FULL UPGRADE
Bright lights, big city, skyscrapers, polished buildings....heck....polished nails! Are you ready to shine up your fingertips to match the razzle and dazzle of the city? Let's see what type of products and polishes a classy city gal would have...
Crisp, clean and classy! Check out Julep's new white polish wrapping boxes!
Originally the bottles were rolled up in bubble plastic wrap with clear rubber bands and all placed in a paper bag. Now each polish has a special individual Julep Color Treat cardboard holder with three of each placed in a cardboard sleeve box. I think the new packaging is quite adorable! Very crisp, clean, fresh and much more eco-friendly, albeit the unwrapping each box is a bit of a pain and is a bit more to have to clean up afterwards, but I like it!
Now that I've given you a little sneak peek of three of the colors....let's just go ahead and view the rest, shall we? WE SHALL!...
and now moving on to the beauty products for the profile MODERN BEAUTY:
BARE FACE CLEANSING OIL
"This lightweight, antioxidant-rich cleanser gently and thoroughly dissolves makeup, dirt, and excess oil without over-drying skin, then rinses clean with no oily residue. Recommended for all skin types." - from julep.com
Well, well....well....well. It's a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You can definitely smell all of the oils, including a very strong rose hip aroma. It's a heavier oil formula but not weighty and easily spreads all over the face for good coverage. The directors say to massage over dry skin then rinse. At first I was worried because it DID look soooooo oily while I was massaging it in, but after I rinsed my skin looked just fine! I still needed a light moisturizer afterwards though, but it did add some hydration, just not enough for me. At first I was LOVING this product, but after 4-5 days I started breaking out a bit. It may have drawn some impurities to the top, but I've tried so many other cleansers that didn't have quite that bad of effect on my skin, so I'll be sticking to my favorites and leave this one be! Not keen on the smell, not keen on the feeling, not keen on the overall finish...not for me!
BLANK CANVAS MATTIFYING FACE PRIMER
"This age-defying primer creates a smooth, even canvas for gorgeous makeup that lasts all day." - from julep.com
Glory be! I think this is one of the most fabulous beauty products that Julep has sent out! I absolutely adore it. It DOES in fact completely mattify your face and provide a smooth canvas on the skin. What I find fantastic about this is that it's meant to be either worn either by itself or as a makeup primer, so it can have SO many uses! I can swipe this on before I head to the gym so that my face won't be quite as shiny and blegh...and I even told my Hubby, Mr. Cookie, that he could totally use it as well on those days where his skin might be a little shiny. Look at the packaging, too, it's totally metro, fantastic for both men and woman! He ABHORS the thought of wearing any sort of makeup but he tried it and was quite impressed as well!
As far as being a makeup primer, it did keep my makeup nice and fresh all day, but maybe not quite as well as my favorite makeup primers, but the mattifying properties of it definitely outweighed that to an extent. It's a bit thicker than the typical primer and was a bit harder to spread, but still very workable. It was best to work with small swipes at a time and blend till I have the necessary coverage. I'll be keeping this aside for those special days where I need that extra slick protection.
As far as being a makeup primer, it did keep my makeup nice and fresh all day, but maybe not quite as well as my favorite makeup primers, but the mattifying properties of it definitely outweighed that to an extent. It's a bit thicker than the typical primer and was a bit harder to spread, but still very workable. It was best to work with small swipes at a time and blend till I have the necessary coverage. I'll be keeping this aside for those special days where I need that extra slick protection.
BEAUTY ADD-ON: KONJAC CLEANSING SPONGE
"This super-soft sponge is an all-natural exfoliant made from the fibrous root of the Japanese Konjac plant." - from julep.com
This was another little interesting, maybe good, maybe not so much product. Definitely leaning on the good side though! I LOVE exfoliating! My skin is fair, and I have rosacea, but I still love getting that dead skin off and scrubbing it squeaky clean! Redness be darned! The consistency is....odd...but interesting! It's a bit thicker for a sponge, and pretty thickly packed but still airy. My particular sponge has a rougher side and a softer side, but I'm not entirely sure if it was SUPPOSED to come like that, or that's just a manufacturing effect. The shape of the sponge is so wonderful to get into those odd crevices on the face like on the sides of the nose, between the eyebrows towards the inner corner of the eye, from the cheeks towards the bridge of the nose, etc. It's easy to hold, easy to maneuver, and has a handy dandy little string along with a suction cup for easy storage. I just popped it onto my tub wall near my washes and voila! Instant face exfoliation when needed while showering!
I used this with and without the Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil. I preferred it with a wash instead of the oil. It scrubs well, but I think it soaks up too much of the oil so you'd end up just adding more and therefore using up more of the product than what you actually need. One thing I will say though, it does take a little longer than some sponges to squeeze out clean after use. I still had some soap squishing out, but I basically gave up trying and just hung it up to dry!
