Julep Maven Box: August 2013

I'm not gonna lie, I was decidedly uninterested with August's Julep Maven box. So much so, that I wasn't even going to review it, but last minute, I was all, "Oh, what the hell, I already took the photos." (Which is why I'm doing this post in September, 'cause I was procrastinating on it.) August's Julep Maven box features their new Garden Party collection, and their whole inspiration behind it was: "Keep it fresh. Summer is in full bloom, and so are August's colours." And I was all, "Yawn." Because, really? Flowers? We are heading towards the end of Summer, not the beginning of Spring, people! Regardless, none of the shades really caught my eye, but I ended up choosing the Boho Glam style box 'cause it seemed like the best option of the four. So, the shades I received for August were:
Francis, Bea, and Lois
Francis, Bea, and Lois

Francis is a light-medium dusty pistachio green with yellow 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 warmer and less bright than Julep's Courteney, darker and more muted than OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape, and darker and warmer than Illamasqua's Milf.
Bea is a light cool-toned lemon sorbet yellow in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It found that it was prone to streaking and some minor pulling. It has medium pigmentation and will reach opacity in three medium coats. It is lighter and cooler than Butter London's Jasper, slightly lighter and more pigmented than Rescue Beauty Lounge's Square Pants, and lighter and less golden than SpaRitual's Enlightened Soul.
Lois is a light dusty rose pink in a frost 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 cooler and more pink than Julep's Maya, much lighter and much cooler than Essie's Pink Diamond, and lighter and dustier than Zoya's Gie Gie.

Hands down, my favourite of the three is Francis (to absolutely no one's surprise). There's a depth and dustiness to it that keeps it from being too "springtime pastel," but it's vibrant enough to keep it fresh for fall. Bea is a more unique shade, being both a pale and cool-toned yellow (sounds almost like an oxymoron, doesn't it?) that's more akin to lemon sorbet than a lemon. However, it also had the worst formula of the three, being more sheer and streaky and also prone to pulling, which made it more of a pain to use. Lois had the best formula, going on super-smooth and evenly with full opacity in one coat. But the shade itself reminds me of something a 90-year-old woman would wear. I've never been a huge fan of frosted nail polishes for the same reason I don't like frosted lipsticks — it just looks really dated. August's Julep Maven box also came with their new Doublestep Foot Treatment and Friction Stick, but I put that aside as soon as I opened the box up because I knew I wouldn't use it. I just don't wear shoes that would ever require me to need protection against blisters... and let's be honest, I just can't be bothered with foot treatments, period. I almost skipped this box, actually, but the nail polish fiend in me was like, "But there's new shades!" But I sincerely hope that September's box will be more exciting (though judging from the previews I got, it looks extremely promising).