A Review: Hooray For May! Julep Mystery Box

Welp, I fell for it again. I ordered this month’s Julep Mystery Box, which I’m assuming is a monthly thing.
This is going to be a problem if it keeps happening.
I’m going to try to stop!

YES, THEY ARE, JULEP.
That’s what will get me in trouble.

But for now, here’s a peek at the box I received (which was version 4).

As always, the package was presented with pretty paper and confetti filling.
The blue satchel has one color in it that is already packed and easy to present as a gift.
It has the only dupe in the box…Zelda from my last box.
I’m not sure whether I will give it away or keep it, I’m sort of in love with that color and I’m going through the bottle like crazy.

The two polishes were wrapped together, which I find appropriate. They are very delicate and girly.
The top one is Audrey, the bottom Emmanuelle.

The final three polishes were (top to bottom) Kylie, Vera, and one of the two special brights that was guaranteed to be in the box,
Korin, which is an awesome lime green crème.

I decided to do swatches of each polish. This isn’t the best photo of them, but whatever.

So it seems that this box was just polish. From some of the other boxes I’ve seen, they all seem to be polish-based (unlike last month, which included creams and scrubs and the like). There’s nothing wrong with that. None of the colors particularly shouted to me aside from Korin (and my backup Zelda). But that’s part of the game…and part of the reason I’m probably going to stop doing this for a little while.
The regular monthly boxes and occasional deals on singular polish (as well as the secret store) are enough for me.

I mentioned this last time, but a reminder: You pay one price (24.99) and get $70-200 worth of product.
As a non-maven, 6 polishes would set you back 84 bucks.
As a Maven, about 68 bucks.
The good thing about this is that you’re obviously saving some money to build up a stash,
and the mystery box is open to anyone, not just Mavens. No subscription necessary!

May-ven Box

Okay, so I talk about Julep a lot lately. For Pete’s Sake, I made a video about it (there’s another one video in the works, by the way). 
I showed you what my Sea Salt Mystery Box looked like, but I wanted to share with you guys what the typical monthly box is like.
Enter, the May Maven Box.
This month’s box is inspired by the 1920s…I love it. Jazz, flappers…I mean, you saw my birthday party last year, right?
I think they were definitely inspired by the release of The Great Gatsby (which I can’t wait to see, I’m a big Baz Luhrmann fan!).

Anyway, this what the May Bombshell box looked like.

Even though you know which colors you’ll be getting a week before you receive the box (to ensure that you actually want to get it that month/change it if you like a different Maven box), it’s still a sweet surprise unwrapping the box. Everything is decorated and wrapped in appropriate paper and ribbon and it’s very exciting!

I wasn’t expecting these adorable hair pins! That was a sweet little touch. This is only my second Maven box, and the April box came with a rock candy lollipop. I’m curious if there will always be a cute little treat inside…and in this case, it’s incredibly cute and reusable (whereas a candy can only be enjoyed once, of course).

In the video, I mentioned that every Maven (with the exception of Modern Beauty, which is only beauty products, and It Girl, which is only nail color) receives a full-size beauty product with the nail colors you’re getting. This month, we got these beautiful lip color trios. I got Paris, but my Boho Glam friend Lauren got the New York trio. Each has two sheer colors that go with any and everything and a matte red color that is pretty much the perfect lipstick. Again, this is excellent. Not to mention, the packaging…I die. It’s like an art deco cigarette holder.
Attention to details, people.

My nail colors were Zelda (which is the gorgeous shimmer, I’m wearing it right now and it’s too beautiful to handle) and this amazing dusty purple called Gabrielle. I had to include a picture of the tops of the caps…this is a genius idea. I love these stickers!!

 

So that’s the box! What’s not to love?
I also did an add on of the color Paris (which I purchased using Jules instead of cash), but unfortunately the add-ons come separately and I have yet to get mine in the mail. At least I have something to look forward to!

Don’t forget to click the Bombshell sticker on the top left if you’re interested in becoming a Maven!
But you can always check out the Julep site if you’d rather not do the referral!

A Review: Julep Sea Salt Mystery Box

About a week after making my Julep Maven video, I received an email from Julep advertising their Julep Sea Salt Mystery Box!
The mystery box is something they run on a regular basis…I believe they had one in February and March as well.
The deal: For one price (24.99), you get a package with anywhere from $70-200 worth of products from Julep.
How could I pass it up?

I ordered it on Thursday night and got it on Wednesday…this is the longest it’s taken for anything from Julep, but I think it’s fair because it was still less than a week and it was bigger than the typical package I get from them.

Here is my box and a review on the mystery box itself.

As always, the Julep box is decorated with bright tissue paper and fun confetti-like packaging.
It’s like unwrapping a present you bought for yourself! Super fun.

First in the box were these toe separators and an emery board. Will I use them? Sure. I feel like pretty much everyone is going to get this in their box. It’s simple accessories that will always have a place in your supply stash.

Next, Pomegranate body scrub and body crème. I don’t have anything like these, and I think they will be perfect for a DIY spa day, especially for getting my legs and feet ready for shorts and sandals. The scent is really lovely and, once again, perfect for summer.

Finally, these are my polishes. Each box is guaranteed to have one of their new Sea Salt Texture polishes. There were 3 possibilities.
I got Sadie (middle), which is black packed with silver glitter.
I also got Ally (right) and Melissa (left).

And here is a final photo of all of the contents together:

Considering the boxes contents range in price, there are obviously going to be bigger boxes. I’m pretty sure I got one of the smaller, if not the smallest, boxes. That’s the luck of the draw, so it doesn’t discourage me. It’s part of the mystery, after all! I will say, I was bummed that I got the black Sea Salt color…there was a beautiful beige and a beautiful pink as the other possible options and I would’ve loved one of those.
Again, not a big deal…that’s what you’re bargaining.

Complaint: I got Ally in my box. I know it’s a mystery and that they don’t personalize the boxes based on what your Maven profile is or what you might have purchased in the past. However, I already own Ally because it came in my April box. I don’t think they should’ve included polishes from the latest collection in the mystery box because of the large possibility of overlap.
I guess that could happen with anyone, though, whether it’s a newer polish or one from their constant collection.
Luckily, it’s a beautiful color, so I don’t mind having an extra.

Praise: No matter what, the mystery box is an excellent deal. The total price of everything in the box hovered around $80 dollars. Even if you’re a Maven and get the discount on pricing, you’re still saving at least $40, and that’s just with a small box like mine. You can imagine the savings if you were to get a bigger box! What’s even better is that this is open to everyone, Maven or not. I believe Mavens get a day notice before the general public, but anyone can buy one. There’s no subscription necessary and it’s an excellent way to treat yourself.
I can complain about getting dupes, but there’s the chance I might not like a product at all, which is a risk you’re taking. And in that case, you can save those products (unused, I would hope!) as presents or hand-me-downs to friends who would put them to good use!

Overall, I’m pleased. It’s a fun way to treat yourself, and this will not be my last mystery box!

The Sea Salt Mystery Box is still available on the website, and you can purchase it here.
If you’re interested in becoming a Maven, you can visit the site here, or you can click the Bombshell link at the top left of the page.

And don’t forget to check out my video if you’re curious about what being a Maven is like!