Julep Maven January 2014

Julep Maven: Classic with a Twist, January 2014

Wow, it looks weird to be writing 2014 on everything! I went to work today and managed to get it right every time... not a 2013 in sight ;)

My January Maven box came a few days ago, but things have been pretty chaotic with the holidays.  I've been working a LOT to try to get things ready for the two weeks I'm going to be out.

Oooh, Purple Box!

When I opened my mailbox, I was pleased to see a fuchsia Maven box!  They are normally black, and this was a nice surprise.

I did not notice that my picture of all the items together came out blurry until after I had already unwrapped everything and put away the packaging to reuse later.  Sorry :(

Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Nail Drops

The new item this month was a cuticle remover liquid... and it was not the item that was included in each Maven profile.  Bummer!  Instead, Julep sent out a reissue of their quick dry nail drops.  I didn't already have these, so I'm not *too* disappointed, but it is kinda lame that they would spend all this energy marketing a new product, and then not send it to everyone.

The drops smell like lavender (like their cuticle oil).  In fact, these drops have a lot of similar ingredients to the cuticle oil, with the addition of some silicone oils (specifically, hexamethyldisiloxane and cyclopentasiloxane).  The drops work pretty well.  You wait a minute for your polish to start to set, then drop it on.  I haven't really done anything crazy after using the drops, but they did help me not get dents or smudges in my polish whilst typing or getting into my coat and into the car.  I approve.

Julep Mona (top) and Abigail (bottom)

This month's polish collection featured two new finishes: Satins and Silks.  I chose the Classic with a Twist box, and received a graphite gray creme (Mona) and a peony pink silk (Abigail).

Julep... orange things

The extra this month was a set of two orange things.  I think they are buffing sponges?  I don't know. Let me know what to do with these if you have any idea what they are!

Julep Abigail

Abigail is a soft pink silk.  Julep's silk finishes are semi-matte with "a hint of opalescence".  I guess that means it is not a flat matte?  I'm not sure.  I AM sure, however, that this polish is amazing.  Most of the mattes and suedes (semi-mattes) that I have chip really easily.  They just don't last long.  This, however, does.  The picture above is my third day of wearing this, with no top coat, and there aren't any chips or tip wear!  This color was very subtle and lady-like.  I was wearing it for a New Year's Eve party and felt pretty darn classy holding my champagne flute with these nails.  This was two thin coats.

Julep Mona

Julep calls Mona "storm cloud gray," but I think it looks more like graphite.  I pretty much only wear gray, black, and white in the winter, so these nails will match anything I wear! ha.  I'm boring.

This is a very pretty color, though.  I usually use Julep Meryl as my go-to gray, but that is nearing the end of its life.  I'm almost out!  This is a good replacement.  It's a little darker than Meryl, but I like it just as much.  Two coats is almost unnecessary, but I never like to do just one.

If you want to try out Julep, use my link here and the code FREEBOX to only pay S&H for your first box.  Julep polishes are all 4-free and in my opinion, are good quality.  They go on nicely and last a long time before chipping.  Maven boxes are $19.99 per month and being a Maven gets you a discount on their site as well as access to sales and specials.

This post contains items purchased by me.  All opinions are my own, and no special consideration or compensation was received for this post.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.