Julep Nail Polish Addict
It All Began with a Little Box
At the beginning of 2013 I was flicking through my Instagram stream and noticed a pretty little box with crinkled paper and tall bottles of bright nail polish. In the photographer’s description she had “Julep Maven” but otherwise no description. I did a quick search on Google and was quickly alerted to the world of Julep and their nail and beauty products.
Becoming a Maven
Basically the Maven program involves filling out a survey to determine your style type, for instance I came up as having a “Boho Glam” style. They use the style type to determine what colors to send me each month in their Maven Box. Usually it is two to three bottles of nail polish but sometimes they include extras like: lipstick, eyeliner, candy, hand lotion, lip scrub.
The monthly subscription is $20 a month (that includes shipping). The price is the same in the U. S. and Canada and still with free shipping. Every month around the 20th they send an email saying my box is ready and I have four days to visit the site and approve or skip the current month. There is no penalty or payment if I don’t get a box and I can skip as often as I like. Or if I don’t like what is in my style box I can switch to one of the others (UPDATE: they have a two tier program now. With the $20 box you can’t switch but with the $25 box you can pick your own). If I don’t visit the site to approve/skip the box comes automatically.
I always like to visit when I get the notice because they always offer “add-ons” — popular nail colors at fab prices. I was introduced to another favorite product of mine called the Freedom Polymer Topcoat via an add-on.
The Discount and Other Perks
There are a few other perks to becoming a Julep Maven outside of the monthly boxes. If you shop at the site you automatically get a 20% discount on all purchases and any orders have free shipping. I even purchased a bunch of polishes for my god-daughter (one had her name as the color) and they sent it to her with free shipping!
Every so often they also offer Mystery Boxes that you can purchase at a discounted price. For example they offer a $35 Mystery Box that contains $75 worth of product. I have purchased two of these over the last year and I personally did not care for them. I actually prefer the petite monthly Maven boxes.
Another perk is that you can collect points. Points can be made for accepting the monthly boxes or for having friends sign up to become Julep Mavens. The points can be redeemed for free product or even free Maven boxes (It is pretty exciting when you log in and notice you have enough points to get a free box. I have enjoyed a few over the last year. Personally, I like to save the points up and use them on my boxes when money becomes tight that way I still get a guilt-free treat.
You Don’t Have to Become a Maven to Shop Julep
If you don’t want to be bothered with the commitment of a monthly subscription you can still purchase their products from their website or from sites like Amazon at the standard pricing.
What About the Nail Polish
Like with any brand there are hits and misses. For the most part I have loved most of the nail polishes I have received from them. There were a few exceptions where I experienced next day chipping, I thought the color was horrendous, or it was goopy. But I have experienced this with other brands too.
Each polish has to be judged on its own merits. Some require only one coat while others may require three. I love the assortment of colors Julep offers and that they are keeping up with the latest nail trends which not only colors but textures i.e. the Cleopatra black latex.
Every month I look forward to receiving my monthly Maven box because I know it is a treat I am going to enjoy. So far I have only skipped a few months because I was away and I will probably skip December too because it is a busy time and funds get allocated to other things.
Overall, whether you choose to sign up to the Maven program or shop on an individual basis I recommend trying out their products.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments.
images in Julep lens review in squid files
More of My Favorite Julep Products
Julep Acetone Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover
My other favorite hands down product is their pump action nail polish remover that literally whisps old polish away with no harsh smells or skin breakdown.
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Topic Links
* Get nail polish from Julep
* Get Julep nail polish from Amazon
