fivezero's Julep Maven Box plus Add-Ons, October 2017

Julep — Maven Box (October 2017)

2017-10-11 fivezero2 Comments

I wasn’t completely in love with all of the new October 2017 polishes from their Trancing in the Moonlight collection, so I just got Christi (seems like that’s as close to my name as I’m gonna get, ha!) and tried out a lip gloss in a subtly shimmery burgundy, Vivid. I do like the Julep makeup brushes, so I snagged the Eyeshadow Brush; this was the first time during my subscription that I’ve seen this particular brush available for the Maven Box.

October 2017 — Maven Box

Eyeshadow Brush
Lip Gloss in Vivid
Nail Color in Christi

I’ve already tried on Christi and it is love!

I’m not 100% sold on the lip gloss, but I’ll have to use it a bit more to see for sure. The color is pretty, though.

And I added on a few extra items. Alonna was the other October polish shade I kind of wanted, and it was available in a Nail Color Trio add-on for just $12.99. Then I picked up two other shades I’ve been eyeing up for $4.99 each.

Nail Color Trio in Ainsley, Alonna, and Janae
Nail Color in Jaydra
Nail Color in Nell

With the purchase of three add-ons, I also received a free mystery polish, which unfortunately ended up being one I already received in a 10-polish mystery box:

Nail Color in Ani

I’m starting to save up my Julep dupes for a future giveaway…

Here are some more detailed pics of the goods:

Julep — Maven Boxes (July–September 2017) & Gobs More!

2017-09-112018-01-17 fivezero4 Comments

OK, so this is something of a haulage megapost, because I slacked all summer and only posted the unboxing of my first Julep Maven Box.

Now, not only do I have my Maven Boxes for July, August, and September for you (note that I didn’t skip any months even though Julep gives you the option to do so as much as you’d like), but I also have mini hauls that I got in-between boxes. Julep is constantly running little deals that are so hard for me to resist, particularly since shipping is always free.

And, it’s not just the free shipping. My Julep orders arrive so, so fast, and I’m in Canada! It’s amazing. I literally got my most recent order in two days. There’s never a customs charge, either (though I have never placed an order over US$33).

In addition, their boxes come so neatly packed and easy to open. You just snip the little bit of strapping tape on the front and it opens up with no hassle.

I’m super happy with Julep after four boxes, and I’ll definitely be resubscribing after my six-month subscription comes to an end. I think I should have enough Julep points (“Jules”) by then to get a free Maven Box, too. I posted my first Julep swatch last Friday (hint: it’s a purty one), and you can look forward to many more!

Without further ado, here is my Julep summer haulage. It’s a biggie.

June 2017 (Order #2)

Zodiac Nail Color in Gemini
Zodiac Nail Color in Glowing Gemini

Julep ran a BOGO sale right after I got my first Maven Box, so I picked up two of the Zodiac polishes, twin polishes Gemini and Glowing Gemini! Baby Olive is a Gemini, though these are pretty polishes in their own right, and I’d have picked them up, anyway.

Every month when you select products for your Maven Box, you’re given a limited (but still pretty good) selection to choose from. If there are specific items or polish shades you’re looking for, you may have to wait a while—otherwise, Julep’s sales are the best time to pick them up.

(You can use Ebates Canada [referral link] with these purchases, too! It’s been consistently 1.5% cash back since I’ve been with Julep. I can’t use Ebates with my monthly boxes, though, since they’re prepaid with my 6-month subscription. Any add-ons I buy with my boxes don’t get an official “check out” so Ebates doesn’t work then.)

July 2017 Maven Box

Collection: Julep 2017 July, Neon Nights

Insta-Filter Invisible Finishing Powder
Love Your Bare Face Hydrating Cleansing Oil

Add-Ons:

Nail Color in Rosario (Add-On)
Nail Color in Sam (Add-On)
Nail Color in Signe (Add-On)

Freebie (for purchase of 3 Add-Ons):

Nail Color in Alysha (Add-On)

fivezero's Ipsy Glam Bag, July 2017, Over Easy

Ipsy — July 2017 Glam Bag “Over Easy”

2017-07-282017-07-28 fivezero8 Comments

My Ipsy bag arrived a bit late this month (I got it on the 19th, when I usually get it around the 15th), and now I’m also a bit late with my post!

