme.  I think these will both be nice shades for this fall/winter.

Aisha and Alexandra

I also used up some Jules and got an add-on polish this month.

Julep Cynthia Add-On

Julep Cynthia

Cynthia is described as a desert sand microglitter.  The glitter is holographic! I couldn't resist this, and I had more than enough Jules, so why not?

Julep Lip Gloss in Charming

This is a "sheer mauve" and smells like vanilla frosting.  It's a little sticky and my boyfriend's opinion was, "I don't like that one, it gets everywhere!"

Julep Lip Gloss in Charming

I think it looks nice.  I don't mind the stickiness that much, it's not goopy at least.

Julep Aisha and Cynthia

Julep Alexandra and Cynthia

Julep Alexandra, Aisha, and Cynthia

All swatches are two coats, no base or top.

Julep Maven is a monthly nail polish subscription service that is $19.99 per month.  Use code FREEBOX to get your first month for free! You can pick whatever style profile you want for a month, or skip without any penalty.  Being a maven also gets you a site-wide discount and free shipping.  You can sign up with my link here.  I'll get Julep points (Jules) to spend on items.  

All items in this post were purchased by me and all opinions are my own  No special consideration or compensation was received for this.  This post contains a referral link.