In an effort to keep my idle hands busy, I've decided to start working on making my nails look nice. I have never really fussed over my fingernails. I will paint my toenails, but that's about as crazy as I get. I am a fine artist, in addition to being a make-up artist, and I am very tough on my hands. Usually when I put polish on, it's wrecked in a day anyway. I get hangnails that I mutilate in an attempt to get rid of. Cuticles...don't even get me started.
Anyway, I recently signed up for the Maven program from
Julep. They had a sale where the first month was only a penny! AND that included shipping. This was obviously a great opportunity to try their wares. They have you fill out a little style survey then let you know what colors they think would work best for you. It's a little silly in my opinion, especially since they give you the option to select a different mix of products every month anyway. But I completed the survey and was pleased to find that I'm an "It Girl", was there ever any doubt that I was anything but??
What I liked about being chosen as an It Girl was that the Maven goodie box for the month featured 3 nail colors and a top coat. Most other boxes have a couple of nail colors and some other hand product like a lotion or a scrub. While I should probably use products like those, I like colors...so I gravitate towards the fun stuff first! The colors selected in my goodie box were: Megan (a nice metallic, mid-shade turquoise), Hayden (described as a "neon peach", more to follow on that) and Leah (a lovely, bright grass green with slight shimmer). The fourth polish was their fast-dry top coat.
I sat down this morning and decided it was time to swatch. First I applied Hayden and my initial thought of the color was confirmed: it's the color of a slice of American cheese. I suppose I thought it would have a little more pink/red in it. Not a lot, mind you, just a smidge. The first coat was streaked. The second coat was even more disconcerting because it created a thick layer with indentations from the brush strokes in it. And it STILL didn't create an even color. It took about three and a half coats to get a fairly even color, but it's still not 100% and the thickness makes it difficult to work with.
Next, I gave Leah a spin. I really like that it is a fresh, bright green. Again, it took about three and a half coats to get a somewhat even color. The first coat was nice and thin, but upon laying down another coat this polish also seemed to get thick and hard to work with. Three coats was almost the charm, but there was still a streak, caused by the brushstroke, right down the middle of the nail. That's where the half streak came in. The only other thing that I found disappointing was that the pretty shimmer didn't really show up once the nail was painted. It's SO subtle, the color looks like a cream.
Last but not least, there's Megan. I thought this one would be a "gimme." The first couple of layers went down nicely, thin and easy to layer. I was still having streaks though. I'm sad to report that I can't remember how many layers and touch ups it took to get a nice, even color with this one.
I followed up with their fast-drying top coat. Sadly, the layers were so thick, there was no way this topcoat was going to dry anything, much less, in a quick fashion. It gives a nice shine, smoothed out some of the imperfections. But I'm used to Seche Vite, so I guess I'm spoiled. I just don't see myself using this top coat.
All in all, I am not really a fan of these monthly subscriptions. There are so many nowadays. Some send a mix of samples and full-sized products and some let you have a little choice, like the Julep program. And one thing I can say for Julep is they are very flexible in order to keep your business. If you want to skip a month, you can. If you want to send you're monthly goodie box to a friend to hold onto while you're on vacation, you can. But for me, the bottom line is that if I'm going to spend my hard-earned money, then I want it to be on something I want 100%, not a surprise.
The sales Julep has offered on the Maven program have been good ones. It regularly retails for $19.99 a month. Not bad when you consider that their nail polishes are $14 each. Obviously the sales they have are to get you in the door and committed to the $20 a month. But I couldn't refuse the offer for a penny. Sadly, I do not see myself purchasing another Maven box. I simply do not like the formulas of the nail polish and even $20 a month for two of them and another product is not enough to entice me to continue.
