Julep Nedra

Self-purchased

Julep Nedra is a grey-toned, dusty blue creme. It's one of the first Julep polishes I bought after Julep changed to a breathable Oxygen Technology formula, which supposedly provides healthy and beautiful nails simultaneously. I used 2 coats. The formula was smooth and very easy to apply. I'm not sure if this is because of the Oxygen Technology formula, but it dried rubbery. I used the Oxygen Smoothing base coat and Oxygen Performance top coat, which I believe are supposed to be used in the Oxygen Technology system.

Thanks for looking!

Michelle

ABC Challenge: X - Julep Mystery Shade

Self-purchased

I couldn't find a polish with "X" in my collection so I went for an unnamed polish instead. I got this mystery shade in one of Julep's mystery boxes a couple or so years ago.

Julep Mystery Shade is a blue-green hybrid creme. It appears more green or blue depending on the lighting so I had a difficult time capturing the color. Even though the unnamed polishes in the mystery boxes from a couple years ago were supposed to be released as actual shades, I have yet to see this one appear in a Julep Maven box. I used 2 coats. The formula was very pigmented and creamy. It's very common for these pigmented shades to be stainers so I used two coats of base coat to prevent staining. It didn't level well so I used top coat to smooth it out.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle 

Julep Shelly

Self-purchased

Shelly is a darling mint creme with a touch of blue. I used 2 coats. The formula was wonderful because it was creamy and easy to apply. No cleanup required! It dried shiny, but I still used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ABC Challenge: J - Julep Julia

Self-purchased

Julep Julia is an enticing medium purple jelly packed with gold glassfleck. I am SUCH a sucker for anything packed with gold shimmer or glassfleck so of course I am completely smitten with Julia! I used 3 coats. The formula was wonderful as it glided on effortlessly and was easy to control. When Julep does its formula right, it nails it. (Sorry not sorry for the pun.) It dried quickly, but I still used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Julep Josephine + Milani Gems

 Self-purchased

Julep Josephine (the base) is a very greyed-out teal creme. It looks very smoky. I used 2 coats. The formula was great, very pigmented, and applied very smoothly. No cleanup was necessary! It dried shiny, but I still used top coat.

Milani Gems (middle and ring fingers) has a mix of red, orange, gold, silver, magenta, blue, and green hexes in a clear base. I used 1 coat over Julep Josephine. The formula was wonderful! It had just the right amount of clear base and didn't require any dabbing. I love it when I can apply glitters like normal polishes! It dried very slightly bumpy so I used top coat to smooth it out.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Julep Clara

Self-purchased

Julep Clara is a darling, neutral-toned peach creme. It's neither too orange nor too pink so it will work for many skintones. (It pulls more orange in the swatch though.) I really adore it and think it's such a great "nude" polish! I used 2 coats. The formula was good, especially for such a pale shade. It was pigmented, very thick, and buttery, but easy to apply. Since it's so thick, it didn't level well, but a good top coat should be able to fix that. It dried shiny, but I still used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Julep Maven February 2013 "Bombshell" Box with Add-Ons

Sort of a short review today! I'm up to my neck in untried polishes, but I'm still doing my best in reviewing them. (Also, my upper division science courses are having fun killing me right now.) For the most part, I was really happy with my "Bombshell" box and add-ons. Helen is a pretty color, but makes my hands look dead. Boo! :( I also prefer my holos to have a stronger linear effect to them, but to each her own! The subtleness makes them work-friendly, particularly Ginger. (She also looks great on!)

Julep Ginger

Ginger is a nude-beige with subtle linear holo, which becomes more apparent when dried. 2 coats. Very pigmented and had a great formula. I advise you not to use a regular basecoat because I found it was prone to dragging. But if you absolutely must use a basecoat, apply lightly. Nice dry time.

Julep Laura

Laura is an olive khaki creme. 2 coats, though the first was somewhat sheer. Ok formula: flowed on nicely, but was prone to dragging. Use a light hand to apply. Dries shiny, but slowly.

