Julep Maven April Box

I was so excited Julep gave us the option of adding up to two polishes to this month's box for just $5 each. What a great deal! If you are a regular reader you know how much I love Julep, so of course I added a couple polishes ;) The two polishes propped up on the box are the extras I added.

The packages are always so cute! Obviously going for an Easter theme, there were some chocolates thrown in too!

I switched from my usual 'American Beauty' box to the 'It Girl' solely because it came with a polish named Jessica. Here is what I got this month:

A set of toe separators and 5 lil chocolates. I love the little bonuses Julep adds!

Parker - Vivid tangerine, SO hot right now! She was one of the polishes I added for $5.

Susie - Mint green, another hot color right now, I couldn't leave her behind, she was my other $5 polish.

Jessica - Pastel blue, she was in the It Girl box and much prettier and brighter in person.

Niecy - She's hot pink, need I say more? She was in the It Girl box and Gorgeous!

Penelope - A lovely blush color, she is so classic. She was also in the It Girl box.

 Like always, I am so happy with all the colors, they are all so much more beautiful then I expected. I have a couple Easter Mystery boxes on the way too, so stay tuned for that, I am really excited about them!!

By the way you can STILL get your first Julep box for just 1cent! yes, 1 cent!!! Click here take the short quiz and they will match you up with a box, click 'sign me up', then 'add to bag' and then put the code 'PENNY' in the discount code section! Voila! Complete mani/pedi for 1cent ;)

How do you like to shop?

Almost every store has an online website where you can buy from, making shopping as easy as clicking a button. But what do you prefer, in store or online shopping?
Personally I prefer online shopping, mostly because the nearest decent mall is about a 40minute drive, and since I don't drive personally I have to rely on someone taking me shopping. I am the only one in my family who loves to shop so this leaves me with shopping online. But let's look at some of the pros and cons of each.
Online Pros:

No crowds! No crowds means no standing in line waiting! Or having someone breathing down your neck while you are browsing through shirts they are waiting to look at.

Sit in the comfort of your own home while shopping. You can get into your fav pjs with a blanket and a cup of coffee (or wine) and away you go!

Ebates! Earn Cash back for shopping online, how cool is that?

A lot of stores that are exclusively online or stores that have huge inventories online have large clearance sections, or better yet sales, and frequently! Online Cons:

You can't really try things on, unless you know what your size is and the clothes/shoes you are buying are true to size you take a risk in having to return them. Which is fine if the site has a free return policy but if they don't have a good return policy, you might have a hard time returning things.

Customer service. If the website has bad customer service, you might run into some problems. I have heard horror storis of people trying to return things that were defective or they received by accident.

Colors are different depending on lighting/computer screens. What I mean by that is you might see something white online and and in reality it's grey.

Instore Pros:

You can try things on, of course. As I said above, since you can try it on, you can ensure that it not only fits but that you like it looks good on your body.

What you see is what you get. If something has a snag/scuff/imperfection, you wouldn't buy it.

Different selection of items then available online. Some stores have 'in store exclusive items'.

Sales and Clearance racks might be different that what is online.

Some stores don't have online stores. (H&M for example.) Instore Cons:

Crowds. This is a biggie for me, as stated above. I hate crowded areas, not to mention rude people. Why do people have to stand right in the middle of a crowded mall and have a chat?!

Rude employees. Ever have someone just follow you around, making sure you aren't stealing? Or scoffing at you, thinking you won't actually be buying anything? I understand they are trying to protect themselves but it is annoying.

Travel time. Might not be a big deal for some.

Sometimes I have a hard time finding things in my size. I find that usually the small sizes are what's left on in store racks.

And there you have it! My pros/cons lists for both instore and online shopping. But what is your favaorite method of shopping? And where are your fav places to shop, both instore and online? Here's a list of a few stores I love to shop at online:

Shoedazzle Offers a great selections of shoes, purses, jewellery and soon CLOTHES! I'm really excited about the clothes!

JustFab Another site with a great selection of shoes, purses and jewellery and right now they do have clothes in the Abbey Dawn collection.

OldNavy, Forever21, Gap, all have great online selctions.

DON'T FORGET to sign up with Ebates! and earch cash back when shopping online!!!

Julep: St Patrick's Day Mystery Box!

About a week before St. Patricks day Julep offered a "mystery package" for 19.99, stating it contained $60-$200 dollars worth of product. I am a sucker for 'mystery bags', so I bought one, I had missed out on the Valentines day one and wasn't about to miss out on this one too.

It came in a green box, of course, and was filled with green crinkle cut packing paper. The products were all in a Julep makeup bag which I thought was awesome, there's pockets inside that fit the julep polishes! They through in some chocolate too!

Sorry about the lighting,
couldn't find my good camera!

Here's what was in my box:

• Full size hand cream with 30 SPF
• Glass Nail File
• Cuticle oil
• Nail Appliques in Peacock
• 3 Polishes, Maya, Emma, and Sofia

From left to right:
Maya, Sofia, Emma

Maya is a very light pearlescent peach/pink color.
Sofia is a beautiful bright green with blue glitter.
Emma is a shimmery soft pink.

