Julep Maven February 2013 Glamour Nail Wardrobe Review and Swatches

Hello lovelies, I am a bit behind on my blogging and have been even cutting some entry's from my to post list. I however could not pass up on blogging about the great box I got from Julep for the month of February. Since most subscription boxes and beauty boxes chose to focus on awards rather than valentines day, which is fair enough since beauty is based on fashion and fashion is often based on celebrities.

You are probably wondering why the box is so big. Well I've mad it my mission to purchase every upgrade that julep has for the entire year of 2013. This month was actually so amazing deal wise I would have upgraded anyway.

This month, mavens who chose to upgrade to the wardrobe box were treated to not only all the nail colors for the month, along with the Oxygen Nail Treatment and Freedom Top Coat, plus chocolate hearts, an eyelash curler, two extra nail colors (Oscar (gold glitter) and Ellie (creamy soft pink with a purple iridescent), but also a white lacquered white jewelry box. Talk about a deal! Pre-paid mavens paid $35 extra for this while month to month Mavens paid $55 which is a fantastic deal no matter how you put it. You of course could opt for the monthly box which included two- three nail colors plus the Freedom Top Coat and eyelash Curler. It girl was the only box to not have the Oxygen Nail Treatment.

I think the bonuses for this month (all boxes contained the above except it girl which lacked Oxygen Nail Treatment) where pretty good. While companies like Illamasqua have had Oxygen treatment nail polishes for a while its nice to  see a clearer one for those in between days where you still want clean looking nails but don't want to have actual polish on. The eyelash curler is pretty compact and good for your purse. The chocolate was plain milk chocolate and I can't complain.

The white lacquered jewelry box doubles as a nail polish holder with dividers that can be individually  adjusted. This was featured over the holidays as a stand alone item as well as featured as one of Oprah's favorite things. My guess is either julep wanted to treat the faithful mavens with this great deal or they had excess inventory they were hoping to move. Either way I liked that they filled the box with all the polishes from February along with two bonus shades. Each shade this month was given a Hollywood actress name from classic Hollywood to new starlets. While there was some disagreements over names and color choices on the message boards it's nice to see that julep included an insight to some colors on their information card this month. 

Color names, swatches, and thoughts

Oscar- full coverage gold glitter (Two coats to opaque)

Joan- Raspberry Plum with Rose Gold shimmer (The shimmer is only really noticeable in natural light)

Sally- antique ivory cream (creamy, full coverage in one coat, not too thick)

Claudette- smokey brick red cream (one of my unexpected favorites, creamy, darker on the nail)

Claudette, Sally, Joan, Oscar without flash

Claudette, Sally, Joan, Oscar, with flash. 

Helen- Smokey pastel lavender creme (perfect color for spring, opaque in two coats)
Marion- Smokey blue with silver shimmer (shimmer is most apparent in natural lights)
Laura- Olive khaki creme (color can appear different on nail depending on light, see swatch below)
Ingrid- Burnt orange creme (classic retro orange red, fits the starlet whom it is named after, two coats to opaque)

Ingrid, Laura, Marion, Helen without flash

Ingrid, Laura, Marion, Helen with flash

Julianne- Smokey grey blue creme
Rebel- Silver holographic
Ginger- Sand holographic
Ellie- Ivory pearl with purple iridescent.
(Mystery Holographic polish from Mystery box included in swatch)
Evangeline- Brick read holographic

Ellie, Evangeline, Ginger, Rebel, Julianne without flash

Ellie, Evangeline, Ginger, Rebel, Julianne with flash

The extras:
Julep Freedom Polymer Topcoat- Overall i had a positive experience with this polish. It allowed me to have smudge proof nails in under 5 minuets. It made my polish feel stronger on the nail and i did not see chipping as fast.
Julep Oxygen Nail Treatment- This pink tinted polish allows your nails to look chic while in between manicures. It allows oxygen to penetrate to keep your nails looking healthy. Hides any yellowing of the nails between manicures as well.

Note: While my box is not the typical maven monthly box since it is an upgrade, Julep does allow you to place add on's to your monthly box for $4.99, use Jules (which you earn every month just for receiving your maven box, or referring friends) to upgrade (3,000 Jules required). A typical monthly maven box contains 2-3 colors of nail polish and bonuses (usually a known and a surprise). Upgrading to a full wardrobe is an additional $30, but with each polish valued at $11.50 (maven price) or $15.00 (non maven price) it is a fantastic deal no matter how you look at it! You can sign up here!


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