#bravepretty – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Julep Maven July (& June) 2018 Subscription Box Review

I am excited to share what I received from one of my favorite (and my oldest) subscription box, Julep Maven.

This is the JuIy box, but I realized that I never photographed and reviewed the June box! So I found the products and I will include the photo at the end of this review.

I have been a Julep Maven subscriber for 5 years now. And I love it! You don’t have to take a box each month, you can skip if you want to. Which is so nice if I’m short a month or if I’m not feeling any of the items. The cost is $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription).

I also love that you can customize your box. When I first started subscribing, I could choose from curated boxes, but now, I get to curate my own! Here are the products I chose:

Saundra Polish ($14) — Color description: Azure Seas Holographic Shimmer. There were a bunch of fun shimmers this month, but I have a TON of nail polish, so I just chose one this month. Their formula is 5-free and vegan-friendly.

Rethink Your Shower Hydrating Body Cleansing Oil ($38) — An ultra-hydrating, lightweight body cleansing oil that reaches deep to dissolve impurities and prep skin for exfoliation, then rinses away to reveal silky, nourished skin. This smells amazing! Kind of citrusy. But, I haven’t tried it yet. It’s in my beauty room/office and I keep forgetting to take it into my bathroom. I am excited to try it, though.

Don’t Leave Your Brows At Home – Cool Brown — Two-in-one tool with brow powder and an angled brush to fill in and define your brows. I can’t find this on the website right now. It wasn’t a new product this month, but one I wanted to try. I have been playing with it and am liking it okay. I’m more used to an eyebrow pencil.

And this is what I chose last month:

Roberta polish ($14 USD) — Color description: Breezy Turquoise Shimmer

Two It’s Whipped Matte Lip Mousse ($20 each) in ULTAmate Nude and Blush. Blush is shimmery, which I didn’t know until I purchased it.

Here are swatches:

I really like ULTAmate Nude. It’s so pretty on! These are so nice, they don’t dry down all of the way and aren’t transfer proof. But I don’t like drying lippies, so these are right up my alley!

I love this box and will continue subscribing! I love that I can choose from new or older products depending on what I want and need.

What did you choose for your June and July boxes if you are a maven?

Julep Maven April 2018 Subscription Box Review

I have been so busy with reviews that I haven’t had a chance to post my April Julep Maven box.

I have been a subscriber for 5 years now. And I love it! You don’t have to take a box each month, you can skip if you want to. Which is so nice if I’m short a month or if I’m not feeling any of the items. The cost is $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription).

I also love that you can customize your box. When I first started subscribing, I could choose from curated boxes, but now, I get to curate my own! This month I chose the Way Butter Hydrating Lip Sheer in Macaroon and two shimmery nail polishes. I also recieved a third polish (the reddish one) as a freebie!

This month had glittery polishes and the amazing lip butters!

I chose the colors Maribel (Caribbean Surf Iridescent Chrome) and Danielle (Cerulean Wave Duochrome). The free polish wasn’t from this month’s collection, but it does fit in. The shade is Lula (Pomegranate Multidimensional Glitter). These are all gorgeous for spring and summer. I wore Danielle last week and it is bright!

This is my favorite product this month. They had these last summer or the one before and they had a different name. So I have a couple in darker shades. I really love this nude shade Macaroon. It’s gorgeous for anytime of the year. Plus it feels amazing on. I love the gunmetal packaging, too. The lid is magnetic so it clicks shut, which is so much fun. This costs $20, or $16 if you’re a Maven. Being a Maven gives you a discount in everything you purchase. It’s a better deal to subscribe, though, and you can choose one or two of these in a monthly box. You can subscribe here.

Are you a Maven? What did you choose this month?

March 2018 Beauty Favorites

It’s so crazy that it’s already April! March went by so fast! I did enjoy trying new products and I have lots more to test and review. I’m always looking for new favorites. Here are the ones I used again and again in March:

Makeup Revolution Reloaded Palette in Newtrals 2. ($7 USD). I talked about this in an ULTA haul, and I still haven’t swatched and reviewed it. My bad! I am going to try to review it in the next week or two. I can say that this is so pigmented and the colors are gorgeous, especially the shimmers. I think that it is definately worth the price and am looking forward to trying more Makeup Revolution eye shadows.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads (12.99 USD) — I have been using this for weeks now and I have been loving how my skin looks! It includes 60 radiance-boosting pads, soaked in exfoliating glycolic acid (2.8%) retexture + resurface skin whilst witch hazel helps to tone. Also includes hyaluronic acid + soothing blue daisy helps to reveal brighter + smoother looking skin. I use this once or twice a day and love how smooth my skin is! It helps my makeup to apply more evenly, too!

IT Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi Hydrating Color Awakening Lip Treatment Serum — I recieved this in a TSV kit on QVC. It is infused with butters, oils, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants. It starts out very light pink, then adjusts to a bright pink on my lips.

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations ($12.95): This is inspired by the sweet scent of macaroons. To me, it smells like vanilla and is a warm scent. It smells so yummy and I love wearing it for work because it isn’t overly floral or cloying.

