Today, I have for you a brand that is relatively new to me. I recently enrolled in the Julep Maven program (because who doesn't like getting deeply "discounted" automatic deliveries of Polish??? No one, that's who. Ok, maybe my hubby). Anyway, I get a box every month for $20. My first box had 2 Polishes and only cost me $5. Plus it had a hand scrub and two samples of lotions. I then got a coupon for a pre-selected duo at $14, so I snatched it up because one of the colors was very very appealing to me. Surprisingly, this is not that color (I will review it soon though).
The second half of the duo I purchased was Sienna:
Flash:
No flash:
Color: Sienna is a neutral white gold foil. I'm sure there are lots of colors very similar to this (an Orly comes to mind, Luxe maybe??). It's extremely shiny, sparkly and metallic. I like these types of colors. More muted than an in-your-face, space-aged metallic silver, but not tacky like a yellow gold foil.
What I used: 2 coats of Nailtek Foundation II (I've been having some splitting lately and Nailtek is wonderful for making my nails stronger), 2 coats of Sienna and 1 coat of Seche Vite.
Application/formula: Very nice formula. It was a little on the runny side, but not watery. Opaque in 2 coats, even though I was expecting to need 3 for some reason. It didn't apply like a typical foil. I'm not sure how that is, but I love foils and use them often and this one seemed to apply more like a creme or jelly or standard shimmer. I guess it was missing that "grittiness", which isn't necessarily bad, that foils can have. It also didn't dry quite as fast as a typical foil (not a bad thing). I give the formula a B+. The brush is also pretty good, not too wide nor too thin. My only complaint is that the very long stem causes some dripping if you're not very careful.
Brand/Cost: I am putting these two together, because I want to say some things about this brand from my experience and the cost for all of their Polishes. First, they can be purchased from Julep.com for $14/each. Obviously, if you sign up to be a Maven, you get a bit of a discount. $14 is steep for Polish, in my opinion. You all know what a tightwad I can be about makeup and such. What makes it even worse is that the bottles are only .27 fl oz. To give you an idea:
Illamasqua - 0.5 fl oz @ $14 ($28/oz)
China Glaze - 0.5 fl oz. @ $3-$7 ($6-$14/oz)
Rescue Beauty Lounge - 0.4 fl oz. @ $18 ($45/oz)
Essie - 0.5 fl oz @ $8 ($16/oz)
Chanel - 0.4 fl oz @ $25 ($62.50/oz)
Julep - 0.27 fl oz @ $14 is a whopping $51.85 per oz!!! It's not as expensive as Chanel (and, to be perfectly honest, I don't think Chanel has any business charging so much for their mediocre, dupe-able Polishes), but it's pretty much one of the most expensive Polish brands per ounce. You use the polish once and see a significant dent in the bottle level, even at just two relatively thin coats.
I am going to stick with it for $20/month as long as my boxes continue to have at least 2 Polishes and the formula stays pretty good like the 2 I have tried so far. I'll also probably buy some when there are deals like the set of two that I got for $14 (free shipping). However, I don't think these are worth full price under any circumstance. They're nice, the formula is slightly above average, but there is nothing unique about the colors (so far) and the bottles are a little strange (tall and thin). If they come out with some awesome linear holos, duochromes or flaky glitters, I might change my mind. Until then, PLEASE DO NOT PAY FULL PRICE FOR THESE!
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