I am REALLY happy with my mystery box! I hope they do one for Easter, I will definitely snatch one (or two) up! I am such a huge fan of Julep, they always live up to my expectations. You can STILL get your first Julep box for just 1 cent! Click here, fill out the style quiz, click Sign Me Up, add the box to your bag and enter the code "color2012"! Enjoy! 

P.S. Don't forget to check out and enter my giveaway! Click here for details!

Purses Part Two! Cheap Shoedazzle look a likes and more!

About a month ago I wrote a post about Shoedazzle purse look-a-likes and other cute purse finds on ebay, including this little gem, which looks A LOT like Iredell and comes in 7 colors! AND it's under $25!

Link is here!

This is the color I bought and I received the purse today and I love it! I'm so happy with it I ordered the white too, and I'm debating on the pink and orange!









I've since found some more great purse finds and Shoedazzle look-a-likes, so here is what else I've found since my last purse post:

Gold "Joppa" look a like you can find here.

Red or Purple Patterned Joppa you can find here.

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but
it reminds me of Kula, and comes in
Pink, Apricot and Green.
Find it here for just $24!

I know this isn't exactly like the "Amanda" clutch,
but the print reminded me of her,
and it's only $17! Find her here. 

This looks almost exactly like Colombia and
comes in Black and Brown for just $21!
Link is here!

This one reminds me of a wider version of Dickens
Find it here for just $24!

Well, that's all for now... I'm sure I will do a part 3 eventually since I'm pretty addicted to ebay!

P.S. Don't forget to check out my giveaway here!

Shoedazzle Shoe look-a-likes. Save some $$!

Shoedazzle has pretty much been the only place I shop for shoes, 90% of my collection of shoes are from SD. I very rarely search on other websites for shoes because of the shipping costs and customs costs, but with all the sold out shoes still on my wishlist or shoes I missed out on I decided to venture out in search of a few. Here is what I found: 

• Eloise look-a-like in 3 colors.
• Hilary in Red, Coral, and Salmon. Only $24!
• Red Ezra, Pointed toe Ezra, Glitter Ezra, $30 Ezra
• Libby, 3 more Libbys. Both only $26!
• 3 different color Aamina. Only $26!
• Stellaluna only $29!
• Patent Danielle for $29.
• Nonchalant for $29.

Well that's all my finds for now, I'm sure I will find some more to share soon!

P.S. My facebook fanpage is 2 likes away from my very first giveaway, if you want a chance to win an Avon goodie bag take a look to the right and 'like' my page. :)

Purses! Cheap Shoedazzle Look-a-likes and more!

Recently I've been searching for bags to add to my Spring/Summer wardrobe. I don't have very many purses right now and they are either brown or black so I need to add some color! Of course I started my search on Shoedazzle but I find that if you don't get the purses you want at the beginning of the month or when new releases come out you'll miss out, so my next stop was Ebay.

The first thing I went on a search for was an Irving/Bedford look-a-like.

There were so many pretty colors it was hard to choose, but I decided on this pretty blue color. Isn't it gorgeous? If I like the bag I will probably buy another color, I really liked the white and pink too! AND it was under $25!

Here's a link to the purse!

I found this one too. I didn't end up buying it, but I love it.

Here's a link to this purse!






The next purse I hunted for was a 'Minden' look-a-like. I didn't even see this purse before it sold out!

 I realize that this purse isn't the exact shape of Minden but I prefer this shape over Minden's and this bag comes in a deep pink color that I just love. This one is under $25 too!

Link is here!




I wanted a purse like Kaplan but I wanted it in a red, like McAllen, without the glossiness. Honestly it wasn't hard to find. Searching "quilted bag" brought up lots of results.

I wanted a good sized bag, and settled on this, which comes in 4 colors, and it was under $15!

Link is here!

Here's a smaller version, with more colors.

I just happened to stumble upon this one. I love the ringed clutches and missed out on the few SD had and at just $18 I couldn't pass it up!


Link here!

This bag isn't usually my style but I bought it to wear with Cognac Gallop and a yellow dress with a green belt. I'll have to wait and see whether or not the outfit will work out but I loved the shade of green. This was $18.

Purse is here!

 I don't have a link for the  brown/white bag and the red clutch. But I do have one for the pink envelope clutch. I love clutches and this clutch comes in a lot of different colors! Link here! Under $10!


If you search "envelope clutch" there are a few different ones that are under $15 and there are a slot of color choices too.

My Julep Box, still available for just 1cent!

Again this month I picked the "American Beauty" box. It came with 2 polishes, Glenn which is a deep pink, and Oscar is a gold glitter polish, and also a cuticle oil.

The Glenn polish is lovely to apply, like my other Julep polishes it only needs 1 coat to cover my nail completely and that is how I like my polishes! The Oscar polish isn't really my style. I'm not really one for glitter polishes because they are hard to remove, but I will try to find some way to wear it. On the card is a tip for removing the glitter nail polish, "Saturate a cotton pad with polish remover and the press it on the nail for a few seconds before wiping off the polish."

The cuticle oil has a lemony smell and the roller ball applicator makes it easy and precise. The oil sinks in fairly quickly if left alone but I prefer to rub it in.