I used this with and without the Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil. I preferred it with a wash instead of the oil. It scrubs well, but I think it soaks up too much of the oil so you'd end up just adding more and therefore using up more of the product than what you actually need. One thing I will say though, it does take a little longer than some sponges to squeeze out clean after use. I still had some soap squishing out, but I basically gave up trying and just hung it up to dry!
BONUS ITEM: ONE-STEP POLISH REMOVER PAD
"...no mess, lint-free pad is infused with aloe vera to moisturize and condition your nails. A great on-the-go solution for polish removal." - from julep.com
Can I just bring up the obvious.....ONE polish remover pad?.....ONE?....Come on Julep. Come oooooon. Every add-on was an extra amount due, none of them were included AND the free bonus extra is one polish remover pad? For an Upgrade, that's...well....kind of sucky, I hate to say. Such a shame though, because to review it I actually had to use it and now it's gone! It's a pretty nice pad, it's thick, not too large, but still good for 10 fingers as long as the color you're wearing isn't too thick or dark. It didn't dry out my skin, in fact it softened them a bit and didn't smear the polish as much as some remover pads do! Now if only I had more...
Time for some polish!....
BOHO GLAM - KRISTY & TATIANA
Kristy (top) - midnight blue creme
Tatiana (bottom) - golden burnt orange microglitter
Look at dat shimmer! Mmmmmmm, love it! This is my typical profile (Boho Glam) and as much as I love Tatiana, I'm a little disappointed with Kristy. They look so gorgeous side by side in the bottles but on the nails that is a COMPLETELY different story....
See? That is BEYOND midnight blue, that is...well...blue-tinted black. All of my swatches in this post are done without base coat, and without top coat (so you can see the finish) and I applied two coats each. With Tatiana, you definitely needed two coats for full opacity as it was a tad see-through. It says it's a golden burnt orange, but with one coat you can see quite a bit of pink in the undertone, however, it does disappear once you apply the second coat. Kristy was just a bit streaky, but even with one coat it was very, very dark. It's just too dark for me. I think if I'd ever wear this, I'd put a very bright blue underneath and just apply one coat of Kristy to hopefully add some more blue tint to it. Tatiana's shimmer is stunning though, isn't it? They're both very smooth in application, no streaking, bubbling or pooling and the finishes were both nice and glossy.
BOMBSHELL - KARMEN & DARIA
Karmen (top) - golden crimson microglitter
Daria (bottom) - dark slate grey creme
THIS is the profile that takes the cake for me this month. It is SPOT ON fabulous and to die for! Not only do I think they look stunning together but the color is very true to the bottle and very visible on the nail!
THAT DARIA! I'm obsessed with it! It's called a dark slate grey but there is quite a bit of blue tint to it, which I find very flattering on a skin-tone like mine. It's cool but bright! Karmen is just divine, and very similar to Tatiana, but much more crimson. I am absolutely loving these colors for Fall! The formulas are great for these as well. Karmen applies exactly the same as Tatiana, needing two coats for full opacity. Daria is very smooth and evens out very cleanly, and ALMOST was a one-coater but I'd suggest two for good coverage and brightness. Karmen is just a BIT darker than Tatiana. Tatiana was very, very shimmery with multiple flecks picking up the light whereas Karmen is richer, like hot lava, and is a bit more subtle with shimmer with richer shadows. Daria's finish is very glossy, but Karmen's is more of a satin.
CLASSIC WITH A TWIST - PADMA & FLORENCE
Padma (top) - royal plum creme
Florence (bottom) - classic camel creme
I'm so excited to see a very different CW&T this month! For a while they're were following a trend in colors, but not this time! I think they're very lovely together and I apologize for changing up the backdrop but Padma's purple tone wasn't coming out well but the purple material brought it out better!
Another dark polish disappointment! This picture is as GOOD as I could get Padma to look and I tried SO many angles (I took this picture first out of all of the swatch hand shots). This is essentially what it looks like in person, too. The purple is only visible a bit along the edges but even then...not much. It's very dark, vampy and although the formula is nice...I'm just not a fan. This is BEYOND royal plum to me. It's just purple-tinted black. Just like Kristy, if it was a BIT more purple, I would have loved it. Florence I am much more of a fan of and in fact, like it much better in person than in this pic! It's a warmer nude, with a pinkish tone to it but still very pale. Both formulas are great, nudes are always difficult to get right, but Florence is leaning a bit more towards a thicker creme which makes it great to handle for a nude when done carefully. Padma is a bit on the thinner side and definitely needed two coats to even out the streaks but it smoothed out nicely. As you can see, Padma finishes very glossy but Florence is a semi-gloss.
