As you probably know, we’re currently hosting a contest giving away a 3-month Julep Maven program membership. As part of this week’s contest, we are giving you an exclusive sneak peak at what is included in the Maven Program package each month. Julep sent us one month free to give our readers a sneak peek at the contest prize, and trust us – it’s good!
HAVEN’T ENTERED THE CONTEST YET? DO SO HERE BEFORE IT ENDS FEB 3RD!
If you’re interested in hearing more about what the Maven Program is and what we thought about it continue reading for an honest in-depth review.
So what is a Maven Program?
Julep is a local Seattle nail salon that also sells its beauty products for both hands and feet internationally via its online store. All of Julep’s polishes are free of DBP, toluene, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin. They also donate $1 from every Julep Nail Vernis sale to organizations that empower women.
The Maven Program is a membership that runs on a monthly subscription base, typically $19.99 a month (Free if you win our contest!). The concept is that the program’s “mavens” are treated like magazine beauty editors by receiving never before released products from Julep’s collection. The Maven Program comes with all of the following:
– Over $40 worth of never-before-released nail colors and treatments each month
– Cult favorites – the products Julep likes to keep “on the top of editor’s minds”
– Invitations to exclusive Julep Maven online events
– The opportunity to see your package before it arrives & request new products if you’re not satisfied
– The option to skip a month free of charge
– The option to send your month’s package to a “girlfriend” as a gift
– A “free month” when you refer a friend
– 20% off all Julep.com purchases
– Free shipping on all products
What do WE think of the Maven Program?
Julep was nice enough to send us along one of it’s monthly Maven Program packages as part of our contest. We’ll tell you what we thought and give you a sneak peek of what was inside the box.
First, what comes in the Maven Program box?
All of these items were packaged in a small branded paper bag inside a box. The program claims every month’s box is “beautifully packaged and ready to gift.” While the paper bag was different because of it’s branded design, we wouldn’t say it was particularly “beautifully packaged.” Apologies for not including a photo of the bag – it got wrinkled and ripped in transit from our office (where it was shipped) to our home. We didn’t want to put a crappy photo of the bag because it didn’t come to us ruined.
However, a less-desirable package isn’t a make-it-or-break it deal for us. Also in the package was a welcome letter from Jane Park, the founder. There is also another sheet of paper with a rundown of the program, all of which we listed above in the “inclusions” section. Lastly, there is a little postcard-sized piece of paper telling you exactly what is in your package and encouraging you to refer a friend to the program to receive your next month free.
This is what was in our package:
1. Julep’s Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener
2. Taylor Julep Nail Vernis – the periwinkle colored nail polish
3. Maya Julep Nail Vernis – the peachy pink seashell colored nail polish
4. A sample of Julep’s Glycolic Hand Scrub
5. A sample of Julep’s SPF 30 Hand Cream
The program claims you receive over $40 worth of goods. We checked the product’s retail prices and can confirm this is accurate – the Hand Brightener cream alone was $32, and each nail polish sells for $14.
Here is a photo of Adria’s hand before treatment. You can see she has some dry hand issues, and full disclosure, she doesn’t take care of her hands that well. You’ll rarely see her with painted nails (she’s more of a pedicure gal) and she typically only puts on hand cream in the winter when her hands get dry. We know, shame on her.
Here is what we thought of the hand scrub sample:
First, we were a bit disappointed that it was in such a small package. This was the #1 thing we were excited to try and were sad it was so small that you could only try the sample once.
However, we really liked the scrub. The program coordinator told us the scrub was multipurpose and gentle enough for the face. We’d beg to differ, especially if you have sensitive skin, because it is really course – similar to St. Ive’s oatmeal scrub, but even grainier. Thus, we didn’t try it as a facial exfoliant.
We loved this scrub though. It took us by surprise – you don’t need to wash it off or anything. It goes on pretty dry and absorbs a moisturizer in your hand as you use it. We were able to wipe it off with a tissue after about a minute of rubbing it in. We also really liked how you could feel the moisturizer working. It wasn’t sticky or slimy at all, but you could feel it on there. We’re big on immediate gratification so we really liked we could feel the results right away. Plus, it had the most yummy scent, a pleasant citrus aroma similar to blood oranges.
We tried saving some of the scrub for a second try, but there just wasn’t enough. Thus, this impression is based off one use, but we must say, if you have dry hands (especially men!) this works wonders!
