Generally when I sit down to do my nails, I have at least some kind of loose idea of what I want to do. I mean... if I didn't, I'd spend a lot of time sitting at my nail desk wracking my brain, so it's definitely best that I do it this way. That being said, sometimes I sit down and I have no idea and I just decide to play. Admittedly, while really fun this is generally not a good way to get to great nail art, but this time around I feel like it turned out sort of great and I legitimately had no idea what I was going to do here - even right in the middle of doing it!

So just keep reading to see what I did, I guess!

I keep saying that I'm going to cancel my Julep subscription, but for some reason I just skip most months rather than actually cancelling. Can you blame me? Anyway, this month was kind of the perfect storm. One of my favorite all time products is from Julep and I was running out, so it was time to pick up another one, I had some points to spend to get some bonus items, and Winter Is Coming so keeping my hands and cuticles hydrated is topping my list right now. So, really, what I'm trying to say... is that I just couldn't resist!

Keep reading to see what I got!

I was so impressed with the first facial milk moisturizer that I tried that when I decided to spend some of my Jules with my Julep subscription I just couldn't resist trying out their What Your Skin Needs Restorative Facial Milk. It looked quite similar to the one that I had already tried and I was really, really excited to try it. Of course, I wanted to wait until the weather got cold because I really wanted to put this product to the test on my driest possible skin. Since winter here in Winnipeg has officially turned brutal in the past few weeks, I've been putting this to the test consistently and I'm definitely ready to give you guys my review!

Keep reading for more!

It's been a long time since I've gotten a Julep Maven box, I admit. I've been skipping almost every month because I just can't justify the expense and I'm just not as into nails as I was when I originally signed up. Because of this, I decided I was going to cancel my subscription after just one more box. I mean, I had Jules to spend and it seemed silly not to go out with a box, right? Also, there were a couple of things that I'd been wanting to try as well as one product that is a long time favorite of mine that I wanted another bottle of before I left Julep for keeps.

Wanna see what I picked in my 100% customized Julep box? Keep reading!

So, before I do this unboxing, I have to admit something. The only reason that I ended up getting this box was because I accidentally deleted the selection email and forgot to skip. I've been pretty consistently skipping Julep for the past several months because the exchange rate is just really not making it worth it for me anymore and I think this will likely be my last box because I'm going to go in and cancel my subscription entirely. I was holding on and keeping my eyes open for products that I wanted to try, but I don't want to risk accidentally getting a box that I don't want in the future and it's just not worth it for me to stay subscribed.

Anyway, I did get the box and I figured I'd unbox it here on the blog for you guys in case you're curious about the products - so keep reading to see what I got!

It's been months since I've done a Julep unboxing and I suspect this might be my last one. Honestly, it just hasn't felt like the right subscription service for me for a while, no matter how much I absolutely love their products. A big part of this is the price. With the exchange rate being what it is at the moment, it's hard to justify what the cost is now for Canadians.  Also, being that I'm not nearly as into nail polish as I was when I first signed up for Julep, it just doesn't make sense anymore. This month, however, they released newly formulated blushes and eyeshadow sticks and it seemed like a great time to make use of some of the Maven Points that I had saved on my account to grab an add on, so I went for it.

Keep reading to take a look at my box as well as the add on I chose!

You know how most months everyone says they can't believe that the month is already over? While I can't believe this year is already into its fifth month, I can absolutely believe that April is over because it dragged. Oh boy, did it drag. I've gotta say... I'm feeling a little tired and a little unmotivated to do anything other than curl up in bed and watch old episodes of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. If my posts get a little more sporadic, I apologize! Anyway, it was still a month of using products, both shopped from my collection and new, and I definitely favorites to show you. This is a very makeup heavy favorites month... but those are my favorite kinds!

Without further adieu....

The month's collection was called the Afterglow Collection and I feel like they really focused on the new highlighters. Because I'm a little overloaded with nail polish, I was instantly drawn to the box that included the highlighter, which is one makeup item that I feel like I'm constantly on a holy grail hunt for, as well as a liquid illuminator pen. To be honest, I'm often drawn to the beauty types of items from Julep, because I really do feel like they've had some amazing ones and I always want to try to look for the next Bare Face oil. This is, unsurprisingly, why I picked up the Night Shift Sleeping Mask. I feel like this is a product that is similarly inspired by current trends in Asian skincare, and those are some of my favorite trends to follow. Along with the metamorphic top coat that I absolutely had. to. have. this month, there was a bonus polish in this month's box. Let's take a closer look!

