Julep July American Beauty

Those of you who are familiar with the Julep Maven program know that each month you get one box of nail products in the mail. You have from the 20th-24th to decide if you want to keep the style of box you get as result of the quiz when you signed up for the program, switch to a different style or skip the month. Even though I decided to switch from my original American Beauty style for my July Julep box to It Girl this month, once I saw other bloggers swatches and reviews I just had to order this box as well! I was excited that in the Maven Boutique I could choose a box with Oh Canada in it (being from the USA I received the sparkling America in my It Girl Box). I also really wanted to try out the new lip gloss which retails for $18. Since my entire box only cost me $19.99 getting such a pricey item inside seemed to justify the purchase ;).

If you would like to try out Julep simply click here:http://julep.com/?r=21739311, take a short quiz, enter the promo code COLOR2012 at checkout, and you can get an intro box for a penny!! Yupp, only a penny! If you are interested in more details about Julep feel free to comment below, or refer to my Julep Intro Box post :)

My American Beauty box included:

Yikes, sorry for the glare off the caps!!

Up top: Peony lip vernis Left to right: Oh Canada, Yumi, Lynn

 

Peony- a light pink/nude lip gloss

Oh Canada- a red and translucent glitter polish

 Lynn- a pink shimmery nude polish

Yumi- a pink and silver glitter polish

I decided to take off the America polish today, and try out Lynn and Yumi with the french tip manicure Julep suggested on the card included in the box.  I would like to show you what I think look like princess nails!!! :)

 Lynn went on very light in color, and I used two generous coats to get this deeper pale pink color.  I did my best with the tips...I am still a newbie so bare with me please :) Yumi applied nicely and is so gorgeous. I love the way these two colors go together. I really feel like a pretty, pretty princess!

I am yet to try out Oh Canada, but so excited to have the chance to own it. As I mentioned in my last post I have a strong love for Canada. 

As for my Peony lip gloss...I sadly cannot say that I love it. The tube is nice, and lightweight making it easy to throw into your purse.  That is the plus side. The tube makes quite the loud suction sound when you pull the wand out to apply the gloss.  It is a milky extremely light pink color that, despite other reviews I have seen, I find to be sticky. It is a pretty shade and smells like delicious cupcakes, but is not quite what I was expecting for an $18 product from my beloved Julep. I still am happy I got to try out the lip gloss for a much cheaper price than if I got curious about it and bought it from the site on my own.

Overall, I am happy I ordered the American Beauty box. The colors are just so pretty, and nice additions to my little collection.

Now for some randomness:

The other day my sister was nice enough to let me give her a manicure with my add-on colors for the month Frieda and Chelsea as the accent nail!!

She even modeled it for me :)

We were pleased with how it turned out, and decided these mani reminded us of Barbie, in the best way possible :) The polish is still holding up nicely with no chips and it is three days later- gotta love that!

I also purchased a Salon Express nail stamp/ plates kit today. I have been wanting to try out nail stamping so badly, and though this kit is small I am excited to try out all the designs. Here is my first attempt on my toe (sorry my nails were already occupied). I love the way it turned out, how easy it was to use and will be posting more about the soon, so keep a look out!!

Zebra stamp done with Julep Natalie. On my other toe I have Julep Mila. The yellow is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Mellow Yellow.

I also tried out the glitter ombre effect using two coats of Julep Kate as my basecoat (over top of Julep Nail Therapy), then layering Julep's Mila, Chelsea, and Yumi and Seche Vite Fast Drying topcoat which I just purchased and loveeee :) The first picture is taken with no flash, and the second with a flash.

Soooo sparkly and pretty :) They catch the light from every direction. It should be interesting trying to remove this pedicure however...I will let you know how that goes haha.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

Curious about these? Read on!

Photo credit:missmoonsmusings.blogspot.com

A few months ago I discovered beautiful patterned sticker looking things from Sally Hansen. After searching the internet I found out that they were not stickers at all, but something much more glorious- actual nail polish in a strip form you put on your nail like a sticker!! Obviously I was instantly intrigued, and decided to buy these little guys in mass quantities! Even though they were pricey (the cheapest I found was about 8.50 on sale) I wanted every pattern. For someone as indecisive as me picking a pattern is rough!! 

