Julep – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Shop My Stash February 2020 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! Happy Saturday! I’m back with my February Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.

My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it! You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for February.

February may be a short month, but I did get lots of use out of most of these products! The shades were perfect for February and I enjoyed using them!

I made sure to use every shade of the ABH x Carli Bybel palette. I really have enjoyed testing it out more. It’s a good palette. The mattes blend well and I really love a few of the shimmers. I do wish that most of the shimmers didn’t have glitter in them, but they are pretty nonetheless. I also still think Jode and OA are so similar and I wish they both weren’t in the palette. But, I can make some nice everyday looks with this and will be keeping it.

The formula of the Dose of Colors Eyeshadow Palette in Marvelous Mauves is so creamy and pigmented! This is a really gorgeous matte palette. I wore it alone and with shimmers from the Carli Bybel palette (especially Aura). I like this alot and will be keeping it.

I wore the blush and highlighter many times this month. They are the Nanacoco HD Pressed Blush in Shimmery Dusty Rose and the Makeup Geek Highlighter in Lit. They are beautiful together! I love them both and are keeping them both!

The Milani Keep It Full Nourishing Lip Plumper in Soft Rose is pretty, but it’s darker and more pigmented than I usually like in a gloss. I’m going to keep it for now and we’ll see if I reach for it.

On to my empties:

I had ten empties this month! Mostly skincare and body care.

I already have backups of the Pixi Retinol Jasmine Cleanser and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer. I love both of those products! Products I would repurchase are the MAC Fix+ (this was coconut scented), the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow and the StriVectin Peptight.

I got the QMS eye cream from a Boxycharm and liked it. It’s very expensive, though, so I wouldn’t purchase it again. The Julep Boost Your Radiance Oil is nice, but I haven’t purchased from them in a while, since they ended their Maven program. And the rest of the products were from my The Body Shop Advent Calendar. I loved them and might be purchasing them in the future!

Another successful Shop My Stash on the books! I had so much fun with these products and am looking forward to a new batch of makeup in March!

Do you shop your stash or have a project pan going on? I will be doing my first quarter project pan update at the end of March.

Skincare Sunday — Julep Korean Skincare Made Simple Set

Hi all! I hope everyone had a great weekend! Welcome to my second Skincare Sunday in a row!

I recently purchased a new Korean skincare set from Julep. I used to be a Julep Maven, which was their monthly subscription box, but they cancelled it in February.

I received an email a month or so ago saying that they were having a final sale for Mavens. I saw this set, and was really interested in it. It was originally priced at $76 and it was marked down to $57, and I got 70% off so I only paid $17.10! Here’s the set:

Julep Korean Skincare Made Simple

Set includes:

Travel Love Your Bare Face Hydrating Cleansing Oil, 1.5 fl oz.
Kaolin Clay Konjac Sponge (full size)
What Your Skin Needs Restorative Facial Milk 1 fl. oz. (full size)
Night Shift Deep Sleep Mask 1 oz.

Here’s photos of the box and the products I received:

This is a great deal for $17.10! I have tried the cleansing oil and the facial milk before and love both of them. The cleansing oil removes all of my makeup and leaves my skin soft and clean. The facial milk contains five oils in it, but because of the milky formula, it absorbs into the skin immediately.

I haven’t used a konjac sponge before and was surprised how soft it is. It gives a very gentle exfoliation. The Night Shift sleep mask can be used over serums and treatments. And it’s washed off in the morning. I find it gives extra hydration, which is nice when my skin is dry.

This set is on sale now for $44. It’s not the price I paid, but it is still a good deal for what you get. I do recommend this set if you would like to try Korean beauty skincare for hydration.

Were you a Julep Maven? Have you tried their products before?

Shop My Stash May 2019 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! I’m back with my May Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.

My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it!

You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for May. Here’s a photo with the palettes open:

I continued my allergy issues this month, and didn’t wear as much eye makeup as I would have liked to. So my number one used product was the Smashbox Cali Contour palette!

I love this palette! Especially the bronzer and powder shades. I also used the lighter highlight and the blush a lot. This is such a great product to complete my face makeup. If I take a trip this year, I’ll take it with me!

Towards the end of the month, my allergies are getting better. So I did get to wear my eyeshadows. I would say I wore the BH Festival palette the most. It has such a variety of colors and I was able to create colorful looks and neutral looks with it. I also used most of the shades on the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill Vault Armed and Gorgeous palette. It’s a nice palette, but the metallics aren’t as buttery as the BH Cosmetics ones. I am going to keep all three of these palettes.

