Julep Maven: April 2014

I've really been enjoying Julep's quick shipping of late, and this was no exception. Not even April yet, and my Maven box arrives. (Plus, two eDivv trades also arrived today. Good mail

Day!)

April's theme is: "The Vivid Collection."

This month I stuck with my It Girl profile, which is all polish no product. I was not feeling the blush or bronzer this month.

Maren

"Electric bubblegum sheer with blue sheen"

$14/$11.20 maven

I like the description of Maren, and am curious how the "blue sheen" comes across on the nail. A fun summer color, I think she will be good for a pedi.

Bailey

"Hyped cobalt sheer"

$14/$11.20 maven

My biggest concern when looking at Bailey online was the apparent resemblance to Monaco. Seeing, at least the bottle, in person isn't assuaging that concern. Also, what is "hyped" and why is that a featured discription??

Flora

"Exotic dragonfruit with blue shimmer"

$14/$11.20

Another blue shimmer/sheen, and again I am curious how it will look when out of the bottle. Could be fun to do a mani with Maren for the varying blue sheen/shimmer.

I only chose to avail myself of two of three add-ons spots this month (although I am kind of regretting not adding on Kayla.)

Caitlin - Classic with a Twist

"Shocking hibiscus with gold shimmer"

$14/$11.20 maven 

($4.99 as an add-on)

Caitlin caught my eye with her bright summer color, and I couldn't resist adding her. Another good pedi color for me.

Felicia - It Girl

"Black speckled mint crème"

$14/$11.20 maven

($4.99 as an add-on)

Felicia has grown on me more and more (especially after wearing the speckled On What Grounds? polish). I added her because of the silver cap, assuming she would sell out and waiting to learn why she warranted a special cap. No such announcement was made, but she won me over.

This month's bonus item was candy - again. Just two little pieces this go around. No more candy, please!

The monthly coupon codes are 25% the new blush and bronzer and 25% off the corresponding brushes. I will be passing on both. 

The other deal was a free Bare Face Cleansing Oil with a $25 purchase. 

Summary: I like the bright colors this month, but I wish they weren't all so sheer. Next month is the debut of the much discussed pilé wand, so am looking forward to that.

Julep Maven:

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/544404/

My referral link, should you like to give me some free points.  :-)

Julep Maven: April Secret Store Open!

I woke up to some exciting news: the April secret store is open early!

Immediately upon reading this email, I logged in to view the goodies. Unfortunately, due to some glitch I was only able to see a few items (mostly savvy deals items) and my excitement quickly crashed to disappointment. About an hour later all was resolved, and I was able to view all the items. I would argue that this is my favorite secret store this year. 

The first thing to catch my eye was Coretta. April's birthstone is the diamond, and Coretta is Julep's tribute to both April babies and Coretta Scott King. She is goegeous!

I've been jealous of the Tin Man polish in the "Wizard of Oz" set, and I think Coretta will fill that void quite well.

There are three "secret surprises" being offered, each one has its own cryptic description. After my mystery add-on last month though I'm not too keen about gambling on these. I'm looking forward to seeing what others post.

An interesting item this month: the Mighty Might Tee.

Interesting idea, but not something I want to spend $25 on, especially since I am getting the cuticle serum in another set.

The store was very product heavy, and lots of ways to stock up on the Freedom top coat. I was excited to see the matte top coat back in stock. I've been wanting to try that for a few months now. 

For those wanting the polishes from the Cupid's Mystery Boxes, but didn't want the mystery, they have been released as the Think Pink Trio for $18.

I only like Aphrodite, so I passed. It would be cool if they did something similar for the St. Patricks's Mystery Boxes trio. Although I just won Shannon on eBay last night...

So, did I succumb to secret store temptation?? You betcha I did. I ended up ordering Coretta, the Coat Collection, and adding the Shine On set (Kessie!!) for free with the code SHINE. And since Julep tempts me like no other, I picked up both Octavia and Greta as add-ons. Gah! I do need an intervention...

Julep Maven:

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/544404/

Polish Review: Julep Soraphine and Tania

As part of Julep's March Madness code I ordered Soraphine and Tania. I'd been eying Tania since the March Maven reveal, but it wasn't until I saw a mani featuring both polishes that I came around to Soraphine. I'm normally not a fan of sheer polishes, but she is a beauty.