Here are some, sadly not all, of my pattern choices within a few months:

Sally Hansen Salon Effects in the pattern Are You Single? from the Valentine's Day Collection

Sally Hansen Salon Effects in the pattern I Love Lacey

Sally Hansen Salon Effects in the pattern Mad for Plaid from the Easter collection

Overall, my opinion is these strips are way more fun than they are practical for the cost.  They take a while to apply and sometimes get torn on application/ are too big for your nail bed and rip when you try to take off the excess around nail or at end of the nail. Once I got the hang of putting them on I could get two nails out of one strip which made me feel a bit better about the price. When I used a top coat they stayed on for around a week without a ton of damage for me. However, my entire strip tended to fall all the way off rather than just "chipping" as normal nail polish does, so that presents it's own issue depending on if you have extras handy when it happens.

I also found that if you put them on your toes (yes, I have seen the new ones that are specifically for your toes, but the finger ones work just as well) they stay on much better/ longer! I also discovered that at Rue 21 you can get the same product for around $3 (my zebra pack even had 21 strips as opposed to Sally's 16). The Rue 21 ones do not seem to be of the same quality however, and did not stay on my fingers well at all.They did last well on my toeies however. Yes, I said toeies ;). Now, pardon the picture of my foot (I highly dislike feet myself), but I LOVE zebra print!

Rue 21 Zebra Print Nail Polish Strips

 These little creations are fun, I will not lie, and there are sooo many fun patterns to chose from. All in all, if you are willing to spend around $10 I would give the Sally Hansen ones a try, or $3 for the Rue 21 strips if you want to give yourself a fun pedicure. It can be quite costly if you get hooked like I did for a while, sigh haha. However, if you find a good sale (Let me know! I mean...), or just want to try something new these are for sure fun for a short lived pattern on nails :)

Julep July It Girl/ Add Ons

Julep Maven July Box & Add-Ons :) 

My July Julep box finally got here, and I am thrilled!! Shipping took forever, and I actually got my "add-ons" today at the same time (not that I am complaining about that)! I am not sure why USPS decided to hold my package in Settle for fifty years, or send my add-ons to California, but I guess it is just one of the unsolved mysteries such as how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsiepop- the world may never know. ;)

Anyways, I am just so glad it arrived!! Here are the goods: 

My July It Girl box (left) & my cute little add-on box (right)

Even though, according to the quiz I took, I am American Beauty, I decided to switch to the It Girl box this month because of the promised seafoam green shade of Daphne. My favorite color in the world in blue, and this bright teal shade was right up my alley!! I was also so excited to paint my nails with the freebie polish Julep gave all U.S. Mavens- America!

It's like Julep Christmas!! Left to right: America, Mila, Kate, Daphne, Frieda, Chelsea

My July It Girl box was filled with America in all it's red, white, blue & silver star glitter glory, Mila- a silver glitter with teal, orange, purple and green sparkles just to name a few, Kate- a pearly white, and Daphne- which is not seafoam green :( but instead a darker teal color. 

I have to say I love these polishes, but am let down by Daphne! It does not look anything like the swatches :( I emailed Julep today about it as they advised anyone not digging the darker color to do on their Facebook page so we will see what their wonderful, and I mean wonderful CS team says :) My box was also filled with red, white and blue little paper decorations, Fireball candies, and wrapped in star paper with a red ribbon- very festive! I even got a voucher for a free polish!!

My add-ons are Frieda- a shimmery fuschia which happens to share the name of one of my alma maters' mascots :) , and Chelsea a brilliant purple glitter with teal and silver sparkles

Left to Right: America, Mila, Kate, Daphne. Polishes in my It Girl July Box :)

Frieda and Chelsea- so sorry for the glare (this was even without a flash ). My add-ons I got for 4.99 each.

America

I know this is a weird picture, but I was hoping you could see the three stars on my thumb :)

Although I was sad not to get America in time for the 4th, I am excited to rock it while watching the Olympics! It is just beautiful on my nails and mine has so many stars! I saw some horror stories about it being impossible to apply, but luckily I guess I got a good one because it went on nicely.

