Another month, another great Julep Maven box! I had a tough time picking which of the boxes I wanted this month. They were all great. After receiving a grey polish in my most recent Cult Blackbox, I decided to go for the January Boho Glam box.
This month's theme is boudoir (ooh-la la) — lots of soft tones reminiscent of sexy lingerie. I think my favorite part of this collection are all of the cool finishes — there are regular gloss finishes, but also satin and silk! Whoa! I was stoked to try 'em. I did not, however, opt for any of the add-ons. Here's what I got in the Boho Glam box:
❖ Ta-Da Quick Dry Drops
❖ Julep Nail Laquer in Noelle [similar or subscribe to Julep Maven]
❖ Julep Nail Laquer in Hannah [similar or subscribe to Julep Maven]
❖ Tiny files/buffers (?)
For starters, the nail files/buffers. I'm not sure if these are supposed to be anything special. They're really fine, so they're nice for smoothing my nails out. And they have a slight citrus smell. I might be missing something here. Either way, they're a good size to throw in my makeup bag in case I need them on the go.
Okay, beyond that. I was really pumped to try these quick dry drops. It seemed like there was a bit of hype around this product. Personally, this was the biggest let down of my box. You have to wait a minute after your final coat, apply a couple drops and then "wait a few minutes." The packaging doesn't really say how long — but after three minutes, these still didn't leave my nails dry. Once the nails were finally dry, I noticed that they leave a very different finish, especially on the silk finish polish. Bummer. Anyone else have experience with this? I'm not a fan!
But the polishes — hubba hubba! I adore both of these colors and they're very much unlike anything else in my collection right now. I don't, however, think they go together very well. But separately, I'm in love. The top two nails were the quick drops test (you can see my finger smudge on the right nail, along with the slight and uneven finish they leave!). The bottom two nails are two simple coats of each color.
Noelle — This color is a pinkish, sandy shimmer. The finish is very smooth and beautiful. It actually looks like silk! I'm pretty blown away by this one.
Hannah — This is a neutral greenish color, or as their website calls it — sage cremé. It's really unique and leaves a really smooth finish.
Pros
❖ All of the reasons I've explained in my previous posts! [1] [2]
❖ Again, I was able to switch and choose which box I wanted to go with this month. This is one of my favorite features of Maven (aside from the polishes, of course!)
❖ Again, beyond pleased with the polishes! The silk finish is incredible!
❖ The polishes and the Ta-Da Drops are $14 MSRP each, making this box come out to a little over $40. Like I've mentioned in previous months, at $25, this is a deal.
YES! No Twistband!
Cons
❖ There were so many good boxes, it was hard to choose which one I wanted. That's a con, right?
❖ I'm disappointed in the Quick Dry drops. They're pretty lack-luster.
❖ As I mentioned last month, make sure you give yourself proper ventilation!
What I used for this manicure:
❖ Julep Noelle [similar or subscribe to Julep Maven]
❖ Julep Elle [similar or subscribe to Julep Maven]
❖ Striping Tape
❖ Seche Vite
I used the Seche Vite top coat on this because my striping tape mask made the color changes sit a little unevenly — which obviously kills the satin finish on Noelle. It would be awesome to have a satin top coat! But I would recommend Noelle for solid nails or something you're not planning on needing a top coat for.
I can't wait to see the February options! I've already previewed the Scratchbox February set and have decided that I'm going to skip it again (sad face), so I'm really relying on Julep to pull me through. If you're interested in signing up for Julep Maven, you can do so here — and tell 'em I sent you! You begin with your starter box and once you receive it, you'll be able to start selecting monthly boxes. Use the code FREEBOX to receive your starter box for free!
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