IT GIRL - CANDACE, CATRINA & JOSEPHINE
Candace (top) - golden chocolate microglitter
Catrina (middle) - marigold yellow creme
Josephine (bottom) - deep teal grey creme
Sooooo pretty together! Definitely a fun variety, I think Julep knocked it out of the park with this profile this month, too! It's very classy, but modern.
I am SO impressed with the microglitters this month! I think they're all amazing and so appropriate for the season. Candace is probably the best formula out of the three microglitters, pretty much being a one-coater but I went with two to smooth it out a bit and give it a nice finish. Catrina is a stunning marigold yellow (reminds me of mustard!), very rich in color and very warm, however the formula isn't the best out of this whole upgrade. If you look towards my cuticle you can see a dark spot where the polish wouldn't even out, however, yellows are always quite difficult and I always expect to do three coats with them. This was very, very close to being a two-coater so I'm happy! I was worried Josephine would be similar to Daria, but I find them to be quite different! It's called a deep teal grey creme, but to me it leans more blue than teal. Daria is much cooler and brighter while Josephine is darker and richer. Josephine's formula is awesome though, almost opaque with one-coat but I prefer two again. It evened out nicely and didn't pool as well! It finishes in a glossy coat, Catrina and Candace are a semi-gloss.
FEATURED ADD-ON - REECE
Reece - (dark purple) holographic shimmer
I think it's funny, it's only listed as a holographic shimmer on Julep's website, but I added the "dark purple" to the description because...well...look at it! Haha! I'm so excited I decided to jump in for the extra because check this out....
I think it's funny, it's only listed as a holographic shimmer on Julep's website, but I added the "dark purple" to the description because...well...look at it! Haha! I'm so excited I decided to jump in for the extra because check this out....
Look at that holographic goodness! This is a scattered holo polish, but not quite as apparent as others I've seen, but still lovely. It's a dull dusty purple, but it leans towards a dull green towards the edge of the bottle, however you really don't see the green too much on the nail unless the light hits it just right.
Application was fairly easy, although it's a bit gritty from the shimmer. It looks rough in some lights, but in the sun it shimmers quite a bit. I'd recommend using a thick top coat to make it looks less gritty, or two coats of a normal top coat. The shimmer itself was difficult to pick up in the pictures, so here is an off-focus one so you can see the colorful shimmer better...
Gorgeous! As you can see in some lighting the purple almost looks black but the multicolor holo is beautiful. These pictures still don't do it justice. It's so very unique, and definitely not like anything I have in my stash! It only needed two coats to become opaque and I had no problems with streaking or pooling.
WORTH AND PURCHASE:
Bare Face Cleansing Oil: $28
- Or $22.40 for Maven subscribers
Blank Canvas Mattifying Face Primer: $28
- Or $22.40 for Maven subscribers
Konjac Cleansing Sponge: $12
- Or $9.60 for Maven subscribers
One-Step Polish Remover Pad: $1.00
- Set of 10 is $9.99 ($7.99 for Maven subscribers)
Nail Polishes: $14 each (10 total) = $140
- Or for Maven subscribers - $11.20 each = $112
Total Paid for Box: $62.98*
Total Worth of Box: $209
I have mixed feelings on this. I think it's good worth, but I'm still so disappointed that BOTH add-ons (Reece and the sponge) were extra. I think they could have made at least one of them a part of the Upgrade, especially since the free extra was ONE (have I said that enough?) polish remover pad. *The breakdown of price was: $19.99 for the regular box + $35 for the Upgrade + $7.99 for the Konjac Sponge + $5.99 for Reece = $67.97. I used some of my Jules (points) and applied it to Reece which made the total come out to $62.98.
FINALE
I feel like half of this box is full of awesome and the other half full of meh. It's like the city pretty much. There's always going to be an uptown and a downtown! The shimmers are fantastic and so are the greys, but the dark colors missed the mark a bit. The Mattifying primer is awesome, but the cleansing oil isn't quite as nice. I can't complain though because the worth of all of the items I love is far above what I paid! Next month's Maven window will be opening soon! In just 5 short days, so keep checking in to the blog to preview the colors!
Care to try out Julep's Maven program for yourself? For $19.99 a month you can receive some fab products to match your fab personality! With 5 different style profiles to choose from, find out if you're a Modern Beauty, Bombshell, Boho Glam, It Girl or Classic With a Twist! Please feel free to use my referral code, click HERE to sign up! During the sign-up process use the code: FREEBOX to get your first box free (only paying shipping which is typically around $3.99).
Happy Makeuping and Polishing!
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