Jane Iredale Limited Edition Snap Happy Makeup Kit ($58 USD) — This is a cute little makeup stack that includes:

PureMatte® Finish Powder – translucent
Whisper PurePressed® Blush – shimmery peachy pink
Brown Sugar PurePressed® Eye Shadow Triple – warm brown, shimmery peach, shimmery copper eggplant

I love all of these products and they work well together. The powder is translucent and works well as a finishing powder. The blush is light and a little sparkly, nice for spring and summer. These are all shimmery and so nicely pigmented. This kit will be good for traveling, too.

Julep No Limits ($24 USD) — This creme can be used on face, hands or body. I like to keep this in my purse. It’s so hydrating for my hands. I think it would be to heavy for my face. I received this in my November 2017 Julep Maven box.

What were your most reached for products this month?

Julep Maven March 2018 Subscription Box Review

I have just received Julep Maven box recently came! This is the March subscription box. The cost is $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription).

I have been a subscriber for 5 years now. And I love it! You don’t have to take a box each month, you can skip if you want to. Which is so nice if I’m short a month or if I’m not feeling any of the items. I skipped December, because I was a bit short of cash and I didn’t really need any of the products.

I also love that you can customize your box. When I first started subscribing, I could choose from curated boxes, but now, I get to curate my own! This month I chose the Dream Big Nightly Renewal Pressed Serum with BHA and two metallic matte nail polishes. I received some cute shamrock nail decals as an extra!

Here’s a closer look!

I was excited to try the new Dream Big Nightly Renewal Pressed Serum with BHA ($36 or $28.80 for Mavens) — This claims — An innovative stick streamlines your nighttime serum and moisturizer steps into one. It deeply hydrates as it gently exfoliates to unveil smoother, more refined skin overnight.

I really wasn’t paying attention to this, because I didn’t realize that it was a stick until I got it home! I haven’t tried it on my face yet, because I’m trying a new No7 brightening serum (review to come). But I have swatched it on my hand. It’s very hydrating. I hope it’s not to heavy for my face, but we will see!

These cute little shamrocks will be perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day manicure. I have a new green polish that will look amazing with them!

These shades are from top Polly Ann –Cool Aubergine Matte Shimmer and bottom — Sonia — Blue Steel Matte Metallic.

I took this when the day was almost done, so the lighting isn’t perfect. The top is more purple and the bottom, teal. These look a bit like fall shades to me. I picked them out. I guess I’m not ready for spring yet!

Do you get Julep Maven? What products did you choose this month?

Julep Maven February 2018 Subscription Box Review

My Julep Maven box recently came! This is the February subscription box. The cost is $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription).

I have been a subscriber for almost 5 years. And I love it! You don’t have to take a box each month, you can skip if you want to. Which is so nice if I’m short a month or if I’m not feeling any of the items. I skipped December, because I was a bit short of cash and I didn’t really need any of the products.

I also love that you can customize your box. When I first started subscribing, I could choose from curated boxes, but now, I get to curate my own! This month I chose the So Awake eye cream and Eyeshadow 101 in Champagne Shimmer. I also got nail decals since I had a little room left in my selections.

So Awake Depuffing Gel Eye Cream ($38, $30.40 Maven) — From the website — A lightweight, multitasking eye cream that handles all your everyday eye woes. It hydrates and depuffs the delicate eye area as it reduces the look of dark circles. Plus, illuminating micro-pearls perk up the look of tired eyes instantly.

I’ve only used it a couple of times, but I love the texture and how quickly it absorbs. It’s called a gel, but it’s white and creamy, so I was a bit confused at first. It is very light, though, and refreshing.

Eyeshadow 101 Crème-to-Powder Eyeshadow Stick ($18.00, $14.40 Maven price) — A waterproof, crème-to-powder shadow stick on top with a spongy smudger on the other end. Expect huge color payoff and crease-proof, stay-all-day power.

The color I chose is Champagne Shimmer. It’s a gorgeous light neutral. It’s super shimmery and so versatile. This does stay all day and looks so pretty one. I think I might have to pick up a darker color next month to try a complete look.

Do you subscribe to Julep Maven? What did you get this month?

Julep Maven October 2017 Subscription Box Review

My Julep Maven box recently came! This is the October subscription box. The cost is $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription).

I have been a subscriber for over 4 years. And I love it! You don’t have to take a box each month, you can skip if you want to. Which is so nice if I’m short a month or if I’m not feeling any of the items.

I also love that you can customize your box. When I first started subscribing, I could choose from curated boxes, but now, I get to curate my own! I usually choose polish and beauty items, but for this month I went for all polish and cute nail stickers. I always love their polish choices for October:

The colors I chose are Johnny, True Black Crème, Christi, Enchanted Teal Shimmer and Ariel, Planetary Turquoise Glitter. They are all super fall-ish and Halloween-y to me!

Plus, these fun metallic nail stickers!

Have you signed up for Julep yet? If you use the code POLISHGIFT when you subscribe, you will get a free polish set when you join Julep Beauty Box. Includes twelve full-size nail polish. A $168 value.