My Week at a Glance 2.24 - 3.2

The end of the week is here and now for a little recap.  This week was a tough one for me personally, but all is well now.  I look forward to the upcoming week.

My first post of the week was my favorite.  Zoya PixieDust swatches!

Sticking with the the textured theme, I showed you the new OPI sand What Wizardry Is This?

After a short 2 day break, I came back and bright and revisited Orly Hot Shot This is one of my first blog posts a long time ago, but now that I know how to take a proper photo, you all get a much better look at it.  (:

Yesterday's post was a look at the brand new Modern Beauty Julep Maven box.  I was pretty pleased with this one.

This week the blog had it's ups and downs, but I'm back on my polish game.  Oh and I started a new workout regimen and meal plan.  I'm determined to lose 40lbs!  (:

Julep Maven March Box

Hi My Lovelies!!

Today's post is a little different.  I haven't shown you any of my Julep Maven box openings in a while, because I haven't been super duper excited about any of them yet.  I liked everything I received, but I didn't feel like they were blog worthy until now.

Julep decided that this month they were going to do away with the American Beauty box and revamp it into the Modern Beauty box.  This box contains no polish but instead beauty products.  I thought I didn't need any more polish (for now) so this was perfect.

Here is my box!  Are you ready?!

I love how they pack the boxes with such pretty paper and little quote cards.

Inside is the hand lotion and a glycolic scrub that I knew I was getting.  The extra item of the month is Julep's Strawberry-Mint Lip Balm.  This is great because I love lip balm.  I can never have too many.  I have them stashed all over the apartment and in my purse just in case.  Oh and they are all different brands and types.  lol

So of course the first think I put on is the lip balm.  It glides on super smooth and is very glossy.  You only need one swipe on your bottom lip and then rub them together and you're good to go.  I was very excited about the scent because of the mint.  I thought when I put it on my lips were going to get that cool sensation, but they didn't.  It's really just like wearing strawberry lip balm.  There is no mint to be found in the scent or the flavor.  Yes!  Flavor!  It tastes just like strawberry everytime you lick your lips.  This is probably going to be the new lip balm that lives in my purse.  That way at work my lips will never look dry or chapped.

The glycolic hand scrub I really liked.  It's pretty much just glycolic acid with "finely-milled apricot seeds".  The ground up seeds help slough off dry, dead skin cells and the acid softens and brightens the new skin leaving your hands looking and feeling super soft.  I also noticed after I washed it off that my hands felt like I had just put lotion on them, but not greasy.  Just silky.  The things I like most about the scrub is that it's paraben and sulfate free and it's gentle enough to use daily.  You can also use it on your elbows, knees, or wherever you need.  The one and only thing I don't like is the scent.  I was hoping for apricots but it's more of a floral scent.  Luckily it fades quickly.

I had mixed feeling about the Rock Star hand lotion.  It's full of shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E to help keep your hands super soft and hydrated.  I loved how my hands felt after application.  It's not greasy and it absorbed pretty quickly.  However I couldn't handle the smell.  It has the same floral scent as the hand scrub but much stronger.  It actually gave me a splitting headache.  I've had the lotion on my hands for about an hour now (I wanted to give you all an accurate review) and I can still smell it.  This would normally make me super happy but I'm not a floral scent kind of person.  I just prefer unscented lotions.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to get past the scent and continue to use this product, but if strong smells or floral scents don't bother you then by all means, you need this.  My hands still feel very soft and if it were unscented I would definitely continue use.

I feel like with most of the Maven boxes I get, it's really a mixed bag and I usually end up liking only one item and not the other.  This box was no different.  If they change up the scents of the scrub and lotion, I would give this box an A+!  Instead it gets a solid B.  That's fair right?

Review Wrap-Up
Price: $...It's only $19.95 each month for at least 3 products.  If you get a Maven box of polish, it's a steal IMO.  Each polish costs $14 and you are getting 2 and a beauty product for $19.95.  I mean you can't beat that.
Variety: The Julep Maven subscription gives you 5 different Style Profiles to choose from.  Each profile gives you a different combination of polish colors.  You can also change styles each month or purchase extras from the Julep Shop.  If you aren't sure about which style to choose, just take the Maven Quiz to give you a push in the right direction.
Quality: I've never had an issue with the quality of any of the Julep products.  The only thing I may not like is the color or in this case the scent but never the quality.  (:
Would I Purchase Again:  Yes!  I always have the option to skip a month if I'm not feeling it, but I really like the idea of the Modern Beauty box.  I look forward to seeing what beauty products are in April's Maven box.