I am so excited to try the rest of my polishes, and there will be more swatches to come once I decide to take America off. I also have an American Beauty box on it's way- I couldn't resist! It will be coming with Oh Canada, a lip gloss I am stoked to try as well as Lynn and Yumi. I took Canadian Studies in college and met my best friend there so have a strange love for the country hehe.

So, I might just be obsessed with Julep now, let's be honest :/ If you would like to try it out for a penny simply click here if you would be so kind: http://julep.com/?r=21739311 

take the little style quiz, and enter promo code COLOR2012. Even though I thought this had to be a scam it really is a penny. You can decide to keep the subscription, skip a month if you want to save some money but not cancel completely, or cancel whenever you little heart desires. Enjoy!!

Birchbox June- My First One!

I held off for a long time, but finally gave into the temptation that is the monthly subscription service Birchbox. Birchbox is a cute little box delivered to your doorstep each month for the fee of $10. Inside are a variety of high end beauty samples. I am a sucker for trying new beauty products and love, love, love getting mail so Birchbox was too intriguing to pass up. Basically any beauty sample you can think of all the way to hair ties to face cleansers are a possibility.  Birchbox sends out a variety of boxes each month so it is a toss up what you might get. Alright, I know the excitement is killing you so here is what I received in my first box, minus a couple things, but we will get to that in a bit ;) 

I have had this box for a few weeks so apologize that not all the products are shown in the above picture/ the Band-Aids are opened. I am looking forward to doing an unboxing on here of my July Birchbox so make sure you come back to see that :) 

June's Birchbox theme was Jet Set so the box included samples of products that should be helpful when traveling.  There was a little card in my box (the blurry white thing lol) that welcomed me to Birchbox in a sweet manner and had a description of the products I was getting along with their full size prices.  

The first product I received was the lifestyle extra- Cynthia Rowley limited edition Band-Aids which I was surprised by haha. I am a child at heart and the only thing that ever got me through going to the doctor for a shot was the prospect of a fancy band-aid at the end, much unlike the plain lame ones we always had at home. These band-aids are designer ones for women and quite pretty. I have broken my toe since my Birchbox came, but luckily have not had the need for these little gems yet.

 

The next product I have already used and boy did they feel great! BORGHESE Botanico Eye Compresses was the name of the two round spa treatment eye pads in a package. I put one circle shapped damp pad over each eye for about 10 minutes and my eyes felt amazing. I removed them feeling more relaxed and the circles under my eyes were lighter. Unfortunately for a full size of 60 compresses it will cost you a pretty penny- $51. Way out of my price range, but it was nice to try them for sure! (Pictured at end of post)

Next up was theBalm cosmetics Stainiac lip and cheek stain in the color beauty queen. It seems that everyone had this included in their box. The color in the tiny tube looks dark blood red and was scary at first to say the least! Luckily once I dabbed it on my lips and cheeks and smeared it out with my finger it blended in nicely. I am enjoying this sample and think it will last quite a while!

Next up was my favorite sample of the bunch: Scalisi Skincare Anti-Aging Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30. The tiny bottle made me sad until I used it! I only needed one tiny pump to cover my whole face and neck. I have been using it for about three weeks under my foundation and it makes my skin smooth and acts as a nice primer. I also love knowing if I go outside my face already has sunscreen on that doesn't include the regular harsh smell. A full sized of this is $110, so it was amazing to try out just an expensive product I otherwise would NEVER be able to!! 

The last two products were Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint which was teeny tiny and did not give me much of a tint, and John Varvatos Star U.S.A. cologne for men in order to promote the new Birchbox man (I passed in onto my boyfriend). Oh, and I got some silly discount thing on artwork that I think is too expensive even with the discount, but I guess that could be swell for someone else?

Here is a much prettier picture of what the contents of my BB looked like :)

Overall I was very pleased with my Birchbox. It was a treat to try out products I would otherwise never be introduced to or have the funds to use! Some people seemed to get bigger samples such as a full size Stilla bronzer/ foundation, but hey, that just shows me I could get even better products next month. I am looking forward to my July box as Birchbox has teamed up with Glamour magazine and the brands featuring samples all seem super legit!