I didn’t wear the lipstick or eyeliner as much as the other products. I found that I didn’t care for the lipstick. I don’t wear this type of shade that much and it kind of feels drying on my lips. I am going to re-home it. The eyeliner is a great formula, but I don’t wear eyeliner that often. I am going to keep it, though. It’s such a pretty shade.

This was a pretty successful month!

On to my May empties:

I had a lot of empties this month! I used up makeup wipes by IT Cosmetics and Ariul, a Korean Beauty brand I found at CVS. They were both nice. I used them mostly for removing swatches. I might purchase them again. I actually think I might to a K Beauty haul this summer at CVS and maybe Ulta.

The Merle Norman cleanser is like a scrub. It is such a nice exfoliator. I have a lot of cleansers in my stash, but I might repurchase this eventually.

Same with the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. I might re-purchase it once I go through the creams that I have. It’s so hydrating! The Your Good Skin day cream was oily on my skin, so I won’t re-purchase it.

I loved the Nanacoco Outlash mascara! I have a bunch of new mascaras waiting to be used, but I would buy this again.

I love the Jergens Wet Skin gradual tanner. I need to either pick this up or the original formula. The C.O. Bigelow body wash was nice, but I don’t know if I will pick it up again.

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Are you doing a Shop Your Stash or Project Pan this year? How’s it going?

Shop My Stash — May 2019

Hi all! Happy May! It’s time for a new month and a new Shop My Stash! I’m always excited to play with new (again to me) products that I either haven’t used in a while or haven’t used much at all! My goal is to get more use out of the products I have and to see if they are something I want to keep.

As you can see, I haven’t used these much at all! I chose some brighter colors this month, along with some neutrals, of course! Here’s more info on all of the products:

This is the BH Cosmetics Festival Palette that came out last year. There’s a newer one out now, but I haven’t picked it up. I need to get some use out of this one! I only used it a few times last year and need to give it some love! I can do neutral as well as colorful looks with this, which I am happy about. But I am going to make myself dip into the colors!

IMG_E0649 IMG_E0650 I won the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill vault in a giveaway, and haven’t used the palettes much at all. This is the Armed and Gorgeous palette. I think the color scheme is pretty, and not usually what I wear. I usually go for pinks, browns and purples. The is very warm and it should be fun to try it out. Those golds and bronzes are calling to me!

IMG_E0645 IMG_E0646

I purchased this Smashbox Cali Contour palette in the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty. I’ve been wanting it since last year, but I’m glad I waited because it was half off! I have used this a few times and really enjoy it. I can see using this every day!

These are the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Roach and the Julep Full Coverage Cream Lipstick in Pirouette. I haven’t been wearing eyeliners for well over a year. I usually use shadows on my lower lash and I only tightline my top lash line. I thought it might be time to try a liner again. this one is so creamy and I love the color!

I used to be a Julep Maven, but since they cancelled the subscription, I haven’t used much of their products. I found this in it’s box still and thought I would try it out. It’s a pretty mauve shade. Sorry for the blurry swatches! The left is the liner and right is the lipstick. We’ll see how I like them!

So these are the products I am playing with this month. It sure looks like I am ready for summer with such bright and shimmery shades! I’ll share at the end of the month how much use I got out of these products and how I enjoyed them. I’m going to try not to purchase much this month (Ulta has been taking my money with all of their sales), so I should be using a lot of my existing products. Plus, June is my birthday month, and I will probably treat myself then.

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Are you doing a Shop My Stash this month? Are you on a low or no buy? Let me know how it’s going!

Shop My Stash March 2019 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! Can you believe it’s almost April? It’s a nice, warmer day today (yesterday it snowed in Kansas City), and Easter is in a few weeks!

I’m here with the results of my March Shop my Stash. I had a fun time using products that I haven’t either used in a while or it’s newer to my collection and I want to give it a go. If I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room!

My most used item from my stash was the Dose of Colors Desi x Katy Friendcation Eyeshadow Palette. I used the mattes in the palette all month long! Like I suspected, the metallics are too glittery for me. When I use them, all I see is glitter! And that’s not my everyday look. I am going to keep it, though, because the neutral mattes are so nice!

