Julep Maven: April 2014 – The Vibrant Collection

I think this awful, awful winter has created an insatiable need for bright cheerful colors and this month  Julep won us over with their Vibrant Collection.  

The makeup options this month included blush and bronzer.  At first I was going to choose the “Modern Beauty” and snap up some cheek color then just add on some fabulous polishes, but after my Nina Garcia box sent me that amazing Laura Mercier cheek palette I knew I’d have way more blush than I could use.  Instead I switched gears and opted  for “It Girl” with an awesome add-on. 

Now to the colors!

“IT GIRL” BOX:

 

Maren: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Electric bubblegum sheer with blue sheen
This is a sheer jelly type finish that you wear in buildable layers. This is a wonderful polish if you want to try nail art and have very little patience (like me). Besides jelly sandwich manicures, you can layer Maren over other colors to create awesome shades. I layered this over Julep’s black latex Cleopatra and ended up with an amazing dusky Maleficent-esque purple. You can have a ton of fun experimenting with the sheer finishes and I highly recommend picking up at least one.

Flora: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Exotic dragonfruit with blue shimmer
With my original configuration (Modern Beauty +add-ons) I did not have this color in my order. I’m so glad I opted for the It Girl and picked it up because it is so vibrant and beautiful. It makes me think of Hawaiian hibiscus flowers and islands in Tahiti.

Bailey: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Hyped cobalt sheer
Once I saw the words “Cobalt” and “sheer” I knew this was for me. I love this color. It’s a perfect blue and the sheer effect gives it a unique depth when you layer it. I can’t wait to try it out with Tania (the mermaid teal glitter) from last month and have an “ode to the ocean” manicure.

ADD-ONS:

Felicia: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Black speckled mint crème
I have been waiting forever for Julep to get on the speckled polish bandwagon so the moment I saw this I grabbed it as an add-on. I love speckled finishes and I think they are a perfect fit for spring time since they have a sort of bird egg/nature feel to them. I think this one might be my choice for my Easter manicure.

FREEBIE:

Candy!
We also got a few coupons with the candy. Freebies are always nice but I’d love to see more sample packets so we can fall in love with more items and spend even more money on Julep products.

OVERALL:

Verdict: Love!
The retail value of my items was $56.00 and the Maven value was $44.80. I still had Jules left so I was able to pick this box up for free but I would have gladly paid the regular price for these items. I feel like the polishes were fun, seasonally appropriate and a bit different than the usual assortment of crème finishes. I hope we see more sheers and speckled heading our way this year.

What do you think of speckled polishes? Do you love them? Hate them?  Think they look like you dipped your polish in Oreo crumbs?

JULEP NEWS!

Plie Wand Update!

So as you all recall there was much rumbling and angst about Julep’s new plié wand. The big issue was that the plié wand design would require all the Julep polish bottles to change. Since so many mavens were upset at losing their beloved packaging, Julep managed to redesign the plié wand to fit with the existing bottle design and then those who wanted to try the wand and those that wanted the same packaging all lived happily ever aftter (or until the next polish kerfluffle). We’ll be seeing this new fangled plié wand in next month’s May Box and thankfully all our polish bottles will look as lovely as they do right now.

Did you preorder a plié wand? Are you excited that the packaging is staying the same or were you intrigued by the originally proposed magnetic bottles?

THE BACKSTORY

COUPON CODE: If you love Julep’s products, you can try out a box for freejust use the code FREEBOX
Just remember this signs you up for a monthly subscription. If you don’t wish to receive boxes you will need to call Julep to cancel .

Julep specializes in toxin-free nail color but also features beauty products. They are a small company based in Seattle and have been featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List.

Their monthly maven box that costs $19.99. You simply take their beauty quiz and it will match you up with a specific style.
The options:
Modern Beauty – (For those who prefer beauty items over nail color) – “You’re a savvy tastemaker obsessed with the art and science of beauty.” Get two full-size beauty products in every box.
Boho Glam – “You’re a dynamic free spirit with a creative eye.” Get two limited-edition nail colors and one full-size beauty product in every box.
Bombshell – “You’re a confident frill-seeker with magnetic appeal.” Get two limited-edition nail colors and one full-size beauty product in every box.
Classic With a Twist – “You’re an iconic beauty with a timeless aesthetic.” Get two limited-edition nail colors and one full-size beauty product in every box.
It Girl – (For those who want polish only) “You’re a colorful trendsetter who’s not afraid to be bold.” Get three limited-edition nail colors in every box.

The real beauty of a maven box is that you to choose what you want. You can change profiles each month and choose whichever box tickles your fancy. Julep will email you with the contents of your regular box selection, and at that time you can opt to keep it as is or change it. Every time you purchase a box you get the option of add-ons at a huge discount along with access to Julep’s “Secret Store” that lets you get other products at great prices.   Another perk is that when you’re a maven you get 20% off anything you purchase from Julep’s website along with free Shipping. Julep polishes retail at $14.00 each, so a Maven box of two to three brand new polishes for under $20.00 is a great steal.

Julep also has a rewards program that gives you “jules” for taking your monthly boxes, referring customers and on your birthday. You can use jules to pay for monthly boxes and some other items chosen by Julep.