There was also a bar of chocolate in my box, in the shape of an award. Nice touch!

As always it was packaged and looks cute!

You can still try Julep out for just 1cent! Click here and take the short quiz, then enter the code "color2012".

Shoedazzle: 'Steals' haul.

I was able to control myself and ended up with only 8 'Steals' items. Bevan, Alitza, Karmondy, Steady, Belden, Nevis, Slumber Party, and Carvela.

I was lucky and didn't receive any defective items, however I have two small complaints. I feel like I was mislead with the Nevis purse, which is supposed to be an Ivory colour but is actually a light shade of gray. Initially I wanted either the pink or the brown but settled on white because everything else was sold out. I was pretty disappointed with the color because in my opinion it's a pretty ugly shade however all sales are final unless something is defective. The SD customer service did contact me and I was very happy with their customer service.

My second small complaint was that I received a pair of nude Chanelles instead of Carvela. Which really was not a big deal because they weren't sold out of Carvela and once again I was happy with the customer service, they shipped me another pair of Carvela`s as soon as I sent pictures as proof that I received the wrong shoe.

I am so happy with all of my purchases. I absolutely love Altiza, she is so classy and sexy and a great comfortable height. Bevan is my first white shoe and I love the studded bow on the back that gives it a little more edge. I settled on the brown Steady after the burgundy had sold out and it exceeded my expectations. The Belden clutch was much bigger then I expected it to be, I will be able to fit everything I need in it. As for Kamondy, I initially hadn't even thought about purchasing her until I saw a picture of her on someone (not the model), and had to get her, I really like the studded toe.

The 'Steals' ended today, Jan. 31st and I've promised myself (and my boyfriend) I will only spend credits next month so I'm going to be very picky with next months shoes. I'm looking forward to the next 50% off sale, I'm guessing around the end of summer like they did last year.

Review: Julep Nail Club, what I got for 1cent.

Julep is a monthly nail polish and nail care club. The cost is 19.99 per month but with a code you can get your first month for just $5. Remember to skip the month if you don't want to be charged! You will be emailed on the 20th of every month, you can then choose to skip a month, choose a different package, or do nothing and receive the package for that month. There are 5 different boxes, It Girl, American Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell, and Classic with a Twist. If you aren't feeling the box they match you up with, there will be a link on the page that says "Not feeling like a Classic with a Twist? Click here to see other style profiles."

On first picture is the "1 Cent" package in 'American Beauty'. It included 2 nail polishes, Leighton and Demi and a hand scrub. In the package I also received a glitter pot for your nails, and 2 samples of hand cream to be used after the hand scrub. The glitter pot is a very pretty bright purple but had no name or number.


On second picture is the next months package in American Beauty which was 19.99 flat. It included 2 nail polishes, Anne and Maria and a pomegranate body scrub. The package also included a "Nail Therapy" polish for being one of the first to try out Julep and two nail polish wipes.







                 Demi, Anne, Maria, and Leighton.


Keep in mind I am in no way a nail expert or anything of the sort, these are just my personal opinions. With just one coat my nails were covered completely and evenly which is a big plus in my book. I hate having to apply multiple coats of nail polish. The consistency is also lovely in my opinion, I don't find them too watery and they apply easily for me, meaning I didn't end up with too much on my hands like I usually do.The colors are all very pretty and wearable and I look forward to receiving more Julep polishes.


The Pomegranate Body Scrub smells amazing. It has a thick and grainy consistency and works well when ex-foliating.


The hand scrub on the other hand smells gross. It's not horrible enough to avoid using the product, and isn't too overpowering as long as you aren't looking for something to make your hands smell good. The hand scrub is supposed to "boost the effectiveness of hand cream", which is stated on the back of the tube, so the smell really isn't a problem. The consistency is weird too, it has chunky bits for ex-foliating but it also has runny liquid. Overall it is a good hand scrub.




I am very happy with both packages I received, the 1cent one and the one I've paid full price for. The products are actually better then I expected them to be, considering I am picky about nail polishes.


The 1 cent deal is no longer working but they've changed it to $5 for your first package. I highly recommend trying it out. 1cent is definitely a good deal but $5 isn't too bad either for the quality of the products.


Shipping is FREE, even to Canada!


Click Here, do the short quiz and use the code "WelcomeMV5" or "maven5" in the checkout to get your first package for just $5.

ShoeDazzle - Jewelry finds for cheaper.

I know a few ladies have said they wouldn't buy SD Jewellery because $40 is a bit much, and I agree. Here are a couple things I found for cheaper that are EXACTLY the same!


The twisted bracelet from "Twist of Fate" is on the Canadian Forever21 for just $5.80! It's available in silver and gold!

"Resort Chic" in Turquoise is on Lulus.com for $27. It's currently sold out so keep checking back if you are interested!



And here are a few items that are similar (in my opinion) to SD Jewelry:

This is like a smaller beaded version of the necklace in Silver Surf.
This reminds me of a shinier version of the bangles in "Necessary Neutrals" 

I also found quite a few "Snake" bracelets similar to the one in "Twist of Fate" for under $10!