Julep Maven Subscription : 1 Cent!

Hi All!
    So there has been a huge rush for subscription boxes, which you pay a fee for deluxe- full sized products.  Some offer points for filling out surveys, others offer a discount.  I had come across a really stellar deal for a nail polish subscription box.  I think I've heard 2 youtube gurus mention this company but...it is JULEP MAVEN!  So, I started my subscription about a week ago, and even with a shipping issue, I got it within one week. I have to say that the website is well organized and VERY clear about when you should opt out of a month if your on a budget, if you want to switch your style etc.  It's very user friendly and even the style quiz was more interesting then most of others that I have seen. The style quiz, in the end also gives you a peak at your colors, so if you really REALLY hate them you can redo the quiz and get another pair of shades. This is something pretty different from most other companies because they really do take into account that some people just can't wear certain shades.

 So a normal box is 19.99 and they offer one-time payments for several months, which I believe gives you a little discount. Now this is a more expensive box than most others, especially for a monthly product, but I used a coupon code and got a introductory box for a PENNY (doing a little dance in my chair right now!) The Box comes with a nail file, a hand product and two nail polishes that are 8ml each.  (To put into perspective, the Sally Hansen Xtreme wear bottles are 11.8ml so you are getting roughly 2/3 of that size)

ONTO THE ACTUAL BOX!
So it came in a simple black box with Julep Maven on the side with the company logo. It's a sturdy box so if your box gets caught in the rain it will not get ruined.  When I first opened my box I saw this: the typical card explaining the company with a reminder of what my style profile is (Classic with a Twist) along with a welcome card outlining details of when you can change your style profile if you don't like the next month's colors, when you can cancel, and exactly when your card gets charged. (Good idea!)

  

Next under the cards I saw nicely bundled together this: (There was some crinkle products at the bottom so nothing would break) 

  The first product I pulled out was a basic black nail file with the company name on one side. The next product I pulled out was the "Facial For Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub" in 3 fl oz.  It's a nice sized product and has an orange essence scent. I have not tried it yet, but worst comes to worst I can use it on my body!

 

Finally the nail polishes came wrapped in bubble wrapped and then packaged in a pink bag with a black bow on it. Pretty cute if you ask me. The two colors I got were Anne- which is a rich violet color with definite blue undertones and Kelly- a cream colored polish with a buttercream-y tint to it. They are packaged in tall bottles so they stand out from the other bottles I have. They both have the standard brush, so it's nothing super fancy with that.

So I had to put off the next box because it does come with a 20 dollar price tag. I feel like this subscription is one that I'll purchase 2-4 times a year because they are pretty colors. (Plus it was nice getting something other than bills in the mail) One little thing I would nit-pick at is the fact that the colors were not both labeled.  If you check the photo above, the cream color has a label but the purple one does not have it at all. I would probably just give Julep a heads up just for the future.

SO if your interested in signing up and testing it out for a penny (ONE CENT with FREE SHIPPING) the code to use is: COLOR2012.
It's easy to put off a month or to cancel (they ask you to call) 
Here is a link to the site:

http://julep.com/?r=20447938 

 Anyone else use this subscription? I know they are now selling in Sephora, how much is it going over there? 

Have a great night all! 

xoxo, Ema

Product Review: Stile Smudgeproof Eye Definer in Peacock

Hi Everyone,
            So going on with my products I'm working on getting through/ finally using, I decided to use the Stile Smudge proof Waterproof Eye Definer in the color Peacock.  I got this a few months back through my Birchbox and yep...JUST now started using it.  I've never used Stile products before although I have had a "makeover" done at Sephora using just Stila products.So you can imagine that I was rather excited to see how this color and product would work on me.

          The consistency of the liner is so smooth and creamy, so I can understand all the fuss about their texture. It went onto my waterline very nicely and even when I swatched it on my hand it was consistent and not bumpy or chunky. The color is this beautiful deep aqua with a metallic finish to it. I have never used a color like this before but it added such a nice emphasis on my blue eyes and gave me something different than my typical browns.
        I wore this color with a purple/ neutral eye to just allow for the blue to really pop but the purple makes the look come together. I have been able to wear this look to my job which is very conservative and my boss had no issues with the color so that is an added bonus! (yay)
       Now for the disappointing part of this product (there just always seems to be one!) This liner was not waterproof nor smudge proof. When I swatched it on my hand it was tough to get off and all I could think about was how awesome this would be on the water line. WRONG! Within an hour the color faded from the deep aqua to a lighter aqua (still pretty but if I wanted a light aqua I'd BUY a light aqua). While it didn't smudge easily, it still had a decent amount of smudginess that actually left lil lines of the color right under my eye. I don't know if I could say that it is waterproof because it did obviously start to breakdown after 2 hours or so.

