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 Maven
The Cost: $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription)
ACTIVE DEAL: Get a 12-piece Polish Gift ($160+ Value) with your first box!
CODE: POLISHGIFT
OR
Use this link and coupon code COLOR8 at checkout to get the 8 piece Beauty Set pictured here FREE with a new subscription.
OR
Use this link and coupon code GIFTCOVET at checkout to get a FREE mini nail polish 12-piece gift set with your first box!
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 is celebrating their 5th anniversary this month. (Congrats, Jane and Team Julep!) Julep is one of my favorite subscription boxes and I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some their special anniversary items at the Julep Maven Meetup in LA this summer. I was excited to see them in the September box.
Side note: Julep ordered the bag pictured on the info card to include as a free bonus anniversary gift in all the boxes this month, but when they received them from the factory, the bags were not up to their standards and so they opted to not include them in the boxes. I think this was a smart decision on their part and while I was a little sad to not receive the bag, I totally understand this decision. It was a nice thought originally and I do appreciate their dedication to quality control. But, don’t worry, there is plenty of other good stuff ahead!
Julep always includes a quote of some sort. I like this one.
This month, I opted for the Let’s Toast box because I couldn’t choose between the eyeliner set and the lip trio. I already knew I wanted both of them when I saw them earlier. This was a special anniversary box option that contained both items and which cost an additional $20 on top of the regular monthly box cost.
Cheers to Five Years! Mini Lipstick Trio – Retail Value $40
This is a full-coverage crème lipstick mini trio. This is the same formula as in Julep’s Light on Your Lips lipstick, but in three new shades and in a smaller size.
How cute is this packaging?! Love it.
Bubbly is a tea rose crème. Pop is an electric fuchsia crème. Fizz is a vivid watermelon crème.
These contain shea butter and antioxidant-rich botanical extracts. They are paraben-free and made in the USA. The lipstick goes on easily and stays on well. I did have to reapply it after eating several hours after I first put it on, but I was fine with that because the formula is not drying in any way.
These are lightweight and fun. I feel like I should go somewhere special when I am wearing them. I am usually more of a lip gloss kind of girl, but I really love these.
Very nice pigmentation. Even though they are much brighter than what I am personally used to, they are totally wearable.
Bubbly.
Pop.
Fizz.
Pop + Bubbly layered.
Fizz + Pop + Bubbly. So fun!
Get in Line Invisible Lip Liner – Retail Value $16
The box also came with this clear, waterproof lip liner. It goes on smoothly and can work with any lipstick or gloss. Julep says this item prevents fading, bleeding, and feathering. It tried it with the mini lip trio and didn’t notice a difference. The trio is a non-feathering formula so that makes sense.
I didn’t notice a difference with other options I tried either, though, so I am not sure how well it works yet. It is possible everything I tried it with was already non-feathering, non-fading, etc., on its own. It is made in Germany.
Cheers to Five Years! Mini Eyeliner Set – Retail Value $40
Love the anniversary packaging. So giftable as well.
Julep’s When Pencil Met Gel eyeliners have turned into somewhat of a cult favorite. I was happy to see this mini set in 5 new colors. I believe this brings the total number of colors offered to 23 in one size or another. Keep them coming, Julep!
These are waterproof, have a smooth application, and last for 10+ hours. They are paraben-free and made in Germany.
From left to right: Galaxy Black Shimmer. Deep Seafoam Shimmer. Gilded Gold Shimmer. Lilac Shimmer. Ultraviolet.
Swatched in the same order. You can also see more swatches of these in the Maven Meetup review.
Gel Eye Glider Sharpener – Retail Value $10
The box also came with this sharpener for the eye gliders. I had not tried Julep’s sharpener before, but it makes sense that they would include it in this box option.
The top pulls off to sharpen cosmetic pencils for more precise application. The bottom also comes off easily when you want to empty the sharpener. Both the top and the bottom stay on securely until you want to remove them which is important for travel.
I really like this! It sharpened the lip liner nicely, too.
Julep also had a bunch of new nail colors this month. My box option didn’t come with any of those, but what is a Julep review without polish? I decided to add on one of the new colors this month.
Julep Nail Color in Peggy – Retail Value $14
This color is charcoal with rose shimmer and totally outside of my wheelhouse, but it looked pretty interesting and definitely fall-like so I decided to give it a shot. This nail color cost $6.99 as an add-on.
The color kind of reminds me of a penny for some reason.
In the sun.
Indirect light. Perfect for fall!
Julep included the SEPTEMBER10 promo code for $10 off your next purchase of $20+ on their website. This has the standard exclusions and expires October 31, 2016. It can be used twice per customer.
Verdict: This subscription box cost $24.99 + my $20 upgrade for the special anniversary box option + my add-on nail color ($6.99) for a total of $51.98. Based on my selected options, it includes $120 worth of beauty items and nail color at retail value (or $96 if you are a Julep Maven and can enjoy the pricing discount). Either way, I think this is a great value!
I’m so happy with my selections this month. What do you think of the September 2016 Julep Maven 5th anniversary box? Which items did you pick?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.