Julep Maven Box for September: Flawless Without the Fuss

Disclaimer: I purchased these.

My selections from Julep's September Maven collection were the polishes August and Sammy, plus the new Blank Canvas Illuminating Treatment Primer. Let's look at the polishes first and then I'll give you my initial impressions on the primer.

Every year around this time I'm attracted to deep crimsons to wear on my nails. It must have something to do with Indian summer and the change of seasons, which happens a bit later on the Gulf Coast than it does in other areas.  The polish August is described as a "chocolate cherry ghost shimmer" but reminds me of blackberries, as it looks almost black on the nail, with just a hint of its crimson undertone. The ghost shimmer doesn't really translate to the nail, as August looks decidedly like a cream finish to me.

Sammy is described as a sand dune creme, but I see a bit more lavender grey in the mix. I've got a work trip to New Orleans coming up, and I think I'll be sporting Sammy then.

I've only worn the Illuminating Treatment Primer ($28) twice thus far, so will wait for a true review until I have a better idea of how it performs. I initially saw the "illuminating" and thought there would be a shimmer finish to the primer, but there is not.  It does contain 18 plant extracts for long-term nourishing and brightening benefits and light diffusing pearls for a natural luminous finish. I don't really see a luminosity beyond what you would experience with any cream, but again, I may just need more time with it.

I can say the primer played nicely with my foundation the two times I tried it, which is promising.  I'm a fan of the Blank Canvas Mattifying primer, and the Illuminating primer may be a good choice for colder weather wear.

The extra this month was a sheet of stickers. I'm not really a sticker person, so will probably toss these. The value of my box this month was $56, for which I payed $19.99. Julep continues to impress me with their new products and polishes, making them the only beauty subscription box that I still receive :-)

Julep 5-in-1 Skin Perfector with Turmeric in Nude and Beige

Disclaimer: I purchased these.

I'm a bit behind in posting my Julep Maven box from July, but it actually works out well as I wanted to get another shade in one of the products I selected: the 5-in-1 Cushion Complexion Skin Perfector with Turmeric ($30). I was able to accomplish that with my August box, so now I've got a shade that works as foundation (beige) and one that works an under eye concealer (nude).

I'm really liking the Skin Perfector so far as both a foundation and a concealer. This multi-tasker is supposed to conceal, correct, blur, brighten and illuminate and has a thin consistency with medium coverage. I use the cushion tip to apply stripes on my face and then buff it out with a damp Beauty Blender. The finish is matte, which works well with my oilier skin. I have noticed that it will settle into fine lines, but making sure to smooth out those areas so that excess foundation is not building up seems to work to fix that problem.

July Maven box from Julep

Per Ulta's web site:

• Turmeric extract provides long-term brightening benefits and contains anti-inflammatory properties.
• Camellia seed oil (sourced from Jeju Island, Korea) contains skin - calming properties and provides nourishing & moisturizing benefits.
• Soft-Focus Powders blur the look of fine lines & imperfections while creating a smooth, demi - matte finish that's never flat.

I'm a huge fan of turmeric in both my diet and skincare, so I'm excited to see it in a foundation/concealer product! I add turmeric to my green smoothies and a new favorite way to consume it is something I'm calling spicy lemonade, which consists of the juice of one organic lemon, half a teaspoon of turmeric, a dash of cayenne and black pepper, and some stevia to sweeten. I fill a 48 oz. tumbler with water, ice and my spicy lemonade concoction and I'm good to go all day. Just make sure to drink using a straw, as lemon juice is acidic and can hurt your tooth enamel and turmeric can stain your teeth. Turmeric really is wonderful on several levels, especially with it's anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

Nude on top, Beige on bottom

If you are using these as a foundation, I could see where the size at .16 oz would be a downside.  I'll be interested to see how long the beige one lasts for me, as I'm using it for foundation. The thinness and pigmentation of the formula may work in my favor however, as I really don't have to use much to get good coverage.

Beige on left, Nude on right

The formula does contain silicones, so if you use a primer make sure to pick one that works in tandem with 'cones.  I've been using Julep's Mattifying Treatment Primer (one of the few face primers I like), and so far so good.

August Maven box from Julep

Other items I chose for my July and August boxes are the No Excuses Sunscreen SPF 30 (my second bottle, really like it) and the polishes Wilma and Peyton.

I think Julep is doing a really good job with new product development when it comes to their skincare and makeup offerings! The Maven subscription allows me to purchase items at a substantial discount, which means trying new items is low risk and if I like them, repurchasing is also at prices much below their normal retail price.  I like :-)

Bask in the Heat: Julep Maven Box for June

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

It's been a few months since I opted in for a Julep Maven box, but the new With a Twist Lash Boosting Bamboo mascara ($22) in June's box tilted the scale in the "buy" direction or me.  After using it for a few days, I think I made a good decision!

The formula is infused with Korean bamboo grass and a blend of peptides which is supposed to promote lash growth when used over time. I can't say that I've used a lash growth product where I've been able to tell a difference with it yet, so I'm interested to see if this one will deliver any results.

Volumizing

Lengthening

Another appealing aspect of the mascara is the adjustable wand, which can be twisted shorter for volumizing affects or longer for lengthening the lashes. Thus far, I've found using the lengthening brush followed by the volumizing works best, as I get some clumping the other way around.