Ipsy have done collaborations before, and this month they’ve done a really fun one with Sanrio! Yes, this month’s bag theme is called “Over Easy” because gudetama is on the Glam Bag (referral link).

For those who don’t know, gudetama is a Sanrio character who is a lazy, ennui-filled egg yolk. It’s a bit random, and it’s freakin’ adorable. Holika Holika, the popular Korean beauty brand, came out with a gudetama collection a while back (I have some of it!) and I think it’s nifty to see Western brands jumping on the lazy, eggy bandwagon. It does appear that some Ipsters were not thrilled with having a “bizarre” cartoon egg on their Glam Bag, and the ensuing moanfest was dubbed “gudeDRAMA!” by a popular subscription box site. Bwah!

Ipsy July 2017 Glam Bag: “Over Easy”

Image: ipsy.com

Anyway, eggs aside, I decided against requesting anything this month, since there was nothing that really excited me in their spoiler selection, though most things seemed nice to have.

I ended up receiving a nice selection of items that I’m more than happy to try out! I also got an item that I redeemed 750 Ipsy Points for (thanks to those who signed up via my referral link—mwah!). Also, I’ve started tracking Ipsy’s reward options, if you’ve got Ipsy points racked up and want to see what’s been on offer.

What I Redeemed Points For

Paula’s Choice Blush It On Contour Palette (limited edition, full size; US$36)

What I Received

Beau Gâchis Illuminator Brush (full size; US$9.95)
Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet (10 mL; 40 mL full size US$39/CA$48)
OFRA Godet Eyeshadow Refill in Gold Rush/Victory (2 g size; US$10)
Seraphine Botanicals Healthy Glow Rose-Gold Blush in Lychee + Gold (3 g full size US$14)
tarte Rainforest of the Sea Deep Dive Cleansing Gel (7.5 mL sample; 150 mL for US$25/CA$30)
Ipsy makeup bag

Glam Bag Cost

$10 + $4.99 (shipping to Canada) = US$14.99

Total Bag Value

$9.95 + $9.75 + $10 + $14 + $1.25 = US$44.95

That piddly little tarte cleanser sample really brought my bag’s value down this month! Bah!!! But honestly, I’d rather get a cleanser I’ll use than an insanely marked up eye cream that I won’t (£110? Really?).

fivezero’s Ipsy July 2017 Glam Bag: “Over Easy”

Image: ipsy.com

Ipsy Coupon Codes

Beau Gâchis: 30% off any purchase with code beautifulipster30 (through 08/31/2017; US & CA only)
OFRA: 30% off any purchase with code IPSY30 (through 08/31/2017)
tarte: 20% off any purchase with code IPSYJUL (07-21-2017 through 08/21/2017, exclusions apply)

There are no codes on offer for Caudalie or Seraphine Botanicals, so here are two other good ones:

AHAVA: 30% off any purchase with code IPSY30 (through 08/31/2017; US & CA only)
Ciaté: 30% off any purchase with code IPSTER (through 08/31/2017; US & CA only)

Here are some more detailed product shots:

New Release: Julep — Collection (August 2017)

2017-07-202017-07-20 fivezero4 Comments

Collection: Julep 2017 August, Julep 2017, Zodiac

Julep’s August 2017 collection consists of five new—and two re-released—duochrome metallics. And, of course, the latest addition to their 2017 Zodiac collection is a new shade for the sign of Leo (July 23–August 22).

(If you’re unfamiliar with the Julep Maven boxes, check out this review of my first ever Julep box!)

Here are all the new shades and products:

Julep 12-nail polish box set, free welcome gift with Maven Box subscription

Julep — Maven Box (June 2017) & 12-Polish Welcome Gift

2017-06-022017-06-06 fivezero5 Comments

Collection: Julep 2017 June, Bask In the Heat

Back in late April, I decided that my Mother’s Day gift (yes, my husband and I choose our own gifts!) would be a 6-month subscription to Julep, the popular nail polish & beauty box that I’ve somehow never tried. What kind of polish fiend am I, anyway, you ask? I mean, I’ve not even been tempted by the rare, random Julep polishes that show up at Winners.

