April Julep Maven Unboxing ♡

It feels like it's been years since I've written a blog post! I know it's been less than a month, but April has felt like it's several months long itself. I'm graduating from high school in June and my advanced classes are kickin' my booty right now. 

Complaining aside, I am so excited to be unboxing my April Julep box!

| Addison- It Girl | $14.00, $11.20 Maven

I picked out this babe because I only have one other bright yellow polish and it's a China Glaze color that isn't very opaque. Little did I know, this would only be a little more opaque than Sun Upon My Skin, but it's cooler toned, brighter, and I love the way it looks even though it is a bit more neon than I expected from the pictures.

| Brigitte- Classic with a Twist | $14.00, $11.20 Maven

I don't personally own any good quality solid white cremes so when I saw Brigitte during the Maven reveal, I immediately added her to my box. If you remember Dana from my October unboxing (one of my go-to Julep colors) I've tried out a white Julep polish before and been really impressed and this isn't any different! It's definitely opaque and cool toned, makin' me look tan and springy.

| Oxygen Bonding Base Coat | $18.00, $14.40 Maven

The Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat (Sally's is a good deal) is my go-to whenever I paint my nails, which is about twice a week. I've noticed recently, however, that the tips of my nails look a little orange-y yellow tinted and I'm not sure what else it could be besides my trusty Orly Bonder. :( I decided to grab this guy for April since it's almost never available and it's a little spendy for me to try on a whim! I've tested it out once and I think its wear time isn't quite as good as Bonder's but I do like it so far!

Totals:

Full-price: $46.00

Maven: $36.80

If you're hooked on unboxings, I've also posted about my March, February, January, December, October, August, and July boxes!

If you want to sign up for Julep, use this link to get a free $62 value welcome box with a lip gloss and three gorgeous polishes! The link also hooks me up with a $15 credit if you sign up so it's really a win-win. ;)

Thanks for reading! What did you guys get in your April boxes?

xo

February Julep Maven Unboxing ♡

I'm always thrilled about picking nail polishes and products for my Julep box and I was specifically excited this month. Back in January, Julep posted an Instagram picture (@julepmaven) of a nail polish all Mavens would be receiving in their box and it was gorgeous. I'm all about seasonal nails and free things so I was even more impatient for my box. In addition to the secret surprise nail polish, Hartleigh, I also grabbed Becky, Ada, and the Illume Eye Brightener in Champagne.

| It Girl- Ada | $14.00 ($11.20 with Maven)

It was really more of the description for this that grabbed my attention. "Rhubarb fizzy." How cute is that? It's a very deep pink or fuchsia with white flecks in different sizes, which is obvious in the bottle. From the pictures online I thought it had baby pink flecks but, as the swatches show, it only appears that way since the pink polish lightly covers them. I love the dimension with two coats, it turns into a really deep berry that is so pretty. I hope they release a million more polishes with this "fizzy" effect-- it's gorgeous!

| It Girl- Becky | $14.00 ($11.20 with Maven)

If anything is described as "oil slick" I will almost always buy it. I love this color. It's a deep charcoal-y base with purple and green shimmer, but not the early 2000's frosty way that looks miserable on me. I noticed when I was painting the swatches that it doesn't get streaky and it settles out so there aren't any brush strokes. It's a silk effect polish, which doesn't mean much to me since I always top coat, but the oil slick effect seems less noticeable with the nail polish alone. I tried to show in the swatches that from some angles it looks purple and in others it looks dominantly green.

| Classic with a Twist- Hartleigh | $14.00 ($11.20 with Maven)
I first saw this beauty on Julep's Instagram (@julepmaven) and I was head over heels when I found out it was a free addition to every Julep box in February. I adore when Julep adds free things to their boxes, especially since these gifts are actually pretty common. Online they describe Hartleigh as "holographic heart glitter," which I personally think downplays it a little. Not only does it have red glitter hearts, its base also has holographic microglitter (similar to Nell from my December unboxing) and similar white flecks as in Ada but larger and more hexagonal. I know I'm going to be wearing this year round because I'm obsessed.

| Illume Eye Brightener- Chapagne | $22.00 ($17.60 with Maven)

I don't usually go for Julep's beauty products (even though I know they're amazing) but I saw the before and after pictures on their website and was really impressed! I genetically have darker under eyes and it doesn't really bother me but when I cover them a little, my whole face looks much more awake. I haven't avidly tried to cover them in the past since I also naturally have two or three tiny lines under each of my eyes that easily accentuate with makeup. I picked up the Under Eye Setting Powder from E.l.f. at Target the other day and I'm excited to test these out together!

