I am a Julep Maven

Today I received in the mail my maven box from Julep. I got my very first box from them for only $5 with a promotion that they are/were having, and the box only took 2 days to get to my mail box all the way from Washington. Inside the box was 3 colored polishes, a top coat, and 2 sample packets. One packet was a glycolic hand scrub, and the other packet is a SPF30 hand cream. I wasn't a huge fan of the hand cream. It smells just like sun screen and has a greasy after feel. The polishes as shown from left to right in the photo are the top coat, Megan, Leah, and Hayden. Megan is a shimmery blue color. Leah is a grassy green with the very smallest hint of shimmer, and Hayden is a creamy peach color.

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I started with Hayden, it was the brightest in the bunch, and drew my eye first. The formula was a little on the thick side, but applied rather well. I did mess up and pressed too hard while applying my second coat, leaving some thin spots. That was entirely user error. If I had been more careful, 2 coats would have been fine. I did have a little problem with bubbles that not even a coat of Seche Vite could smooth out. I'm not sure if it was just the thick formula, or bubbles left over from transit. Hayden did not disappoint me when it was dried. It was just as bright and creamy as it appeared in the bottle. Here are the swatches. Please forgive my sloppy application. I always have problems with heavily pigmented creams.

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Next up is Leah. I absolutely adored this color from the second I saw it. It was such a grassy green, it immediately made me smile. It also looked creamy like Hayden but when I started to apply it, there just just the tiniest hint of shimmer hidden in this polish. It was very subtle, I could have easily missed it. This polish was also a little on the thicker side, but it wet on smoothly and easily. Here are swatches for your enjoyment. 2 coats with Seche on top.

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Lastly we have Megan. I knew Megan would be a color for me right from the start. It is a lovely shimmering blue. This formula was not as thick as the other two, but went on smoothly, and still only needed two coats. Sadly, it was prone to strokes from the brush. On this polish I also tried the quick dry top coat that came with it, but was not impressed. I was spoiled by the speed of my Sech and put that on instead. On to the swatches.

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Flash at another angle to show the shimmer.

All in all, I am pleased with this box. I unfortunately have to skip next month's box because of the way their billing cycle falls, but I will continue to use this service. I suggest you give it a try as well. The service is $19.99 a month. Also, if you sign up with the link I posted above, you will be helping me earn a free box. =) Thanks for looking!