What we thought about the Age-Defying Hand Brightener:
This was the largest product in the package, a full-sized 3 oz. tube of hand cream. It recommends using right after the scrub, and often throughout the day. We did as directed and tried it immediately after the scrub. We were a bit disappointed that it wasn’t the same awesome scent as the scrub, but the aroma slowly grew on you. It was a very subtle citrus scent, mixed with light florals. It just smelled clean.
We also really liked how this felt on our hands. Similar to the scrub you could feel the results immediately – it wasn’t slimy at all. Rather it felt like it does when you rub your hands over silk or satin. We were doing computer work and were happy that it didn’t take long to seep in so as not to get grime all over our keyboard.
Full disclosure, Adria was in charge of this and isn’t the best at reapplying throughout the day. She did use it just about everyday, though only used it multiple times on the first day. The jury is still out if it makes a long-term noticeable difference to really dry hands, as Adria’s hands got progressively worse as soon as the snow storm hit in Seattle. However, the smell and silken feeling is enough to win us over – definitely worth the Maven Program price to get this $32-retail item!
What we thought of the SPF 30 hand cream sample:
This was also a small sample size. It was a bit awkward, in that there was too much for one use but too little for two. We made the decision to use it all at once and unfortunately, that was a mistake. There was entirely too much in there, about a quarter size. We rubbed it in as best as we could, but it was not enough. It was greasy, very different than the age-defying hand brightening cream. We tried waiting to touch valuables, but finally had to just wash the palms of our hands. We can say that it is more tolerable after putting water over your hands, and you can feel that your skin is softer, but we did not like this one nearly as much as the other cream in the package. The fact that it didn’t have as yummy of a scent didn’t help it much. It smelled similar to Lubriderm – more medicinal than the others with a small splash of subtle citrus. You win some, you lose some, so if you are planning on purchasing hand cream we’d recommend going with the age-defying cream over this one.
What we thought of the nail polish:
First off, you know Adria – she isn’t a fan of color. Thus, you could imagine the look on her face when she received Julep’s Taylor color – a bright purple periwinkle.
However, for the purpose of this review, she decided to try it 🙂 And she was really excited by the neutral pink color, as it is gorgeous. Here is what the colors look like on:
The Taylor (periwinkle) color is more blue than we thought. You could definitely see the strokes when putting this color on, so being heavy-handed is a must. The peachy color was more Adria’s speed. Notice that it is much more metallic gold than pink. You can definitely see a tinge of peach, but it’s more nude metallic than anything else. It’s a gorgeous color, just more metallic than expected. Also, we’re not sure if it was just our bottle, but the color kept SPLOOGING out all over Adria’s nails. It was difficult to not overdo it, so that mixed with an unsteady hand to begin with resulted in a bit of a messy nail painting job.
Also, you can see Adria’s hand here is visibly less dry. Note, this photo was taken right after trying on the SPF hand cream. Continuous use is recommended, so chances are this smooth finish only lasts with many applications.
BOTTOM LINE:
Overall, we really liked what we received. The items are definitely well worth over $40, making the $19.99 a month price a steal. We really like how the nail polish and most treatments are eco-friendly. Would we have liked it more if we received the larger hand scrub over the hand cream? Probably. But to be fair, we did not take the “style quiz” for a chance to tell them what we like and we didn’t get to see our products before receiving them, cuing Julep of items we didn’t want. Here’s a breakdown of what we feel are the pros and cons:
PROS:
– You get your money’s worth
– Products are eco-friendly
– They don’t skimp on the items you get – you get exactly what they sell, including full-sized products
– Comprehensive information both of how to use the products and the Maven Program
CONS:
– Only hand/foot focused: if you’re like us and prefer other treatments, this might not be right for you
– Too-small sample sizes only good for one use (making it difficult to commit to a full-sized purchase)
– Packaging leaves more to be desired
Bottom line, if you love manicures, pedicures, and taking care of your skin on these parts of your body, you will love the Julep Maven program. It is affordable, easy to opt-out and chock-full of diverse products. There is also the option to gift your purchases, and the whole membership program makes a unique gift on its own. If you do not tend to use nail polish and hand/foot treatments, it might be better to go with another beauty product program, but all-in-all, the Julep Maven program is a great ROI and definitely leaves you feeling pampered!
WANT A CHANCE TO WIN A 3-MONTH MEMBERSHIP TO JULEP’S MAVEN PROGRAM?
We are currently running a contest to give one lucky EC reader a 3-month membership to Julep’s Maven program. The contest ends on Friday February 3rd, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Pamper yourself or a loved one this holiday and enter now for a chance to win!
We hope this review helped you make a decision about your Maven Program purchase. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this review and whether you’d like to see more!
