Julep Maven: September 2014 – The Art Walk Collection

Sorry it’s been a bit too quiet over here at Subscription Therapy in the past couple weeks. I have sadly been inundated with way too much work at my regular job, when I would much rather be talking to all of you. So now we’re going to play catch-up with all the boxes I’ve been hoarding. So get ready.

I’m going to kick off my Posting Frenzy with Julep’s Art Walk Collection that they introduced in September.   It had this 90s vibe (but in a good way) that I just couldn’t resist. It brought back high school and early undergrad with all of its dark colors, flannel and grunge. So I put “In Utero” on repeat on my Ipod and nabbed the whole collection.

I’ve only ever done the full upgrade once with last October’s “The Rebel Set”, so I didn’t feel too bad about going for the full upgrade this time. I’ve got tons of polish, lip products and swatches for you, so let’s get to it.

 

 

BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Blank Canvas Plumping Lip Primer (Retail $22.00/Maven Price: $17.60)
Verdict: Big Old Miss
Description: “A multitasking primer that preps lips for flawless, all-day color.”
So this is one of the Julep’s maven program changes I absolutely abhor. They keep putting old products into the Modern Beauty box. This item has been featured before in the maven sub and I wasn’t crazy about it the first time around. I understand that Julep might not be able to produce two new beauty items every month, but there are a ton of things they’ve introduced that were never featured in maven boxes. They should use one of those instead of pulling items that maven subscribers already received.

Plush Pout Lip Crayon: (Retail $16.00/Maven Price: $20.00)
Description: “A full-coverage lip crayon with a moisturizing treatment core in the middle. Rich, creamy formula glides on and delivers long-lasting color with a semigloss finish.”

These plush pouts are a huge part of why I went for the full upgrade. I really wanted the red and the nude shades, and once you start adding on too many items it becomes a lot cheaper to just opt for the full upgrade. There were four new shades introduced.

Magenta Plum
Verdict: Hit!
This one leans a bit cool and it’s a perfect rich plum shade for fall. I think this one would look great on the folks with darker complexions.
Aurora Pink
Verdict: Like
This one leans a little warm and I really like the color, but it’s not quite the best match for my skin tone. I’ll still use it but I will probably layer a pink gloss over it.
Almond Nude
Verdict: Hit!
This shade leans a bit warm, which is usually a problem for me, but it’s neutral enough that I can pull it off. I top it with a bit of a shimmery gloss for a great every day look
Cardinal Red
Verdict: Love!
This is a cool, vintage type red. I love it. It has incredible staying power. While it will fade and smudge a bit, if you’re not eating a ton it can go for hours looking decent. It’s definitely a bright “notice me” shade and I got a ton of compliments when I wore it. I’ve seen photos of tons of different ladies wearing it with all different skin types and hair colors and it looked amazing on all of them.

Overall I loved and will use all the crayons and I’m hoping Julep will come up with some new shades for the Holidays.

THE POLISHES

 

Ana: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love
Description: White jagged glitter top coat
This was an add-on and I couldn’t resist it. It reminds me a lot of Butter London’s Doily and it’s a pretty close match. The big difference is that Ana doesn’t have the round white glitter pieces and doily leans a touch pink. I’m going to have a lot of fun using this for some different nail art. If you want to try nail art and aren’t the neatest or most talented with a brush, these topcoats make it easy to do fun, new things.

Kirby: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Hit!
Description: Silver jagged glitter top coat
Another fun topcoat. When I first saw this one I thought it would be a silver version of Julep’s Gianna and it is similar. I think this will be fun to use over the holidays for some sparkly manis.

Fifi: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Like
Description: Tea time pink crème
I wasn’t super excited by this one when I saw it in the collection, but it’s growing on me. I really love using pale pinks and nudes beneath sparkly topcoats like the ones above. I just heard a great trick for getting paler polishes to go on without too much streaking. You should put a matte topcoat after your first layer of color is dry. Once that topcoat is dry then layer another coat of color polish and finish with the topcoat of your choice. I haven’t tried it yet, but when I use this one I am definitely going to try that trick.

Erin: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Hit!
Description: Oyster grey crème
For a long time I stayed away from grays. They seemed pretty boring, but it turns out they are quite lovely and sophisticated when you give them a chance. This is a nice neutral gray that doesn’t lean super dark. This is a great neutral and would work even in more conservative environments when you don’t want to stick to nudes or pinks.


Quinn: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Like
Description: Charcoal purple satin
I like it when Julep experiments with different finishes. I don’t find Quinn to be super exciting, but I don’t really have anything else like it in my collection. I’m going to experiment a bit with some matte looks and I think it might work well with that.

