Julep Maven Box: December 2012

After an underwhelming box in November, I got extremely excited about my December Julep Maven Box. While November focused on "suedes," December is, of course, all about sparkle (!). And if you've been following me long enough, you will know that I am a complete sucker for all things shimmery, glittery, and generally shiny. I decided to keep my usual "It Girl" style box, and added two more nail polish shades along with a new bottle of Julep's Nail Therapy (my favourite base coat) for $4.99. The shades I got this month are:

Colbie, Harper, Ivy, Julia, and Vivien

Colbie is a clear base with multi-sized metallic pistachio green glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with chunkier glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. Because the glitter comes in both fine and medium sizes, it goes opaque in three medium coats. I cannot think of any dupes for this. 

Harper is a medium turquoise-blue base with gold micro-shimmer and multi-dimensional turquoise, green, and gold glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with chunkier glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. Because the glitter comes in both fine and medium sizes, it goes opaque in three medium coats. It is similar though has chunkier glitter particles than Zoya's Charla, and is lighter and more blue than China Glaze's Atlantis. 

Ivy is a dark sapphire blue with multi-dimensional blue and purple shimmer. It has a fluid consistency, but is on the thinner, more watery side. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has medium-high pigmentation, and will go opaque in two medium-thick coats. It has more purple shimmer than Nicole by OPI's Listen to Your Momager. 

Julia is a medium-dark orchid purple with multi-dimensional gold and bronze shimmer. It has a fluid consistency, without being too thick or runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation, and will go opaque in two medium coats. It is similar to Zoya's Daul. 

Vivien is a clear base with pale metallic gold micro-shimmer and hexagonal glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with chunkier glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. Because the glitter comes in both fine and large sizes, it goes opaque in three medium coats. It is lighter and has more micro-shimmer than Deborah Lippmann's Boom Boom Pow.

The formulas on the majority of these (with the exception of Julia) were a little more time-consuming to use, but they aren't any more or less difficult to apply than any other glitter polishes. Either way, I thought they were all worth working with, because all of them are absolutely stunning. I think my favourite of the five would be Colbie, only because I cannot think of a single dupe for it. (I also happened to receive the most compliments while wearing that one.) Though I really loved Julia, too, because of the formula and because it reminded me of an amped up version of MAC's Trax eyeshadow, which I love. A big thumbs up for this month's Julep Maven Box!