Julep Maven Review

Hi Everyone! It's been a long time since I last posted, but I just wanted to quickly share an awesome deal and write a bit of a review about my newest beauty find, Julep Maven! Julep is an awesome nail polish and mani/pedi product company that creates amazing products for your nails and skin that are completely toxin-free! They are based in Seattle, so if you live in that area you can even stop by one of their salons for an amazing manicure or pedicure!


I just signed up for Julep Maven last week, and I love the products they sent me! Julep Maven is a bit like Birchbox or Sole Society in that you sign up to be a member and get monthly boxes sent to you with new products to try. Unlike Birchbox, Julep Maven is just for nail products and includes only full sized items with a total value of at least $40 each month! Also, instead of automatically being sent a surprise box each month, Julep lets you see what's in the newest boxes and gives you the option to skip if you prefer not to receive one that month. Pretty awesome if you ask me!


Normally the boxes are $19.99 each (plus free shipping), but right now, you can use the code COLORS4ONE to get your first box for just $0.01- that's right, just one penny! I wish I had known about this promotion when I signed up, but I'm still glad I did either way, because their products are top notch! Here's what came in my first Julep Maven box.

Aren't the colors gorgeous?! I also love that Glycolic Hand Scrub! It has really made my hands a lot softer over the last few days, so I know they will be even more gorgeous after I've been using it for a while! It smells great, too- like oranges! Julep also has a referral program, so you can earn free boxes and try even more of their amazing products!


If you'd like to give Julep Maven a try (for just one cent), just go to this link and take the super fun style quiz. My style quiz said I am "Classic with a Twist" and recommend the box curated for that particular style. However, you can choose to view all the different styles of boxes after you finish the style quiz, so you can pick the colors and products you want most. I ended up picking the "Boho Glam" box because I already had colors similar to those in the Classic with a Twist box.


Once you decide with Julep Maven box is your favorite, simply add it to the cart and put in the code COLORS4ONE at checkout. You should receive your box within a week, which is pretty fast! So, have you ever tried Julep polishes? Did you sign up to be a Julep Maven? If so, which box did you pick?

P.S. Julep has nothing to do with this review. I just really love their products and wanted to share this awesome deal I found with all of you!

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September Birchbox Review

Hello Gorgeous! I recently received my September Birchbox in the mail and have tried out some of my samples, so I'm ready to share it with you! If you haven't heard of Birchbox before, it is an awesome monthly  service that sends you 4-5 personal deluxe beauty samples for just $10/month! So far I have been quite happy with my selections and think Birchbox is a great value for the price! If you're interested in seeing what I have received over the last few months, check out these previous reviews: June, July, August.


This month's box is a celebration of the one year anniversary of Birchbox! The samples inside were supposed to be highly personalized based on each member's beauty profile, but I can't say that I was in love with everything I received (but hey, that's what samples are for, right?). Here's what came in my September Birchbox:

Clockwise from upper left: Birchbox Friendship Bracelet, Jouer Lip Enhancer Balm, Harvey Prince Eau Flirt Perfume, Blinc Mascara, Incoco Nail Polish Appliques, Lash Card, Product Description Card.

I know a lot of people were thrilled with the contents of this month's box, and although I like it fairly well, I can't say that it's my favorite (that still has to be June's box; It was amazing). Now that I've had my box for a few days I have had time to try everything except for the nail polish appliques, but I'm sure they will look just as cute as the Sally Hansen ones I posted a how to for back in April.


My favorite item from this box so far has to be the Blinc mascara. It's different from most because it doesn't just paint your lashes, it encompasses them with little tubes (once it's dry) that can only be removed with the combination of water and pressure. This means that your mascara will never run if you get stuck in the rain or have a good cry, and that you don't need eye makeup remover to take it off. I just removed it while I was washing my face before bed by gently pulling my eyelashes with my wet fingers. The little mascara tubes came off easily! I must say, this is a pretty cool invention and the only negative I can think of is that it tends to smear before it's dry.


My next favorite item is the Jouer Lip Enhancer. It is supposed to soften, moisturize, and plump your lips all at once. I like it because I can put it on by itself and my lips still look nice, even thought they're lipstick free. Not sure if I would buy the full size, but it's only $14 so it might be my next lip balm purchase.


The other two beauty products I tried so far were the Harvey Prince perfume and the Lash Card. Neither of these blew me away. The perfume says it's supposed to "inspire desire" but my fiance said it mostly inspired him to sit farther away from me. :( I must agree though, and definitely wouldn't ever consider paying $98 for this fragrance. The Lash Card, which is supposed to be used behind your lashes to keep you from smearing your mascara during application, was effective, but I don't usually smear my mascara so it isn't a product I would normally use.


So that's what I got in my September Birchbox! Happy birthday to the Birchbox team, and thanks for keeping the high end samples coming! Are you a Birchbox member yet? If so, what has been your favorite box thus far? If not, what are you waiting for?! Sign up now! :) I'm sure you'll love the monthly surprise just as much as I do!

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Birchbox Giveaway: Cynthia Rowley Tip to Toe Treats

Hello Gorgeous! Are you sitting down? If not, you better, because I'm about to blow your mind! That's right, I have some very exciting news for you all! Thanks to one of my favorite companies ever, Birchbox, I'm giving away not one, not two, but THREE Cynthia Rowley Tip to Toe Treats Boxes to my readers!

Here's a close-up of what's inside:

Each box includes: Ahava Placid Bath Salts in Green Apple, Ahava Dead Sea Mud, Ahava Wash Cloth, Incoco Nail Strips, Lather Bamboo Lemongrass Body Scrub, Lather AHA Hand Creme with Evening Primrose, & a Tweezerman Zip File (originally sold on Birchbox for $38).

As you all know by now, I'm crazy in love with the boxes I get in the mail each month from Birchbox (see here, here, here, & here to find out why). In fact, I am going to be super jealous of the winners of these three boxes because they are so fabulous!


If you still haven't heard of Birchbox, it's basically one of the most awesome services ever! For just $10 a month, you receive a cute hot pink box filled with 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes even full size items) of various beauty products. Not only do you get amazing samples to try, but the gals at Birchbox even tailor your boxes to fit with your individual beauty profile!

So how do you win one of these special edition, Cynthia Rowley curated boxes? Simple...

Here's How to Enter:

Mandatory Entry- You should be a public follower of Haute Lunch via Google Friend Connect (see sidebar) to enter. New followers are welcome!

• Visit Birchbox and tell me one thing you learned about the service. If you are already a member, simply say what your favorite thing about the service is.

Additional Entries-

• Like Haute Lunch on Facebook and leave your user name in your comment (1 entry).
• Like Birchbox on Facebook and leave your user name in your comment (1 entry).
• Follow Haute Lunch on Twitter and leave your twitter name in your comment (1 entry).
• Follow Birchbox on Twitter and leave your twitter name in your comment (1 entry).
• Tweet this message and leave a link to your tweet in the comment: "Enter to win a Cynthia Rowley Tip to Toe Treats @birchbox via @haute_lunch! http://bit.ly/qPpTRg #spa #beauty #giveaway" (1 entry).

*Please leave a separate comment for each entry. You can submit up to 6 entries total. See below for contest rules and deadlines.

Rules: Only one of each entry method listed per person/family/household. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. This giveaway is only open to U.S. Residents only (sorry international friends), ages 18+. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm Central Time on Friday, September 2, 2011. Three winning entries will be chosen using random.org and winner will be contacted via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

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