Maven Madness: Julep Boho Blam Box + Rock Candy Nail Glaze Add-On April 2013

Hi everyone!

Warm weather is just around the corner, and what better to way to compliment the sunny weather than with brightly colored nails?!

Julep's April Collection is all about bright, bold, basic "look at me" shades and this month I have the Boho Glam profile to share with you.

If you want an in-depth look into all aspects of Julep Maven program, you can jump over here and get all the specifics. 

Just don't forget to come back and get a peak at what this month had in store!

The Boho Glam Box

As much as I love neon polishes for summer...well, that's just it. I love neon polishes. I have quite a few from other brands that closely resemble most of the shades in this collection, so I was forced to take a hard look on what my collection might be lacking to make my final decision.

The Polishes

Julep "Lena"

Lena is a bright teal cream with golden microshimmer that is a dream to work with, but a nightmare to photograph. Why? In most lighting situations this color is more of a jade green rather than a teal, but the camera refused to show it! I tried daylight, lamps...heck I even went back to the classic MySpace days and went to my bathroom to try to capture what I was seeing in person. Despite my persistence it tints blue, and no amount of color correction can really change it.

Pictured above is as close as it's going to get and is pretty accurate to the shade in direct sunlight, but buyer beware! Indoors, it might as well be green.

Whether it's green, jade, teal or blue, it's simply gorgeous. It has the perfect consistency and glides on opaque in just one coat. The golden shimmer is the icing on the cake. It's subtle, but is just the final touch that really makes this one of the standout colors in the entire collection.

Julep "Kaylen"

Kaylen is very bright neon orange. It's formula lies somewhere between a creme and a jelly. It applies thick but easy to work with and dries to rubbery matte finish. At two coats the nail line is just barely visible, but I felt uncomfortable adding a third as the layers sat pretty thick on the nail.

This is another one of the formulas where I'm not sure how exactly I wan to use it. It might be too thick for a jelly sandwich, but it doesn't quite pass for a creme either. Either way it's a great summer shade and is possibly one of the only true neon oranges I own.


The Extras

This month Julep debuted the newest addition to their nail care line, the Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum.

(Retail Price: $28.00. Maven Price: $22.40)

The product is packaged in a pen-shaped brush applicator that releases the serum into the bristles by twisting the SMALL end. I emphasized small because I had a brain lapse on my first attempt to use this and spent a couple of minutes pulling at each end to figure out which one was the cap. 

The metallic tube is so shiny, and the etched details make the product look very luxurious. 

Its compact design can easily fit into purses and clutches, making it a great essential for travel and even everyday errands.

When they say half a turn, they mean it. It may take a second for the serum to penetrate the bristles, but half a turn was enough to cover one hand's worth of fingers. I should probably note that my nail beds are tiny. I mean, even a dime is larger than my thumb nails when kept short.

I refuse to call any product a "miracle," but this is pretty close. The angled bristles really allow you to get into the depths of cuticles and it's soft enough to glide across the entire ends of your fingers. Although the serum itself is pretty liquidy, it's absorbs almost immediately and leaves no greasy residue. Apply it, give it a few seconds to soak in, and then you could even touch the screen of your phone or tablet without hesitation.

I often get questions about how I care for my hands, more specifically the minimal presence of fine lines at my fingertips. It's really products like these that do the trick. In the case of Julep's Mighty Nail & Cuticle  Serum, I have made the assumption that the collagen assists in firming the skin around my cuticles...but I'm no dermatologist. The effect isn't incredibly long lasting, but the cuticles themselves stay firm and hydrated for hours. Coupled with a good hand lotion you'll truly see a difference on the first day.

Truth in advertising and well worth the price. 

If you're going to splurge on a nail care essential, this needs to be it. 

As a prelude to the much requested add-on option you're about to see, Julep included rock candy in every box. I'd love to to be able to tell you what this tastes like, but I can't. I won't point fingers, but let's just say this coincidentally went "missing" soon after my boyfriend returned from work.

The Add-On

Candy is deep purple "barely-there" jelly, a part of the Rock Candy Nail Glaze Collection you might have seen at Sephora. 

Now, the availability of this particular shade has me baffled. There are four shades available at Sephora, and this is not one of them. The closest would be "Barely There Lavender," but this is much darker. Also, NONE of the Rock Candy Nail Glazes are currently available on Julep's website although that could always change.

As far as this particular shade is concerned, limited availability may be for the best. I feel like this is the dud of the bunch. I have seen gorgeous swatches of the other colors, but alone the transparency of this shade of purple causes a muddy look to the nail.

However, the Rock Candy glazes are primarily layering polishes. Yes lovelies, these are Julep's first true jellies! And they are great for jelly sandwhiches. The formula is literally a jelly consistency: a bit thick but smooth and glossy.

Neener Neener Nails "Lace n Frills" sandwiched between Julep "Candy"

Now, I personally am not a fan of the visible nail line, so on any other occasion this would have some sort of base layer. In this situation I thought I'd "knock out two birds with one stone" (that's an awful phrase) and attempt to build the color within it's own jelly sandwich so you could see both options.

The sammy above started with one coat of Candy, one coat of Neener Neener Nails Lace 'n Frills, and then two more coats of Candy. Although the formula is thick, each layer is incredibly sheer. This means that if you really want the jelly effect, you're going to have to be patient, wait for each layer to dry, and add another.

That's another important aspect of this nail glaze. The drying time is nearly two or three times longer than normal polish, which I can only attribute to the thick formula. In short, this is not your "before bed" or "on and out the door" mani.



Overall

In the end this isn't my favorite Maven box, but I'm happy with my selection.

Lena is gorgeous despite it's photo feaux pas and Kaylen is one of the truest neon polishes I've yet to discover. Candy has potential and the concept of the Rock Candy concept works, it's just the particular shade that needs some tweaking.

The standout product wasn't a polish, it was the serum. This in my opinion is the top nail care item Julep offers, and  is immediately one of my most-coveted products from my entire routine.

If you're interested in becoming a Julep Maven, you can sign up here and get your first box for FREE! Yup, free nail polish with free shipping and you can cancel at any time. Just enter code "FREEBOX" at checkout for your free box plus free shipping. This applies to new Mavens only.

How on Earth can you resist?

Which is your favorite from the Boho Glam box? What do you think of the Rock Candy Nail Glazes?
And what is your favorite nail maintainence must-have?

I love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, or share you thoughts on my Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks for Reading!

-Melody