I think I’m a little bit put off by the unwieldy bottle design, but once I really started looking at Julep’s site, I noticed so many pretty shades that I suddenly really, really wanted.

It certainly didn’t hurt that there was a promo code for a free 12-nail polish set with any new subscription! (You can use my referral link for the 12-polish set, if you’re a new subscriber.)

Julep Welcome Gift 12-nail polish box set, website promo — Image: julep.com

Now here’s where a little trouble began—though I will say right off the bat that Julep made everything good in the end, so I am very happy with my first Maven Box and welcome gift.

I subscribed at the end of April, without realizing that Julep start shipping out their boxes at the end of each month, so I’d just missed the cutoff for May’s Maven Box, and would receive my first box in June. Great.

On the positive side, Julep shipped out my free gift straightaway, so I was rubbing my hands together in sweet anticipation! Unfortunately, week after week passed and Landmark Global’s tracking never changed from the initial stage (sitting somewhere in Ohio). All right, I told myself, you are in Canada after all, and customs can take forever! Maybe Landmark’s tracking just doesn’t update once the package is in Canada.

fivezero's tarte Custom Kit Sale haulage (May 2017)

Haulage! tarte Custom Beauty Kit Sale (May 2017)

2017-05-152017-11-09 fivezero10 Comments

Last week, tarte ran a pretty awesome one-day sale for a 7-piece Custom Beauty Kit, and as I’d never taken advantage of it before (or even ordered from tarte’s website), I took the plunge!

My order arrived last Thursday, which was great, as I wasn’t entirely sure whether it had to ship from the US to Canada. As it turns out, my package was shipped from Richmond Hill, ON, so tarte seems to ship Canadian orders domestically and additional duties were not incurred. Just what I need, another Canadian online store to shop from! Haha…

tarte sent a bonus code with my order, as well:
use the code REVEAL for 15% your order through May 31, 2017.

Here’s the damage (all for CA$84, though there was an additional $10 off code that I didn’t learn about until after I’d ordered, rats!). All items are full-size.

Unicorn Fabric Cosmetic Bag (MSRP CA$12)
Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation in Light Neutral (MSRP CA$51)
Colored Clay Bronzer Blush in Peach Bronze (MSRP CA$40)
Drench Lip Splash Lipstick in Surfer Girl (MSRP CA$26)
Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner (doubles as cream eyeshadow) in Rose Gold (MSRP CA$25)
lights, camera, lashes Double-Ended Lash Fibers & 4-in-1 Mascara (MSRP CA$28)
Double-Ended Camouflage Brush/Tool (MSRP CA$45, on sale for $38)

So, I got a total of CA$227 ($220 if you use the brush’s sale price) worth of product for $84. Not too shabby, especially since I definitely see myself using everything!

One issue: I meant to select the lipstick in Happy, a rose shade, but somehow I ended up with Surfer Girl, a fuchsia, in my final order. I went back to the website after I noticed this and saw that the it was making shade selections even if I just moused over a swatch; I’d assumed that a click was required. Gah! Once again, I am reminded that I need to double check my orders before clicking “Submit”! In any case, Surfer Girl turns out to be quite pretty, so I’m all right with my mistake.

Check out detailed photos of the items:

fivezero's IPSY Glam Bag "Très Jolie" March 2017

Ipsy — March 2017 Glam Bag “Très Jolie”

2017-03-152017-07-04 fivezero5 Comments

I got this month’s Ipsy bag on Monday, and while it’s a pretty decent bag, it doesn’t live up to the last couple bags I’ve gotten, which have been quite good.

My Glam Bag does, however, look totally color-coordinated, in tones of peach and rose gold! How cute is that?

Once again, I redeemed some Ipsy points (mostly accumulated via referrals, so I must thank those who used my referral link to join Ipsy!) for three additional products.

Ipsy Glam Bag, March 2017, Très Jolie — Image: ipsy.com

What I Redeemed 1600 Ipsy Points For

MintPear Beauty Blending Sponge (300 Ipsy Points for full size; US$19)
pūr~lisse BB Tinted Moist Cream (500 Ipsy Points for 10 mL travel size; US$10)
Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer in Dim Light (800 Ipsy Points for 1 oz full size; US$44 / CA$52)