Julep Maven It Girl Intro Box

I received my Julep Maven intro box for free (just paid $3.99 for shipping) by using a coupon code I saw online.  I had wanted to try this company out for a while but hadn't ever dared.  Finding that coupon code made me take the plunge, and I'm glad I did.  Julep is a nail polish/product company based out of salons in Seattle.  With the Maven program, you take a quiz that puts you into a category: It Girl, Bombshell, Classic with a Twist, Boho Glam, or Modern Beauty (I think that's all of them.) Every month they release a new box for each profile, and you can choose to stay with your regular profile or switch.  The best thing about Julep Maven is that you can skip a month anytime you want.  If you're thinking about joining Julep, please use my referral link: Julep.  Here's what was in my It Girl intro box. 

 Upon opening the box, there is a welcome card as well as a card about my chosen profile, It Girl.  The packaging is super cute.  Inside I found the colors Rebel, Joan, and Marion, as well as a sample of The Best Pedi Creme Ever.

I wasn't really too excited about a silver polish, until I learned that it is a holographic color!  I've wanted to try one of them for so long.  It's really hard to get a good picture of the holographic effect, but it is amazing in person, especially in the sunlight.  It went on great with two coats and dried semi-matte.  It looks great with a top coat.  It stayed on very well and was chip-free for about a week.  Which is amazing.

The next color is Marion.  It is a lovely shimmery dark teal color.  I did a horrible job with this manicure so sorry about that.  It goes on perfect with only one coat.  It stays chip free for a few days.  I am not usually a fan of dark colors on my hands, but I really love this color on my toes.

I haven't tried out Joan yet, but will update this post with pictures when I do.  I'm just getting too far behind and need to make this post already!

One of these nights I will try this product and then let you know how it works.  I'd love to set aside a little mani/pedi night for myself soon.  I've been working hard, I deserve it. ;)

Honolulu Zoo

The Honolulu Zoo is located right in downtown Waikiki and is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.  General Admission is $14 for adults and $6 for kids 3-12 years old.  Kids 2 and under are free.  There are also Kama'aina and U.S. Military rates available.  Parking is $1 per hour in their lot, or free at Kapiolani Park right across the street.  Kapiolani Park is where we park when we go to the main strip in Waikiki.  It is so close to the zoo.  Seriously, park there.  Don't pay for the zoo's parking.  The Honolulu Zoo has some fun animals, some of my favorites to see were the endemic animals such as the Nene Goose.  We had a good time there, but it is not really a must-see on your trip to Oahu.  I feel like the Hogle Zoo back in Utah was just as good (and less run down.)

 

March 2013 Ipsy Bag

The theme for March's Glam Bag was 'The Great Escape.'  Although this wasn't the most exciting bag I've had, the products fit well with the theme and I know I'll get good use out of these products.

First is the bag that everything came in.  I love how Ipsy sends our products in a different makeup bag every month.  I'm not super keen on anchors, but it is fun for the theme and I think it will make a great bag to bring to the beach!

I received two samples of Yaby eyeshadow in the colors So Vein and Sand Dune.  So Vein is a teal green and Sand Dune is... well, sand colored.  I might also call it camel.  These have very good pigmentation.  I'm not super crazy about the colors themselves, Sand Dune is very close to my skin color so it makes a good neutral, and So Vein, while it is a color I like, I just won't have many opportunities to wear it.  But I will wear them occasionally, and the quality is very good.  (Ok, I admit, I made Sand Dune blurry in this picture because I accidentally got a fingernail mark in it when taking it out of the package.)

The next item was a GlamRX Palette.  It has a mirror on one side and it is magnetic on the other.  Which means....

Ta-da!  The Yaby eyeshadows we got fit inside!  I kind of think it's super cool.  I can see how this would be great for traveling, especially if you get several different colors in there.  I was however, super bummed to find out (the hard way) that the Coastal Scents shadows we got from the February bag don't stick to the magnet. :( But I might try gluing a magnet on them or just taping them in.  We'll see.

We also received La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little bummed to get makeup remover wipes because those are so cheap.  But, I probably wouldn't have gone out and bought any, so now I have some to use anytime I go on vacation.  I tried one of them out, and it's not super great at removing makeup, but it works.  I will use them next time I stay away from home.

The last item is Juice Beauty Organic Solutions Hydrating Spray.  I had never heard of hydrating sprays before, but I actually kind of like it.  I'm not sure if I like the smell or not, it kind of smells like roses.  I definitely don't hate it.  It's supposed to be for your face, but I can only handle spraying stuff on my face so often.  I like using it on my legs, because they get dry occasionally and sometimes I just don't want to put on lotion.  It's a fun product and I'll get good use out of it.  Hydrating sprays are probably not something I'll add to my usual purchases though.

Okay, so overall, this wasn't my favorite bag, but it wasn't bad.  Once you consider the theme of beaches and travel, it is actually kind of fun.  And since I live in Hawaii and travel a lot, I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of these products.  I'm excited to see what April has in store!