Final Verdict?
- I like the color and the product but if I am going to purchase a product that claims to be smudge proof and waterproof....it better BE smudge proof and waterproof. It isn't a repurchase but I do like it for just that added boost.

Have you tried this product? Can anyone suggest a good liner that is REALLY waterproof?
xoxo Ema
     

Project Cut Back Spending Update!

Hi All,
   This post is more of just a quick update of my "Project Cut Back Spending" for makeup is going. I am waiting to hit another 20 products before I actually do a photo and whole post about the products (maybe even experiment with making a video version of it!? *would anyone want to watch that instead of reading the post?*) but figured I can at least give the newest calculation of my spending! So from January 1st, 2012 to April 5th, 2012 I have spent *drum roll please!*


 15 BUCKS on makeup/ skincare/ body products!

I find that to be really awesome because it has pushed me to use what I have, and even scramble a bit to use a product or two up before it went bad.  I have been able to develop an idea of what I really like and which ones I would love to repurchase. 15 bucks is what I would typically spend in a month, or more!   I plan to save up for the next Sephora F&F sale and then purchase a few staple (or hopeful staple) items.

I don't know if this is technically cheating, but I have been to Sephora to pick up a few foundation samples, so I'm finally learning to use it and what I like in it! (yayyyyyy)

How is everyone else doing??
xoxo,
Ema

Repurposing Gel Liner

Hi all!

   So this week I had wanted to use my Physicians Formula Gel Cream Liner (Hazel Eyes) instead of just using my brown pencil (specially since I knew I would be done with it within the next week) but upon opening my containers, I found them to be on the road to be dried out. (womp womp) SO the two colors that I couldn't use was the gold toned liner and the purple toned liner. Both, I realized could be really pretty eyeshadows, and the drier consistency made them nice to use as cream shadows! 

From top to bottom: Gold, Purple, Black

I was able to wear both colors today, gold on my lid and the purple in the crease. I used a brown on the outer portion of my eyelid and added some deep purple into the crease. I never really wore purple shadow, but boy is this a rather pretty look! It's neutral enough to wear to work and school. Since they are liners, they did not crease on me, transfer, or smudge yet they were rather easy to take off with eye makeup remover. The shades are very shimmery but I found them to be rather lovely spring-ish shades. I will look forward to using these because they were also easy to apply onto the eye. I simply used an ELF $1 eyeliner brush and ELF $3 small precision brush.

Instead of tossing out my drier liners, I can now try to use them as shadows! Yay for getting some bang for my buck!

Have you found ways to re-purpose products?

xoxo

Ema

Products I've Finished!

Hi Everyone!!

                Well if this hasn’t been a busy month I don’t know what has! This weather has been crazy to boot! In the New York Tri-State area we have only had about 6 inches total of snow since October *knock wood for no more*! Anyways, if you are a Beauty Broadcast reader, you’ve probably read my post about my crusade to spend less on makeup after seeing my finances from the last year.  I’ve looked at my monthly spending on makeup and have been challenging myself to spend less than last year (next year I don’t know how  that will turn out cause for February I spent ZERO bucks on makeup!) and to be going through my products and using them.  I don’t have a certain amount of products, or particular products that I need out or even a certain amount of time. I just want to get some use out of what I have, and on that note, I have a long overdue post about the products I have already finished! So…..in no particular order:

L-R: St. Ives, Dove Clinical Strength, L'Oreal 360 Mini, L'oreal 360 Anti-Breakout, Harmons Toner

St. Ives Facial Scrub “Naturally Clear”: Oh boy this product lasted me just about a year and I love this! I will be repurchasing this one as soon as I finish through my other various cleansers. I would use the scrub 1-3 times a week and just found that it left my skin feeling renewed and fresh. 