As you can see in the photo, Soraphine is a very sheer white. (You can also see the lingering green staining of Crocadilly.) 

I used two coats since I knew I would also be applying Tania. If I was just going to use Seraphine alone, I probably would have gone for one more coat.

Tania is a beautiful teal glitter so bright she practically sparkles in the dark. I added her to the ends of my nails.

And in shadier conditions:

I have been wearing this mani all weekend and just loving it! So fresh for spring. I saw another look on Instagram that paired Tania with Elisa, which I received in my March Maven box, so I may have to give that combo a whirl too.

Couldn't resist one last look.  :-)

Julep Maven:

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/544404/

Beauty swaps (part 4)

I've slowed down quite a bit on my swaps, mostly because I do not have a lot of items in my "shop" at the moment.

Thirteenth swap

For this swap I was happy to trade the Curl Keeper I received from birchbox. Described as a hair lotion, it is a leave in product. I had no interest in trying it, especially since I do not have curly hair. I was doubly happy with this decision when I heard my co-worker B's review. This product was a no-go for her.

I swapped for a tube of Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. This lotion wasn't on my list of wants, but I wanted to swap the Curl Keeper and didn't really want anything else Sarah, my divvy partner, had in her shop. I figured I give this lotion a shot since Aveeno is a good brand.

Fourteenth swap

Another Sara - this one without an h. Unfortunately Sara had some mail issues. I've been plagued with those swappers lately. The package was returned to her once, but it finally arrived. She threw in an "extra" item for the trouble. It is a perfume sample similar to one in a magazine. Not so great as an apology item. Oh, well.

For this swap I sent off the No. 4 Non Aerosol Hairspray I received in a birchbox for a Nourish Organic face lotion. I have recovered a few No. 4 product samples from birchbox and haven't loved any of them. This hairspray though was the worse. It has a really strong and unpleasant smell. I was happy to see it go. 

I haven't tried anything from Nourish Organic yet, but a number of their products have caught my eye. After doing some reading on their website I decided to try and swap for this face lotion first. If I like it I will definitely be attempting to swap for more products.

Fifteenth swap

I have achieved another holy grail swap - a Julep polish. Even better, this time the polish I swapped for was one of the ones on my wishlist. 

For this swap I actually used a new (to me) site: mysubscriptionaddiction.com. The swap section has a wait list, but I lucked out with a short wait time (only a couple weeks, if I remember correctly). This is my first successful swap on the site, and I was really pleased with the experience. The website has a swap space where the swappers can communicate, enter shipping info, and leave feedback. The MSA policy is to have the newer swapper send first, which I did. Maria, my swap partner, was great and I received my polish quickly.

This swap was a Julep for a Julep. I sent off Ingrid, which I relieved in a mystery add-on. The burnt orange color was not appealing to me in the least. In exchange I received Kristen. She was paired with Judi, and was basically number one on my wishlist. So, so happy to welcome her to my collection.

Sixteeth swap

A Julep hat trick! Each Julep swap just gets better and better. This swap I sent off the Supergoop! CC Cream and Camille Beckman Midnight Monarch lotion. Both were items I had received from birchbox. I felt a bit bad that Jennifer, my divvy partner, picked such small items that I also threw in the Yes to Grapefruit CC Cream (also from birchbox).

In exchange I received Julep's Aphrodite. This polish was part of the February Cupid's Mystery Boxes that I passed on. Of the three special polishes, this is the only one I was coveting. So happy to divvy for her!

As I said above, my swap shop is pretty low at the moment, so no trades in the offing. Both birchbox and ipsy were pretty good this month, so I really don't have any new items to add. 

My eDivv "shop" is: http://edivv.com/items?shop_id=936. Come swap with me!  :-)

Beauty swaps (part 3)

The swapping continues...

Ninth swap

Another late arrival! I made this divvy the same day as the Chella eyeliner one, and it also had postal issues. I swapped with Breigh who had "super flu" which delayed sending the items, then the package was returned for insufficient postage before finally arriving two weeks later. Ugh. I was just happy the package finally showed up.

I swapped Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad in Bora Bora and Stainiac for a Pacifica set of Indian Coconut Nectar body butter and perfume. I am loving the smell! So delicious! These may be my favorite trade items yet. Breigh also included a REN Clean Skincare moisturizer sample and a personal note.

I've never heard of this place, and a quick google search was unsuccessful. Too bad, it sounded like an interesting drink.