It's been a minute since I posted a Julep Unboxing... but that's because I've been choosing the skip option recently. The reasons I've been skipping have been threefold. First, I've been trying to be a little more selective about how I spend my money, especially as the holidays were approaching and most of my shopping budget was directed at gifts for friends and family. Second, I've been trying not to buy nail polish recently, because I haven't been painting my nails all that often and my collection is already out of control. Third, I just haven't been whipped into excitement by Julep recently - which is probably more to do with my lack of interest in nails more than their actual selection.

This month, however, there was a bonus top coat that I absolutely needed to have as well as a new lip product that I was dying to try, so I went for it. Keep reading to take a closer look at my box and for my thoughts on its contents.

Some months my favorites are a little harder to choose than others, but this month was an absolute no brainer for me and I hardly even had to think about it. This month was definitely the latter. In fact, this really required no thought at all. For me, fall beauty comes much more easily than any other season and I end up feeling a bit like it's a no brainer. This month my favorites consist of a few products that are new finds combined with some old favorites that just jump out at me for fall looks. Also, I have a couple of non-beauty favorites that I'm just over the moon excited about.

Keep reading to take a closer look!

As I'm sure I mentioned in my last Julep unboxing (which was actually quite some time ago, as I've taken to skipping lately) I believe I said that I was going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to stick with the service. With the jump in price, the issues with shipping these days, and the fact that I already own a shameful amount of nail polish, it would probably be prudent to stop. That said, I just decided to take a little break, hold onto my skip privileges, and see what happens. However, this month there were 2 reasons not to skip. The first, of course, was lippies. To be specific, chubby stick formula lippies, which are one of my greatest loves. The second was that I had enough Jules saved up that I mostly covered this using those. Mostly. And I'm must say that I'm mostly happy. Mostly.

Keep reading to take a closer look.

So... this took forever to get to me. I honestly don't remember any of my Julep orders ever taking as long as this one took. Once it got to the Canadian border, it took like 3 days to get here - so it hung out in the US for over 2 weeks. According to my tracking info, it didn't even get picked up until about a week after I got my tracking number. Not cool, Julep. Not cool. Whatever changed recently in their shipping is really disappointing me. I'm pretty bummed about this, really, and it's not helping with my overall feelings about sticking with Maven. But I'll get to that a little bit later.

For now, let's talk about the products - because I actually have really good things to say about that. Keep reading for a closer look.

So I made this promise to myself that I was going to stop buying Julep polish for a while... unless my monthly Maven picks were some kind of amazing and I couldn't resist. See, that's the kind of permission that I give myself that opens the door to all kinds of shopping... But I mean... Can you blame me?

Last year when Julep had their big sale, I got some absolutely amazing deals on various polishes and body products - particularly the body products, so I was hoping for some of the same this year. I was a little disappointed by the selection, but I did find a handful of polishes at an incredible price and one little beauty item that I had to have. 

SO, let's take a closer look.

I hadn't ordered a Julep Mystery Box in a while after having been disappointed with a couple that I got last summer. However, this month with a coupon code that actually worked for me, I only ended up paying $14.99 and I really loved the speckled polishes that came with the boxes, so I went for it and I have to say I'm pretty happy with what I received. I'm feeling pretty lucky when I look at my account and see that they didn't charge the extra $10 to my credit card like they did with some other people. While I definitely didn't get one of the coveted high value boxes, I would definitely say that I definitely got a good box full of products that I'll use. However, I will get to one issue that I have with these boxes at the end.

Keep reading for a closer look.

Julep Maven Classic With A Twist Box April 2014 Plus Add On

Enter Rimmel 60 Second Polish in Caramel Cupcake. A nude polish that's opaque in one coat, dries in no time flat, and doesn't make me look like I have corpse hands? Sign me up. I added a little bit of sparkle with Love by Julep, and I'm actually pretty happy with the results. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with that top coat, since gold isn't really my thing, but I feel like it's subtle enough to hang out with this manicure.

I have a feeling that me and this Rimmel polish are going to be spending some real quality time together until Mother Nature decides it's time for spring to finally be sprung in Canada.