I wore a mask ... on my nails!

 I've been waiting patiently for products to come in so I can test them for my competition bag - namely, my face charts (for the makeup comparisons), safety pins (all the way from Germany!), and makeup removers (just ordered them). Meanwhile, all of my personal beauty items have been arriving in record time.

A little background info: I love getting my Ipsy and Topbox subscriptions every month, so I decided to branch out and join pretty much every other beauty subscription option available to Canadians, or at least the ones who didn't charge an arm and a leg for shipping. The first one one I added was Julep Maven, mostly because I couldn't justify going to the nail salon for a manicure that would last me about two days. I was pretty sure I could learn to do it myself.

Receiving a few new polishes a month has been fun, but in October I took the plunge and ordered their Trick or Treat Mystery Box. To be honest, I didn't hear many good things about Julep's mystery boxes, but I guess they took the criticism to heart and promised a better experience for anyone who purchased their latest one. I'm glad I decided to do it. It included some of their best nail care products, thus allowing me to jump start my new routine.

The first thing I decided to try was their Nail Moisture Mask:

I followed the instructions pretty well, but let me just say, those little finger masks were a pain. I don't know how one is supposed to secure them 'around each fingertip', but mine kept riding up for some reason. I figured the essence would help them adhere to my nails/skin, but the masks were not as moist as I was expecting, so it didn't happen. I ended up just making a fist and pressing my cocooned fingertips into my palms to make sure the mask stayed in contact with my nails for the duration of the treatment.

Aside from that little hiccup, the rest of it was smooth sailing. I wasn't completely bored waiting for my 30 minutes to be up, since the masks are 'touchscreen-friendly'. When my hands weren't in a fist, I could text, Tweet, and Subway Surf to pass the time.

After I removed the masks, the remaining solution, which the instructions said to massage in, didn't exist. The rinsing and patting steps weren't really necessary. My nails, though? They looked spectacular! When I'm not wearing polish, they're pretty awful. Even after moisturizing, you can tell they've been tortured (usually because I've just removed stubborn glitter polish). They now look healthy and shiny and moisturized. Even my cuticles have an acceptable appearance. The biggest downside? The other side of my hand isn't so pretty. They felt nice, but looked like I had fallen asleep in the tub. Not cute.

 

 Overall, it was a positive first nail mask experience for me. I probably wouldn't pay the full purchase price for these ($30 for a pack of 5). However, they're currently on sale in the Julep Secret Store, so I may decide to pick some up before it closes down for the month.