Julep Maven August 2014 Unboxing

This month's collection was called "Wanderlust" and definitely had an Indian flare to it!

I started using the My Maven subscription this month which allows you to swap out polish colors form your box.  It's great but to get the same price of $19.99/month you have to pre-pay every three months.  Not a huge deal.

This month's box had patterned tissue paper!

When I opened the tissue paper, I was pleasantly surprised to see the fun bonus item wasn't candy!  It was a tiny phone screen cleaner that was sitting on top of the box:

 

And under that and the usual collection card with huge discount on featured item, fun quote (I do believe it's time for another adventure...", and coupon code for a regular order was my selections for the month:

 

My selections this month were the following:

• Gel Eye Glider in Smoky Plum
• Katie
• Neha

Here is the screen cleaner in more detail:

It's tiny and cute and just sticks right on your phone.  You can wash it to regain tackiness if it loses it.

My selections in their boxes:

 

And here they are ready to play!

I just want to mix these two into some pinky swirl or something. ;)

Overall lots of fun!  I think there was another polish in this collection that I liked but it was sold out so I couldn't add it on.   I will check it out again when they are available on the website.

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Click HERE for a link with a referral and promo code to get your first Julep Maven box free!

Mystery Grab Bag - Julep Maven June 2014

One of the add-ons for the June 2014 Maven selection was a "Mystery Grab Bag" for $17.99 which was advertised to have $70 worth of 'nail colors and beauty products' in it.  I thought that sounded fun, and I decided to go for it. 

When I got my June box (which was in a brown cardboard box...will post the unboxing soon), the mystery grab bag was a bundle in the box (next to my other add-ons and the Maven box itself).  I was unimpressed with the packaging, but once I started looking at the product, I was very pleased.

Here is the bundle together:

The items set out:

The Kayal Eye Glider:

I haven't tried it yet, but I swatched it on my hand and it seemed to glide very smoothly.  I have their smaller colored gel eyeliners, and this one worked similarly to that.  The sharpener seems nice.  Obviously it catches the shavings.

Lip gloss:

The pink color of this lip gloss (named fearless) looked really cute, but when I actually tried it on, I FELL IN LOVE!  Gorgeous lip gloss.  Felt great on, too.  This alone was worth the price of the add-on (see below).


Nail Polish:

Both are colors I do not have and they are recent Julep colors (from 2013) so that was nice.  They are Anisa and Teri.  I haven't tried them yet, but I will soon enough, I am sure.

The whole set:

The overall June 2014 mystery grab bag set.  I was pleased!



Contents:

• Kajal Eye Glider & Sharpener - $22 (was in secret store for $9, on sale on regular site for $10)...in bronze shimmer and carbon black
• Julep Lip Gloss in Fearless - $20 ($16 Maven)...a Sheer silvery pink shimmer, with Power Cell Complex™
• Anisa - $14 ($11.20 Maven)...Deep burgundy crème
• Teri - $14 ($11.20 Maven)...description/link currently not on Julep site that I can find

Sure enough, when you add it all up (full price), it comes out to $70!  The lip gloss was the highlight of this mystery bag.  I love it!  At $16 maven price, I consider myself to have paid $1.99 for the rest of the stuff since the whole grab bag was $17.99.  If I ever see a mystery bag or box with fearless as the hint, I am going for that, too.  The color is amazing, and the gloss feels great on. The bag was a great deal once I got over the disappointing packaging.

I would imagine that all June Mystery Bags are the same (based on other mystery add-ons in the past).  Overall - success!

Stay tuned for my June unboxing post which will include my other add-ons in addition to my June box (and a surprise for having 3 add ons).

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Click HERE for a link with a referral and promo code to get your first Julep Maven box free!

e.l.f. Beauty Bundle: Pre-Summer Survival Kit (May 2014)

I received my new elf beauty bundle!  This box's theme is Your Pre-Summer Survival Kit!

The box arrived in the usual black box with pink tissue paper, and all but one of the contents (a pink signature bag) was in the e.l.f. beauty bundle drawstring bag.

Here is what the Pre-Summer Survival Kit contained:

• 28-Piece Beach Beauty Palette in Night, $6
• Waterproof Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara in Black, $3
• Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls, $3
• Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black, $2
• Mineral Moisturizing Lip Tint in Guava, $3
• High Definition Powder in Shimmer, $6
• Makeup Mist & Set, $3
• SPF 45 Sunscreen UVA/UVB Protection, $6
• Signature Bag in Pink, $8

As advertised and expected, the items total up to $40 in value.

Here is what the inside of the Beauty Book looks like:

 

These last three remain unopened.  I have some mist & set already that I don't use too often but probably should more.  I also have lots of mascara and eyeliner options.  Both of these are waterproof so they will wait until a time when I need some water-resistant makeup.

 

As I was unboxing this kit, I was also packing for a trip to Miami.  What a great place to try it out!  I packed the Suncreen powder and Beauty Book in the Signature Bag with the lip tint and highlighter.  The bag as a section for brushes so I packed some in there and also my eye primer.

