“Please note that the Julep links will take you to a page to signup for Julep, these are affiliate links. For more information please visit my disclosure page.”
One of the things that I have learned about Julep since I signed-up is that each month they do “Mystery Boxes.” What I KNOW about the mystery boxes are that they have a theme; they typically cost $24.99; they will will have random polish and products that total in value from $70-$200; oh yes and there are different versions of the box that you can get with 1 being the smaller of the mystery boxes and having the $70 value, a few in the middle with more products and polish and a higher value, and then a few larger boxes that really hit that $200 value. I have since learned that mystery boxes use to be only an occasional thing but lately they have been coming out every month. This month there were actually THREE options for the mystery box Summer Nights which contained brighter polishes for $24.99, Summer Days which contained paler shades for $24.99, and then the big one Summertime Big Box which was a combo box that promised $125-$300 worth of polish and product for $39.99. I chose the Julep Summertime Big Box and below you will find what all I received.
Bag One
As you can see the polishes came in super cute organza bags that I will for sure be reusing for something. This particular bag had three polishes inside Sally, Niecy, and Martha.
Sally
Julep lists Sally as being an “antique ivory cream” polish, it actually comes off like a buttercup yellow in person. I really like this color and I’ll for sure be keeping this one. Sally retails for $14 regularly but is on sale for $7.99 currently.
Niecy
Niecy is a “bright pink creme” polish and one that is actually pretty close to another Julep polish that I received in a swap. I actually wound-up sending this to a friend, who is thinking about joining Julep, to try out. Niecy retails for $14 for non-mavens and $11.20 for mavens.
Martha
A “pink polo creme” polish is what Martha is listed as being. First off, what does that even mean? What in the heck is pink polo? I’ve never actually heard that as a color description before looking this up. Secondly, I’m on the fence about this polish as I’m not usually a fan of pale pink polishes. However, the swatches, when I Googled them, make it look like it could be subbed for butterLondon’s Teddy Girl which is on my wishlist. I’m just afraid that once I use it that it won’t come out like the swatches I’ve seen. *sigh* I’m trying to decide between throwing this into a giveaway pile or trying it out and if I don’t like it giving it to my mother-in-law. Martha retails for $14 for non-mavens and $11.20 for mavens.
Polishes Bag One
Here are the three polishes together that were in the first little bag. So far I’m not thrilled with this box, lets keep going.
Bag Two
The second (last) set of polishes were in this other super cute organza bag. I could tell from holding it that while the previous bag only had three polishes in it this one has four. Two of these should be the two guaranteed glitter polishes that were supposed to be in every box.
Charlotte
Charlotte is listed as being a “smokey violet creme” polish. This polish reminded me of a brighter version of Alaina from last month’s box, basically just less grey in it. I’m kind of meh about this polish, I still haven’t decided as to if this will be a keep or will be going into the giveaway pile. Charlotte retails for $14 non-maven and $11.20 maven.
Leslie
As soon as I saw this “black and silver specked shimmer” polish in the bag I feel in love with it. I haven’t used it yet so I’m hoping that it turns out better than Bunny which was supposed to be a white with gold glitter shimmer, the gold just never showed up to the party. I’m going to be such a sad panda if this one does the same thing! Leslie has the same $14/non-maven $11.20/maven price point.
Monica
Monica was one of the guaranteed polishes in this set of mystery boxes. Julep says that this one is a “multidimensional pink glitter” polish and in person this is gorgeous. I can’t wait to use this one as it’s just gorgeous. Monica isn’t available for sale yet on the site but I’m going to say it’s the same $14/non-maven $11.20/maven price as the others as the polishes from July’s box have that price as well.
Kyla
Kyla, a “coral orange glitter” polish, was the second guaranteed polish for this box and is just as gorgeous as Monica is. I can see this being a great mani with a solid orange as a statement nail, switching that around, or combining the two glitter polishes together. Also like Monica, Kyla isn’t available for sale on the Julep site yet so again I’m going to give it the same $14/non-maven $11.20/maven pricing.
Polishes Bag Two
Here are all the polishes together from bag two. While I’m still hesitant about Leslie due to Bunny not working out previously I am super excited about those glitter polishes. Bag 2 was a lot better than bag 1 but lets continue on.
Foundation Brush
For June’s Maven box Julep released a DD cream and concealer for the month. As an add-on you can add this very pretty foundation brush. It later became available in the store for a whopping $28/non-maven $22.40/maven. Umm thanks but no thanks, I cringe at paying the $9 for the stand-alone Real Techniques brushes and I love those suckers. So I loved the fact that this was included in my box!!
And guess what, the handle flips around and reveals a smaller end for concealer. Isn’t that just nifty? While the bigger end looks flat it’s actually very reminiscent of the Sigma Tapered Kabuki which is on my wishlist. This will totally be used until I get my hands on a Sigma giftcard!
Samples
I’m considering these to be samples so I’m not putting a value on them. I got a pair of toe separators and a sample of their glycolic hand scrub. The toe separators are absolutely pointless to me as I have short toes so these never actually do anything but annoy me. Oh well I’ll let Ducky tear them up, shhh. As for the hand scrub I’ve been eyeballing this thing in the Julep store since before I became a maven, I’ve just been a bit unsure as to what a glycolic was and if it had a scent so I’m going to try this out to see if I want to purchase it.
Here is everything that I got in my box. I know that version 4 of the Summertime Big Box had 17 polishes, the brush, a foot lotion, a lippy, and I think mascara so you can definitely see that I got the smaller version {que the sad music.} But does the small box hold up to the promised value? Actually no it doesn’t. Due to the fact that Sally is on sale, and it doesn’t appear to be a maven only sale, the value of the box is $119.99 and it was supposed to be at least $125 of product. Since I’m a maven the value goes down even further with it only being $97.59. I’m soooo disappointed in Julep that it’s not even funny. I had heard that some people felt that due to the fact that they were having so many mystery boxes lately that it seemed like they were just trying to get rid of extra inventory and that for the past few mystery boxes the first version barely made the cut of the product value. I know that some people’s version one Summertime Big Box did hit that value mark but barely and mine didn’t hit at all.
Due to the fact that this isn’t part of the monthly subscription service and is an extra service that is completely optional I’m still sticking with Julep, I just probably won’t be doing mystery boxes again. Speaking of the monthly subscription in just a few days the window opens for August selections and I hear that it’s going to be a good month this month due to the fact that it’s their anniversary. If you’d like to signup for Julep it’s $19.99/month and you can learn all about how it works here and signup here. To get the introduction box for free (you only have to pay I believe it’s $3.95 shipping for the free box, all the monthly boxes after that will not have shipping attached) use the code FREEBOX at checkout!!
I’ve heard of being shorted on subscription boxes often, and I don’t remember who or what box, but that person contacted the company and brought to their attention that their box was missing x amount of product. The company apologized and made up the difference and shipped it out immediately. They may have made a mistake, who knows who makes up the boxes? If I were you I would contact Julep. You have been a great customer so far, and I’m sure they don’t want to lose you!
karrie
Boo! I’m sorry you didn’t get the promised amount of product. That really stinks. I hate when companies make promises they can’t deliver on.
I’m sorry you didn’t get as much as hoped, but I really did love some of the colors you got! I can’t wait to join still!
I was totally afraid this post would turn you off of them. Like I said I hate that I didn’t get the advertised price and I might do what Karrie said and mention it to them but I still stand behind the fact that they are a great subscription service. 🙂
What a cool box to get! Cute how the nail polish is all girls names. Love that brush, how perfect to have a concealer brush on the other end!