Julep Maven: September Sneak Peek Box!

Happy Monday!  How was everyone's weekend?  I had an awesome weekend, filled with both unpacking the new apartment and lots of movies and girl time!  My friends and I saw Contagion on Friday, and then a sneak preview of I Don't Know How She Does It, starring the always beautiful and fashionable SJP.  Contagion left me unsatisfied - it has so much unused potential to be great! - but IDKHSDI was totally fun with a great cast.  Definitely see it next weekend when it releases nationwide!

So it's September, which means I received an all new Julep Maven Sneak Peek Box!  As you may recall, I took the Julep Maven quiz and my sneak peek box is Classic With A Twist.  This month, the sneak peek box included the Julep Everyday Hand Cream with SPF 30, Julep Essential Cuticle Oil, and Julep nail color in Toni.  Last week I mentioned that I prefer cuticle balms over cuticle oil, and since I already had a Julep Essential Cuticle Oil from a previous purchase, I decided to use the shelf pull option and get something else instead of the Essential Cuticle Oil.  What did I receive instead?  Julep nail color in Ellen.

Here's a look at everything in the Classic With A Twist Sneak Peek Box!

Another bottle shot of Ellen and Toni:

I am okay with everything that was in this month's box.  Nothing really knocked my socks off, but still good nonetheless.  This morning I decided to try on Julep Toni.  Toni is a purple-tinted taupe creme.  The formula could definitely benefit from  few drops of nail lacquer thinner - it was soooo thick!  This is 2 coats of Toni:

Julep Toni, in direct sunlight

Julep Toni, in shade

I went through my stash to see if I had any similar colors to compare to Toni.  I came up with 2 polishes that seemed to be very close in color:  Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Commander In Chic, and China Glaze Below Deck.  Commander In Chic is missing the purple hue, and stands on its own as a true taupe.  Below Deck was very close to Toni, but Toni seems to be a warmer version, while Below Deck is noticeably cooler.   Most polish lovers probably don't need both.

L-to-R: SH CSM Commander in Chic; Julep Toni; CG Below Deck

For some reason, I just love mushroom taupe colors like these so much in the bottle, but I feel like they do nothing for me on my nail.  [Note to self: stop buying polish in this color!]  Yes, they're fantastic and work appropriate, but I luckily have a job where my coworkers like my eccentric nail polish, so I don't have to play it safe.  Given the issues with the thicker formula, Julep Toni is likely going to find herself in my share/stash drawer.

Julep Toni is available online at julep.com.  It retails for $14 for a 0.27fl oz bottle.  If you haven't already, go and check out the Julep Maven program - it's such a great deal for only $19.99/month!

Dupe It Out: CG Channelsque vs. CG Below Deck

Welcome to the first Battle of the Dupes at Polish & Tonic! I love comparing polishes to make sure I have a well-rounded color collection, and not just a bunch of dupes. For this first battle, I heard rumors around the interwebz that Below Deck from the China Glaze Anchors Away spring 2011 collection may be a dupe for a past discontinued favorite, China Glaze Channelesque. I heard yea/nay all over the place, so decided to battle it out for myself.

This was also my first time working with China Glaze polish. I am a self-proclaimed OPI addict - it's all I've ever worn (until last night), with the exception of this one time in 2004 when I tried Essie's Ballet Slippers. Really. Ballet Slippers is the first time I can ever remember noticing salon polishes (and their fun names!), and while I didn't love Essie, I soon found OPI and have been in a committed relationship ever since. However, with blogging, I want to try out new stuff, and a recent trip to a nail supply store in LA had me picking up my first bottles of CG. Instant impression - I love the formula, as both polishes applied with ease, but the brush is so tiny! I guess I'm spoiled by the OPI pro wide brush, but I was not used to having to use so many strokes to apply polish as I had to with CG .

Anyway, on to the battle! Channelesque is on my pinky and middle fingers; Below Deck is on my ring and pointer fingers (and apologies in advance for not being my neatest mani ever - let this pic remind me why not to paint my nails at 11pm while also watching season 1 of Damages).

Below is the contrast in sunlight:

And here's another shot with natural indoor lighting:

Channelesque edges slightly more gray, while Below Deck moves slightly more purple.

Verdict: They're dupes
Color to Keep: CG Below Deck by technical decision

While Channelesque and Below Deck have the slightest difference in color, to the naked eye they're the same, and I see no reason to need to have both in one's collection. So with that, Below Deck wins based on 1) availability - Channelesque has been discontinued; and 2) The bolder, more purple coloring works in favor on my complexion, as the less washed out my color is, the better.

Below Deck is getting a little tricky to find these days as the Anchors Away collection released back in February, and I'm not sure if China Glaze automatically adds their newest colors to their regular collection. Either way, snatch it up while you can!


Which polish do you like better? Can you tell the difference between Channelesque and Below Deck? Or has my nail polish fetish gotten so out of control it's blinding me and making me see things that aren't there? Sound off in the comments below!