Bad, Better, Best

I'm not a big fan of the term "Holly Grail" when it comes to makeup, there is always something better out there, the skin and face and taste changes all the time, and so, what was great last month can just stop working after a while. I guess that so far, the biggest compliment I can give a product is buying something twice after emptying the first batch. I can only think of 2-3 products who won this honor.

Now, my hands and nails are really not my best feature. I work with paints and with my hands, and I spend lots of time with the dogs in a very muddy park. If I can get them to look sort of OK I'm happy, but my nails will never be long and perfect, no matter what I do.
What I have discovered is that the thing that makes them look passable esthetic is cuticle care. If the skin around my nails is hydrated, my hands look cleaner, tidier and my nails grow stronger.

I have mentioned 2 cuticle products before, and now, discovered a new one.

Bad
Not really bad, I actually liked it in the beginning. Julep's cuticle stick smells really good, give gentel hydration and feels nice. Why is it bad then? first of all, because it was the least efective of the 3 products I used, it might be great for someone who doesn't work with their hands or have naturally hydrated hands, but for me, it just didn't cut it. Second, the stick is really uncomfortable to use, it seem like a great idea, bu I found it messy and awkward. The third is that I finished the whole stick in one month, what might be OK, but since it's costs a whooping 22$ that's really not enough product to justify the price.

Better
Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is one of those only products that I have bought more then once. It's great, inexpensive ($6-$8 or so), easy to use and works! I was pretty sure that this is as good as it gets. What don't I like about it? the smell is mildly chemical, and especially when it's cold, the cream hardens  and hard to use.

Best!
Enters new favorite (dare I say holly grail?!) Badger Cuticle Care which is just like Burt's Bees but better! it's cheaper ($6 for a larger tin, .75g vs. .6g) The first 2 ingredients on the list are shea butter and olive oil, while Burt's Bees goes for Almond oil and beeswax. What's the difference?! it's a lot softer and easier to apply.
And it smells better then either Julep's stick or Brut's butter. A citrusy fresh smell of geranium, lemon grass and olives.

Plus - the badger on the tin is adorable.

Probably the best $6 I've ever spend on my hands.

Operation Hobbit Feet

"their feet had tough leathery soles and were clad in a thick curling hair, much like the hair of their heads"

I don't know about curly, but my feet definitely took a turn for the hobbit in recent months. A combination of dryness, many hours in muddy dog run, wearing socks 24\7 and not showering as often in winter as I do in summer took their tole and my sole turned hard, flakey and itchy.

And so, it was time to do something about it, and so with the aid of a few new products, I manage to get them in vaguely presentable state.

Julep Foot Soak

I got this as a part of Julep New Years box, I was disappointed at first. This is not something I would ever buy for myself, my apartment doesn't have a bath and doing all kind of spa beauty treatments at home is not my style. 

However since I got it, I decided to give it a shot and I've been in love ever since. Yes, it soften the skin and feels real nice but what's utterly amazing about it is the salty orangey smell. I usually up a tea spoon   in a big bowl of water, soak for a bit, then use a little more to scrub the bottom of my feet.

After that, I spend about an hour with a foot file, I have one from Julep, but I'm not really all that impressed by it, and I think I might be in the market for something new soon. 

Burt's Bees Coconut foot cream 

One of the best buys I've made recently is Burt's Bees tips and toes set. For 13$ you get 5 travel size products and one full size (lip balm). I wanted the cuticle cream which I already know and love, and I knew the balm as well and it was a fun inexpensive way to try new things.

As it turned out, the rest of the products are just as excellent, especially the Almond Milk Hand Cream. The coconut foot cream looks really weird, it basically look, feels, smells and taste like honey with some coconut in it. So, it's rather sticky and does not absorb easy. It's a "put on under socks before you go to sleep" kind of cream. I'm not a huge fan of this method, but it really works and my feet are so much less dry now.

One of the hardest to six problems was grime, dead skin and other nasty stuff that get stuck between cuticle and nails. It's still not a 100% fixed, but a combination of a nail file and some Butter Lemon Cuticle Cream helped a lot.

I wanted this to be a "before and After" post, but I got too embarrassed with how my feet looked before, they are really not going to win any feet beauty pageants, if such a thing exist  and there's more work to be done, but at least I'm not embarrassed at taking pictures of them at the moment.  

Julep Hollywood Icons February Box

This box marks my 3 month Julep membership. I joined at their Christmas special (one free box for any subscription). I got to say, this was quite a ride and I had the best of times. It's everything I like about a beauty box - fun surprise in the mail, opportunity to try new things, fun anticipation and a vibrant community without all the things I don't like - disappointment, getting stuff I don't want or use, and difficulties in skipping \ canceling a box.

It was really fun to see what surprises each box will bring, even something small like hair ties or chocolate makes the whole experience feel so much more fun. There were a few things I used a lot and a few I didn't use at all (brown Marcara, I'm talking about you) but overall, I liked everything I got, I love the polish itself and ever since I signed up, I barely used any of my other polishes. 

The one thing that's slightly difficult for me is that between special price add-ons, a secret store for members that's open for 3 days to of the month, surprise boxes and other special sales, it's just too tempting to keep ordering more and more stuff fro them. I mean - I just got an add-on polish, even though I have at least 5 that I haven't tried yet. I don't think there was even one months out of the 3 in which I just paid for the $20 box and cut it at that.

The box came packed inside in black and gold and looked really festive and glamorous, it contained 2 nail polishes, Ingrid and Julianne, The new Oxygen nail treatment and the new Freedom top coat as well as 2 chocolate hearts and a cute little lash curler. Value for money, this is a pretty amazing deal. If I go by Julep prices on their site it's 44$ worth of product, not including the lash curler for $20. I'm not sure that I would buy an Oxygen treatment if it weren't in the box, but I like having it.

Will I sign up for Julep Maven Box again? I can't make up my mind. On one end, it's so much fun and I love the wait and the excitement and that little bit of histeria around new products and special sales. On the other end, after 3 months, I have so much polishes I haven't used yet or used only once, and I think I should use some of that before putting more money in new nail polish. 

I guess I'll have to wait and see what's in the March box to decide what's next.

Over all, this is one of the coolest services I've even encountered  it's so much fun and I recommend it to anybody who like painting their nails. 

How Much: $20 per month

Buy again: Probably yes