I've seen people post about their Julep Maven boxes for months, and I always thought the colors looked super pretty, but $20 for either three small polishes or two polishes and another product is really high, in my opinion! However, there are often penny codes floating around for your first box, and I decided to give ti a shot. I took the quiz and got "Boho Glam", and after looking through the available choices, I decided to stick with that one.
I got my box a few days ago. First, I really liked the packaging! The black box is cute and a perfect size for reusing. I am a sucker for cute packaging.
As with most of these services, it came with a little card describing your box. As you can see, I got Meryl, Blake, and the Glycolic hand scrub.
When I moved the card, this is what I saw. CUTE. I love pink and black, and it was well packed. The pink was actually a pink paper bag, which was a nice change from the typical tissue paper.
The first thing I opened was the "Facial for Hands" Glycolic hand scrub. This is honestly the main reason I decided to try out Julep Maven - my hands take a beating at work as I have to wash and sanitize my hands countless times per shift. I also get a seasonal bumpy rash on the back of my hands and have since I was a kid, so I'm always happy to try new hand care products. This scrub promises double exfoliation, featuring a combination of glycolic acid and apricot seeds. This little tube retails for $32. I've tried it once, and it did leave my hands soft and smooth, and smelled like oranges. This is my favorite thing in the box, though I don't think I'd pay full price for it.
I actually do not have a nail file or anything similar, so this will come in handy. It's a good size and texture for the job. A cute little extra.
These are the colors I got - Blake (the yellow) and Meryl (the gray). I absolutely love these shades. Blake is a buttery yellow creme, while Meryl is a medium gray creme (true grey, without blue or taupe tones). They're both so pretty. However, it should be noted that each bottle contains only about the same amount of polish as the sample sized polishes from brands like Zoya. They are tall, but very skinny. I like the packaging, actually. They retail for $14 apiece, which in my mind is high for a polish of this size.
Most important, though, is the performance, and I'm sad to say that these just didn't impress me. The colors looked just as pretty when put on, PUT the consistency left much to be desired. They both seemed very thin and it was difficult for me to get an even coat with them. They also both chipped within a few hours when applied without a topcoat (I test all polishes on their own first, to see how THEY actually perform without help). I wouldn't be upset with this performance from a cheap drugstore polish, but I actually have a few $1 Elf bottles that perform just as well as these. They're not terrible, but they just don't perform like other good brands do, in my opinion.
In all, this is a subscription I won't be keeping. I love the colors offered by Julep, and I adore that hand scrub. But the quality of the polish and the price just don't match up. I'd rather spend that money on a Zoya, Lippman, or Butter London polish. I'm not unhappy with this intro box for a penny, but I would never pay $20 for this. I'm glad I gave Maven a shot, though!
