June 2013 Julep Maven Box

I could have titled this post "The Accidental Julep Maven Box" as I actually meant to skip the month but somehow managed to forget...  Julep Maven's June box was titled "Sail into Summer" and featured a 'Nantucket Nostalgia Collection of preppy, playful color to have you daydreaming of beaches and boardwalks.'

Most of the Julep Maven styles for the month included two nail polishes and a new product, a "DD Crème" (a "Dynamic Do-all makeup"), basically Julep's attempt at the popular BB Cream.  This product was one of the main reasons I intended to skip the month's box.  I've learned over many, many month's of Julep Maven boxes that, while I tend to enjoy Julep polishes, I really haven't been impressed with most of their attempts at makeup, haircare, etc.

My concerns regarding the "DD Crème" were, unfortunately, justified.  The color of the actual product is much more orange toned than the swatches provided by Julep.  Additional, I'm not sure why I ended up with the Medium shade of the crème, but from what I can tell of the complaints of other Mavens, even the lightest shade was much too dark and orange.  Even aside from color, the consistency and coverage of the product is sorely lacking.  This really just another failed American BB Cream attempt (essentially a glorified tinted moisturizer with hardly any coverage).  This product seems to have disappointed the vast majority of Mavens and I hope Julep will take note in the future to stick to what they're good at (polish).

The DD Crème comes in four shades and retails for $36.00.

Along with the DD Crème, I also received two polishes in my Classic With a Twist box: Kennedy, a khaki crème, and Martha, a polo pink crème.  Had I mindfully chosen to order this month's Maven box, I probably would have chosen a different style profile to have received different shades as these two didn't really stand out to me.  Kennedy (the khaki) doesn't seem like a shade that will flatter a lot of skin tones (I didn't find it particularly pretty in the swatches Julep provided), and Martha (the pale pink) isn't a shade I'm usually attracted to.  After a quick swatch on my nails, the formula of these polishes seems quite nice (both apply fairly evenly and are fully opaque in two coats); yet, I'm just not crazy about the colors.

The polishes each retail for $14.00.

Value of the June "Classic With a Twist" Julep Maven box: $64.00

Overall, I'm definitely disappointed in this month's box (which I expected).  I'll certainly be more attentive from now on and make sure I remember to choose the "skip" option when I'm less than thrilled about the contents of the monthly box.