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!

The Whole Shebang: Julep Mystery Polish Boxes in Metallics, Brights, and Glitter/Shimmers

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I ordered all 3 of the Julep August mystery boxes, as I had a $50 gift code due to the No Excuses sunscreen not being included in my August Maven order. I admit that it was burning a hole in my pocket and when I ordered these, I actually didn't notice these were polish only boxes. Whoops. The boxes arrived Saturday and fortunately there were only two polishes that I already own, so I lucked out. Let's start with the metallics.

The boxes were said to include at least $100 worth of product, and the inclusion in each box of nail stickers made that claim true.  Each box had 7 polishes, so 7 x $14 = $98, so the stickers round it up to meet the $100 claim. Considering I paid only $10 for all the boxes using my gift code, my price per polish is 47 cents, a total steal. I do already own Missy, so repeat #1.

• Penny: burnished bronze metallic (Muse Montreal, August 2015)
• Marika: stone matte metallic (New Year, Fresh Look, January 2016)
• Rachael: graphite shimmer (Kisses, London, September 2015
• Sawyer: copper patina molten (Friendsgiving, November 2014)
• Joss: ripe fig duochrome (New Year, Fresh Look, January 2016)
• Missy: titanium metallic (The Rebel Set, October 2013)
• Mia: greenish silver metallic (Glitterati, December 2013)

Next are the visually pleasing brights. Repeat #2 is the scarlet with gold shimmer Suzanne.

• Danica: blue violet iridescent chrome (Paradise, April 2015)
• Lee: spitfire red creme (Set Sail, May 2015)
• Suzanne: scarlet with gold microshimmer (The Switchup, November 2015)
• Sam: limeade creme (Into the Sea back from the vault, July 2016)
• Jenna: tangerine burst creme (Paradise, April 2015)
• Connie: hot magenta plum creme (Paradise, April 2015)
• Ari: extreme fuschia vivid sheer (Shine On, April 2016)

The last box is a mixtures of shimmers and glitters.

• Queen Anne: lilac glitter (3 year commemorative color, August 2014)
• Judy: moonbeam iridescent chrome (All Night Long, December 2015)
• Roxanne: black and gold jagged glitter (Dancing in the Night, November 2015)
• Oscar: 3-D gold glitter (Oscar, February 2012)
• Tish: silver bell microglitter (All Night Long, December 2015)
• Pepper: cornflower multidimensional shimmer (Rainbow Bright, May 2016)
• Neely: sparkling cranberry glitter (Raindeer Games Duo, November 2014)

By the way, if you are ever looking for a site with a comprehensive listing (month/year, collection, color, finish) and pictures of all 784 Julep polishes, go to http://julep.ariaevans.org/.  So nicely done! 

Did anyone else get any of the August mystery boxes, and if so, what did you think?

NOTD: The Ring by NerdLacquer

There once was an indie polish brand called NerdLacquer. I say once, because I find it's really best for me to think of it in the past tense, even though it appears the site is still active. It was (is?) my favorite indie polish brand, but man has it been a strange ride.

You see, the owner/creator has a habit of going incommunicado for long periods of time, even though people have placed orders and paid their money for polishes. It's happened several times, in fact, which should have told me something, but I still placed an order last year for 3 polishes. I did use PayPal, however, as at least there is recourse to get your money back should something go wrong.

Which it did.  After about 6 weeks and no polishes I emailed the owner, but got no response. I filed a claim with PayPal, and in due time they refunded my money. Perhaps 3 months later, my 3 polishes showed up, and there was also a lovely pair of stone earrings in the package for good will (or something?). I was bemused but happy to have 3 more Nerdlacquer polishes in my collection, but also sad that I now know it's just not worth the gamble of placing an order, even when the site does look current and active. It is literally a crap shoot on if/when you will receive your order.

I still love Nerdlacquer's polishes and no other indie brand has captured my imagination the way these did. Too bad it's been such a bumpy ride for so many people with this brand. All I can say is buyer beware and I truly wish that wasn't the case.

Pantone Serenity Color of the Year and Zoey by Julep

I know this picture is looking all kinds of Eastery, but it was taken just a few weeks back when Lantana was blooming in my yard. Cause it's been weirdly warm until the last 10 days or so, when it finally feels like winter.

