October Julep Maven review (Ft. October American Beauty box)

It's so much fun to see what's inside this box each month.

     I received my October Julep Maven box in the mail recently and have finally gotten around to using my new products. Once again, I had trouble deciding which box to choose this month, but I ultimately decided to switch from my style profile Classic with a Twist (which I've honestly never requested) to American Beauty. I was also tempted by the Bombshell box and the It Girl box, but I decided that I really wanted to try the nail product this month and I loved the blue nail polish color. And even though I knew what was coming because I selected it online, Julep still surprised me with several extras this month.   

The insert and quote of the month were both pretty awesome.

     The theme of this month's boxes was "Simply Bewitching." Many of the colors this month were lovely fall colors matched with a complementing crackle nail polish for a Halloween-themed look. The Halloween theme was further carried out with the products all nestled in orange paper crinkles and the polishes wrapped in black tissue paper and tied with silver ribbon. Tucked in the box along with the nail products was a small bag of candy corn to continue the theme. Such a cute extra! I was once again really impressed with the packaging. 

As usual, the insert explains the contents of the box and features a nail tutorial.

      My card insert this month detailed the items in my box on one side and a tutorial for how to use both polishes for a crackle effect on the opposite side. The directions were easy to follow and the results turned out great.

My nail polishes and product are wrapped in that black bag, but you can also see the extras I received this month: candy corn and two glitter pots.

Once again, Julep went all out with their theme this month.

Here are all the products that came in my box.

The products that came in my box were:

• Eloise nail polish - Smokey indigo blue creme. This color is such a gorgeous blue and great for fall. I did have a little bit of a problem applying it because it was pretty thin and it was hard for me to get a nice thin coat without flooding my nails and cuticles with polish when it inevitably dripped down the brush. Still, with a little bit of patience and a Q-tip or two dipped in polish remover, I was able to clean things up some. 
• Sabrina nail polish - Zesty orange shimmer crackle. Love this color. It is such a beautiful shade of orange and it looks surprisingly really chic over the blue polish. It's such a fresh color combination and very fall. I plan on using it again for Halloween over black to see how that looks. 
• Julep Quick Dry Polish Drops - These lavender-scented quick-dry polish drips will leave your manicure touchably smudge-free much soon. Includes conditioning ingredients such as Vitamin E and Sweet Almond Oil to nourish and hydrate nails. These drops are hardcore amazing. They really work. Whereas I typically wait about thirty minutes to make sure my polish is dry, this time I just waited a few minutes after using the polish drops and then I was ready to go.
• Two bonus glitter pots - These glitters, in orange and black, can be lightly dusted over nail polish and then set with a top coat for a fun glittery look. These were a surprise extra this month. 

I received, from top to bottom: Sabrina and Eloise.

These make the entire box worth it just by themselves.

I am excited to try these glitter pots for Halloween.

    I also added on two additional nail colors this month, which I have yet to receive in the mail. Julep ships their add-ons separately so that they can get the monthly boxes out faster. As soon as I get them, I'm planning to paint my toes with the burgundy color. 

• Keira nail polish -  Deep burgundy creme. This seems like a really beautiful fall color and I don't have any other colors that are similar. 
• Sofia nail polish - Sheer spring green with a flash of aqua iridescent glitter. This sheer glittery polish looks really pretty layered over other colors. And it has the surprise of being glow in the dark too! Perfect for Halloween. 

      

    I tried out my new colors and was really happy with both of them. And the Quick-Dry Drops are amazing too. Here are the swatches:

Eloise is a super pretty sort-of gray navy color. 

 Applying the crackle polish over top was really easy. Just two quick thin coats and it starts to separate and crack immediately. 

       Want to join in the fun of receiving nail polish and other beauty products in the mail each month? Joining the Julep Maven program is the best (and cheapest) way to buy Julep products because you get discounts on everything and access to colors before everyone else! Plus, you can join now for just a penny (see the code below). Here are some others benefits of the Julep Maven program. 

• $40-$60 worth of nail products delivered to your door each month for only $19.99.
• You get to preview the colors you will receive each month.
• You can skip receiving a box if nail polish isn't in your budget for the month or you dislike all the colors. 
• You can switch to one of four other styles if you like them better than those in your style profile.
• You can choose to send your box to a friend.
• Free shipping.
• 20 percent off your purchases on julep.com.
• You can earn a free month by referring two friends to the program using your referral link. (Mine is below and I'd be so happy if you used it!)
• You can cancel at anytime simply by giving Julep a call.

     Sound good? Then fill out a style quiz HERE so Julep can tailor your boxes to your personal style and use the code COLOR2012 or PENNY to receive your introductory box for just a $0.01.