**If you are interested in Birchbox here is the link :) https://www.birchbox.com?raf=2zl7x

I would love to read your comments/ let me know if you have any questions about Birchbox please! My July box should be coming around the 10th of the month :)

Mary Kay Product Review

Botanical Effects, Mineral Foundation & Eyeliner

Recently my best friend Cassie started to sell Mary Kay cosmetics.  Similar to Julep, Mary Kay is all about giving back to women.  Mary Kay uses their proceeds to support groups aimed towards preventing domestic violence, to build classrooms at women's shelters and to empower women just to name a few. I have been blessed with troublesome skin :( Due to the oily, acne prone skin I thought was supposed to go away but didn't after my teenage years I am constantly looking for new cleansers that actually work. Cassie suggested a new line from Mary Kay known as Botanical Effects.  These products are not only great for your skin being packed with antioxidants, but their packaging is also environmentally friendly.

The Botanical line consist of four different products: Cleanse (facial cleanser), Hydrate (moisturizer), Freshen (a spray to remove excess oil/ minimize pores), and Mask in three different skin profiles for you to choose from based on your needs: Normal, Combination and Oily.  Cassie informed me that moisturizing your face is one of the most important steps in caring for your skin, but one that most woman tend to skip. (Guilty as charged). My friend has never been one to lead me astray expect for that one time when...(just kidding) so I took her word for it and purchased the Cleanse and Hydrate.

My beloved Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleanse and Hydrate

My skin being what it is I did not expect any miracles. Upon the first use of these large sized products- I was pleasantly surprised with the bang for your buck- my skin felt cleaner and much smoother to the touch. I quite enjoyed that clean feeling and have continued using the product for a couple months now.  At first, as always with new cleansers, my face broke out sightly. After a few more weeks of use however...WOW!!! My face began to clear up, and even though my face is oily that unwanted shine started to stay away!! I haven't had any big breakouts in a over a month and even some of those disgusting blackheads have cleared up. I am highly pleased with these products, and am saving up for the freshen and mask!!

The Entire Botanical Effects Line :)
 Photo Credit: Mary Kay by Cassie on Facebook

Another "fun" issue I have with my skin is trying to find a foundation good enough to cover blemishes without looking caked on. I am a teacher, and while I absolutely love my little ones they are also brutally honest when it comes to everything including appearances. I didn't want to be known as that first year teacher whose face looked liked a pizza! I turned to my dear friend yet again for advice in this area. I had been using Bare Escentuals Minerals foundation in the past, but talk about pricey!! In swooped Cassie yet again to the rescue suggesting I try Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation.  It comes in a bigger size than the Bare Minerals and is 10 dollars cheaper. I found this foundation to provide much better coverage (a little goes a long way) as well and last longer! I didn't have to worry about it rubbing off in the middle of the school day or my shine breaking through. For those times when I did need a touch up on the go the container the Mary Kay powder comes in even has a mirror on top- how is that for convenience :)

 Mineral Powder Foundation

Photo Credit: http://www.stylemanila.com/2010/01/02/mineral-makeup-pick-mary-kay-mineral-powder-foundation/

Now that Cassie had me sold when it came to the quality of Mary Kay products it was a no brainer where to turn when I needed new eyeliner. I purchased Mary Kay eyeliner in black. I was put off at first by the small size, but with how evenly it applies it is lasting longer than store bought larger ones. It features a angle perfect for lining the top lid of your eye, a sharper at the end and a twist up container. It glides on easily and lasts throughout the day. Many times my girls would say I had makeup under my eyes or even on my nose (oh the life of a teacher). Mary Kay eyeliner did not smug however so no more embarrassing rushing to the restroom on my lunch break hoping I don't look like a clown haha. 

Mary Kay Eyeliner in Black

**Where to get yours: Needless to say I have a long wishlist of Mary Kay products now! If you are interested here is the link to the wonder Cassie's site http://www.marykay.com/chambleton. She knows everything there is to know and can help you personally with any questions. Let her know Lauren sent you and enjoy!!

