May was a much anticipated month for Julep since they were finally releasing the long awaited (and contested) plié wand. May’s collection was entitled “French Twist” and featured a few bright shades mixed with softer pastels. My choice this month was “It Girl” which included the infamous plié wand.
It Girl usually contains three polishes, but this month it only had two in order to accommodate the plié wand. Those who only wanted polish had an option called “color crush”.
“IT GIRL” BOX:
Julep Plié Wand: (Retail $25.00/Maven Price: $20.00)
Verdict: Hit!
Description: An ergonomic nail polishing tool designed to solve common polishing pain points and give you better results. Long, balanced design improves leverage, comfort, and control. Flexible handle twists and bends so you can get a better grip. Plié overcap fits on any Julep nail polish and attaches to Plié Wand. Precision brush lets you polish closer to your nail
Once Julep had redesigned this to fit with existing bottle designs I was excited to try it out. So far I’ve only used it for a manicure, but I found it did help a lot when I used my non-dominant hand. I can’t wait to try it out for pedicures and nail art. I think if you have a large Julep collection, you should definitely consider giving this a try. It’s important to note that they give you an extra cap and brush but the wand fits over all your existing Julep polishes. Just remove the rectangular plastic cap to reveal the round plastic top, then snap the wand on and voila!
Plié Wand Precision Brush (2 pack for$6.00)
Verdict: Hit!
Description: Our precision brushes feature a shorter stem that lets you get closer to your nail while polishing. For best results, pop on a Plié overcap and attach to the Plié Wand.
We got one set with our plié wand and I’m happy to receive it since it will let me use the wand with other polishes. The instructions say to clean it with nail polish remover when you finish with it. I’m not sure how it will hold up after being cleaned lots of times but since most of my collection is Julep I shouldn’t need to use it that often.
Now the colors…
Kam: (Sale Price: $7.00)
Verdict: Like
Description: Vintage spearmint crème
After swatching my polish collection on nailsticks, I came to the realization that I don’t have much in the green or pink categories. I was hoping this shade was a little more of a sagey green, but it definitely is mint. It’s a lovely color, but I do have quite a few mint shades. Then again, can you really have too many different shades of mint?
Jules: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Like
Description: Warm powder pink crème
I realized that I don’t have a ton of pinks and I reach for the few I have a lot when I’m trying to use fun topcoats. I picked this up to use with some of my metallic topcoats (like Gianna).
This month there were a lot of issues with shipping which I’ll get into during my overall review, but a lot of add-ons were shipped separately. So my creativity kit came in its own separate box.
ADD-ONS:
Plié Wand Creativity Kit: (Retail $10.00/Maven Price: $8.00)
Verdict: Hit!
Description: Kit includes: Dotting tool with a rounded tip for dots, heart, and more. Striping brush with superfine bristles for French manis, stripes, and more.
This kit goes with the plié wand. You snap these attachments in and voila you now have nail art tools. While I am a creative person I am not neat and I keep my nails short, so nail art has always eluded me. I’m excited to try this kit and see if I can pull off some fun new looks.
FREEBIE:
Yumi: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Pink, silver and holographic glitter.
As a thank you, they included Yumi (named after Julep founder Jane’s daughter). It was so nice to get an additional polish. This is a glitter topper and I can’t wait to try it out in some jelly manicures.
OVERALL
Hit!
The retail value of my items was $70.00 and the Maven value was $57.40. I pre-paid $19.99 for this box during the crowd-funding period and with my add-ons and tax, my total came out to $26.73. I’m happy with the plié wand and while these colors didn’t wow me, I like them and will definitely use of them. It was also very nice to get that free glitter polish.
JULEP NEWS!
So it seems friends, that things can never stay too peaceful on the Julep front for long. As I mentioned earlier there was much drama with the shipping of the May boxes and there are mavens (many of which crowd-funded) who still haven’t received their boxes.
To compound that, Julep has started what at first seemed like a great option: customization. For $24.99 a month you can opt for a “My Maven” subscription to customize your box (instead of choosing from the set types) and if you prepay for 3 months, you can stay at $19.99 per month. They also added on a mysterious Maven “luxe” option for $39.99 a month (or $34.99 with the 3 month prepay option.) At this point it’s unclear to many what this luxe option does. It seems to just give access to add in pricier beauty items to your box (like their luxe creams), but you can’t really get any detail unless you sign up for it.
Now here’s where Julep pulls they old switcheroo. They claimed adamantly over and over that “nothing” would change if you didn’t want this customization option, except the price of add-ons has now increased from $4.99 for a current polish to $6.99. In addition, if you switch over to My Maven or Luxe Maven you cannot switch back to the regular subscription.
I’ll report back with my June box on not only my selections but on any ensuing Julep backlash and drama. Be sure to stop by for all the gory details.
What do you think of Julep’s new changes? Should they have announced their price change plans?
Was it dishonest to keep it a secret until the window open or were they under no obligation to tell their subscribers in advance?
Should Julep have held off on customization until July in order to prioritize the existing May boxes that are still a mess?
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.
Monthly Maven Options:
Maven Subscription: $19.99 – Monthly Maven box where you choose from the boxed sets in each category.
My Maven Subscription: $24.99 per month – Allows you to customize your box
3 Month Prepaid: $19.99/month
Maven Luxe: $39.99 per month – Gives you access to add on more expensive items
3 Month Prepaid: $34.99/month
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.
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.
Lisa Preziosi 
I love the Plie Wand too–and I even used it with the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics polish from Popsugar. Worked perfectly.
I picked up Butter London’s Fishwife when Ricky’s had them on sale. I think that’s going to be my first non-julep polish I try with the wand.
The plie just looks fabulous and I love the nail art kit. That would be super helpful. I think each time I see this wand I get more and more excited about it. I’ve always been excited about polish, but I’m actually really excited about a wand – this is kinda revolutionary.
I think it’s something everyone who’s really interested in polish should try out.
Maybe I’m an oddball but I didn’t find that the plié wand helped me. I did about as well with it as I do without.
I was super excited about the box customization options until I found out you can’t switch back, so I’ll be sticking with my regular subscription. I’m usually pretty happy with my monthly Classic With a Twist box anyway!
I think the plie wand may be less successful for the folks already skilled with applying their polish. 🙂
Yes, there will probably be more drama this month! I clicked the customize link thinking I would just get more info about it. Just like that, I was upgraded to their 3-month prepaid plan. There was NO “are you sure you want to change your plan? Press yes or no” button. No confirm/save plan selection button. I tried hitting the back button but it didn’t work. …. and I haven’t gotten a confirmation email with my saved box selections yet…usually that is fast.
If you don’t want the prepay, give their customer service a call and tell them you hit the button accidentally. If you’ve switched to the “My maven” you won’t be able to switch back to your regular subscription, so be sure that you want it!