Julep Maven -- free box

If you have read much of my blog, you will quickly realize my new obsession with subscription boxes. It's currently my favorite way to spend my "play money" (a small amount of money budgeted each month for Kevin and I to use separately without the consent of the other for whatever we want -- coffee shop visits, clothing, Taco Bell trips for Kevin, or subscription boxes for me). I've been aware of the subscription box Julep since my first search of the various boxes out there, but I knew it was far too expensive for me on a regular basis ($19.99/month). Plus it was mainly nail polish, which was unappealing at the beginning of my search. After trading for a Julep polish on edivv.com, I quickly fell in love with their polish. The cost is still too much for me to commit to, but with the promo code FREEBOX, you only have to pay shipping ($4.95 I think) for your first box and can cancel before the next billing cycle. I decided to give it a try.

When joining Julep, you take a brief beauty quiz to determine your "beauty style." The styles are:

• Boho Glam -- a dynamic free spirit with a creative eye (2 polishes + 1 full-size beauty product)
• Bombshell -- a confident frill-seeker with magnetic appeal (2 polishes + 1 full-size beauty product)
• Classic with a Twist -- an iconic beauty with a timeless aesthetic (2 polishes + 1 full-size beauty product)
• It Girl -- a colorful trendsetter who's not afraid to be bold (3 polishes)
• Modern Beauty -- a savvy tastemaker obsessed with the art and science of beauty (2 full-size beauty products) 

I was labeled "Classic with a Twist," which is certainly the best fit for my style, however I wasn't super thrilled with that welcome box because it was a red polish and a light shimmery pink polish. I have several reds and would prefer something more fun than light pink. You're allowed to pick any box you want, but I still couldn't commit to any of the options. I loved the idea of "It Girl" because you get three polishes, but it had yellow and white polishes and both of those made me nervous (probably why they didn't assign me that style).

After a month or so, some of the welcome boxes started to change. I really liked the Boho Glam box, which included their Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum (which has amazing reviews!) and two polishes, Michelle (Midnight inky blue) and Stevie (Concrete gray frost). I also received an email offering me two free polishes with my box. (I had signed up without really signing up, which is why they had my email address.) Sadly, I couldn't use both promo codes together, so I opted for the FREEGIFT code from my email, giving me half off of the welcome box and the two additional polishes free (plus free shipping somehow). All and all, I paid $9.99 for four polishes and the cuticle serum.

Here's my box:

This part is the Boho Glam welcome box. I got the items advertised (2 polishes + cuticle serum), plus two small buffer blocks and a 50% off coupon code for their website. (I already used it for a mystery box!)

And these are the polishes I added.

Left: Harriet (Guava coral creme); Right: Evelyn (Magenta purple creme)

Here are all the swatches. (This is two coats without a top coat.) My favorites are the add-ons, Harriet and Evelyn, but the two darker ones will be great for next winter. (I think Michelle would be even prettier with just one coat.)

Left to right: Stevie, Michelle, Harriet, Evelyn 

Side note: One of my favorite things about the Julep bottles is the outer part of the lid pops off and has a place to swatch so you can see the colors from the top of the bottle. I store my nail polishes all standing up, so I really appreciate this little feature.

If you're interested in getting a free welcome box (just pay shipping), please use my referral code here: Julep (it gives me points toward boxes). Use the promo code FREEBOX after selecting the box you like. (You could also try the FREEGIFT promo I used to add on two polishes, but I have no idea if that will work or if it was tied to my account somehow.)

I'm planning to cancel my account before the next month's boxes are billed (27th of the month) as I really can't justify the $19.99/month cost (even though I do really love their polishes). But, like I said, I already used my 50% off coupon toward a mystery box, so I'll have more Julep nail polish coming before I cancel and I'll let you know what I get.