This month's Julep Maven box is inspired by awards season (Golden Globes, Academy Awards, etc.) and all the glamour surrounding them. I decided to keep my "It Girl" style box, which included three shades from Julep's new Glamour Collection, as well as a complimentary bottle of their new Freedom Polymer Top Coat, which is supposed to have the shine and chip-free longevity of a gel manicure, but without the hassle of gel removal. The three shades I received this month are:
Joan is a medium-dark raspberry red jelly-like base with rose gold shimmer. It is named after Joan Crawford. 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 thin-medium coats. It is darker with more shimmer particles than Zoya Tori, and lighter than Chanel Gondola.
Rebel is a light silver with holographic shimmer in a satin finish. It is named after Rebel Wilson. 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 thin-medium coats. It is slightly lighter and denser than Butter London Dodgy Barnett, and has finer shimmer than China Glaze Glistening Snow.
Marion is a medium-dark peacock blue with teal undertones and silver micro-shimmer. It is named after Marion Cotillard. 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 coat. It is lighter and less teal than Butter London Bluey, and darker and less holographic than Zoya Charla.
All three polishes applied beautifully across the board — smooth, fluid, pigmented, and completely self-levelling. Honestly, this is how all polishes should flow. At first, the shades don't seem all that unique, but it's the shimmer in them that sets them apart, because it makes them look like they're lit from within. Definitely appropriate to be apart of a collection called Glamour. I also like that the shades aren't really season- or trend-specific; I could wear these all year round. Totally pleased with all three polishes. I did also test the Freedom Polymer Top Coat, which came for free along with my box. I don't know if it really has a gel-like shine because I've never actually had a gel manicure, but I did notice that it dries relatively fast (about two or three minutes, give or take), and keeps my polish staying chip-free for longer. It doesn't dry as fast as Seche Vite (my favourite top coat), but it does keep my nails looking shinier for longer than Seche Vite. For the price ($18 retail), I would still buy Seche Vite over it, but it is a very, very good top coat, and I would definitely get it if it was an add-on option for future Julep Maven boxes. All in all, I'm totally happy with this month's box.
Wow love the colors. My favorite is Marion. Such a beautiful blue.
ReplyDeleteI love it, too. :) It's even prettier in real life, 'cause you can see how multi-faceted the shimmer is!
DeleteThese are great shades! Have to agree, Marion is a stunner. I've never tried any Julep polishes, I guess they need to go on my wishlist now ~sheesh~
ReplyDeleteJulep's nail polishes have been pretty consistent with the quality of their formula. Very few shades of theirs have disappointed me! I'm really glad I joined their Julep Maven program, because as a polish fanatic, it's worth it to get three new shades of nail polish a month (that I get to pick) for $20. I think each bottle is like, $17 at Sephora in Canada! But still, they are really worth it, I would say more so than Butter London.
DeleteMarion's my fave from this trio. I might want BL Bluey more though... that is if there's room for another shimmery blue!
ReplyDeleteI think I actually like Marion more than Bluey, to be honest. I'm sort of sick of dark blues right now, maybe because I wore so many during holiday season. :P Marion is just bright enough to be sort of an all-year-round colour, whereas I still see Bluey was a solidly fall/winter shade.
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