 
| Heart Decals |
I'm a sucker for decals and I grab them up almost every time they're available. Even though I knew I was getting a heart top coat, I couldn't resist these cuties. They're very small: only about 3mm wide and I love them. I like that both red and white came together since it gives me more options and also just because they're adorable.

| Totals | not including decals
Maven Total: $33.60
Full-Price Total: $42.00

That's my February loot! If you want to see these nail fancies in action, you can follow my Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest which are all @hannahvanhoozle. And, if you wanted to check out my other Julep unboxings, I've done July, August, October, December, and January!
If you want to join julep, sign up here. Use the friend promo code provided for a free red carpet box with three polishes and a liner!
Thanks so much for reading!
xo Hannah
 

October Julep Maven Unboxing ♡

I got my October Julep box recently and I'm so excited! I absolutely adore every bit of it. I picked out Estelle, Dana, cat decals, and as an add-on I chose white chevrons. This box was $24.99 and the add-on was only supposed to be a few dollars but I redeemed some of my points. I decided to take these shots in the leaves since I love fall and it makes them feel more festive. The leaves are actually why the reflective sticker looks gold-colored instead of being silver like it usually is. Yay for pretty trees and let's get into it!

| White Chevron Nail Decals |

I haven't gotten any decals from Julep before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I really love these! I'm thrilled to use them for an accent nail. They are definitely a little raised so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a top coat to smooth it out or not.

| Black Cat Nail Decals |

These are absolutely adorable! They're pretty small and neither these or the chevrons have a clear border around them or anything. They're actual stickers which is nice since the ones made out of nail polish can't really be resealed. I'll be sure to Instagram pictures (@hannahvanhoozle) of both nail decals when I use them!

It looks like these aren't being sold on Julep's website yet so I'll try to link these when I can.

  

 

| Julep Estelle | $11.20 (Maven price)

I'm obsessed. This is a black nail polish with lovely holographic glitter and small, black glitter as well. I love anything holographic so naturally I was drawn to this and couldn't handle waiting for it to come. This is more sheer than I expected, but I used it the other day (you can my nails in some of these pictures) and I had to do two heavier coats to get full coverage. However, since it's dominantly glitter, I was pleased to see it still dried fast. I used my Seche Vite for a top coat and it couldn't quite smooth out the glitter completely so I may have to do two coats of that next time.

| Julep Dana | $11.20 (Maven price)

Dana is a creamy white with electric blue shimmer that reacts in black light. This girl is impressively opaque! I wasn't sure what to expect, but two coats gives full coverage which can be hard to find with a white polish. Unfortunately the blue isn't as obvious once it's on nails. However, it does allow this white polish to look less chalky like some whites can and you can see it in the sun or natural light. I haven't tried out the "black light reactive" aspect yet. In the pictures online it looks like it glows really well so I'm excited!

That's everything I got this month, except for the bonus candy corn. I've already worn both of the nail polishes and I'm going to be trying out the chevrons and cats soon!
Here's a link to the free fall-themed welcome box (limited time!) and also the Julep website.
Thanks for reading! xo

August Julep Maven Unboxing ♡

I've finally joined Twitter! You can follow me through the button in my social media section, along with links to my Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin! (shameless plug) 

This is my first official Julep box! This actually came in the mail about a week and a half ago when I was on vacation and the anticipation was well built by the time I got home. I can't tell you how excited I was that it's mainly nail care stuff with a bonus anniversary nail polish. It was supposed to come with a cuticle serum, quick dry drops, a nail clean up tool, and a purple glitter polish. I personally picked this one because I wasn't a fan of all of the shimmery polishes that came with the main boxes this month. My sister (Miss Amelia Joy) chose a completely different box and is going to be doing an unboxing soon for hers as well if you want to see a varying option. 

| Julep Queen Anne |

Queen Anne is a purple microglitter that reflects rainbow. It's a rather rough glitter that I think I'll end up using two coats of top coat for to get smooth. If you can tell in the "top coat" swatch, the glitter is still peeking out. I like that it doesn't have a base color-- I only have one other microglitter like that and it's a rose gold by China Glaze called Champagne Kisses.

| Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum |

I've never used an actual cuticle oil, I've only ever used salves. Mighty comes in a metal twist-up tube with a brush applicator similar to the Stila lip glosses. It's scentless as far as my sniffer can tell. It dries very quickly which is nice since it's not greasy at all.

| Ta Da Quick Dry Drops |

I've also never tried any quick dry drops so this is a rather adventurous box for me! Ta Da smells relatively medicinal almost and I think it's from the lavender oil and a bunch of other oils. It's in a heavy glass bottle and has a rubber dropper top. I haven't tried any of these out yet, but you can expect a possible mini review of this guy later! 

