The Julep Addiction Grows

Okay, so I know my last post is about Julep too, but I am legitimately obsessed. I just wanted to share with you how much I have purchased(and Saved!) since February 27th when I ordered my intro box.

Ignore the mess behind the colors. My dresser is always a catchall of all of my random things.

The colors from left to right are Barbara, Jane, Kaylen, Sasha, Georgia, Avery, Jackie, Claire, Eden, Fiona, Meryl, and Brandt. These retail at $14 a bottle. There are 12 there. So there is $168 of just nail color sitting there on my dresser.

Next we have the Freedom Polymer Top Coat. It's the all black one between Brandt and the clear bottles. It is worth $18. So we're now at $186 of product.

The cuticle oil is that cute smaller bottle with the round lid. It came with my intro box, and although I wasn't seeking it, it works pretty well. It also retails at $18, so our total is now $204.

The bottle with the dropper on the top is the the quick dry drops. These are MIRACLES and anyone who polishes their nails, even infrequently, should have them because they smell good and save so much time! It retails at $14, so we're at $218.

Last but not least is the silver wand laying across the bottom of the polishes. It is the Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum and it is a GODSEND. My cuticles are already looking better after only a couple days of use. So much less tearing. It costs $28...

bringing our grand total to...

$246 worth of product!

But that is no where near what I paid for all of this stuff. I didn't even pay 50%.

Before I get to how much I actually paid, I just want to say that not a single product has disappointed. I have used Barbara, Jane, Kaylen, Avery, Claire, Eden, and Meryl so far and they all apply beautiful and bright. The topcoat is amazing as well, and my toes(which i have currently applied the topcoat) look like they've been done with gels!

What I actually paid was $73.54. If you break it down by products(there were 16 total) I paid about $4.60 per item. That's drugstore prices for these quality polishes, and 70% off what they actually cost!

This will probably be my last "I LOVE JULEP YOU WILL TOO!" post for a while, as I'm sure they are annoying, but I really can't help but share one more time because you can try some for free!(however I may do some NOTD or something, just to give me something to post)

When you go to this page and fill out a style profile, you'll get matched up with a box that is selected to fit your style best. Add it to your bag, and type in the code FREEMAVEN at checkout and you will only pay for your shipping! If you get the product and you absolutely hate it, all you have to do is cancel and you'll never hear from Julep again. If you fall in love with Julep like I did, you can keep getting the 20% Maven discount off everything, access to the secret store, free shipping, and a monthly box curated to your tastes for just $19.99 a month.

So the link is http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/124039/ or click here and the code is FREEMAVEN. Please don't miss out, and let me know in the comments if you decide to check it out or what you think.

PS. I don't get compensated by Julep in any way, however I do get 1,000 Jules or rewards points if you decide to sign up with Julep, which I can apply for discounts on future purchases.

Newest Julep Fanatic

I normally wouldn't take the time out of my day to tell you about nail polish... but I am so in love with Julep Nail Polish I just can't keep it in, and I can help you get some for FREE!

This is Barbara and the first color I tried from Julep Nail Polish. It doesn't look like much, but it is my absolute favorite. I have had it on my toes for three weeks without chip(two coats) and it is GORGEOUS! It's a purple/pink sparkle that catches the eyes of many and looks great without a base color underneath. I apologize for not having a picture of this bad girl in action, but it was the polish that started it all.

This here is my second one that is currently coloring my fingers, and it's name is Claire! It comes out a little darker than the color in the bottle, but applies fairly quick on the first coat but in my opinion looks best with two. It matches any blue outfit or makes the perfect pop of color to a neutral look.

This is a product I ordered even though I was rather skeptical. They are Quick Dry Polish Drops and they are God's gift to nails! You wait about 90 seconds after adding the topcoat to your nails and then put 1 to 2 drops over each nail and they dry so quickly and help to avoid the tackiness that you can sometimes get in the after-dry but before smudgeless period of nail painting. I LOVE this product because it has already saved me so much time and heartache. It smells amazing too!