I also love the formula of Julep's When Pencil Met Gel eyeliners, so selected Ocean Blue ($16) as another one of my items. The pictures on Julep's site make this look more opaque than the swatches below, and it does take a bit of layering to build up the color.

With a Twist  mascara and Ocean Blue swatches

Still very pretty and when I wore it for 12 hours on a hot and sunny day where I was out picking blueberries and blackberries for a couple of hours, it held up beautifully. I had some minimal transfer on my hooded lids at the end of the day, but the liner still looked good. Below I'm also wearing the With a Twist mascara, but this time layered over Estee Lauder's Little Black Primer. I find that the Little Black Primer helps prevent lower lash smudging, which is an issue for me with most mascaras.

My other selections for June's Maven box were the Freedom Polymer Top Coat ($18) and Jaydra ($14) as an add-on using some of my points.  Jaydra is a soft mauve with a diffused holographic shimmer that I'm really looking forward to trying out.

I've been subscribing to the Julep Maven box for over 3 years now and I continue to enjoy their products!  All of the above cost me $19.99 and has a full retail value of $70, which is really quite the deal.

January Julep Maven Box: Future Fresh

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Julep's January collection is called Future Fresh and gives us a new skincare item - Boost Your Radiance Reparative Rosehip Seed Facial Oil ($36).  I customized my box to also include the Freedom topcoat and Pacita, the Wonder Maven polish from the collection. Let's take a closer look!

I love a good face oil, and this one features a streamlined ingredient list with Rosehip seed oil as the star.  Rosehip seed oil is indeed known as a skincare power house, as it is supposed to:

• hydrate skin while also regulating oil production
• protect against sun damage and even out hyperpigmentation
• reduce appearance of scars, burns, stretch marks, fine lines and wrinkles
• help with eczema and acne scarring

So where do these magical properties come from? Rosehip oil is harvested from the seeds of Rosa aff. rubigninosa or Rosa moschata, which are predominantly grown in Chile.  The chemical structure of Rosehip oil is what gives the powerhouse properties I listed, as it is rich in several essential fatty acids, which convert to prostaglandins (PGE) when absorbed by the skin and are involved in celular membrane and tissue regeneration. Hence the "reparative" in the title. It is also high in vitamin C, which is another great ingredient for anti-aging benefits.

Rosehip oil on its own is delicate and can easily go rancid, which is why vitamin E gets added to the mix to help improve shelf life. You will also want to keep it is a cool place and out of sunlight. Bergamot oil is an anti-fungal/anti-bacterial and also helps with hyperpigmentation. Since Rosehip oil is also a dry oil, it does not feel excessively oily and sinks quickly into the skin.

I've been using about 3 drops during the day as part of my skin care regimen (after serum and before moisturizer) and have not noticed it added any more oiliness/shine to my already oily skin. I've also mixed one drop to my more matte foundations, to good effect. Granted, I've only been using this about a week, but I've had no skin irritation or breakouts, and I'm happy to add this to my collection of facial oils!

Pacita ($14) was the polish I was most drawn to this month, as it is a duochrome that shifts slightly between a coppery russet to a dusky grayish mahogany. This is a sheer finish polish which can be built up to opacity or layered over another polish. It's pretty, although I've probably got 4 or 5 polishes in this same color family now. Clearly they appeal to me.

I'm a fan of the Freedom Polymer top coat ($18), although I do find it starts to get thick before I can finish a bottle. I had the same problem with Seche Vite, which is my other favorite top coat. Freedom gives great shine and dries pretty fast, and I generally get less tip shrinkage with it then I do with Seche Vite.

Julep continues to impress me with their skincare offerings and their polishes. The full retail value of my box is $68 and I paid $19.99, which I'm quite happy with. I look forward to seeing what other new products they will release in 2017!

Light and Shadow: November Julep Maven Box

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

November's Julep collection focuses on shimmery, harvest inspired hues.  The two nail polishes I gravitated towards are the sheer holographic nude Carrie Ann and the deep wine shimmer Syd.  I've been wearing variations of these two colors for the past 6 weeks, with nudes on my hands and wine shades on my toes. No telling how much longer that trend will continue, but I'm going with it.

November also saw the release of more Eyeshadow 101 shadow sticks, and I opted for Gunmetal Shimmer and Midnight Blue. I don't have anything like them in my stick shadow collection, which helped me bypass the warmer tones I usually go for.

The formula of the Eyeshadow 101 sticks is comparable to Laura Mercier Caviar sticks, and I like using darker shades like these as eyeshadow bases. These are billed as cream-to-powder eyeshadows, but I think that's a bit misleading. You do have a short time to blend these before they set, but once they set they are budge proof, which is why I disagree with the "powder" portion of the description.

So far I've only played with Gunmetal Shimmer, which I used as a base with a blueish silver Estee Lauder shadow from the 2016 Color Portfolio on top. I like how this look turned out!

I paid $19.99 for my box (I was grandfathered in at the lower price), and used my Julep points to add on Carrie Ann. All total the value of the box is $64, which goes to show how deep of a discount these monthly Maven subscriptions can provide.