Review: Julep Maven Program

And I'm back! My frankening is on hold while I wait for more supplies, so time to get some posts done! NOTD's, Polish Peep Shows and reviews coming up soon :)

Today I have a quick review of Julep's Maven program and my experience thus far. For those of you who don't know, Julep Maven is a program that allows you to receive a customized monthly shipment of polish and other mani goodies. Monthly the price is $20.00, and you receive over $60 of product including 2 polishes.

I had previously ordered the Julep Valentine's Day Mystery Box, which was the same value as the Maven monthly box. Mystery Boxes are supposed to have the potential for up to $200 of product, but I wasn't that lucky. My experience with ordering and receiving my box was easy, and I loved the colors (Blake, a yellow creme, and a purple shade I cannot for the life of me remember at the moment!).

After hearing so much about the Maven program and already liking Julep's polish, I just had to sign up. I took their style quiz and wound up with "Boho Glam", which is pretty accurate I suppose (I'm some kind of weird reincarnated 70's hippie). The shipping was free, which of course everyone likes!

I received my March Boho Glam Box in 4 days via USPS, and immediately tore into it. Here's what the package looks like upon opening:

Pretty packaging! I also like that they ship in an appropriate sized package -- once I ordered a nail polish from Nordie's and they shipped it in a box big enough for a pair of boots. Very wasteful and just dumb.

The polishes themselves are GOOOOOOOOOOOORGEOUS! Boho Glam came complete with Alicia, a coral creme, and Portia, a blue jelly with iridescent sparkles. Here they are:

I quickly swatched both but I don't dare show you my hands right now! They are so beat up from mixing and pouring frankens :( Let's just say both shades have great formula and superb color! Anyways, this review is for the Maven program, not Julep polishes themselves (that's coming later!!).

Also in the March Boho Glam box is a full sized Glycolic Hand Scrub and a nail file. The Julep website says that the March box is supposed to come with Elixir, a Moroccan Argan Oil that I would have loved to try! I did email Julep to ask about this but have not heard back yet (just sent that out a few minutes ago). Standard  squeeze tube, 3 ounces of product. I tested that out too -- my hands feel so smooth! I can always use more nail files, so added the Julep logo one to the pile! For the record, I still use regular files because I can NOT stand the feeling and sound of using glass or "crystal" files. Like nails on a chalkboard!

So here's the whole contents of the box:

Overall, I feel like this is a really good deal. The polishes retail for $18.00 each on the website, so right there it's a great deal at $20 a month for 2 polishes. The scrub retails for $35.00 on the website alone -- the box really seems to be a steal! I'm happy with the service thus far -- speedy shipping and no missing components or weird charges on my credit card. They do have a referral program (every 2 referrals is a free month), so if you like the Maven program and would like to try it please feel free to use my referral link and help me get some free months! Once you sign up, be sure to get your friends to sign up via your link and you can earn free months as well. Who doesn't want free polish???

I just ordered Julep's St. Patricks Day Mystery Box for $20 as well -- the same deal as the V-day box (anywhere from $60 to $200 of product inside) so keeping my fingers crossed I get a good one this time.

If you like what you see here, go to my Julep referral link, take their brief style quiz and get started!

NOTD: Essie "Turquoise and Caicos" & Nostalgic Nail Lacquer "Duckie"

For my first NOTD, I had to go with some standout glitter! I love nothing more than a good hearty glitter topcoat on any and every color. Essie "Turquoise & Caicos" is a creamy turquoise (as the name would suggest....), 3 coats used here for opacity over Julep Nail Therapy and Orly Bonder. Im not a huge fan of cream polishes on their own, so I needed some kind of shimmer or glitter to accentuate the color and add some sparkle!

I discovered Nostalgic Nail Lacquer on Etsy while on a mission to find some pretty hand made polishes. I was getting sick of every brand putting out the same collection at the same time and needed something fresh and new. Nostalgic did that and more! "Duckie" is a pale teal jelly base with large chartreuse hex glitter, and smaller green and teal glitter guys too. I adore the color combination -- the hex glitter really gives it something special (when was the last time you saw chartreuse glitter?!?!?). I applied 2 coats of "Duckie" once my base color was dried -- to get the hex glitter to show up somewhat evenly, I took the "dab and spread" approach. Tricky little hexes! I finished with a coat of Seche Vite, my go-to topcoat.

I used the Iphone Instagram app to take a pic and play with the color settings to try to give a fairly accurate representation of the colors. Its pretty true to life! Check it out:

The end result is just.............*sigh*. Very calming and soft, if you ask me. I usually gravitate towards dark purples, black, or multi glitter polishes, so I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed a pale aqua mani!

I'll be posting a more in-depth review of Nostalgic Nail Lacquer's "Bizarre Teenage Love Triagle" trio this coming week, but here's a peek at the trio of polishes! Squishy glittery awesomeness!!!!

Check out Nostalgic Nail Lacquer on Etsy for more pretty polishes! The trio above is sold out but set to be restocked soon. The "Truly Outrageous" collection is amazing too (that review is coming soon as well!)