So the bad news was my October Julep box got here quite late, but the good news is that Julep has changed shipping partners and as I write this my November Julep box has already arrived! Holy moley! So hopefully this will be a double Julep-unboxing-post week! Let’s jump right in, note that I got a TON of add-ons this month so this post is more picture-heavy than usual!
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| Marla, Nancy and the Night Shift Sleeping Mask as pictured on Julep.com |
This month Julep released The Black Magic Collection which was a mix of deep and vampy shades for fall. I think the name was totally appropriate for the Halloween season. 🙂
Coupon codes:
- 20PLUS for $10 off your next order of $20+, two uses per customer, valid until Nov30/14
- SLEEP30 for 30% off Night Shift Sleeping Mask, one use per customer, valid until Oct 31/14
And here’s a look at my entire ginormous box for October. I got a little carried away with the add-ons! I got a mystery polish, some decals, and a really well-priced combo of Julep’s cuticle softener/remover and quick dry drops. And then because I took three add-ons I got a free bonus item (another polish). Woo!
The bonus gift this month was some candy corn which is a Julep tradition for Halloween.
Let’s start with the add-ons I picked up and then we’ll move on to the actual base box – the Night Shift Sleeping Mask and then swatches of Julep Marla and Julep Nancy!
Add-Ons:
Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops
Price: $14 ($11.20 Maven) for 1 fl. oz / 30 mL
Availability: Julep
Directions: Wait one minute after your final coat of polish, then apply 1-2 drops to each nail.
Ingredients: Disiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Rosewood Wood Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E, Rice Bran Oil, Lavender Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, BHT
I actually got both the Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops and the Julep Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover in a set called Magic Tricks. If my memory serves me correctly they were $9.99 for both – what a steal!
I haven’t given these drops a try yet but I can already smell through the packaging that they have the same lovely scent as Julep’s Essential Cuticle Oil which is awesome. One small issue is that it seems the amount of liquid in the bottle is already a bit low (it’s only full to the top of the label right now) which is an issue with all quick dry drops – they evaporate over time.
Julep Vanish Cuticle Softener & Remover
Price: $18 ($14.40 Maven) for 1 fl. oz / 30 mL
Availability: Julep
Directions: This product instantly loosens overgrown cuticles, removes stubborn color stains from nails, reduces regrowth with regular use and works wonders on toes, too. Apply a few drops to the base of bare nails. Gently push back cuticles with our Cuticle Pusher or an orangewood stick. Immediately wash hands and nails in warm, soapy water. Dry thoroughly.
Ingredients: Water, Petroleum Distillates, Triethanolamine, Caustic Potash, Calcium Carrageenan
This product seems to have no scent (which is okay) and is a lot more liquidy/less creamy than I expected. I’m looking forward to giving it a try!
Julep Michelle
Price: $14 ($11.20 Maven) for 8mL
Availability: Julep
Colour Profile: Boho Glam
Description: Midnight, inky blue crème
Finish: Crème
This was sold as Mystery Polish #2 this month so since it was a surprise I was really pleased to see it was a polish I didn’t already own, and one that I liked the look of to boot!
Black Cat Nail Decals
Availability: N/A – seasonal itemDescription: Kitties stick on & look great with or without polish. Meow.
Instructions:
- Make sure your nails are clean and dry! Do not use lotion before you apply your stickers, they will not stick.
- Simply peel off the sticker you wish to apply and press it firmly on your nail (painted or not painted). Make sure that all the edges of the sticker are flat on your nail.
- Coat your nails with a couple coats of clear nail polish and voila!
I’m a bit bummed I didn’t really get these in time to use them for Halloween, but I’m sure I’ll still find a use for them!
Julep Daria
Price: $14 ($11.20 Maven) for 8mL
Availability: Julep
Colour Profile: Bombshell
Description: Dark slate grey crème
Finish: Crème
Julep has a deal where if you take three (or more) add-ons with your box they add a bonus mystery item for free. From what I know it’s always been a polish, which I totally don’t mind. Unfortunately this month the polish is a shade I already own. Oh well!
Daria was originally from the September 2013 Collection, and you can see my original swatches for it here.
October 2014 Maven Box:
Julep Night Shift Sleeping Mask
Price: $34 ($27.20 Maven) for 2.8 oz / 79.3 g
Availability: Julep
Description: A reparative moisture mask that does the heavy lifting while you’re fast asleep so you wake up to a brighter, smoother, firmer complexion. Reaches deep to stimulate cell turnover and renewal. A clinically proven peptide blend works to retexturize skin. Sodium hyaluronate and botanical extracts (including our Power Cell Complex™) deliver maximum moisture.
Directions: Massage a thin, even layer onto face, avoiding eye area. Apply to clean, bare skin or layer over serum and moisturizer. Leave on overnight and rise off in the morning. Wear during the day if your skin (or the weather) is extremely dry and your regular daytime moisturizer isn’t cutting it.
I’ve never used a sleeping mask before but I’ve been using this one for the past week or so and I’m fairly impressed. I’ve noticed my pores look smaller and my skin feels really good in the morning when I wash it off. It isn’t oily or greasy feeling at all, and you only need an amount slightly larger than a pea to do your whole face. It does have a scent so I usually avoid putting it around my nose so I’m not bothered by it while I’m trying to go to sleep.
Julep Marla
Price: $14 ($11.20 Maven) for 8mL
Availability: Julep
Colour Profile: Boho Glam
Description: Burgundy velvet with silver shimmer
Finish: Shimmer
I am in love with this polish – I think it’s going to be a great vampy fall shade. I used three coats for these swatches without any top coat.
In this picture you can see some of the shimmer particles that are scattered throughout this polish. I think the shimmer makes the polish a bit more interesting without being too much!
Julep Nancy
Price: $14 ($11.20 Maven) for 8mL
Availability: Julep
Colour Profile: Bombshell
Description: Silvery sage metallic
Finish: Metallic/Foil
Julep does great foil polishes that as far as I’m concerned are meant for stamping (since they work so well) and I think Nancy is another addition to this line. This polish reminds me of a more subtle version of Julep Celia so I’m looking forward to doing a comparison.
I used two coats for these swatches (no top coat) but you could get away with only one in a pinch.
I love how the particles in this polish give it so much depth… I think this is going to be a great shade for leaves and tress for winter nails!
Even though shipping was an issue this month I’m really happy with all the products I got. It’s not often I get non-nail beauty items from Julep so I was pleasantly surprised by the night mask! All the add-on nail care items I got should eventually be getting their own trial/review posts, so keep an eye out for those in the future!
About the Julep Maven Program: The Julep Maven program costs $24.99 a month and is fully customizable, or you can pre-pay for 3 months and receive each box for $19.99. You can also upgrade to the Maven Luxe program for $39.99 a month ($34.99/mo if you pre-pay for 3 months) which entitles you to a fully customizable box plus one additional product per month.
Let me know what you think of my box from October! 🙂 I’ll try to get my November box up ASAP now that I have it.
Thanks for visiting!
