Julep Maven Pool Party Mystery Box Review + Coupon– Jun 2016

Julep Maven is a monthly nail polish and beauty subscription box. They make all their own products, so subscribers get a good value each month – over $40 retail worth of product for $24.99 a month.

And, if you sign up for 3-months up front, you get the $19.99 rate.

Each month Julep releases a new collection on the 20th, and you can decide which box you want, you can upgrade to the entire collection, or you can skip that month.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: Julep Pool Party Mystery Box

The Cost: $24.99

COUPON: Get a free box when you signup for a 3-month subscription ($19.99 a box) or 50% off your first box (regularly $24.99). Sign up with this link and use coupon code FIRSTBOX

OR

Sign up with this link and use coupon code HEYSUMMER to get a free Summer Brights 6-piece gift featuring four vibrant nail colors, a bold lipstick, and a luminous highlighting powder – everything you need to brighten things up for summer. A $106 value.

OR

Sign up with this link and use coupon code GIFTCOVET to get a free 12-Piece Mini Nail Color Gift Set featuring twelve of Julep’s most-loved nail colors in a limited-edition, artist-series gift box when you sign up for a monthly, 3-month or 6-month subscription! An $84 value.

The Products: Nail polish plus beauty items.

Ships to: US and Canada

Check out all of our Julep Maven reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your Wish List or Subscription List!

Julep frequently offers a Mystery Box of some sort. Here is everything that came in the Pool Party Mystery Box in June.

But, because I read this MSA post, I learned about the coupon hack to get a free $14.99 Major Mystery Add-on with this box. Score! So that added on the 2 bonus items shown below the box here:

I want to briefly talk about the free Major Mystery Add-on and then will get back to the regular mystery box.

Julep Luxe Up Your Lips Tinted Conditioning Lip Treatment – Candy Apple – Retail Value $24

Julep describes this lip treatment as “enriched with natural ingredients that soothe, hydrate, and plump lips, this silky-smooth treatment delivers major moisture with a hint of tint.”

Here is the Zamac tip to sooth lips and boost microcirculation. It does feel cooling on lips.

This is the third time I have tried Julep’s Luxe Up Your Lips. The first time, when I included it in my monthly box, I was not a fan of it even though I usually like most of Julep’s beauty line. The second time, my tube was defective and Julep kindly replaced it with the lip item of my choice. Shockingly enough, I am here to tell you the third time is the charm for me on this one! This time, I actually really liked the treatment! I am not sure whether they have changed it in any way which seems unlikely but possible or exactly what is going on, but there will be no complaints from me.

Since this is a Pool Party Mystery Box, let’s head to the pool!

This was my other free Major Mystery Add-on item.

Julep Nail Color in Hayley – Retail Value $14 (beetroot crème)

If you aren’t familiar with it, Julep nail color is a 5-free, vegan-friendly formula with a built-in nail strengthener.

Here it is swatched.

Here is what 2 coats look like in the sun.

And in the shade.

Okay, now back to the regular mystery box itself!

Julep + BRIKA artist Shana Frase collaborated to create this “Makeup the Rules” bag which is perfect for bringing your sunscreen and other must-haves to the pool, beach, or really anywhere. This item was the spoiler for this mystery box.

This is the second time Julep collaborated with BRIKA. The May 2015 Mystery Box was the first time. I have both bags and love each of them!

Here is a closer look showing the contents of the Mystery Box itself inside the bag for scale.

Julep Lip Gloss – Enchanted - Retail Value $20

This is a sheer, subtle gloss that makes lips shiny and moisturized. I have this in a couple of colors now and I like it a lot.

Doe foot applicator.

The lip gloss has more staying power than the lip treatment, but the colors look quite similar when worn.

When Pencil Met Gel – Electric Teal Shimmer - Retail Value $16

Julep describes this as “Clinically proven to last for 10+ hours, this easy-to-use eye pencil delivers the creamy formula & intense color payoff of a gel eyeliner. The waterproof formula glides on, sets in 30 seconds, and then stays put.” I can’t vouch for 10+ hours since I have never tried it that long that I can remember, but it has always stayed put for as long as I had it on. I do agree with the rest of their description. This is a great eyeliner that comes in 17 colors now. Highly recommended.

Julep Nail Color in Jacqueline – Retail Value $14 (bright grenadine shimmer)

This is my favorite nail color in this box! So pretty and goes on smoothly and easily.

Julep Nail Color in Lillian – Retail Value $14 (alabaster pink crème)

This color took me about 3 coats to make it opaque. I find the crèmes to be a bit trickier to apply than Julep’s shimmers.

Julep Nail Color in Madelynn – Retail Value $14 (imperial purple shimmer)

This color came in as a very close second to my favorite.

Julep Nail Color in Makenna – Retail Value $14 (gilded lilac glitter)

Julep definitely knows how to make a really nice glitter polish as well.

Love this shot.

Lillian is so light in the bright sun that the swatch is practically invisible here.

Action shots!

It struck me that this combination has an almost patriotic twist to it in the shade.

Here is the Mystery Box all together (not including my free add-ons).

Verdict: This mystery box cost $24.99 and promised $100+ worth of products. The retail value of the lip gloss, eyeliner, and 4 polishes in the mystery box itself add up to $92. I am not sure how much the makeup bag is worth, but it is pretty large and would definitely retail for well over the $8 left to push this box over the $100 minimum promised. I would say the value of this box is easily 4+ times what it cost. Plus, I was able to use the promo code to get another $38 worth of lip treatment and polish which puts this at 5+ times its cost. Either way, I think this is an awesome value! 

I’m very happy with this mystery box! What do you think of the Julep Pool Party Mystery Box?