After a disappointing box last month, I was very excited to get this month's Julep Maven box. I am subscribed to get the "It Girl" style box every month, but if you know the program, you'll know that you can pick a new style for the month if you don't like your original one. After having seen the other style options, I knew I had to get the "Boho Glam" box, which included a tube of their Daylight Defense SPF 30 for Hands & Face and a tube of Daylight Defense SPF 15 Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint, along with the two shades of nail polish I wanted (Daisy and Robin). But there were so many new nail polish shades I liked this month, I took advantage of their $4.99 add-on deal and got two more shades (Claire and Courteney).
Claire, Courteney, Daisy, and Robin
Claire, Courteney, Daisy, and Robin
Claire is a medium brightened sky blue in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two coats. It is lighter and less teal than NARS' Koliary and Zoya's Robyn, and lighter and much more pigmented than Deborah Lippmann's To the Beach.Courteney is a light-medium key lime green in a cream finish. It has a thicker consistency, and as a result, is prone to streaking and pulling. It was kind of a pain to work with because it kept glooping up. It has medium-high pigmentation and will reach opacity in three coats. It is lighter and brighter than Zoya's Tracie, much cooler than Illamasqua's Radium and OCC's Wasabi, and darker and brighter than Illamasqua's Milf.Daisy is a light-medium golden lemon yellow in a cream finish. It has a runnier consistency, and as a result, is prone to streaking. It has low-medium pigmentation and needs four coats to reach opacity. There's a translucency to the colour that makes it look more like a jelly finish than a cream finish. It is similar but less pigmented than OCC's Traffic, and darker than Butter London's Cheeky Chops.Robin is a medium robin's egg blue in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has intense pigmentation and will reach opacity in one coat. It is brighter and more blue than Zoya's Wednesday, and brighter and more teal than Dior's Saint-Tropez.
I really wish that Daisy was more pigmented because there are so many yellow polishes out there that are very similar but with better colour pay-off, but it was actually Courteney that gave me a really hard time because it kept pulling and streaking, and it was really hard to get it to look even. Despite that, however, I really do love these colours. They're all super-fun shades that are totally up my alley, and perfect for Summer. Robin has one of the best formulas I've ever seen, and went on super-smooth and evenly and opaque in one coat! Coincidentally, it's also my favourite colour of the four. Oh, and remember how pissed off I was last month at the frayed brushes that two of the polishes came with? Apparently, it wasn't just my polishes, but all of the ones they sent out. So, this month, they rectified the situation by sending everyone two brush replacements. A sign of a company who really cares about their customers and the quality of their products.
The Daylight Defense SPF 30 is very hydrating and feels great on the skin, but I will be keeping this more so for my hands than my face since I already use a face primer with SPF 50 (and also because I like my face matte). At $28, though, it's a very pricey sunscreen, so while I appreciate it being apart of this month's box, I would never buy it for retail price, especially given that I'd only use it on the hands. The Daylight Defense Vanilla Mint Lip Balm SPF 15 is good as well, very smooth and moisturizing, but it's almost exactly like the Vanilla Mint ChapStick. It's a good deal in the box, but again, I would never buy it on its own (which retails for $6). Overall, though, this box was entirely worth it — a $90 value for $29.97!
I still have my reservations about Julep but good to hear that they replaced those awful brushes! Robin is super super pretty and all of them look good together as a set. :)
ReplyDeleteYou know, of the ten Julep boxes I've received so far, I think I've only had one that was disappointing (last month's)... For nail polish fiends, I still think it's the best beauty subscription program, ever, and always worth the money. Not to mention that their nail polish formula is typically very, very good. It is more expensive at $20 a month, but it's mostly been worth it for me. :) Unlike Glymm, which is a waste of $10 almost every month. >:(
DeleteBut, yes, Robin's one of the most gorgeous colours, ever! <3 I've actually been wearing my nails like this -- alternating these four shades -- for the past couple days, and have received so many compliments on it, lol!
I enjoy the way the Julep bottles look, especially side by side, but I've heard mixed reviews on the actual product. It's impressive that they sent replacement brushes for the flawed ones though, wow! I like the shades of these a lot, but...not sure if I'll indulge. I also don't know how I feel about these 'boxes' everyone is into lately, but that's main because I can't stand sample sizes of products - at least here they're giving you full sizes!! :)
ReplyDeleteI find that the majority of the nail polishes I've received (say, 90%) from Julep have had fantastic formulas -- smooth, even application and great pigmentation! What I like about this subscription program is that you get full-size products and you get a preview every single month of what you receive. If you don't like the products in your box, you can choose from three other styles or opt out for the month. There's just a lot more choice and customization in this program. :)
DeleteI've learned that I hate sample products, too, which is why I just can't wait until my Glymm subscription runs out. I had Luxebox, too, and I didn't like it, either. I think when you work in the cosmetics industry, these samples are just so unimpressive and frankly, a waste of space. NO MORE FOR ME!!!