Now, the best part is that I know how to get you some super cute Julep nail polish for FREE! All you have to do is click HERE and take the style profile quiz. The website will match you up with a set to match your style. Add it to your bag and enter FREEMAVEN at checkout and your entire box will be free! You only have to pay for shipping to your door. If you're still not convinced that you want the free polish, here's a look at some of the gorgeous sets you can get matched with and get for FREE:

BOHO Glam

Bombshell

Classic With a Twist(Personal FAVE)

It Girl(Always comes with three pretty colors)

A few more awesome bonuses about Julep:

• If you decide to keep getting Julep on a monthly basis as a Maven, the boxes are only $19.99 a month with free shipping, you get to pick which boxes you get each month, and they always come with a special surprise inside.
• Deeply discounted add-ons to your box
• You have the option to skip a month or send to a friend if you don't like the color choices for the month(which I doubt you'll want to because they're great!)
• 20% off of all other purchases you make on Julep and free shipping on them all.

Don't miss out, because who knows how long they will offer a box for free? Click HERE, fill out the style profile, type FREEMAVEN in at checkout, and pay only for shipping!

Making an Old Thing New

Here's a little project I did last month that I have yet to share.

A long time ago, when my old church built a new building, they bought all new chairs and gave away the old ones for free. We happen to have a ton of those sitting around my house, so after browsing Pinterest for a while, I got inspired and decided I would reupholster one of them for fun.

This is what I started with.

Pretty ugly and uncomfortable, right?

If you ever choose to do a project similar to this, it will vary based on the style and build of the chair, so a step by step guide of what I did to reassemble wouldn't be very useful. Instead I'll give you the cliff notes to give you a little to go off of. The first thing I did was take the chair apart. It wasn't a very difficult thing to do because there were only eight screws on the entire chair. With the cushions off, I took the frame outside and used some semigloss white spray paint to cover the frame. You will see I didn't really invest a whole lot in the spray paint as it's already chipped in the final picture. While that was drying, I went inside and pried the staples out of the cushions and platforms of the chair one by one so that all the original upholstery was removed. This is what I did on the first day.

A couple of days later I made a trip to WalMart to purchase the fabric, new cushioning, and a staple gun in order to finish the project. I kept all of the original parts to the chair such as the frame, seat, and backing. Then I reassembled the chair, with much more cushioning and the new upholstery, in the opposite fashion that I took the chair apart. This is the final result:

Yeah... see where the paint is already chipping? The lesson is, don't buy cheap spray paint for furniture you want to keep around!

Regardless, I'm pretty proud of the result, considering it was my first project ever of that nature. Also it matches my room a lot better, which is a plus!

I'll leave you with a side by side comparison, just to get a good feel for the difference between the two.

Happy crafting!

Spinach Basil Garlic Pasta with Grilled Chicken - YUM!

I don't know about you, but one of the most frustrating things for a commuting college student is lunch. You don't have a meal plan(and don't want one) so eating on campus isn't really much of an option. You're not rich and you're trying to be healthier, so going out to eat every day for lunch is taboo. It's a frustrating experience on a daily basis.

Today, while grocery shopping after class, I was trying to find things that wouldn't be high in sodium or calories but keep me full. After wandering around getting snackish type things for roughly 20 minutes, I found these grilled chicken strips in the refrigerated section from Tyson. You heat them up for roughly 90 seconds and they are warm and ready to go, for whatever you want to use them for. It comes in a 6 ounce package and 3 ounces is a serving of 100 calories. Instantly I thought about these delicious pasta nests I had back in the pantry, but I'm sure you can use them for salad, chicken fajitas(I may do that with the other half of my chicken), stir frys, and probably anything you may want grilled chicken it. This is a DREAM for someone who loves chicken as much as me.

Anyways, so of course I bought some and brought it home to make with these pasta nests. The pasta is Spinach Basil Garlic Pasta, angel hair to be specific, and comes in these cute little round nests at 100 calories a piece. I boiled two of these with some garlic and salt in the water, just to bring out the flavor a little bit, while I heated up the chicken(3 ounces, just one serving or half the bag). The noodles only had to cook for five minutes, so in about seven minutes flat I had this delicious mix of pasta and chicken. No sauce, no veggies(although I wanted to add a little bit of green beans & mushrooms), no butters, just noodles and grilled chicken.

So what is the damage health wise?

Spinach Basil Garlic Pasta with Grilled Chicken
Calories - 300
Total Fat - 2.5g
Sat. Fat - .5g
Cholesterol - 50mg
Sodium - 485mg
Carbs - 42g
Fiber - 2g
Sugar - 1g
Protein - 28g

So as you can see, really great on the protein and calories. Another bonus? I'm still stuffed, hours later! I love it when I'm not ravenous and seeking out a snack less than two hours after lunch. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Oh, and if you can come up with some other uses for this Tyson grilled chicken, let me know! I still have half a bag left.