This is who we are

Julep was created as a tribute to the girlfriends who tell it like it is. Who push us to take a break from the bob and try something a little more daring with our hair. Who give us the courage to pull that little black dress out from the back of the closet. Who insist that we have a little fun with our fashion and refuse to let us settle for ordinary. These are the girlfriends who shout, “Go for the leopard print (or the fuchsia or the fake fur). You look fantastic and you only live once!”

At Julep, beauty is about connection, not competition. It’s about the shared discovery of things that make us look good and feel great. For us, nail color is at the intersection of beauty and fashion. It allows grown-up women to play, to step out of their comfort zone a little bit and experiment with color and style. It helps to unleash the inner artist in all of us.

Julep nail vernis is a fun way to make the season’s latest shades accessible to everyone. And because we’ve tested our trend-setting toxin-free colors and products in over 100,000 manicures and pedicures in our parlors, we have a good idea of what works and what our clients love.

There’s a reason our nail colors are named for women who inspire us—women who are strong and smart and funny and gorgeous and different. Because everything we do as a company is grounded in the power of women emboldening other women to be their most vital, beautiful, confident and happy…and to have a lot of fun along the way.

Julep Core Values

We always assume positive intent. We listen to opposing perspectives with empathy, not just respect. Because we know our contributions will be presumed to be coming from a good place, we are able to speak freely to make every idea the best it can be.

We expect and embrace the discomfort of growth. We view ourselves, each other, and Julep as a whole as “works in progress.” We recognize that evolving as both individuals and as a company is difficult, but we relish the challenge because the payoff is worth it.

We strive to surprise and delight our customers—and our teammates. We deliver unexpected thoughtfulness in every interaction and we make time to celebrate our teammates with the same spirit of fun and care we bring to delighting our customers.

The conversation starts with “What is the right thing to do?” Even though doing the right thing is not always the easiest choice, between viable options, we always choose and act with integrity.

At Julep, we work with creative tenacity. We think differently here. We find a way over, under, or through any obstacles, always striving to be better as individuals and as a company.

We practice gratitude. We are thankful for our customers, shareholders, suppliers, collaborators, and each other. As fast as we move day-to-day, we always strive to find concrete ways to make time and space for gratitude.

We find joy in being scrappy. We will never be corporate fat cats, not us. We’re nimble, out-of-the box thinkers who tackle challenges with fresh perspective and never let “the way it’s always been done” get in the way of a great idea.

Jane Park - CEO & FOUNDER

• Favorite color: Stella, from our Fall 2011 collection (I’m still hoarding several bottles)
• Style profile: Bombshell (or “Momshell”)
• Family: Burton (husband), son (Eli – 10), daughter (Yumi – 8)
• Favorite book: “The Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Favorite song to dance to right now: “I don’t feel like dancing” by Scissor Sisters

• Jane Park is founder and CEO of Julep, one of the fastest growing beauty brands in the country thanks to its unique blend of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail, supported by a powerful social media strategy.
• Jane’s beauty advice and Julep’s innovative beauty products have been featured on QVC and in the pages of Allure, InStyle, Marie Claire, Redbook, Oprah Magazine and more.
• Amazing jobs she has left to pursue her dream of Julep include senior roles at Starbucks and The Boston Consulting Group.
• Her education focuses on issues that impact women, with degrees in Public Policy & International Affairs from Princeton and Law from Yale.

“What I love about nail color is the way it makes me feel. Years ago, I was obsessed with a mustard colored designer handbag that I couldn’t afford, so I hand-mixed a polish in that color to wear on my hands instead. I felt so daring and couldn’t stop staring at the gorgeous splashes of color on my hands all day long. I was surprised at how many compliments I got! Ever since, I’ve pushed my girlfriends to try colors like taupe and teal on their hands. My favorite thing is when a woman tells me she’s tried a Julep color she would never have worn before and it makes her feel happy and confident. I believe magic happens when we push beyond our comfort zones—whether in color or anything else. So many amazing women have inspired me to grow in ways I could never have imagined on my own. I so treasure the gift of girlfriends who inspire you to become who you are meant to be while also loving you for who you are today. This is why I created Julep.”

• Blog: See Jane (Park) Run
• Twitter: @janeparkjulep
• Facebook: JaneParkJulep

Kate MacDonald - COO

• Favorite Color: Eva when I’m tan, Eloise when I’m not, and Vivien for the holidays
• Style Profile: Boho Glam
• Family: Ripley (husband), Gray (son), Olive (pooch) …(What can I say, I love color—on my nails and in my names.)
• Favorite beverage: Extra hot Americano from Caffè Fiore
• Favorite food: Toss-up between birthday cake and seasonal candy (think candy corn, jelly beans, and conversation hearts)

• While working as a consultant with Point B Solutions Group to improve the in-store guest experience at Starbucks, Kate ran into Jane at the third floor espresso machine and discovered a shared passion for transforming the nail care industry.
• Oddly enough, her career has evolved from nails (as a retail operations executive at The Home Depot) to more nails (at Julep).
• Born in Ithaca, New York, Kate returned 17 years later for college and grad school at Cornell University.

“After too many lackluster outings to typical neighborhood nail salons, I become obsessed with the idea of creating a space designed for conversation, which also followed real sanitization processes. Then I met Jane and found a kindred spirit. Over the years our vision has evolved to encompass not just the parlor, but also products that are rooted in the know-how that’s part of every Julep Nail Parlor experience. I’ve learned that COOs do wildly different things at different companies. For me, the theme underlying my role is the customer experience…of everything. From the font you’re reading right now and the pattern on the Maven Box tissue paper, to the “glide” of a lip balm and the most wearable shade of a berry pink polish, we work hard to surprise and delight Julep customers with our attention to the little details.”

Powered by Girlfriends

From the beginning, Julep has been powered by girlfriends. Our girlfriends believed in us when we were just an idea, encouraged us through the challenges and connected us to amazing designers, architects, web developers, lawyers, editors and so many more inspiring professionals who, in turn, also became our beloved girlfriends.

To celebrate these unique roots and to continue to pay it forward, we are proud to donate a percentage of proceeds from the sale of every Julep Nail Color to organizations that empower women. We also encourage all of you in our Julep community to like us on Facebook so you can keep posted on opportunities to help us support specific charities throughout the year.

At Julep, our mission is to ignite the spirit of engagement in women everywhere, and our Powered by Girlfriends initiative is an important part of bringing this mission to life.

Powering Girlfriends in Our Parlors

We power girlfriends in our parlors by creating a unique and welcoming space for women to connect. Free of toxins and germs, making it a healthy place to work. We want to create an example that will transform this female-dominated industry. That’s why we offer health-care benefits and refuse to do artificial nails, which can lead to our girlfriends inhaling harmful dust and chemicals.

We also power girlfriends through our physical space, which we have specifically designed to enable connection. Our movable seating enables girlfriends to talk, even when one is getting a manicure and the other is getting a pedicure. Julep offers girlfriends a parlor of our own.