October 2013 Julep Maven

Today I wanted to share my October Julep Maven products.  October's colors were themed "The Rebel Set, a collection to light up your dark side."  The colors from the collection were very festive for fall/Halloween.  Three of the Maven styles, including Classic With a Twist (the one I selected to receive), featured two polishes and a double ended Kajal Eye Glider & Sharpener.

The Kajal Eye Glider & Sharpener retails for $22.00/1.38 g.  "Two intensely pigmented colors--carbon black and brown shimmer--glide on smoothly and blend like a dream.  Bonus: the best sharpener we've ever used is included.  This richly hued pencil was formulated to mimic the texture of the Indian eye darker of the same name.  The smooth formula glides on effortlessly, without dragging across the fragile skin of the eye area.  Instantly delivers bold, clear, true color that easily blends and beautifies."

I like that the Kajal Eye Glider is dual sided (great for saving space in your makeup bag or for traveling) and the inclusion of the sharpener was a nice touch.  I also want to point out that the size of the sharpener is smaller than any I've owned previously which, again, is fantastic for saving space!

{Swatches of the Kajal Eye Glider in Carbon Black (left) and Brown Shimmer (right)}

Unfortunately my enthusiasm for the Kajal Eye Glider ended once I swatched the product.  Neither shade was particularly rich or pigmented (they actually appear quite a bit bolder in the swatch photo than they do in person).  They certainly don't impress me enough to make me want to reach for them over my other favorite eyeliners.  Additional, these never set on the eye and smudge like crazy, even if set with a powder.  I'd reserve these for smudging along the lash line and not much else.

At this point I've received so many pencil eyeliners in various beauty boxes and nothing ever compares to the Milani Liquid Eye or NYX Slide On Pencils in pigmentation and longevity.  I pretty much roll my eyes any time I receive yet another brown or black pencil eyeliner.  Unfortunately the Julep Kajal Eye Glider is a product I would pass on.

The two polishes I received in my October Classic With a Twist box were Anisa, a deep burgundy creme, and Winona, a buff beige creme.  Julep polishes retail for $14.00.  I actually hesitated on whether or not to purchase the October Maven box.  Most of the styles profiles had at least one shade that I didn't love.  While both Winona and Anisa were beautiful, they also looked like shades I could potentially already have in my collection...

{Swatches of Anisa and Winona, two coats}

Both shades applied opaque in two coats and dried with a beautifully glossy finish.  The formula on Winona was a little thick, but manageable.

Unfortunately my concern about having similar colors in my collection was founded.  I immediately pulled out the Julep polish Sophie from September 2012's Trina Turk inspired Julep Maven collection and compared it to Winona.  These two polishes are VERY similar.  Sophie (left above) is a touch more purple while Winona (right) is a little more khaki/green.

Then, out of curiosity, I looked through my Julep polishes and pulled out Demi (left above), a shade I received in my December 2011 Julep Maven box, which again is very similar to Anisa (right).

{Swatches left to right: Demi, Anisa, Winona, Sophie}

Julep releases quite a few polishes for their Maven boxes that are limited edition.  They don't seem to hesitate to create shades that are very similar to previous ones.  I've been a Maven since the program launch in 2011, since then I've collected quite a few Julep polishes that are extremely similar.  Fortunately the program is incredible customizable.  You do have the option to view your picks each month, choose a different style that month, or skip altogether.  I think I'll be a tad bit more selective in the future to make sure I only opt in when the polishes are really unique and will round out my collection.  That said, both the shades I received in my October 2013 Julep Maven box are beautiful and just my taste and I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of them.

For October I also chose to "add-on" an additional polish for the discounted price of $4.99.  I picked Beatrix, a coal black with multidimensional glitter.

{Beatrix, two coats}

I thought Beatrix was a unique and pretty glitter.  The larger chunks are flat black and metallic gold and there are smaller pieces that are flat black and more that are a holographic gold.  I think this glitter could compliment a number of polishes beautifully, so I couldn't resist picking it up at the discounted Maven "add-on" price.

The Julep Maven boxes retail for $29.99/month and are guaranteed to include at least $40 in product.  The retail value of my October 2013 Julep Maven box was $50.00 (not including the "add-on").

If you're interested in signing up for Julep Maven, you can get your first box free by entering the code "FREEBOX" during checkout (just pay shipping).  You are free to cancel at anytime, but my favorite aspect about the Maven program is that each month you are able to preview your box and you may choose to skip any given month to avoid paying for that month's box if you'd like to pass for anyone reason.