Dove Clinical Protection in Energizing: BAD. Just not at all what I was looking for in a deodorant and especially in a pricier clinical strength one! It is a gel/ cream product, and would not keep me dry. Within one hour I’d feel gross and the scent didn’t last. Not only that but the actual amount of product is really small, and as you twist up, product would get stuck under the cap so I wouldn’t even have a chance to use it! I won’t be repurchasing this at all, I’ll stick to my other, normal deodorants thank you!

L’Oreal go 360 Clean Deep Exfoliating Scrub: So happy this was a sample size that I got for free with the big bottle because this did nothing “exfoliating”.  Quite literally just had a few beads that also did nothing in the normal facial cleanser formula.  It was just nothing special so I won’t be repurchasing it. 

L’Oreal go 360 Clean Anti-Breakout Facial Cleanser: LOVE THIS. I had this product for about 4-6 months, and a little bit of this gel works for the entire face. It was not over drying and within one day I really did see my breakouts start to go away. I can’t wait to repurchase (once I finish my OTHER cleansers *grumble grumble*)

Harmon FaceValues Skin-Refreshing Hydrating Toner: I really didn’t see this change my skin, and still really don’t see why there is a fuss about using toners.  I mainly used this to take my makeup off, or just to cleanse it in the mornings.  As I started to get to the bottom though the product would separate and leave a slight greasiness so I wasn’t too happy with that. I might purchase another toner, but it’s not a NEED to purchase thing.

Suave Dry Shampoo, B&BW Peach Citrus, B&BW Dark Kiss, Benefit Maybe Baby

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo: I have never used a dry shampoo before, but for my first try at it, I have to admit it wasn’t too bad.  I think what got me the most was my own psyching out.  My hair looked clean, and more or less felt clean, but I knew that my hair wasn’t fresh so I felt really grossed out/ peeved about it (trust me to do that). The scent was good but I just don’t think dry shampoos are really my thing yet.  When I still have decent looking day 2 hair, I usually curl it and pull it back. 

Bath & Body Works Peach Citrus Body Lotion: Oh goodness I think I bought this like 4 seasons ago at the big 50-75% off sale that they had, and just never used it. Seems to be a big thing with me, I love lotions and scents but I’m afraid that a scent will be discontinued so I save it for later…(weird I know!) But I have so many mini lotions that I just started using them. I didn’t get much peach it was really more citrusy and floral-esque.  It’s not a scent that I will be rushing back to get, but if it’s there I might pick one up. 

Bath & Body Works Dark Kiss Body Lotion: So I did not expect to like this scent at all. I grabbed this one at the cash register and didn’t smell it until I got home. Once I did smell it in the bottle I had a crinkle the nose moment and put it aside. Now after using it, I was very surprised because with my body chemistry, the scent was actually really nice.  I’d have to say it has a warmth too it that I did not expect. Probably will repurchase this one (side note: has anyone noticed B&BW lotions to not be very moisturizing as compared to other products like Aveno?)

Maybe Baby Perfume from Benefit: My absolutely favorite scent….ever. I was so sad to see this scent finish, and will be adding it onto my wish list.  This just has the perfect amount of warmth and freshness that is great for young ladies but also works well with older ladies too. I have other perfumes to work my way through, but still will have my fingers crossed that I get the large bottle for my birthday! (PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE)

Holly Wreath Candle, Vanilla Gingerbread Candle, 2 White Peppermint Candles

Holly Wreath Candle: This is a Rite Aid candle I got for a buck.  In the tin it actually smelled nice and had a decent strength but as I started to use it, there was literally no scent.  Which made me a little sad, but for 1 buck I guess I can’t boohoo too much :/

Vanilla Gingerbread Candle: This smells like gingerbread and vanilla icing with a hint of nutmeg…in the tin. Again, a Rite Aid candle that literally gave off no scent. I won’t be purchasing either candles because they just aren’t doing what I want them to do. 

Seasonal Traditions White Peppermint candles: I got these two at CVS during the Christmas holiday. They smelled so nice…IN THE JAR. Oh my goodness, this batch of candles has not been fragrant for my room at all! I think Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works candles have spoiled me! 

Benefit Lemon Aid, Nivea Kiss of Milk & Honey, Jordana LipShine in Watermelon

Benfit Lemon Aid: This is a primer/ conceler for the eye, similar to tinted eye primers that eliminate any discoloration. I adore this product, but with the newer formulation, I don’t think I will be purchasing (although my sister got me a new version for Christmas because she kept hearing me talk about it!)

