Facebook PixelJulep Keep It Shining Mystery Box Review & Free Box Coupon Code | MSA
My Subscription Addiction
My Subscription Addiction
Our reviewers research, test, and recommend the best subscriptions and products independently; click to learn more about our editorial guidelines. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.

Julep Keep It Shining Mystery Box Review & Free Box Coupon Code

Jessica Hapak
ByJessica HapakAug 21, 2018 | 9 comments
Julep Maven
3.8 overall rating
176 Ratings | 76 Reviews

closed Julep box

Julep Maven is a monthly nail polish and beauty subscription box. They make all their own products, so subscribers get a good value each month – over $40 retail worth of product for $24.99 a month.

open Julep box

Julep recently released two new mystery boxes—the Keep It Shining Mystery Box and the Leaf It Behind Mystery Box.

This is a review of the Keep it Shining Mystery Box, which is summer-time themed and no longer available.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Julep Summer Mystery Box review

About This Box

The Subscription Box: Julep Keep It Shining Mystery Box

The Cost: $24.99 + $3.99 shipping

Julep is offering this 12-piece nail polish FREE set with a new subscription!

Use this link and coupon code POLISHGIFT at checkout to add the 12 piece Nail Polish Set to your cart. 

The Products: No more summer would be a bummer! This seasonal mystery box is full of beauty & nail surprises.

Ships to: US

Julep Maven Keep It Shining Mystery Box Review

Be Strong Oxygen Nail Therapy,

Be Strong Oxygen Nail Therapy, Full-Size! Retail Value $18

This nail treatment is made with an oxygen nail formula to allow nail beds to breathe, botanical extracts to fight breakage, and hexanal to harden nails. I have had acrylics for almost three years (ignoring a spat with a hand mixer, but that is a different story), and I will probably have acrylics until the day I day. Yes I know, I should let my nails *breathe* and acrylic *damages* them, but I just do not feel like myself unless I have a coat of acrylic overlay on my natural nails. Anyways, the point is that I do not use treatments like this but I have a plethora of friends who do, and this will be happily received by whoever I end up gifting it to. In my pre-acrylic days I religiously used nail strengtheners like these as base costs and my nails responded well to that, so I can see the value of including this in the box.

When Pencil Met Gel Eyeliner in Electric Teal Shimmer,

When Pencil Met Gel Eyeliner in Electric Teal Shimmer, Full-Size! Retail Value $16

This is such a gorgeous eyeliner! The teal shade is bright and the shimmer is noticeable, and this can really help to add to a statement eye look with minimal effort (a swipe of this on your lower lash line, a couple coats of high volume mascara, and I promise you at least one person will compliment you). Julep has a really great pencil eyeshadow formula that is creamy and smooth to apply, but it stays put once it sets.

It's Whipped Matte Lip Mousse in Beso, Full-Size! Retail Value $20

These lip mousses from Julep are probably one of the most comfortable liquid lipsticks you can find on the market—there is zero drying, and my lips feel like I only put on a light coat of lip balm rather than a vivacious orange lipstick. With that comfort comes sacrifice, however, and this does transfer and wear down easily throughout the day. Beso is described as a “spicy orange,” and while I don’t normally like orange lipsticks with my skin tone this shade really does just scream summer.

Your Lip Addiction Tinted Lip Oil Treatment in Crave

Your Lip Addiction Tinted Lip Oil Treatment in Crave, Full-Size! Retail Value $22

I absolutely LOVE tinted lip oils, as they are always incredibly nourishing and usually leave a nice tint of color when the oil is fully absorbed. This one by Julep is no exception, and the very light tint of orange is another great summer shade. This also has zero stickiness, and it left my lips soft and hydrated. Two thumbs up on this one—now they need to release more shades!

Here are the swatches. The lip oil is above the lip mousse and the eyeliner is at the bottom.

Julep Nail Polish in Dylan,

Julep Nail Polish in Dylan, Full-Size! Retail Value $14

Dylan is described as a vivid cactus flower crème, and while my thoughts lean more bubblegum than "cactus flower" the vivid description is certainly on point. This pink is bold and in charge, and it really is a true summer shade. The formula was pretty good—I noticed some patchy-ness after one coat but the second coat smoothed things out. One issue I had with this bottle is that the tops of these polishes are removable, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get mine off. Oh well, that isn't the end of the world. Swatched below.