  

| Bonus: Screen Cleaner |

This box also came with a little adhesive Julep screen cleaner to stick to your phone and use when your screen needs a little pick me up. And, if the adhesive wears out, you can just run it under water to give it more life again.

Unfortunately the cleanup tool was completely missing from this box, however I contacted Julep and they have sent it to me! Totally worth emailing them-- it's a dark metal tool with a rounded end and a square end for fixing nail polish. Also, it has the crosshatch-style texture (like a tool you could find in my dad's garage) and it's the size of a mini mechanical pencil! Both of which are qualities I love.

I was still impressed with this box and I'm stoked to try out these products. If ya'll want to sign up here's my referral link (hook a girl up), or you can just sign up through Julep!

Thank you for reading! xo 

Julep "SHIPSHAPE" Nautical Welcome Box Unboxing and First Impression!

I've been pondering with the idea of getting a Julep box for probably a year now, starting shortly after I cancelled my Birchbox. I was on a website a week or two ago and I saw an advertisement for a nautical welcome box for Julep. I told my sister (she did an unboxing as well!) about it and we both decided to go ahead and order them, using the "SHIPSHAPE" promo code. They ended up only being $2.99 each, covering just the shipping. What a deal for an $80 valued box! In addition to the products, I also got a little welcome booklet and a 50% off my next purchase!

I knew that it was going to come with an eyeliner and an eyeliner sharpener, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that this puppy is double ended! One end has a very dark black in Carbon Black, and the other end is a medium brown in Brown Shimmer. I can't really see the shimmer in the brown however, so it's still very wearable. These are both really creamy and smooth and they seem to last. I had this swatch on my hand and even after washing them several times I could still see their lines. I tested the black on my tight line and I almost immediately saw transfer to my water line, so I know this won't be used for that. I may end up using both of these for an occasional smudgey eyeliner.

The lipgloss I got is in the shade Enchanted-- a pink-toned cream red. When you pull the doe foot applicator out of the bottle it looks very sticky and it kind of worried be a bit. However, when it's applied to my lips, I noticed that it wasn't actually overly sticky. I like the formula since it's relatively sheer (the swatch is one swipe) and it smells like vanilla cake. I'll most likely end up wearing this guy only occasionally since I rarely wear bright colors on my lips.

Even though the fine print says you may get something different from the picture, I was kind of disappointed to see a latte-ish nail color instead of a beautiful powdery baby blue that I anticipated from the promo picture. It turns out that I got an entirely different box than my sister, who did get the blue (and the promo box before they changed the picture to the one I got) even though we ordered only a few days apart. Our red and blue are slightly different and the lipgloss I got doesn't have any sparkle. Honestly though, I don't think a nude-yellow color is going to get much use in my nail polish collection nor can I see how it's very nautical. It's the first swatch and the color is called Kennedy. How cute is that name?! The next color, Sheila, is a very true red that is actually a bit deeper than it looks in the picture. It doesn't have any orange in it which I like since the only red I have is Meet Me at Sunset by Essie and it's definitely orange-toned. The last color is Michelle, and it's a really deep blue. It doesn't appear to have much purple in it and it allows it to look like a true navy color. The nail polish formulas are awesome! They're very opaque-- I could probably get away with one coat which I can never do. 

I think I'm so impressed with the nail polishes that I may just keep my Julep box subscription. They're still offering this promotion but the new nautical welcome box (as of July 1st) seems to have a cuticle treatment, cleansing oil, and white, red, and blue nail polishes. I can't wait to pick out my own nail polishes for my next box!! Has anyone had Julep for a while and still loves it? 

Thanks for reading! xo

Psstt.. Click here if you want to sign up!

P.S. Here's a bonus picture of my nosy cat, Pennie, who was excited to have me sitting in the grass at her level while taking my pictures. Can she be our official Blog Cat? I think she'll force us to let her if we don't willingly anyways..