Nivea Kiss of Milk and Honey Lip Balm: I love this product, but for some strange reason it smells like strawberries and cream to me (o.0?) If I didn’t have like 8 other balms to get through I’d repurchase this in a heartbeat! 

Incolor by Jordana Lip Shine in 02 Watermelon Punch: This was an ok lip gloss. It would leave a nice amount of color but would disappear rather quickly.  There is no glitter in it, just a nice non-sticky texture and had a scent that matched the various flavors (I had a previous shade that had a cotton candy and a berry flavor/ scent) These are pretty cheap, so while I wont be running out just for this gloss, I might pick another one up one day (one I finish my TONS of other glosses -.-)

So what is my tally so far?

Lotions/ fragrance/ hair products: 4

Makeup: 3

Candles:4

Cleansers/ Body Washes: 5

Grand total: 16

Who else is shopping their stashes? Let me know how everyone is doing!

Xoxo,

Ema

New Year: A Little Happier Post

HI All!

                So a new year has begun and a new semester! Boy time moves so much faster when ya travel or have a really busy schedule! Anyways, after my last, less bright post, I figured I would elaborate on what is going on with my “makeup life”.  After the holidays and holiday cleaning, I had a chance to take a good hard look at my makeup collection and in essence do a little soul searching when it came to my likes and dislikes. I realized that I really only wear neutrals, (think champagne to dark chocolate browns, golds, coppers, bronze…those things) and won’t ever wear “colors” which I am 100% okay with…okay maybe I’ll throw in the occasional dark hunter green but other than that….nope.

                I also came to the conclusion that I have a LOT of makeup. Now by no means is it as huge as those “makeup collection” films by youtube gurus that leaves you drooling over your keyboard. But I do have more than I have even touched, which actually brings me to my whole point…I have a TON of makeup that I have only swatched but never actually used! How is that fair to my wallet and to myself for purchasing things and then never getting around to using them. After checking my bank account for this last year (a major owie when I saw those numbers) I cam to the fact that I am enough of makeup that I would actually use and that I don’t need to buy every pretty new thing because I have something similar already.  (93 nailpolishes…OI!)

                So I’m not going on a no-buy or ten/tin pan project because I know I will set myself up to fail.  (case and point, one of my first posts on working through palettes but restricting myself so much caused me to break so soon) But I came up with something that is actually rather fun for me. I want to gather an opinion about my products and give reviews on them, so that means I actually need to use the products (duhr right?).  So, I figured what if I use products till I hit the pan? It would make me work through the product enough that I develop an opinion. Obviously when I have an eyeshadow palette there are colors I won’t really use or don’t like at all (mustard yellows or oranges…why have that in an eyeshadow “gold” palette…I don’t use them!) so I won’t force myself to use them. But if I hit pan on a certain number of colors (4 pans out of 12 for example) I have tried the product enough to see the versatility and can move to the next product.

                This method has been fun and has allowed me to start to work through my collection. Once I hit pan on my collection, I can go back to square one and start to finish out my least favorite colors or palettes so they don’t keep taking up space. As much as I love purchasing new products, I don’t want to keep buying just to buy and not get a chance to use it! Now of course if I find a product I want or find to be amazing, I will purchase it. But I plan to wait a little to get more reviews about them because I want my purchases to be a little more calculated and more budget friendly. I will include in future posts photos of how I am doing and what I have worked through. I’ve already hit pan on a duo and 4 out of 12 pans in a palette (which means I will move onto the next palette!). I hope this inspires others to work through their collections!

Xoxo,

Ema

Bye Bye Birchbox?

Hi All,
 So I have been away for a while and computer-less, which was surprisingly lovely because I had a chance to relax and not worry about being too connected. When I got back home I found my birchbox on my bed, and was frankly not very excited. What started as an exciting monthly subscription, became something that I felt no pitter patter in my heart. I came to realize that for the last few boxes, there has been maybe ONE product I thought was good, but everything else became a "blah" product.
   Now I am not at all saying that I hate birchbox or that it is a bad company, but that I had gotten tired of the company. It was not living up to the first 6 boxes I got, and was left with a buncha products that I actually needed to get through. Since I have so many products my mission is to try to work through my own products. I will be remaining with my gogo girlfriend box subscription just to see how that works out, but as of right now....bye bye birchbox.

xoxo
Ema