Monday, April 6, 2015

Julep Maven It Girl Box - April 2015

Today I have a review of the April 2015 Maven It Girl subscription box from Julep. If you're not sure what Julep Maven is, you can check it out here. This month the It Girl box came with two colored polishes and a base coat. I added on one polish to the box.




First up is Danielle. Julep describes Danielle as "a cerulean blue duochrome." The first thing I have to say about this polish is that it smelled terrible - just like a skunk. For that fact alone, I will not use this polish again. I did do a swatch of it but this is the only time I will use it. Also, the "duochrome" shows up in the bottle (it shifts from blue to pink) but doesn't show up on the nail at all. Such a disappointment. This is two coats with top coat. 



This month the It Girl box came with a base coat which bothered me. Usually the It Girl box is three colored polishes and the nail treatments, base and top coats and other makeup are in the other boxes. I get the it girl expecting polish, not basecoat. That said, I did use it and it was okay. However, it retails for $18.00 ($14.40 if you're a current Maven) for 0.27 oz of product. That is the size of an average sized mini polish. There is no way I would pay that kind of money for a basecoat. 




The next polish from the box is Randi, which Julep describes as "a pink plumeria creme." I chose to pair it up with the polish I added on, which is Angie - a silver holographic polish. I did two coats of each. I don't know if it is because of this basecoat or if it is the polish themselves, but they both dried to a fairly matte finish. I did photograph them both with and without topcoat. The set of pictures above do not have topcoat, while the ones below do have topcoat. I thought both of these polishes were okay, but nothing unique. 




I have to say that this is one of the most disappointing Maven boxes I've ever received. The one highlight of the box is Angie, the polish I added on. It is a nice holo polish, which I think I could get a lot of use out of as an accent color. I'm sorry to post so many negative things (I try to be pretty positive when I post), but I wanted to be honest about what I thought. I would love to hear what you think of these polishes. Also, if you got a Maven box this month, which one did you get and what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!

28 comments:

  1. I've never subscribed to a beauty box, as I'm very picky lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I debate whether to keep subscribing or not. Normally I like the polishes more than this which makes it more worth it.

      Delete
  2. I gave up being a Maven girl last year because I didn't think the polish was that special for what it cost...the bottles are so tiny and I didn't notice it wearing exceptionally well or anything. I wanted to love them and gave them about 4 months but then quit. I buy primarily Zoya polishes and LOVE them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a HUGE Zoya fan. They are definitely my favorite mainstream brand. I probably have a couple hundred Zoyas. :0)

      Delete
  3. I love Angie and Randi together.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great review! Julep used to be one of my favorites but they really need to up their game. I usually skip my boxes these days :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm just not as impressed with their boxes as I used to be. I hope they come up with some new stuff soon! :0)

      Delete
  5. I skip subscription boxes too, and to be honest I skip Julep since I don't like the way they relate to bloggers. Besides that none of these polishes exited me. Sorry for being negative, I wanted to be honest too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't mind! I like the honesty. :0) I don't think any of these polishes are really unique to my collection.

      Delete
  6. I have the custom maven box but I've skipped the last two months since none of the polishes compelled me. I do love some of their make up though. Even if you are disappointed your swatches are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My two favorite thing from Julep are the Vanish cuticle remover (I use it for staining) and the Party's Over glitter remover system. I haven't actually tried any of the make up. Maybe I'll have to give it a try!

      Delete
  7. I like these colors. I enjoyed my box this month, for once I got 2 beautiful polishes. My dog ate my gobstoppers though, I was pissed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm happy that I still have my Gobstoppers. :0) It is nice that they send little extras in the box.

      Delete
  8. I've never tried julep before, but they look really pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The colors are nice and normally I don't have problems with formula or scent. :0)

      Delete
  9. I don't own any julep polishes. The bottle is a real turn off for me. Sorry you had a disappointing box!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The bottle is awkward to polish with. I have quite a few Julep polishes and most of them have great formulas. I'm hoping for a better box next month.

      Delete
  10. Ugh. Stinky blue polishes are the pits. They are all pretty through. That is REALLY expensive for a mini base coat O.o

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't imagine spending that much for a base coat! I didn't notice anything special about it when I wore it. The colors are pretty. :0)

      Delete
  11. I've never been compelled to get a subscription box, and haven't heard too many great things about it from fellow bloggers :-/ Have you contacted Julep about the smell? Maybe there was a bad batch or something?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did contact them but haven't heard back yet. Any time I've ever had problems in the past they always take care of it, so hopefully this will be taken care of. :0)

      Delete
  12. It Girl is my Maven box, too, but I've been skipping it every month lately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm hoping they come up with something new soon!

      Delete
  13. I think I've skipped my box the last six months...Not so much their fault because I have tons of polish, lol. But I'm hoping for something wow-a-licious soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too. I'm really hoping they come up with a unique collection soon!

      Delete
  14. I canceled my Maven subscription months ago. The smelly polishes, luck-of-the-draw formulas, and exorbitant prices for what are essentially minis completely turned me off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm pretty close to cancelling. The only thing that keeps me is that I can skip as many months as I want. If it weren't for that feature I would've cancelled long ago.

      Delete