But maybe you need some flowers and if nothing else, Zoey from Julep could be a good choice of nail polish if you like one of Pantone's colors of the year - Serenity.

Source:  Pantone Color

Or, maybe you're screaming Serenity now!  Either way....Zoey's calming blue is a nice choice.  It was a little on the thick side and with careful application you could probably do one coat. I did two with Julep's Oxygen Bonding base coat and Oxygen Performance top coats, which are supposed to allow more oxygen to reach your nails. My nails have been flaking so I'm interested to see if these help. I got about 4 days of chip free wear, which is pretty good.

I'm always drawn to these blues shades about this time of year for some reason.  I think it's a combination of the colder weather and overcast days but not wanting to go the dark and dreary color route.

Julep Boho Glam for January: New Year, Fresh Look

January's Maven box got to me really early this time, perhaps because I did no add on's and just got the basic Boho Glam box.  So let's take a look!

The Boho Glam polishes are the dark taupe Marika and the icy blue holo Tali. Marika is one of the newer matte metallic finishes (you can see an example of the finish here with the gold Kerry) while Tali is described as a "Glacier breeze linear liquid holographic".















The holo looks rather muted to me, but I've yet to try either on my nails.  They both evoke colder weather however, which is perfect now that temps are dipping into the 30's here at night in Mobile.  At least the rain stopped.

 This month featured some new neutral colors in the Its Balm Full Coverage Lip Crayons ($20), and I chose Dusty Orchid Shimmer.  I do like the formula of these lip crayons as they feel quite light on the lips yet still provide both color and hydration.  

Dusty Orchid Shimmer is a warm leaning peachy rose that darkens my lips slightly from their natural color and provides a soft glossy look.  I found it quite comfortable to wear while out spending a Christmas gift card on Sunday, with a respectable wear time of 3-4 hours.  Great everyday color.

Bare lips

Dusty Orchid Shimmer

I also got a gift code for a free It's Whipped Matte Lip Mouse (with purchase), but the one Bisou color I'd like to get appears to be out of stock.  Oh well, maybe it will come back in stock before the gift code expires.

Wearing Dusty Orchid Shimmer

Best Of: Nail Polishes I Enjoyed the Most in 2015

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

Here are my favorite polishes worn in 2015.  Sadly, one of the brands (Rescue Beauty Lounge) decided to close up shop.  The others should still be available and links are to full reviews.

Galaxy Glue by Rescue Beauty Lounge (no longer available):  Love the glowing quality of this aquatic green.

Cake Pop by Orly ($8.50):  I was surprised by this one, as I was not expecting to like a white pink creme on me. But I really, really do.

Nude Parisienne by Alessandro International (9.50):  This milky mink may have been my favorite of the year.  No surprise it's a brown polish, as they can make me weak in the knees.

OPI Designer Series Classic ($12.50):  An easy breezy formula for a no muss clean look with oomph.  Love it.

Morning Light by Rescue Beauty Lounge (no longer available):  I love both pale blue and pale grey polishes, and this one combines the best of both.  Just lovely.

What were your favorite polishes in 2015?

Julep August Maven Bombshell Box

Julep's theme for August is Muse Montreal, and I'm really liking both the nail polish colors inspired by Montreal as well as the featured beauty product this month - Skip the Brush blush stick.  I had a hard time choosing but finally decided to switch to the Bombshell box from my usual Boho Glam.

The Bombshell polishes are the lapis blue cream Sophia and a raspberry linear holographic called Mari.  I'm wearing Mari on my hands now and it was easy breezy to work with.  Sophia is on my toes and it was really good as well - I've had problems with vibrant blues from Julep in the past (Eden comes to mind), so this is step in the right direction.

The Skip the Brush blush shade I chose was Golden Guava.  It's a lovely coral with gold shimmer and while I've yet to wear it, arm swatches look promising.  I'll post a full review once I've had time to play with it a bit.

A small card of temporary tattoos was also included.  I like these and was not aware they could be used on nails as well, but these small designs are perfect for that.

I'm still on the original Maven plan which makes my boxes $19.99 but limits my ability to customize. I've noticed techniques that seem to be pushing people to adopting the newer Maven pricing plan of $24.99/mo (you can purchase a 3 month plan at a discount that translates to $19.99/mo), but I haven't bitten yet as I prefer being able to skip at will.