Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews

Finally, a Julep Maven box I can be excited about again!  Although Julep is one of my favorite subscription boxes, I actually skipped the last two months because I wasn’t all that excited about the color lineup. This month, they finally got my attention again with the chalk-inspired “Playful Collection,” an array of pastels that are perfect for spring.  The thing about pastels is that they’ve always been off limits to me. Pastel clothing tends to make me look like I have jaundice, and pastel lipstick with my skin tone is just wrong. But pastels on my nails? Perfect.

Included  in this month’s box is a full size bottle of Julep’s new Rock Star Hand Créme, and little tube of strawberry mint lip balm. The hand crème is not the more moisturizing crème I’ve ever had, but it’s not bad either. It’s not at all greasy, which is a big plus, and I suspect the glycolic in it is helping my cuticles look less jacked up than usual.  It smells very vaguely fruity, but also a little like salon chemicals. I actually find it pleasant, but it would probably put some people off.

The lip balm was a surprise in a couple of ways. First of all, I didn’t expect to see it in my box, and secondly,  I didn’t expect to like it so much. I’m a die-hard Rose Salve fan, and nothing could replace that little tin on my nightstand. However, the smooth, emollient texture and the just-right-ratio of fruit:mint in the Julep balm has earned it a permanent place in my bathrobe pocket.

The box I received is the Classic With a Twist box, which included the colors Debra and Simone. Debra is described on the website as a “smoky taupe crème.”  It’s actually a warm gray, and it has a lot of class.  Simone is a soft lilac color polish with a very subtle opalescent shimmer. I was actually afraid that it might not be opaque, but those doubts went away as soon as I put this on.  The texture was a little on the gloppy side, but I was able to get solid, streak-free coverage in just two coats. The shimmer wasn’t detectable at all once I was wearing it, but the color was still beautiful.

Simone

Debra

I had a lot Maven reward points saved up, so I used them to get some add-ons since there were so many colors from other boxes I wanted to try. I selected Adrianna, Minne, and Joy. Adrianna is a perfect pistachio green – light like a mint green, but ever so slightly smoky, and warm enough to compliment my skin tone.  Minnie is an orangey-pink color that, like Simone, has a subtle shimmer in the bottle that doesn’t really show up on my nails. It’s a great color though – I’m wearing it right now as a matter of fact.  Joy is a beautiful dusty mauve. It’s very classic and reminds me a little of SquareHue’s Wartime Romance from last month’s SquareHue box. All of the colors gave opaque, streak-free coverage in two coats.

Left to right: Minnie, Adrianna, and Joy.

Adrianna

Joy

Minnie

Here’s a breakdown of the box and add-on value:

• Rock Star Hand Créme ($20)
• Strawberry Mint Lip Balm ($6)
• Debra Nail Polish ($14)
• Simone Nail Polish ($14)
• Adrianna Nail Polish ($14)
• Minnie Nail Polish ($14)
• Joy Nail Polish ($14)

Total Value: $95

The actual price of the box plus add-ons was $35, though I paid nothing because I used my reward points.

Skin & Tonics Rating:

Performance: 4/5 – Colors are beautiful and opaque
Quality:  3/5 – The hand créme is just okay, and a couple of the polish formulas were a little gloppy
Value: 5/5 – $95 worth of products for $35 (including add-ons)!

Overall: 4/5

If you would like to subscribe to the Julep Maven box, you can get your first box for free by using the promo code FREEBOX at checkout!

You can sign up for a Maven subscription here. >>

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