Julep Rebel

Rebel, the one named after Rebel Wilson (who starred as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect), is a silver with subtle linear holo. Again, the holo is more apparent when dried. 2 coats. Formula was much like that of Ginger: pigmented, but can drag if not carefully applied and if a regular basecoat is used. Rebel's holo was more visible than Ginger's. In general, I find silver holos show off the holographic effect the best/easiest. Average dry time.

Julep Helen

Helen is a smoky lavender creme. It's a pretty color, but like I said, doesn't work for me. It'll probably look better on those with a darker skintone. 3 coats. The formula was creamy and a bit thick, but was still fairly easy to apply. Doesn't level out too well as streaks are still somewhat visible. Dried shiny, but slowly.

I still very much enjoy Julep Maven, and I think their customer service has been steadily improving. They always strive for customer satisfaction, even creating "Maven's Choice" boxes the past several times. As they're growing, they're also improving their products. Their brushes are now more of the flat type and the bottle caps click when fully fastened and have swatch stickers on them now. (The latter is pretty dumb though since you can't even swatch!) If you'd like a go, then please click on the "I'm a Classic With a Twist" button on the right side bar. It links to my referral link. (Also, please let me know if the code still works! Thank you!) There's no obligation, and you can cancel at any time. If you'd like to skip a month, make sure you log on and do so before the 20-24th day-of-every-month window closes! Mavens also get treats like the Secret Shop, discounts, and free shipping.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Julep Gold Box

My family came up for a few days for Thanksgiving. We went to our relatives' house for a couple days and had a great break and feast. My brother and I got our very first food comas. (NOT fun!) Before we went to our relatives' house, my mom gave me an oddly-colored Julep box that was accidentally sent home, instead of the dorms. When I came back today, I got a better look at it... Turns out I won the Julep Gold Box!

Included were the 5 matte suede polishes (Minka, Amber, Hailee, Nora, and Brit), Trina, a matte topcoat, and the body scrub kit. I guess it was fate that I now have all the matte suedes (I didn't want any so I got the Maven's Choice box - Trina, a matte topcoat, and the body scrub kit - instead) and my roommate gets Trina (which she lusted over). Now onto the swatches of the matte suedes!

The following swatches have the polish without topcoat on the left and with topcoat on the right. Also, so sorry about the lighting. My camera decided to make some of the pictures show up yellow. Argh!

Minka, a reddish copper

Amber, a tarnished, antique gold

Hailee, a khaki green

Nora, a dusty eggplant

Brit, gunmetal

I liked all these matte suede polishes more than I thought I would! All polishes took 2 coats to become opaque. With the exception of Amber, the formula on all of them were very consistent. They had good formula, flowed easily, and dried quickly. You could immediately see the finish within a few seconds of applying the polishes. Amber, on the other hand, was a bit clumpy and I had to dab it a little onto a couple of my nails. You can see the clumping on my pinky best. As depicted, topcoat makes these polishes less silvery, shimmery, and pretty. I like all these shades, except for Minka. I'm just not fond of the color copper.

How was your Thanksgiving? (Or break, if you don't celebrate it.) What do you think of matte suedes?

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

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

Julep Kate

Julep Kate

Kate is a stark white with very subtle shimmer and is opaque in 2 coats. Julep describes Kate as having a pearl finish, but it is actually more like a creme with a sprinkling of shimmer. I was really hoping that the shimmer would be more pronounced on the nail, and that Kate would resemble Nicole by OPI It's All About The Glam. Like all Julep polishes I own, this little one was also thick enough to be opaque and dried quickly. Unfortunately, it bubbled once it dried, though I'm not ruling out that my ceiling fan may have caused it. (It's in the high 90's right now.) The bottom line is that I'm quite disappointed with Kate. If you're looking for a nice, delicate white with shimmer in it, then Nicole by OPI It's All About The Glam is much more worth it. It's also more affordable and more easily accessible. (From what I know, Julep can only be bought from Julep.com and Sephora.com.)

