July Look Bag and August Julep Box!

Although it's been cancelled, I still wanted to review the items from the July Look Bag, which I received a couple of weeks ago.

Included:

Full Size Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Rose-- $18.00 (for full size) Apparently, some people got a full-sized lipstick in their bags--mine was not, but was still a good size. The color is ok--I like the pink tone, but the gold undertone is kinda meh.

.08 Ultraflesh Gold Standard Mascara. value = $7.88 (.27 oz. $26.00) I actually kinda like it, which is surprising because I am allergic to EVERYTHING. It makes my eyelashes look really long. but they seem a little too individualized (? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but they seem to look kind of like the eyelashes in Nightmare Before Christmas, but not that bad) I put it in my purse for quick touchups

1ml. Betsey Johnson Perfume. value = $1.53 (1oz. $45.00) - This is quite possibly the worst perfume dispenser device ever invented. I don't know why they didn't send us the little spray bottles or roll-ons like you get from Sephora and such.

.24 oz. Bremenn Research Labs Miracle Cream (for the face). value = $9.07 (1.3oz. $49.00) 

I didn't like it very much. It smelled kinda bad and didn't feel very nice. I didn't have any adverse reactions to it, but I definitely didn't think it was a "miracle". 

"An Upcoming Trend" - each month we take to the beauty trenches and see what's upcoming trends out Look Bag subscribers just have to try out.  they sent 2 small bottle of nail polish one in blue and one in purple. value = $1.00/ea. These are clearly Bon Bons, from when you were 7 and wanted to paint your nails. They go on cheap because they are cheap. That being said, if you have a 7 year old girl in your life, they're great. I do not.

Apparently, they're going to figure things out and re-launch soon, dunno if I'll re-subscribe. A lot will depend on how much I like this month's Glam Bag and Birch Box and Sample Society. 

Julep was OK this month. Like I said before, I only did it this month because I had a free one due to referrals--I think the service is way too expensive to just have. That being said, if you use the code COLOR2012, you should still be able to get your first month for a penny. It's worth trying, and if you normally spend a lot of money on nail polishes, then it's definitely good. I tried swatching, but the colors looked weird in the pictures, so none for you.

This month I did August Bombshell, which included: 

Kim, gunmetal grey metallic.

Harley, liquid silver metallic chrome.

Julep Acetone-Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover, a professional pump-action bottle for easy, one-handed use.

I also added Melanie, pastel indigo metallic chrome as my free add-on because I'm new.  They sent Melanie separately because it was an add-on, which I didn't like, because I felt it was wasteful--they spent extra money on shipping (which is undoubtedly one of the reasons their subscription rates are so high), and they used extra packaging, which is bad for the environment. I can't imagine that they have SO MANY subscribers that it wouldn't be cheaper for them to package the add-ons with the regular boxes instead of sending 2 separate packages.
Because it was their 1-year anniversary, they included a free "tote" which was too small to be called a tote, in my opinion, but whatevs. 

So I loved the color of Kim, but it's streaky and tacky and kinda sucks to apply. 

Harly is pretty, but it's a lighter color than I really wanted and is very similar to something my mom found me on clearance for like $2. 

Melanie was ok also, but I regret it as an impulse buy a little bit, because it's just not a color I really wear. That being said, it's still pretty. 

The pump action bottle is pretty cool, which is mostly what I was excited about because I like the pumping action. That being said, I like Target brand remover better. I plan to just keep refilling my pump bottle with Target stuff. 

All-in-all, I would say these two subscription services are OK. I'm not in love with them, but I don't think they're awful either. 

**I paid for my own Look Bag and received the August Julep box for free because I referred two other people after having paid for my first box.

Julep Box!

I got my Julep box today. It was just sitting there in my mailbox, waiting for me when I went home for lunch. It was such a nice surprise! I love getting mail.

For those of you who don't know, Julep Maven is a monthly subscription service that sends you 2-3 full sized nail polishes per month, along with a nail-related accessory or sample. My box was the American Beauty starter box which includes (according to their website):

The Best Pedi Cremè Ever! exfoliates with alpha hydroxy acids, hydrates with shea butter and coconut oil, nourishes with vitamin E. Apply nightly for noticeable results in just 1 to 2 uses.

Eva, juicy raspberry creme. The right balance of sophistication and whimsy.

Renee, spring lilac creme. Surprisingly ladylike.

The colors don't exactly seem like what they look like on the website, and the Pedi Creme looked full sized online (at least to me, but maybe I'm crazy cakes), but was just a deluxe sample in real life.

I'm not crazy about Renee, but I had decided that I would go with a different color than I normally do, so I wanted to see if it would grow on me. A few days later, and it still hasn't.  I'm out of topcoat, though, and it's held up pretty well, considering. Only a chip here or there on my fingers and none on my toes a few days later.

I do, however, love, Love, LOVE Eva. I think it's a really great color and I'm sure I'll be wearing it all the time. Also, my hands don't look that ugly in real life. At least, I hope they don't.

I have only tried the Pedi Creme once, mostly because I keep forgetting about it at bedtime. I don't really think it's all that much better than any other lotions, but I guess it's ok.

I like the toe spreaders, because they are the thinner, more flexible ones, so they aren't super uncomfortable to wear.

I got the package on the 18th, which was 2 days after they said they were shipping it and 5 days after I signed up. I think that's a pretty good turnaround, so I'm pretty happy with that.

All in all, though, unless I continue to get Maven credits from referrals (for every 2 of you that sign up, I get a free month), I'm going to just skip most months. While I like it, and like that you can choose what you'll be getting, I just don't think that it's really worth $20/month. If I had that kind of money to blow on nail polish, I'd be at the nail salon getting professional mani/pedis. Besides, a lot of the other subscription services regularly send nail polishes with their samples, and I'm always checking the clearance section of Target and Ulta and such to find new colors that are marked down, so usually I spend less than $20/year on new polishes.

Disclaimer: I bought this with my own money (although I did use a code that meant I got it for a penny). All opinions are my own.

More subscription madness

Hey y'all...

If you go to Julep and use the code COLOR2012, you get the first month of your subscription for A PENNY. DOOOO IT! You know you want to.