If you aren't a Julep Maven, you can sign up using my invitation link (http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/18489/) or you can use my unique invitation code (1423653) when you sign up.  This will help you and me both earn Jules to redeem for Maven products each month.

October Julep Maven Box

I haven't posted a Maven box opening in a while, and I thought this one was a good place to start up again.  I haven't been excited about one in a while too.

First of all, I love crackles so I so happy I got an ORANGE ONE!!  I don't even like orange, but I don't have a crackle that color, and it's pretty damn awesome.  Second of all, I see a little sneak peek of some candy corn in there.  I hate candy corn too, but I sure did eat it.  lol.

Here is what came in the Maven box:  Julep Eloise, Julep Sabrina (cute!), Quick Dry Polish Drops, orange and black glitter, and a baggie of candy corn.

This is Sabrina.  It is a shimmery orange crackle with the cutest name.  I mean, who doesn't love Sabrina?  I particularly like the old school comics best, but Melissa Joan Hart did a good job too.

I forgot to get a photo of Eloise before I put the crackle over it, but this is one coat (I used one coat on the above swatch as well).  It applied very easily, but the color reminds me of Zoya Cynthia.  I'm pretty sure they are not dupes, but I guess I could give it a go.

I did order an add-on polish, but I'm a little disappointed to find out that the add-ons come in a different shipment.  I think that's stupid, but whatever.  I know this wasn't as exciting as I could have made it, but that's the box.  I mean, I don't know what else to show you.

D

NAIL MAIL!

It's Julep Maven Box time and mine has arrived!

 Once again I'm a "Classic with a Twist" girl.

 This is how cute the wrapping was and I love that it's purple and black.  I'm not sure if the products or the crinkle paper is my favorite part, but I do save it.  And it came with a Julep.com nail file.  Neat I guess.

Included in my box:  nail file, polish, and organic argan oil elixir

The two colors I received are Jennifer and Brooke.  Jennifer is a sheer polish with a hint of pink and Brooke is a sheer shimmery purple perfect for layering.

 From L to R:  Jennifer, Brooke, Brooke over Jennifer (2 coats), Brooke over black (1 coat)

And then I wanted to add a quick comparison of my newest love, OPI Sweet Memories, and Jennifer.

This is 3 coats of both, but Jennifer is slightly lighter and has less pink in it.  It still has the same squishy finish, but I'm still on OPI's side.  Sorry Jennifer.


I will be swatching these in the next few days so stay tuned.
D

Julep Meryl

Yesterday I showed you Oscar and now we have Meryl, the second polish from my Julep Maven Box.  View the post here.  Now view the polish here ↓↓↓.

I love the formula on this one.  It's like a creme jelly.  It's weird but fantastic.  This is 3 coats.  I found that it also dries very quick.  I didn't even add a top coat.


Enjoy!
D

Julep Oscar

I finally got a chance to swatch the two Julep polishes from my Maven Box.  The one I have for you today is Oscar, which was created for [you guessed it] The Oscar's, which will be airing on February 26, 2012.  The box also came with CHOCOLATE!  It was good!  If you want to see my post on the Maven Box, here you go!

Oscar is a clear base with gold glitter.  I applied 3 coats and as you can see it's not opaque and that's just because of the clear base.  It's gonna be great for layering.  I have a gold glitter that's very similar to this so I'll do a comparison in the near future.


Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow for Meryl!
D

NAIL MAIL!

Ooh!  I couldn't wait for this to get here, so now that it is, I'm ripping it open.

My February Julep Maven box is here!!  I'm a "Classic with a Twist" girl.

As you can see, each Maven box comes with a beauty card that tells me what is inside.  Is that chocolate?

This box comes with Julep Topcoat for Hair which is a conditioning heat protectant.  It also has Meryl, a grey creme polish, and Oscar, a gold micro glitter and yes, that is CHOCOLATE!  I don't really like chocolate unless it's dark chocolate like this one.

I will be swatching these soon and maybe using them in some of my Valentine's series manis.  I can't wait to show you.


D