I will be posting a comparison between Julep Kate and Nicole by OPI It's All About The Glam soon. Stay tuned! :)

Kate was included in the Julep Maven July 2012 box. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

Julep Daphne

Julep Daphne

Daphne is a very dusty/greyed-out seafoam green creme and is opaque in 2 coats. It was a little sheer on the first coat, which is very atypical of Julep polishes. I find that Julep polishes have incredible opacity on only the first coat, but (to reiterate) it was not so with Daphne. The formula was nice to work with and the dry time was relatively fast. But honestly, I'm disappointed with Daphne. She's nothing like what the promotional picture and the Julep blog's swatch showed. I wish she wasn't so greyed-out and murky.

I will post a comparison between Daphne, Julep Robin, China Glaze For Audrey, Ulta Mint Condition, and Essie Turquoise & Caicos soon. Stay tuned! :D

Daphne was included in the Julep Maven July 2012 "It Girl" box. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

Julep Robin

Julep Robin

Robin is a true robin egg's blue creme and is opaque in 2 coats, though it could have been a one-coater if applied more carefully. I didn't have much sun today so I couldn't capture Robin very well. She looks so gloomy! :( The formula was good, though it was a little thick so you might have some trouble with leveling. You probably can't see it, but I had this problem on my middle finger. It also dried relatively fast and shiny. 

Robin is NOT a dupe of China Glaze For Audrey. I will post a comparison between Robin and For Audrey, along with Julep Daphne, Ulta Mint Condition, and Essie Turquoise & Caicos soon. Stay tuned! :D

Robin was included in the Julep Maven "Classic with a Twist" intro box. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

Julep Rose

Julep Rose

Rose is a fantastic watermelon creme, right on the red-pink territory, and is opaque in 1 coat. Can you believe that?! That's how amazing Rose is. It has officially jumped up to my favorites list! Rose applied very well and was thick enough to be opaque in as few coats as possible. She dried quickly and very shiny. As shown, she dried darker than the bottle color. In real life, she's just a little bit brighter. I'll definitely reach for Rose a lot this summer!

Rose was included in the Julep Maven "Classic with a Twist" intro box. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link.

What polish has recently jumped up your favorites list? Let me know! :)

*Please click on the picture for color-accuracity.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

Julep Mila

1 coat of Julep Mila over 1 coat of OPI Samoan Sand

3 coats of Julep Mila over 1 coat of OPI Samoan Sand

Mila consists of multicolored fine glitter and is like a fine glitter version of Milani Gems. It looks like it's heavy on the silver glitter, but it actually has a fairly equal ratio of every color. Mila is SO pretty! You have to see her in real life to believe it! Mila can be used as a layering polish with 1 coat or built up to opacity with 3 coats. The formula was nice to work with and the glitter was easy to apply. Mila dried relatively quickly and a teensy bit gritty. It's nothing a thin coat of top coat can't fix though!

Mila was included in the Julep Maven July 2012 "It Girl" box. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

Julep O Canada!

1 coat of Julep O Canada! over 1 coat of OPI Samoan Sand

O Canada! has ruby red and iridescent glitter in a clear base. Unlike America the Beautiful, this little one is best for layering. Nevertheless, it is very pretty and delicate! The formula was nice and easy to work with. For the most part, the glitters painted themselves, except for a few misbehaving red glitter pieces that I had to dab onto my nails. (Shame on them!) Dry time is a little slow because of the dabbing, but is worth it for such a pretty polish! Unpatriotically, I'm thinking that I'll reach for O Canada! more than for America the Beautiful. The latter seems only appropriate for Memorial Day, Independence Day, and 9/11 while the former is much more versatile.

O Canada! was included, free, in the Julep Maven July 2012 boxes only for residents of Canada, but it could have been bought as an add-on. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link.

I thought I'd post up O Canada! for some fun and sparkles. I mean, who doesn't hate Mondays?

Which one would you reach for more? America the Beautiful or O Canada?