The signature bag is much better than I expected.  I had seen it on the website before, but wasn't very interested.  I loved taking it on my trip to Miami - perfect for storing everything you need.  I ended up adding mascara, eyeliner, tweezers, and other odds & ends to this travel set.  I used the SPF powder every day in addition to the beauty book.  I wore neutral colors during the day and put on some of the more fun ones at night.  I also added some of the highlighter although I haven't quite figured out how the baked highlighters will best work for me yet.  I used the lip tint, too, for some added color.

I also tried the shimmer powder (but didn't take it on my trip) and like it a lot!  It is smoothing with the slightest hint of shimmer. 

Overall, a great beauty bundle.  No regrets on this one!

Here are the inside & back of the description paper that came with it to see more details on what everything in the kit is.

e.l.f. Beauty Bundle - Naturally Beautiful! (March 2014)

The latest Beauty Bundle has arrived!  This box's theme is "Naturally Beautiful!"   I subscribed to the e.l.f. (eyeslipsface) beauty bundle for 1 year (they let you prepay), and I was curious if I had timed it right so that I would get the next bundle and not the previous one.  Even the day I ordered it I saw people with new youtube videos of the previous bundle.  But I went for it and hoped I would be one of the first with the new bundle so I would be surprised when I dug into my little black drawstring bag.  I posted about all of that here.  Anyway, I timed it will and I got the latest beauty bundle yesterday!  :)  Time for my $40 worth of full sized beauty products!!

It came in the beauty bundle box with their beauty bundle bag wrapped in hot pink tissue paper (the bag is under the products here):

Very exciting!  Here is what the bundle contained:

• 6-Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette ($3)
• Eyeshadwo Primer in Sheer ($3)
• Mineral Eye Liner in Ash ($3)
• Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara ($1)
• Natural Volumizing Mascara ($5)
• Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph ($5)
• Mineral Infused Face Primer ($6)
• 22-Piece Mini On the Go Palette ($10)
• Eye Shadow Brush ($1)
• Lotion Wipes ($3)

If you add the total up, it comes out to exactly $40, just as advertised!

Additional Pictures of the Beauty Bundle as it came:

This image has the Naturally Beautiful card in it, too.  Each Beauty Bundle comes with a card describing the theme and each of the items and their value.

The mineral lipstick, eyeshadow primer, volumizing mascara, and eye liner in their boxes:

I am really looking forward to trying more of the items from the mineral line.  I typically buy the essential items when I am traveling and need something quick because I forgot it or it I am bored and want to entertain myself by trying something new (in the hotel where I can immediately wash it off if it looks bad).

The two $1 items from the essential line:

I have never tried the clear mascara and brow mascara, but it will be fun to play with.  I typically like dark mascara though although playing with makeup is always fun so who knows what i will do with this one - translation:  I will probably try it!  I have a bunch of elf brushes.  I have one of these essential eyeshadow brushes that I use when I travel because I like the sleeve they come in and I won't mind messing it up or losing it although at home I use brushes from the studio line.

I have geometric eyeshadow palettes from elf and one is actually in my regular rotation for eyeshadow.  I will probably make this one a travel one though since it's smaller.  I tried the lotion wipes and they actually did a pretty decent job of moisturizing.  I might take these to work and use them if I feel dry at the office.  I have a lot of lotion at home so I feel like i wouldn't use them if I kept them there.

Since I travel a lot, I previously purchased one of these palettes because I thought it would be fun to play with when I travel.  It has 10 eyeshadow shades, 5 lip colors, and 3 blushes.  There is also a tiny mascara.  I used it this past week when I was out of town and used the pink eyeshadows and the blush.  I used the lip colors in the airport and ended up mixing them to get a custom color.  I didn't really like the tiny brush, but it worked and was conventient in the palette.  I have not tried the mascara, but I can imagine that it would be good on the go.  Now that I have two of these, I might take the new one to work.

And a couple of shots of the overall set:

Brush Review - eyeslipsface Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush & Fan Brush

Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush
I have been loving the e.l.f. Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush lately.  I have tried different shadow brushes, and this one is great!

Check it out here!

The brush has a good stiffness so that it can be fully utilized in both the large area position for fuller coverage and on the edge for detailed coverage.  The shape of the "C" makes it perfect for adding color to your crease.

At $3, this brush is a steal!  I HIGHLY recommend it!!

Studio Fan Brush
A surprise love of mine (and the brush I grab immediately after using the Shadow "C" Brush) is the Studio Fan Brush. I first received this brush in a set and set it aside because I didn't know what to do with it.  After a while, I ordered an e.l.f. special with this brush included and did a little research on it.  It works great for dusting off excess shadow after I am done applying!

Check it out here!

Others have used it for light dusting of powders or even liquid foundation.  I have not had a need to try it, but it sounds like it works well if you only want a small amount of product.  Like I said, I used it for shadow clean-up when I am doing some layering, and it works well.  The brush has kept it's unique shape, too. 

I am not sure I would buy another for $3, but for free or part of a set it's a great addition.