Eliana: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: On the Fence
Description: Soft denim crème
There’s nothing wrong with this polish and I love dark blues, but it’s just not interesting enough and I feel like we’ve seen this same shade from Julep over and over.

Ryan: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Like
Description: Overcast teal satin
Teal is one of my favorite mani shades so I had to grab this dark teal satin. I wish it was just a tad less dark so the teal would come through more, but I still really like the color.

Lupita: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Ripe rhubarb crème
This is a gorgeous berry shade and I love it. Julep’s forte is crème finishes and this one is lovely. It’s a perfect option for Fall if you don’t want to go too dark. It’s also a great option for pedicures.

Mary Lee: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Oxblood satin
You had me at “oxblood satin”. I have to say that this color was probably the one everyone was buzzing about when the collection first came out. Oxblood is huge for fall and the satin finish gives this shade a bit more interest. Dark reds are my favorite colors so this was a must have for me. The nice part is if you don’t want to keep it satin, just add a shiny topcoat and it’s transformed.

Mahima: (Retail $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20)
Verdict: Love!
Description: Amber gold crème
This one was the biggest surprise for me. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own, but I love it. The shade of the gold is just amazing. It almost feels a little art deco to me. It’s a subdued super warm gold, almost like it’s got a touch of caramel mixed in. I can’t wait to use this one for the Holidays.

FREEBIE:

Candy
I appreciate all freebies, but I’d love it if Julep would add more free samples. It’s a great way to try things out before you commit.

 

OVERALL:

Love!
With the full upgrade and the Ana add-on, my box cost me $87.72. I totaled up all the products and it came to a retail of $242.00 and a Maven cost of $193.60. The only item I won’t use is the lip plumper, but even excluding it, I received a great value. These are a nice assortment of Fall colors and most are pretty versatile in how you can wear them.

This season 90s fashion has been bleeding into a lot of designs. I walked into Urban Outfitters last week and I swear it was more 90s than the actual 90s were. It was really too much. I appreciate that Julep made this collection both super tasteful and 90s reverential without going overboard.

I’ve got plenty more Julep stuff to review including the Jewel Heist box and my October Maven box, so be sure to come back for your Julep fix.

So do you see the 90s in Julep’s Art Walk collection, or do you think I’m off-base?

 

JULEP NEWS!
Julep has a fun offer for new maven subscribers. You can get a Free 4 Piece Halloween Welcome Box.

THE BACKSTORY

COUPON CODE: If you love Julep’s products, you can try out a box for free just use the code: FREECOLOR
Just remember this signs you up for a monthly subscription. If you don’t wish to receive boxes you will need to call Julep to cancel .

Julep specializes in toxin-free nail color but also features beauty products. They are a small company based in Seattle and have been featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List.

Monthly Maven Options:
Maven Subscription: $19.99 – Monthly Maven box where you choose from the boxed sets in each category.

My Maven Subscription: $24.99 per month – Allows you to customize your box
3 Month Prepaid: $19.99/month

Maven Luxe: $39.99 per month – Gives you access to add on more expensive items
3 Month Prepaid: $34.99/month

The options:
Modern Beauty – (For those who prefer beauty items over nail color) – “You’re a savvy tastemaker obsessed with the art and science of beauty.” Get two full-size beauty products in every box.

Boho Glam – “You’re a dynamic free spirit with a creative eye.” Get two limited-edition nail colors and one full-size beauty product in every box.

Bombshell – “You’re a confident frill-seeker with magnetic appeal.” Get two limited-edition nail colors and one full-size beauty product in every box.

Classic With a Twist – “You’re an iconic beauty with a timeless aesthetic.” Get two limited-edition nail colors and one full-size beauty product in every box.

It Girl – (For those who want polish only) “You’re a colorful trendsetter who’s not afraid to be bold.” Get three limited-edition nail colors in every box.

Julep will email you with the contents of your regular box selection, and at that time you can opt to keep it as is or change it. Every time you purchase a box you get the option of add-ons along with access to Julep’s “Secret Store” that lets you get other products at great prices.   Another perk is that when you’re a maven you get 20% off anything you purchase from Julep’s website along with free Shipping. Julep polishes retail at $14.00 each, so a Maven box of two to three brand new polishes for under $20.00 is a great steal.

Julep also has a rewards program that gives you “jules” for taking your monthly boxes and on your birthday. You can use jules to pay for monthly boxes and some other items chosen by Julep.