January Julep Maven 2013

Happy New Year!

To bring in the new year I've got my Julep maven box. This moths theme is nudes and neons. I saw that many mavens skipped this box but I went through with it because I was interested in the cuticle stick as this months product.  This box was so-so but I'm still pleased with some of the items I received!  As usual I got the bombshell style box.

I got my regular Julep maven box and a three polish add on set because I wasn't sure how I'd like this months colors.  When I think of January my thoughts usually don't go straight to neons.  

Opening we've got Juleps signature shredded paper in neon yellow and my polish and products all wrapped in a neon yellow tissue paper.  I have an insert detailing my products along with this months quote: "Laughter is an instant vacation." - Milton Berle

I love the baggie and ribbons they include in each box because I reuse the packaging to send nail mail packages to friends. :)

This months box has a sheet of swatch stickers to put on your Julep polish tops so you can get a more accurate reading of the colors inside.  It's a nice extra but I probably won't end up using them.  I'm just not really a swatch type of girl whether its nail wheels or stickers.  Julep Ava and Julep Bette are my two included colors this month.  Another extra this month included three yoga hair ties.  I have been hearing a lot about yoga ties but haven't tried them until now and I am IN love.  Yoga ties can be worn as bracelets or in your hair.  Unlike elastic bands they will not leave a crease in your hair.  They are also super easy to pull out and won't yank any hair out with them.  I got two neon greens and one neon pink tie.  I don't wear anything to the gym but these when I work out now.  Finally, the product this month is a hand and cuticle stick that will restore the youthful appearance of your hands with peptide to strengthen and repair your skin and vitamins C and E nourish and soothe.

I wasn't too sure how I was going to feel about the polishes this month so I got the Bora Bora add on box including Mandy a coral pink creme, Renee a light lilac creme and Taylor a deep sky blue creme.  I will be swatching this in my next post since they didn't come included with my maven box but were and extra that I selected but I am loving all of these shades.

I did not think that I was going to like Ava, my nude color, which is described as a sheer ballet slipper, pink frost.  I was wrong!  This light pink was absolutely beautiful.  In two coats I had an opaque coverage (I thought this was supposed to be sheer?) and the fine shimmery frost is subtle and very pretty.  I notice that Julep has gotten some new brushes!  The wand in the bottle is flatter and longer than the old brushes and the brush itself was a bit flatter and wider than in past boxes.  I found that polish clings to the wand a bit more but I like this upgrade because the new brushes easily spread polish over the whole nail in just a few strokes.

This macro of Ava shows the fine shimmer if you look carefully by the highlight.  Like I said above, very subtle.  It is a little more visible in person.  

I was looking forward to Julep Bette as my neon color in this box.  Bette is described as an electric neon, purple creme however I found it slightly sheer on its own (what is going on with these mixed up descriptions Julep?).  I like to beef my neons up with a white polish underneath to give it a brighter look.  On my ring finger I used a white base of Zoya Purity and then topped it with two coats of Bette.  I got a much more creamy look that I found more accurate to the bottle color.  On my other three fingers are three coats of Bette on her own.  You can still see the visible nail line and I much prefer it with the white base.  The finish to this polish is rubbery, not quite totally matte but half way there.  I like this color but I liked Ava much more in this box. 

This macro shows Bette on its own in three coats.  

I was looking forward to the cuticle stick in this box because it retails for $22 and I haven't tried anything like it before. I tend to stick to lotions for moisturizing my hands and cuticles.  The stick is rather large, about the size of a large Elmer's glue stick, and you get a lot of product.  It is waxy and similar to chap stick in consistency.  I have heard a lot of other girls that have tried this product who love it and find it quite moisturizing.  I'm not too sure how I feel about it.  Applying it feels like rubbing chap stick on your hands and it doesn't really seem to sink in but more creates a protective barrier over the skin.  I don't like the scent very much.  I find this months product so so and I will probably stick with my regular cuticle butter, but after hearing other positive reviews for this it may just be my personal preference.

Overall I loved Julep Ava and the yoga hair ties.  Julep Bette was a nice color but I don't think it lives up to the title of a creme and I prefer it much more with a white under coat.  I wasn't feeling the swatch stickers or the hand and cuticle stick too much although I usually love the products in my boxes each month.  

Julep is running a special deal where you can try your first subscription box for 1 cent.  The deal is closing soon so try it if you are interested before they go up to the full $19.99 a month!  If you don't like the box you can keep it and cancel your subscription  at no penalty to you.  If you love it you can continue your subscription and they will bill you $19.99 a month and send you a box each month full of polish and products (the boxes are always worth way more than the $20 you pay).  You can skip months you don't want to pay, cancel at anytime and switch box styles if you don't like your assigned colors for the month.  To get a Julep box for 1 cent just head over to Julep here and click their 'Become a Maven' tab.  Take the style quiz and check out.  On the check out page enter the code JULEPVIP to get your first box reduced to 1 cent. ;)

Did you get a maven box this month?  What did you think of your products?