Julep Maven Box: October 2012

For October, Julep released some new fall- and Halloween-inspired shades. I typically get the "It Girl" style Julep Maven Box, but thought the shades included in that box were hideous, so opted for the "Bombshell" style this month. It included a bottle of their new Quick Dry Polish Drops and two nail polish shades. And, of course, I opted to add two more nail polish shades for $4.99 each because I'm a polish fiend like that. The shades that were included in my box this month were:

Ursula, Keira, Eloise, and Lisa

Ursula, Keira, Eloise, and Lisa

Ursula is a carbon black in a matte cream finish with a crackle texture. It has a fluid consistency, though it is on the thinner side. It dries very, very fast, so efficient application is necessary. The splintering effect is on the more subtle side; that is, it doesn't create many "cracks," so any shade that is applied underneath it will not show through very well. It is similar to many black crackle shades out there: China Glaze's Black Mesh, OPI's Black Shatter, Sally Hansen's Ink Splatter, Color Club's Smash Hit, etc. 

Keira is a deepened wine red 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 medium coats. It is lighter and more red than Chanel's Rouge Noir, deeper and less brown than OPI's Skyfall, and darker than Essie's Bordeaux. 

Eloise is a deepened smoky peacock 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 one medium-thick coat. It is lighter than Julep's Michelle and Chanel's Blue Satin, less purple-toned than OPI's Road House Blues, and smokier than China Glaze's First Mate. 

Lisa is a medium warm pebble grey in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency, but is on the thicker side. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in one medium-thick coat. It is more grey than Essie's Chinchilly, lighter and less brown than Butter London's Fash Pack and OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, and darker and more grey than MAC's Quiet Time.

Overall, the three cream shades are beautiful and classic, but really kind of boring — these are all colours we have seen time and time again. Nothing new here, though they are shades that virtually everyone can wear and should own an iteration of. I love these shades as a base for glitter polishes, and these ones have good formulas across the board. And you know I've never been into crackle nail polishes to begin with, so I was not impressed whatsoever with the inclusion of Ursula in my box. I thought the whole crackle/shatter trend was over, but I guess not. I guess I can see the appeal of such an effect for Halloween, but it really should be put to rest. For good. The drying drops are also nice, but I didn't find it to work any better than other drops I've tried. I don't tend to even use them regularly since I opt for a fast-drying top coat like Seche Vite instead, but it's a good value in the box. There are, however, drops that are just as good that are cheaper (Nicole by OPI, for example). This month's Julep Maven Box was decent, but the selection didn't impress me.