Tenth swap

Surprise! I have another tinted face cream to swap! This time I received Serge Normant Dry Conditioner from Erin. I currently use an Aveeno dry shampoo that I really like, but haven't yet tried a dry conditioner. I'm looking forward to testing this out, although my excitement was dimmed somewhat by the smell. I worry that it may be too musky. Erin also included a bonus item.

The extra item is Aveda Be Curly style prep. Not sure how much I will like this product, but it smells nice.

Eleventh swap

Apparently I switched from nail polish to eyeliner this month. I swapped an IT Cosmetics Brow Pencil for Inika Eyeliner in Green Lagoon. This eyeliner went out to some subscribers of the March birchbox. I was really disappointed not to receive it and it was high on my list of items to swap for. Inika is a certified organic brand out of Australia. 

I have dark, thick brows that really do not need assistance from brow pencils. I was happy to trade it for eyeliner, which I know I will get a lot of use out of. I do feel a bit bad, after seeing my Instagram pic of the trade, my co-worker B informed me she loves this brow pencil and would have traded me the eyeliner (which she called mermaid green). Maybe I should start giving her first refusal?

Twelfth swap

This was a great trade for two reasons: I off-loaded the false eyelashes (I was convinced no one would want them due to the excess of falsies I've seen on the swap site)  and I completed the Cocktail Hour Collection from Color Club. 

This color is Top Shelf, which joins Dark'n Stormy (an earlier trade) and On the Rocks (from birchbox). I haven't quite worked out the details yet, but I think these three polishes could be a neat mani.

Stay tuned for more swapping fun!

My eDivv "shop" is: http://edivv.com/items?shop_id=936. Come swap with me!  :-)

Wantable Accessories: March 2014

Today was a great mail day: a Julep box, an eDivv trade, and my March Wantable box! This month the box packaging has been switched up from the solid black box with a white W. It's hard to see in the photo, but the pattern on the box is all tiny W's. Maybe they lightened up for Spring?

The inside had a new sticker informing me this box was packed especially for me.

I thought the phrase on the packaging band was strange for accessories, rather than home goods.

The backside had a quote from Marilyn Monroe:

The usual card hawking the Wantable app was included.

After February's box I had raised expectations for March. I even switched up my style profile a bit in the hopes of receiving better items.

My first look inside the box was promising: a scarf!! My excitement however quickly turned to disappointment. Braids?!

There were four items in the box. Like last month the jewelry items came in velvet bags with snap closures.

To be frank, I hated everything in my box. So, in order of best of the worst to worst of the worst:

Ophelia bracelet

($18 retail value)

"Jet black and silver are linked and twisted together in the metallic Ophelia Bracelet. Style Tip: Spring time is all about color and this versatile bracelet will coordinate with all of your brightly colored wardrobe options."

At first look, I liked this bracelet. Then I looked closer.

All of the silver links are visibly split. Cheap, cheap quality. Looks like it could break anytime - or catch on my clothes. 

Judy necklace

($22 retail value)

"The Judy Necklace features a beautiful filigreed pendant accented with sparkling rhinestones. Style Tip: This simple necklace is anything but boring and would be perfect with any everyday outfit."

Again, my biggest Wantable complaint is the quality is usually really poor. This is another cheap looking piece. The overall style was just meh. I could find a better necklace at Claire's.

Taylor earrings

($16 retail value)

"The Taylor Earrings are a sparkling pair of gorgeous drops featuring faceted crystal stones accented with metallic details and rhinestones. Style Tip: Pair with a romantic, wavy updo and a soft pink lip."

More cheap beads and rhinestones. Le sigh. They came loose in the black bag, rather than on an earring card like the ones in my last box, which isn't great packaging.

Trista scarf

($22 retail value)

 

"The Trista Scarf is a lightweight teal fabric with braided and knotted details. Style Tip: Pair with a black maxi dress for chic spring style."

I love the color, but I loath everything else. The weird braid, the cat o' nine tails ends, ugh. It looks like bad pigtails. All these months of hoping for a scarf, and this is what I get. 

Summary: Per Wantable, the retail value of the box is $78 - which I think is too high for the quality of these items. I paid $36 as a monthly subscriber ($40 for non-subscribers), but I will be sending this box back for a full refund. I still have some hope that April's box will be better.

My referral link: https://www.wantable.com/invite/uB-2MMgB1Bc