Subscription Review: Julep

Here my subscription reviews continue. Another monthly subscription I receive is from Julep, called the Julep Maven program. I put a history of the company on my nail of the week - November 28, 2011 blog post. Julep subscription is $19.99 a month, and you receive 2-3 items, sometimes all nail polish, sometimes 2 polishes and a related product, such as hand cream, scrub or cuticle oil. You receive an email in the 20th of the month before telling you what will be in your box and offering the chance to try another box.
Now on to the pros/cons.

Pros:
Mavens get a discount on polishes purchased outside the box ($11.50 instead of the $14.00 for full price)
Polishes and other items in the box end up costing about $6.50 each.
Opportunity to see what's in the upcoming box and either trade, skip a box, or gift a box to a friend.
At least one box is usually has all polish, and no unusable products.

Cons:
Expensive
There are plenty of high quality polishes in the drugstore these days.
Quality of polish is not that much better than good drugstore polishes
Bottle and applicator shape can cause messy application as excess drips down the long wand.

I have been meaning to skip boxes until something really special shows up, but it's so tempting to continue to receive them. I will likely begin skipping boxes, but maintain in the program to get special boxes and Maven discounts.

Happy Boxed Polish Primping!

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Subscriptions Review: Birchbox

Subscription boxes are the newest trend in the beauty community. The concept is great. For a very small cost, usually $10 a month, a subscriber receives 4-6 beauty samples. There are a few quarterly boxes, usually $20-30, that contain 10 large samples or full sized products every 3 months.
One that I'm currently subscribed to is Birchbox.

As seen in my Birchbox Hauls, they have been hit and miss in what's been in my box. In considering to keep this subscription or go with something else, I find myself going to the age old pros/cons list.

Pros-
$10 a month is not a huge investment
Sample sizes (and ability to purchase) items I'd be unable to otherwise try
Birchbox extra treats, sometimes
Birchbox points help with the cost of highly expensive items

Cons-
Full sized products often too expensive
YouTube beauty gurus generally get the best products, always receiving cosmetics.
Several recent Birchboxes have contained items I don't need, such as dark spot treatment or matronly scented soaps and perfumes.

I think I will give Birchbox one more month, mostly because My Glam bag is currently unavailable, but with the newest sub boxes coming, I don't anticipate staying on with them too much longer.

Happy sample primping!

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Nail of the Day: Revlon Colorstay 290 Midnight

I haven't done a nail of the day for a while, but this color is too perfect and too beautiful not to share. This is part of the new Colorstay launch at the beginning of the year. The collection has 33 colors including a base and top coat, which is a massive nail polish collection to be released all at once. The claim of 11 days of shatterproof color comes with the disclaimer of "when used with Colorstay base and top coat" I have not found that to be true as seen in my other Colorstay Nail Polish Blog, so I didn't bother this time either. I didn't use a base coat and used my Sally Hansen Diamond Flash topcoat. I'lll update in 11 days with the wear results.
Without further ado, here is the beautiful Revlon Colorstay in 290 Midnight:
two coats, fluorescent lights, Sally Hansen Diamond Flash topcoat
It's a Darkened Teal that reminds me a bit of the teal of a peacock feather! I wanted to try this now because Spring approaches, though in Central Texas we never really had a winter, and I'll have to put away my Fall-ish colors.

Happy Colorstay Primping!

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BzzAgent: Smarterer!

This website is very cool.  You can take tests for everything from Facebook and Twitter to Microsoft Office Suite and JavaScript!  After you take a test they send you a badge that you can post to your Blog or Facebook to show your friends how much "smarterer" you are than them!  I also learned a lot about the feature of the two website tests I took:  BzzAgent and Facebook!  (Below are my badges!)

There are some super fun tests under Interest, so check ut out!

Happy Primping Your Brain, Friends!

Drugstore dupe for Pinterest look!

There's a ton of great "one coat" glitters in the drug store, but it seems Sally Hansen Gem Crush has the most beautiful, most concentrated glitters!
This is the inspiration look.



Found on Pinterest from ohcocochanel.tumblr.com. The pink glitter is Butter London Rosie Lee and I'm not sure of the beige, but if it could be Butter London, maybe Yummy Mummy. Butter London retails at $14 each, so $28 total!

I didn't have time to tape off the triangular half-moon, but this is my drugstore(ish) version.



two coats Zoya polish, two coats Gem Crush, and Sally Hansen Diamond Flash topcoat
I say (ish) because I used a pricier beige myself, Zoya nail polish on Shay, which retails at $7 each. The glitter is Sally Hansen Gem Crush, which retails at about $6.25. My look, at about $13.25, comes in at half of the inspiration look! What even better is I already had both colors in my collection.

Happy bargain primping!

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Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish Update

I just wanted to get my quick update of the Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish. I was super impressed with this polish, as you will see.
This is after 12 days exactly!



You can see the regrowth, which I think is a lot, even for 12 days. There is also some chipping on the index finger, but not much on the others. This is absolutely unheard of from a regular nail polish. I love these, and will definitely be tempted to buy more spring and summer colors as those seasons approach.

Happy Long-wearing Primping!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad