Julep Maven September 2012 - Classic With a Twist

Look who's back! :D I'm so happy to have the time to swatch and paint my nails again! And I know, I know.  These are really late swatches, huh? I'm trying to catch up on everything so there'll be lots of collection swatches! But unfortunately, the weather has been getting colder and gloomier. There wasn't much sun when I did these swatches so I used my dental lamp and the ceiling light instead. (Also why the lighting is inconsistent... Sorry! :( )

Julep Sophie

Sophie is a cool taupe creme and is opaque in 2 coats. Depending on the lighting, it either looks dark or light (both are pictured). Though it had a good and dense formula, was easy to control, and dried with a nice shine, it did not level well. Even a top coat (I used Seche Vite) could not help it hide its imperfections. :( It's a nice color though! I'll probably wear it often regardless. I  love taupes and can never get enough of them! 

Julep Brandt

Brandt is a blue-toned black creme so it isn't actually "black". The blue-tone, which really surprised me, makes it less harsh and much easier to wear. And get this, it only took 1 coat to become opaque! I even had my roommate check to see if there were any bald spots! Anyway, the formula is thinner than the usual Julep polish, but opacity is definitely not a problem. It dried really shiny and was easy to apply. This is my surprise favorite of the bunch. I can see myself reaching for it often.

Julep Alma

Alma is a mustard creme that is opaque in 3 coats and is one of those "ugly pretty" colors I like. I had a lot of trouble trying to capture the color correctly. The best I could do was this picture and I'm really sorry that the lighting is so poor, but it was the only way to get it color-accurate. Anyway, Alma was quite disappointing. The first coat was streaky and the formula was again thinner than the average Julep polish. Its shininess and controllability are its saving graces. 

Julep Eileen

Eileen is your basic white creme and is opaque in 3 coats. Once again, the formula is thinner than the average Julep polish. I'm starting to think that either this is the new direction of Julep polishes or I just got lots of duds... Though it does have a nice shine when it dries, it doesn't level well. I think you can find a better white polish for much cheaper. I'm not sold at all. A bit off topic, but I do like how plain white nails look! I think it looks very clean and fresh, kind of pure.

Overall, I'm definitely not impressed with most of the polishes I got. The Classic With a Twist box, which I am satisfied with, came with Brandt (which I am really fond of) and Sophie (which I will pull out often regardless of the formula since I love taupes so much). I regret adding on Alma and Eileen though. I think they were a waste. :/ Sorry Julep, but no me gusta!

It's getting late and I should get back to studying again... (More midterms - and also finals - are coming soon! Ugh! At least this week is a break!) See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle