Julep Maven - Intro Box

I don't need more nail polish. Ok, I don't need most of this stuff but with nail polish, as much as I love it, I can control myself. Mostly. So I didn't subscribe for Julep Maven for months even though it was calling me, trying to lure me into its deadly, sparkly, pretty grips. Now I've been gotten! Well, sort of.  Here's the deal: Julep is a nail polish brand out of Washington that offers a monthly subscription program.  For $19.99 a month, members (Mavens) receive $40 worth of products: nail polish and other items.  The products are "hand-selected" for each Maven profile. How do you know your profile? You take a quiz simple quiz. My quiz  told me that I'm a Classic with a Twist. Membership also means 20% off regular prices, access to super secret sales, and points from referrals and purchases that can be used towards monthly sub fees.

What really got me was the discount code that allowed me to get my welcome box for $0.01.  A single, solitary penny. And I saw that I can opt out the months there aren't colors I needwant so really, how could I resist?  Alright, enough with the telling! Time for some showing!

This is the literature I received. Read it if you'd like more details about being a Julep Maven or the Classics with Twists.

And now the goods:

When I placed my order for the intro box, I was asked if I'd like to add anything else.  Yes, Julep, I would! Thanks for asking! So in addition to the cuticle oil and 2 polishes, for $4.99 I added the nail polish remover.  That selection of products there cost me a whopping $5. Not too shabby.

The nail polish remover has a dispenser top just like Remove+ from Zoya, which I love. The formula is acetone free and conditioning so it doesn't destroy your nails.  And it doesn't smell too bad.  I will say that it's not the most effective at removing every polish quickly.  I wasn't particularly impressed with it on the Lippmann/butter combo I was wearing and gave up after just one thumb.  It took the Julep polish right off, though.  My nails and cuticles weren't dry at all; they looked nicely moisturized.  This will be good for lighter colors with little to no glitter I think.

This is the the Best Pedi Creme EVER!  EVER!

Calm down.  I don't know about ever, but it was pretty darn good.  This little packet was included as an extra with the polish remover.  It was thick enough for my winter dry, slightly callused feet but was not one bit greasy.  It contains alpha hydroxy acids, shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin E.  My tootsies did feel smoother after just a single use and it had a very pleasant scent as well.  Would I buy it? Yes, I would. I liked it.

This the first item from my Intro box; Julep's Essential Cuticle Oil.  It is packed with essential oils (in case the name wasn't a give away) and vitamin E to nourish nails and cuticles.  I like that it's a roller-ball so it's not quite so messy as some others I've tried.  I've only remembered to use it twice I think and it's pretty good.  I wouldn't say it's my holy grail of cuticle products but it's nice.  I really need to take it to work and keep it on my desk so I remember to use it everyday.

When I first saw these glitter pots, I thought they were eye shadow.  Nope, this extra that came with my nail polish and cuticle oil is loose glitter for nails.  I haven't tried them yet, but look for them on a future blog entry or Polish of the Week.

 Finally, here they are, the polishes.  The Classic with a Twist intro box features a "royal metropolitan purple metallic" called Alfre and a "rosey mauve with gold shimmer" called Jodie.  I've read mixed reviews about Julep lacquers so I wasn't sure what to expect.  So far, I've only tried Alfre.  The formula is on the thicker side of the spectrum, but is still easy to apply.  I was concerned about the finish looking streaky, but it dried to a nice, even metallic shine.  The dry time was longer than what I'm used to with brands like Zoya and butter.  It wasn't obnoxiously long, but tick-tock, I've got things to do!  And the color? Alfre is indeed in the purple family but I'd say it's closer to the lavender/grey side than royal purple.  So yes, it is a pretty shade of purple but I also looked at it and thought, "well that's boring".  I made it a little more interesting by trying out my new matte topcoat from butter LONDON.  I really, really like it with the matte finish. 

As for Jodie, I'm sure she will eventually make an appearance as a Polish of the Week. 

Not too shabby for $5, huh?  Unfortunately, the sneak peak of January's colors doesn't have me enthused so don't hold your breath for the next Julep entry unless you can hold it for a really long time.  I will likely skip this month and wait to see what February's offerings are.

If you're interested in joining Julep and want to kick me a referral bonus, click here.  No obligation.  You can also just navigate over to Julep.com

And! And, Julep is cruelty free.