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

Julep America The Beautiful

1 coat of Julep America the Beautiful over 1 coat of OPI Samoan Sand

3 coats of Julep America the Beautiful over 1 coat of OPI Samoan Sand

America the Beautiful is a beautiful mix of fine red, multi-sized blue, small silver, and silver star glitters in a clear base. The star glitters are very sparse so, sadly, I managed to get only one (and it is hiding on my ring finger). It applied easily, except for the star glitter; you need to fish them out and dab them onto your nails. I really like how fast it dried, though it was a little gritty and dull. However, a top coat will easily fix those problems!  America the Beautiful is sheer enough to be a layering polish, as in the first picture, or can be built up to opacity. I personally prefer it as a layering polish because I don't want to waste such a gem! 

America the Beautiful was included, free, in the Julep Maven July 2012 boxes only for U.S. residents, but it could be bought as an add-on. You can sign up for Julep Maven using my referral link. 

How would you wear America the Beautiful?

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M

"It Girl" Julep Maven July 2012 Box

"It Girl" July 2012 Box

Sorry, guys! I totally forgot I haven't posted this up! I blame my bad memory... and my recently contracted cold. I hate you, Rhinovirus.

So anyways, I received my box either last week. And then O Canada!, my add-on, on Monday. I wanted to take a picture of all the polishes together, but I wasn't (and still not) home when O Canada! arrived. :( The "It Girl" July box came with Kate, Mila, and Daphne. As I am a U.S. resident, I received America the Beautiful (free). So that's a grand total of roughly $25! (Compared to retail price of $70 for five Julep polishes.)


I will be posting some swatches of the polishes over the weekend! :D (I have given into my Overlord Camera and decided to use it.)


You can sign up to become a Julep Maven using my referral link and use the coupon code "COLORS4ONE" to get your intro box for a penny!


Happy (early) July 4th everyone! I'm thinking of eating lunch with my parents and grandparents, if I'm up to it tomorrow. (Immune system, please produce more B cells.) And then maybe watch the fireworks with them. What are your plans for tomorrow? 


See you guys on the other side of the day!


- M

My Julep Maven Intro Box!

My Julep Maven Intro Box came in the mail yesterday! :D It was shipped and arrived in two days. The waiting (since last week or so) almost killed me! As you can see, my style is "Classic With A Twist". The intro box came with The Best Pedi Cream Ever (It really is the name, not my opinion as I haven't tried it yet.) and two polishes: Robin and Rose. I will be giving each beauty its own swatch and review post. The toe separators were included as freebies!


Bottom line: I love the packaging, the service, and the perks. I have not swatched the polishes yet, but they seem very promising! I can't wait until I can swatch them! My referral link is http://www.julep.com/?r=22021468. 


See you guys on the other side of the day!


- M

Julep Maven - July 2012

I just recently became a Julep Maven! Some of the many perks of becoming a Maven are always having the option of free shipping, only paying $19.99 for over $40* worth of products monthly, and adding on up to 2 items to your monthly box (each for $4.99). You can also cancel at any time or skip the monthly box if you don't see anything you like! I used code "COLOR2012" at checkout (which comes after finishing the style quiz) in order to get my intro box for only $0.01. Unfortunately, I do not know how long the code will last.


I am sooo excited to get my intro "Classic with a Twist" box! For the month of July, however, I opted to switch to the "It Girl" box. There are 3 polishes included in that box, plus 1 free polish (America the Beautiful if you live in the U.S. or O Canada! if you live in Canada). I also decided to add on O Canada! to my box. Here are the five options for July:

The add-on options for July:

The free polishes, only for July:

As I said before, America the Beautiful is for residents of the U.S. and O Canada! is for residents of Canada.

*Each Julep nail polish retails for $14.00. The surprises included in each monthly box usually cost around $20.

P.S. I received my small Ulta haul today! :D I am sooo excited to swatch them (or at least one of them... Curse ochem!) that I won't be doing nail art for tomorrow's post.

See you guys on the other side of the day!

- M