I chose this month to get wild and out with my Jules because August's Wanderlust collection of polishes just didn't appeal to me. Not that they weren't lovely, but none of them spoke to me. I was pretty excited about the new gel eye gliders, though, so I restocked on my Oxygen base coat and tried the black eyeliner for my box, then added presents.
Gel Eye Glider: I've been using the same black Wet N' Wild kohl eyeliner pencils since I was fourteen, and my eyeliner technique hasn't changed much either. A raccoon faced attempt at liquid liner scared me off of all other products, but this is one I think I'll be giving a chance. My current liner wears off and leaves me with smudgies by lunchtime, but it's pigmented, reliable, and I can usually get them 2 for $1. While the gel glider didn't maintain the crisp, unfaded lines I had secretly hoped for, my liner stayed intact with no smudgies. I wouldn't say the no dragging promise held up completely either, but my top lid actually looked lined rather than like I just filled in from the crease down. Julep suggests warming it on the back of your hand for smoother application...but that leaves a streak of no-budge liner on your hand! Mine is ever-so-slightly visible 8 hours later. If you're expecting the perfect 10 hour wear and zero dragging that Julep promises, you'll be disappointed. If you want an improvement on your current product in both areas, this one's worth a try.
Add On Polishes: Since I knew I wasn't getting any polishes and that just won't do, I added on Cameron and Blakely. Blakely has been in my wishlist just because it seems to be a quintessential love-it-or-hate-it Julep shade. My curiosity wouldn't let me say no to getting it basically free. Blakely is a molten chromey purple/green duochrome with a fairly defined shift. The green end is a forest green, while the purple end is rich and sort of royal plum. The green is the more dominant of the two- the only way I can describe it is sort of lizard industrial. I know...it's not easy to describe! I did find it to be kind of thick, and that made application difficult. It wasn't sticky, but it was uncooperative, and I had to redo several nails. Then I had chipping issues almost right away. I think I'm going to put a few drops of thinner in it to try to make this lovely polish better behaved.
Cameron was the big surprise. I'm not crazy about textured polish, but the Julep Stardust finish looked so pretty. After not hating Zoya's PixieDust finish, I decided to give this texture a shot. I expected to immediately smooth it out with topcoat, but I absolutely loved Cameron all by itself, too. Matte glitter sounds like an oxymoron, but it's actually very nice, subdued with sparkle, full coverage but super easy to work with, and subtle enough to wear as a full mani, and I suspect it's even opaque enough for nail art. Glitter swirls are within reach! I'm livin' the dream right now. The mattified finish and soft purple shade was an excellent pairup with the industrial feel of Blakely, so I used it as an accent nail and added a burnished silver stud on my middle finger to tie it all together.
Mystery Package: I was a little wary about the 2000 Jule mystery add on, but after receiving a polish from my wishlist as a mystery polish add on, I was feeling a little bolder, and I have to say I'm glad I did! In the package, I received Solace oil free sunscreen, Glycolic hand scrub, a glass nail file, and one polish, Lilou, . The sunscreen was on my 'I hope' list when I ordered the mystery add on, and I'd just told my partner how much I needed a glass file. The glycolic scrub is something I wouldn't have bought myself, but was more than happy to try, and it turned out to be a great get. It has a light floral smell that I liked, but not everyone will be crazy about it. My cuticles loved it, and I can't wait to try it as a foot scrub. It could also be used very carefully as a face scrub if you have hearty skin; it's too rough for sensitive skin. I haven't tried the sunscreen yet, but I did note that it lacks the heavy sunscreen smell, which is a huge plus. The jury is still out on Lilou. It was most definitely not on my I hope list. Yellows aren't my favorite, but Baby Love seemed enthralled with it, so I put it on her, and it didn't look bad at all. It was a bit thin, two coats was still a touch patchy, but this was with no base coat, no topcoat, and on a squirmy-by-nature ten year old, so I'll let you know what results a proper swatching produces.
Blank Canvas Eye Primer: Here's another product that the jury's out on. This was my gift for taking three add ons. I wasn't expecting a full size beauty product, so that was a pleasant surprise. I tried it today, and it feels nice and even looks pretty on its own, but I can't speak to it's power as a primer just yet. I wore it under a pinkish blush that I brush over my eyes for a gentle glow when I'm not wearing eyeshadow. It seems to be holding, but we'll see how it works with my actual shadows. It also may have potential as a concealer. Stay tuned...
So that's the end of my Julep product review grab bag. What do you think? Anything you're considering picking up?
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