 

 

June Julep Maven Mystery Box

Shortly after I gave into the fabulous subscription company Julep I found out about yet another amazing deal they offer every once in a while. A Mystery Box! Being a teacher, and therefore a forever child at heart the mystery in Mystery Box caught my attention right away!! I then read (on their facebook site Julep Nail Parlor which I suggest all of you like pronto) that a Mystery Box sells for 19.99 and you receive at least 40 dollars of product, but up to 200 dollars worth. Oh Julep, you really know how to win a girl over!! 

Now, let me tell you that after signing up for Julep for a penny I had every intention of canceling the subscription. I got the product in the mail however, put it on my nails and well, I am currently hooked. I am hard on my hands and usually don't even bother painting my nails. They always chip right away and it drives me crazy if they are all not perfect. Literally all the sudden I get OCD and NEED nail polish remover or I can't function. I sure did get my pennies worth out of Julep though! My mani didn't chip for two weeks and I even went swimming!

So, needless to say I didn't cancel my subscription and eagerly ordered a mystery box with my fingers and toes and legs and arms crossed tightly wishing and hoping for 200 dollars worth of product. My mystery box got here even quicker than my intro box. I got over 60 dollars worth of product :)

I was lucky enough to get two toe separators, three polishes (Vera, Natalie, and Molly- a deep red not pictured), a Nail Therapy Basecoat and a chap stick that literally smells and tastes like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies with SPF in my lovely little box! I saw Vera which is pictured below and though ewwwww! A brown nail polish?? Then I tried it on and it's actually a nice warm coffee color. I actually liked it and was so surprised! It looks very nice with my bright pink shade Natalie! I guess I shouldn't judge a polish by it's bottle haha.

Remember you can try Julep for a penny!!  Just use the link  http://julep.com/?r=21739311 and enter the promo code COLOR2012, or PENNYINTRO or TWITTER1 :)

The contents of my Mystery Box :)

Here is a blurry (sorry) first attempt at some polka dot nail art with Julep colors Vera (brown) and Natalie

 

 

My July box was just shipped yesterday!! This month Julep is throwing in an extra polish for free to all Mavens! You either get America the Beautiful which is a red and blue glitter with stars or Oh Canada which is a lovely red and white glitter- pretty nifty eh?  I am usually an American Beauty, but loved the IT GIRL box with three polishes this month because of Daphne- a creamy seafoam blue color! I will post as soon as the box is in my hot little hands! 

JULEP!!

Julep Maven for a Penny!

My newest obsession :)

Hey all! I am extremely new to this whole blog deal, but trying my best! A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to stumble upon a wonderful company by the name of Julep Maven. Now, after picking myself up and dusting off I was hit with another surprise! You can try this 4-free high quality nail polish product for a penny!

Now, you may be saying yeah right you can't get anything for a penny these days! I thought it was all a huge scam at first as well (I have trust issues ;) ) but I got brave and it really worked!! Now, Julep Maven is a monthly subscription service.  Once you are a "Maven" you will have the opportunity to preview boxes each month from the 20th-24th. Boxes include either two polishes and a beauty product or three polishes!

This subscription is one of a kind. I also subscribe to Birchbox, but it is just not the same. With Julep you not only get a choice of the box you would like each month, but you can skip a month without completely cancelling the subscription. If you don't have the 19.99 that month for your box or are iffy about the colors, fear not, just push the skip button and you are good to go! 

Are you interested yet?? If so here is how to try out Julep for a penny!! Just use the link  http://julep.com/?r=21739311 and enter the promo code COLOR2012. Julep will have you take a little quiz to see what your style is (which intro box you get). It takes about two minutes. Don't like the style they chose for you? Just retake the quiz, or pick a different style after you view the amazing color choices.

Here is what my penny intro box looked like :)  
Photo credit : http://answeringlife.blogspot.com

If for some reason the promo code COLOR12 doesn't work you can also use PENNYINTRO or TWITTER1 to experience beauty for a penny. Let me know if you decide to be a Maven, and as Julep would say: Shine On!