I used the tarte Rainforest of the Sea highlighting eyeshadow palette vol. III’s shimmer shades with my Friendcation palette. They are very pretty, but kind of boring. All the shades are so similar. I might end up passing this one on to my daughter.

The Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Palette is so pretty, but the shades are a bit dark for my skin. I might keep it and try again in the summer if I tan, or pass it along.

I am not a fan of the Becca Glow Gloss in Malibu Soleil. The shade isn’t very flattering on me. I probably won’t keep it.

The Julep Eyeshadow 101 in Champagne Shimmer is so pretty! I haven’t really given it a chance before. It’s nice for the inner corner, under the brow or even all over the lid. I paired it with the Friendcation palette and used it all over my lid — it was gorgeous!

Here are my empties for February and March:

I just have four empties for the last two months. I didn’t post empties in February because I only had the Smashbox spray then. I have been trying lots of new skincare, so I haven’t used up a lot. I’m almost out of a few more skincare items, so I should have more next month!

This month I used up the Derma E Firming DMAE Eye Lift, The Smashbox Photo Finish So Chill Coconut Primer Water, Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe Chamomile and Lavender and Derma E Purifying Daily Detox Scrub.

The Derma E eye cream is amazing! It really smooths my eye area. I also really love the Derma E scrub. It makes my skin so soft! The two sprays were also so nice. Especially the Smashbox So Chill Coconut. I’m sad that it was a limited edition.

This was a fun month. I found a couple of products I will continue to use and a few I’ll move out of my collection and let someone else love them!

I will be posting my April Shop My Stash tomorrow. Do you like to shop your stash?

Shop My Stash — March 2019

Hi All! It’s time for my March Shop My Stash! I’m ready to dive into a different set of products I want to play with.

I’m so excited about all of these. Some are very new to me and some I purchased last year.

Here are closes-ups of each item:

This is the Dose of Colors Desi x Katy Friendcation Eyeshadow Palette. I purchase this on sale in December. It is usually $55, it was on sale for $27.50, plus I had a 20% coupon! It’s a nice palette, but I have to say I only purchased it because it got such great reviews. I have yet to review this on my blog, but I will this month. I’m looking forward to trying it out. I’ve only used it a couple of times, but the shimmery shades are sooooo glittery (not my fave). I am going to pair the mattes with the next palette.

I received this tarte Rainforest of the Sea ™ highlighting eyeshadow palette vol. III in my January BoxyCharm. I have to be honest, I’ve swatched this, but haven’t tried it yet. It’s all shimmers and one matte. These swatch really nicely, so I’m going to pair this with the Friendcation palette. I think it will look nice with the neutral mattes in the palette.

This is probably my oldest product in this Shop My Stash. I’ve had the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Palette for about a year and a half. I bought it at Ulta’s 21 Days of beauty. You can see that haul here. I don’t really use this. I think the shades are just a bit dark for me, but I’m going to give all three of them a good go this month. And if I don’t enjoy them, I’ll pass it on.

I haven’t really tried this Becca Glow Gloss in Malibu Soleil which is a mauvy rose. I got this in the BoxyCharm Charm Room last fall. This is a little darker than I usually wear, but I thought I would give it a shot!

I was a Julep Maven since 2012, until they shut down the subscription in February. That is so sad! So I thought I would pay homage to Julep by including one of their products this month. This is the Eyeshadow 101 in Champagne Shimmer. When apply it lasts all day! I swatched it below and I wiped all of the other swatches off, but it would not budge.

This is so nice on the inner corner of the eye or all over the lid.

Here are some swatches:

From Left to Right — The highlighers in Ballerina, Gilded Honey and Peach Glow. Next to them are the Becca Gloss and the Julep cream shadow.

So these are the products in my March Shop My Stash. I think they will be fun to play with this month!

Have you used any of these products? What do you think of them?

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 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 January 2018 Subscription Box Review

My Julep Maven box recently came! This is the January subscription box. 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 a couple of polishes and a new face oil.

The polishes are Geri, blushing beige cream and Shiloh, stormy aqua shimmer. I half I had to get Geri because it’s my sister’s name, but she spells it Jeri. It’s a really pretty soft neutral. But I think my favorite is Shiloh because it’s really shimmery and gorgeous for winter.

I also chose the Boost your Radiance Rosehip Seed Facial Oil. I’ve only tried it once so far and it was very hydrating. It’s a really good night treatment for me. I will be trying it more to see if it helps with the appearances of fine lines, which is one of its claims.

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