Julep Maven Box: June 2013 Modern Beauty

Hey guys!  I got my June Maven box in the mail today, so here it is.  I got Modern Beauty this month (two full size beauty products) since I wasn't too interested in the polish.  I was actually going to skip, but I was curious about their new DD creme and decided to try out their concealer as well.  There was also some saltwater taffy as a treat (yum). :)

I've tried both asian and western BB creams, but haven't tried any CC creams yet.  To be honest, I have no idea how they all differ anymore.  But Julep's DD creme is supposed to "moisturize, prime, perfect, and protect—both instantly and over time."  I got both the creme and concealer in Light since I'm warm-toned and light-medium in color.  Here's a quick swatch of the DD creme below.

As you can see, it's pretty orange right out of the tube.  It's also a bit dark for a "light" concealer.  It does become less orange once you blend it out, but it doesn't blend as easily as I'd like.  I think it looks fine on the face, but I'll have to see it in sunlight to be sure.  The consistency is thin, but heavier than BB cream.  It also feels slightly moisturizing, but I personally wouldn't skip moisturizer.

Some positives I've noticed so far is that it does a good job of minimizing pores, and it doesn't settle into fine lines.  A negative might be that it has a slight fragrance.  The tube is also only half full.  It's weird because when you squeeze it, you initially get air.  I had to tap mine once to get the creme to flow out.  Since this retails for $36 (Maven price $28.80) for 1 oz, I find it a bit too expensive.

So far my first impression of Julep's DD Creme is that it's okay, but not great by any means.  Obviously, I'll have to wear it for a full day to see how it holds up, but I don't see myself purchasing it.  There are BB creams that I like much better for half the price and twice the amount. :/

Next up is the DD concealer.  Like the DD creme, the tube is not full.  In fact, mine was practically empty.  The tube is pretty small to begin with (shown above), but I was also able to squeeze it all the way and not get any product.  To get the product out, I had to squeeze the entire tube - like how you get leftover toothpaste out.  I've received samples from Sephora with more product in it, so this was flat out disappointing.  Here's how it looked once I finally got it out.

Compared to the DD creme, the concealer is much thicker and more matte.  It also had some orange in it, but not as much as the DD creme.  I thought it did a good job of covering any redness, but I needed more to cover acne scars and dark spots.  The coverage was okay, but not stellar in my opinion.

The DD concealer retails for $32 (Maven price $25.60) for .11 oz.  Considering there's barely any product inside the tube, this one isn't worth the price in my opinion.  In fact, it's really overpriced.

Here's a quick price comparison between Julep's concealer and two other concealers from competitive brands.
AmazingCosmetics Amazing Concealer $42 (0.5oz) = $84/oz
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer $32 (0.5oz) = $64/oz
Julep DD Concealer $32 (0.11oz) = $145.45 (0.5oz) = $290.90/oz

Yikes!

Have you tried Julep's new DD creme or concealer?  Hopefully, people are having better luck with theirs than I am. :/


Liz