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.

August Julep: Endless Summer (No, Please No)

The thought of an endless summer makes me want to curl up in a ball, preferably in a cool, dark room. August is an oppressive sauna like experience in Mobile, and I've reached the end of wanting anything to do with it. That does not mean Julep's August box was a bust, however, even though they did experience a product glitch that led to a bit of a windfall for me. Let's explore.

I decided to customize my box and pick up some staples I've had my eye on, like the bronzer brush, cuticle vanishing drops, cuticle pusher, and the charcoal konjac sponge. I also selected the uber gorgeous holographic Eliza from the new August polishes, and the vintage gold chrome Spencer was my bonus for selecting 3 add ons.  The product missing, however, is Julep's new to market No Excuses - Invisible Suncreen Gel. Julep did let me know that it was being delayed and that they would ship it out separately.

On August 8th I received this in an email:

Thank you for your patience with No Excuses - Invisible Sunscreen Gel. We know you wanted this product, and you've been waiting. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we won't be able to release No Excuses any time soon. (Yes, we're really bummed about it, too.) We want to make it up to you. Here is a special promo code for $50 of product on Julep.com. Use it to replenish your favorite Julep products or find some new ones. 

Kudos to Julep for communicating clearly with their customers and being so generous with promo dollars! I ended up getting all 3 of the August polish mystery boxes and with the code only payed $10. Now for some closeups of the August items.

Eliza: Infinite Ocean Halographic

I like Julep's brushes! The tulip shaped bronzer brush has a weighted handle and soft, duo fiber bristles. I would imagine this brush could be used with any powder product, but I have been using it with Julep's bronzer to good effect.

Sigh, my cuticles need all the help they can get. I've used the Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover twice since I received it, and it does make it easier to push back and remove excess cuticle.

Apparently the Vanish drops and Cuticle Pusher are used in the Julep salons, and while I was a bit skepticle of the Cuticle Pusher at first, I've decided I like it, as it does work well.

You know, last year I bought a Foreo Luna Mini to cleanse my face with. It's nice and all, but I reach for the It's Fun to Exfoliate konjac sponge 4 out of 5 times. Sometimes technology doesn't win out.

September 2016 Maven Cheers to Five Years (Source: Julep)

The September Maven Reveal for the "Cheers for Five Years" collection opened on Saturday and closes the 24th. I've selected the mini gel pencil set, as Julep's gel pencils are good. Really good.

Midsummer Light: Julep Maven June Box

Disclaimer: I purchased these.

I chose the Modern Beauty box for June's Maven selection, which featured new shades of Julep's When Pencil Met Gel, Skip the Brush blush, and It's Balm.  I also added on the new Viola! Nail Polish Thinner, something users have been requesting from Julep for quite some time but apparently was a challenge due to Julep's 5-free formula.  I've been enjoying Julep's recent cosmetic offerings and needed some polish thinner, so let's take a look!

I'm a fan of Julep's gel eye pencils, which apply easily with vivid, smudge-free color.  Sunset Gold Shimmer ($16) is the newest offering, and I'm pleased that the orange-gold shimmer is not duped by anything else in my sizeable eye pencil collection.  The shimmer is slightly on the chunkier side and can look patchy if applied lightly, but color can be built up for intense, opaque color.  I like it and it's a flattering shade for my blue eyes.

I chose Warm Bronze from the new shades available in Skip the Brush ($24), Julep's cream to powder formula in chubby stick packaging.  It's definitely on the warm end of the spectrum, but fortunately for me it works well with my skin's undertones.

It also sheers out nicely, which allows for either sheer or bold color, depending on preference.  There are tiny gold flecks in this, which while visible to the eye at close range, are hard to detect in other photos or from a small distance. I apply directly to my skin and then use a dense but flat head brush to blend along the perimeter of my face and along the hollows of my cheeks.

For the It's Balm ($20), I chose the cool-toned bright pink Flamingo Pink.  I like the formula but the color is not the most flattering for me, although I found a layering mixture I really like that I'll show tomorrow.

Last up is my add-on, the Viola! Polish Thinner.  I tested it in a Julep polish that I remember thinking could use thinning out, the off white with gold flecked Bunny, and I'm pleased to report that Bunny was much easier to work with but still remained an opaque one-coater.  I'm not seeing the polish thinner on Julep's site, however, so I'm not sure what's up with that.  I seem to remember the price being around $6.

The full retail value of my June box without the polish thinner add-on is $60, making it triple the value of what I paid for it.  Of course, Julep is always running specials so there is really little need to pay full price as long as you are patient and keep an eye on sales. Tomorrow I'll show some looks using all three of the cosmetic items from my June box as well as my impressions after wearing them for the last few weeks, so stay tuned :-)

Julep April Maven: Be Bright

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Julep's color palette for April features bright pops of vivid sheer polish over white. To that end, each box received the bright white Brigette as a bonus polish, and I chose the watermelon hued Kimball as it's companion.

I love jelly finish polishes (Julep is using the "vivid sheer" moniker for this particular collection), but I've never layered them over a white polish. Interestingly, it does amp up the color quite a bit.  Perfect for sping, IMO.

This is two coats of Kimball over one coat of Brigette with Julep's Oxygen base and top coats. Turns out top coat was a must, as I experienced little air bubbles that only disappeared once I applied top coat.

The new non-polish options this month were the Detoxifying Cleansing Stick ($28) and the Kaolin Clay konjac sponge ($12).  The Detoxifying Cleansing Stick intrigued me, being the first of it's kind I've tried.

This solid cleanser features rice bran oil for cleansing and pomegranate enzymes for exfoliation - or at least those are the 2 ingredients featured for marketing purposes from the many in the ingredient list .

The instructions say to apply to wet hands and then rub all over your face.  It is low on the sudsing scale, but did leave my skin feeling clean, soft and smooth.  I'll use it as step two of my cleansing routine, with a cleansing oil going first to remove makeup.

I've forgotten to put the cap back on twice now, but the cleanser did not harden beyond it's original semi-hard consistency or seem worse for the exposure.  I think this will be a perfect travel option given it's packaging and consistency.  I also like applying it directly to a konjac sponge for a gentle but thorough cleansing.

I haven't tried the Kaolin Clay konjac sponge yet, as I've got one of Julep's charcoal konjac's in use right now.  Glad to try another variety and look forward to the upcoming green tea version as well.

I paid $19.99 for my April box and received $68 worth of product, and I continue to be impressed with Julep's recent skincare products!