Julep Maven Box: June 2013

This month's Julep Maven box features shades from Julep's new Nantucket Nostalgia collection, which was inspired by the "preppy, playful colours... of beaches and boardwalks." Nothing groundbreaking this time of year, but I do like the East Coast, New England-y feel of the collection — these are the beach colours of yachts and yuppies rather than of exotic, balmy locales, which I actually think makes it slightly more unique than many other brands' summer collections. I decided to get the "Boho Glam" style box this month, which included two nail polishes from the Nantucket Nostalgia collection, plus a tube of their new DD Crème. I decided to add a third nail colour for $4.99 as well. So, the polishes I got this month are:

Dianna, Lexie, and Payton
Dianna, Lexie, and Payton

Dianna is a light seafoam green with aqua undertones 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 similar to Butter London's Poole, darker and more green than OCC's Pool Boy, and less blue than Essie's In the Cab-ana.

Lexie is a light bright dandelion yellow in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency, but is on the thicker side. Due to the thicker flow, there was some streaking and unevenness. It has high pigmentation, but due to the streakiness, three medium coats are needed for evenness. It is lighter and less golden than Julep's Daisy, brighter than Butter London's Cheeky Chops, and quite similar to Clinique's 70° and Sunny.

Payton is a medium brightened kelly green 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 brighter than Julep's Popova, brighter than Essie's Mojito Madness, and more muted than Essie's Shake Your $$ Maker.

Dianna and Payton had great formulas that are smooth and pigmented and self-levelling, but Lexie left something to be desired. For some reason, it's really common with these bright yellow shades to be thick and streaky, so it was kind of to be expected, but I was hoping that Julep would somehow work their magic on it and make it beautifully flowing like so many of their other shades. Alas, no such luck. On that note, I do love shades like this for summer, and I think these three represented the theme of the collection quite well. They're fresh and clean and preppy, and remind me of sailing and sweaters wrapped around polos and lunching at golf clubs.

DD Crème
DD Crème swatches — unblended and blended

Okay, I have never been on board with the whole BB cream thing (or CC creams or whatever-other-letter creams). I understand the appeal of them — the multi-tasking, money-saving, efficiency-promoting aspect of them — but people, they are just glorified tinted moisturizers. Apparently, Julep has made the first DD cream, "a dynamic do-all make-up that goes beyond BB cream to moisturize, prime, perfect, and protect — both instantly and over time." It has SPF 25, "two patented anti-aging ingredients [that] decrease the appearance of pores and fine lines," hibiscus and olive extracts to hydrate, and "lightweight, buildable coverage with an ultra-smoothing finish." Not that this product doesn't do or have all those things, but there are separate products that do them better. 2-in-1 products? Yes. 3-in-1? Getting a little ambitious. 4-or-more-in-1? Marketing scam. I get that multi-tasking means time-saving, and time is money, but I really, genuinely think that people are just getting lazier.

It must be noted that I have never been of fan of the marriage of skincare and make-up. There are much more effective serums and moisturizers that hydrate and help with the appearance of pores and fine lines (and, honestly, if these were genuine concerns of yours, you probably should be looking into a better skincare routine, not some goddamn BB/CC/DD cream). And the coverage on this is light-medium at best, so if you want anything actually covered, you'd better be prepared to layer on concealer after this. Also, if you have skin that is anywhere on the oilier side of normal, this is going to look dewy at best and greasy at worst. (Also, this shade, medium, which you would think works for my NC35 complexion, makes me look kind of like a pumpkin. Just sayin'.) This is a product for people who genuinely have about two minutes to get ready in the morning, like new moms. Or for people who already have perfect skin but feel the need to put something on to feel more "done." Conclusion: DD cream is no better than CC cream which is no better than BB cream, which is kind of crap to begin with (you know, in my humble, unbiased opinion). Also, Julep, please stop trying to foray into make-up.