Julep Nail Polish in April, Full-Size! Retail Value $14

This is described as a vermillion crème and if we are being honest, I do not quite know what vermillion is. Anyways, this is a bold orangey-red polish that is another perfect summer shade, but I have issues with April. The formula was way thicker than it needed to be, making application uneven and, quite frankly, irritating. After I painted my nails I finished with my tried and true top coat, Seche Vite, and then I went to bed. In the morning when I was showering I noticed that one nail hard already chipped! I was flabbergasted—Chipping is NOT an issue I have, especially with acrylics and my trusty top coat. I wasn't even able to take a picture in the daylight before this chipped on me. Hard pass on this one for me, guys.

Here are the swatches plus some ombre nail art. I will say that both of these cremes blended beautifully and built up to opacity quickly, so this nail art didn’t take long at all.

The Verdict: I was happy with the colors selected for this summer-themed mystery box, and the makeup choices were real winners for me out of this box. I am still salty over April chipping on me so quickly, but the nail polish shades really do feel like summertime at my fingertips. This box has a value of $104, which I do think is a great deal for full-size products in a mystery box that cost $24.99 before shipping.

To Wrap Up:

Can you get this box if you sign up today? No, this box is sold out.

ACTIVE DEAL: Get a 12-piece Polish Gift ($160+ Value) with your first box!
CODE: POLISHGIFT

Value Breakdown: This box cost $28.98 ($24.99 + $3.99 shipping), and I calculated a value of $104. That means you are paying approximately the following per item:

  • Nail Treatment: $5.02
  • Eyeliner: $4.46
  • Lip Mousse: $5.57
  • Lip Oil: $6.13
  • Dylan: $3.90
  • April: $3.90

Check out all of my Julep Maven reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your Wish List or Subscription List!

What did you think of the Julep Keep It Shining Mystery Box? Are you still enjoying summer or are you ready to “leaf” it behind?

Starting at $24.99
Active Deal
Get a 12-piece Polish Gift ($160+ Value) with your first box!
Use Coupon Code POLISHGIFT
Subscribe Now
Julep Maven is a nail polish and beauty subscription service. Each month you can choose one of five boxes, skip that month, or upgrade to the entire collection of beauty and nail polish products for an additional $30.
Jessica Hapak
Jessica Hapak
I am a staunch believer that pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza and when I’m not working as a family law attorney I enjoy hiking the Louisiana trails (alligator sightings are a favorite!) or relaxing with Duchess, my cat. I’m a sucker for anything labeled a mystery box and I’ve never met a bath bomb I didn’t like.

Join the Conversation

Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.

9 comments

Kara S

How do you do the ombré nail look?

Reply ButtonReply

V

I am absolutely addicted to their it’s whipped lip mousse. I have just about all of them and I also have two of the lip oils. I’m glad I skipped on this because I didn’t need any duplicates but I think this is a great box for someone who don’t have any of these items but are interested in trying them out.

Reply ButtonReply

sara

The tinted lip oil currently comes in 3 shades, including the orange reviewed here. Plus a clear. It’s on their website.

Reply ButtonReply

Linda

Your ombre art is gorgeous!

Reply ButtonReply

katie

Some of the colors chip super fast and some have great staying power. Seems to depend on the color.

Reply ButtonReply

Jeannette

That is odd, their nail polish rarely chips. I use it on my regular nails and never get chips.

Reply ButtonReply

Anne

For some reason Julep polishes dont play well with Seche Vite! They work much better with a non quick dry topcoat, or even no top coat at all! I find Julep polishes last better than drugstore polishes, but you absolutely can’t use seche vite on them.

Reply ButtonReply

Amber P

I disagree, I’ve been a Seche Vite and Julep polish user pretty exclusively for years (I have over 100 Julep polishes). Julep’s staying power IMO goes well beyond low end and high end drug store polish and even some higher end brand polishes (Butter London for example).

However, I do have a few in my collection that are troublesome. Whether they are from a bad batch or if it’s just the color – they are either too thick, never dry down, are streaky or a combination of all three. Any white Julep polish fits this description and a lot of their “soft focus” colors do too.

Reply ButtonReply

Anne

Personally, I have never been able to use Seche Vite with any 3-free or 5-free polish, including Julep. Lots of trial and error on my part, I’ve found that INM Out The Door works better with those polishes.
That being said, I’ve found some Julep polishes stay on through the apocalypse and others last maybe 24 hours.