First Impressions: Influenster Sunkissed VoxBox (2013)

Press Sample 

I was so excited to receive my Influenster Sunkissed VoxBox last week! If you're not sure what Influenster is, check out my previous post about it.  :) I hadn't received a VoxBox in a while, so I was happy to find out I was picked for this one, especially because it seemed like we would be testing a BB cream. And we are!

So this box came with:

1. Olay Fresh Effects {BB Cream!} Skin Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 in Fair to Light - $12.99
2. Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles - $10.99
3. SinfulShine with Gel Tech in Sailor's Delight - $2.99
4. Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics - $3.99-$4.99

I'm very excited to try everything out, especially the BB Cream!  The only thing is, I got it in Fair to Light and I'm worried it might be too light.  I would have preferred the Light to Medium version, but oh well, still excited to try it.  I have tried Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles for closed toe shoes before, and I really liked them.  The ones I got in this box are for open toed heels or sandals, and I think I really like these too.  SinfulShine is a new product by Sinful Colors that I've also been wanting to try!  I hadn't bought any because I was trying to curb my spending on polish (not so successful xD), so I'm really glad I got one in this box.  I'm not sure why this pink color would be a Sailor's Delight (who names these?), but I like the color!  And last, but not least, Ribbon Elastics!  These have become really popular within the past few months.  I've started seeing them all over the interwebs.  I remember getting something like this in one or two of my Birchbox boxes a while ago.  Those didn't hold my hair well, so I don't have high hopes for these when it comes to holding a ponytail. I think they'll make cute bracelets, though.  We'll see~

Stay tuned for more in-depth reviews of these products!

SWATCH: Zoya - Blu

I Bought This 

Third time's the charm!  The first time I tried to swatch this, the pictures came out tinted green. >.<;  The second time, fuzzies (from I don't know where) seemed to be get stuck in the polish on my fingers while I was applying top coat.  That was frustrating, but it finally looks like it's going to work out!

I received Zoya Blu in my May ipsy bag and was really happy because it was one of the colors I've wanted since the Lovely collection was released.

I feel like I've had a big influx of light blues like this to my polish collection lately, but that doesn't stop this from being a pretty color.  Even though it's not that unique of a color, I still like it.  Application was okay.  I had a bit of a problem with streaking and the polish did not self-level, but I fixed that with a coat of Seche Vite (my mani saver!).  I used 2 coats of polish and 1 coat of polish for the swatch.

 

May 2013 Ipsy Bag

I Bought This 

It's Ipsy time!  May's theme is Spring Fling.  The bag's print doesn't really scream "Spring Fling" to me...seems more of a summer kind of design, but whatevs.  It's still a nice design.  Love the colors together!

My bag came with 6 items this month: 5 regular products and 1 bonus product from Urban Decay!  I got the Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter, Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Roll-On Perfume, Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink, Zoya Nail Polish in Blu, Yaby Concealer refill in Buff, and Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic.  I think this was another great bag!  Ipsy is constantly stepping it up, and I'm happy to be subscribed with them.  I was especially excited to see a full-size Zoya polish in my bag!  And it was a color I'd been wanting!  

As with last month, not all bags were the same.  In fact, this month there seems to be more of a variety in products and colors.  This seems to be ipsy's attempt at personalizing subscribers' bags with their ipsyMatch.  The other products included: Anastasia Mini Clear Brow Gel, Pacifica Bronzing Body Butter, Macadamia Hair Healing Oil Treatment, Nume Finishing Serum, Mirabella Finishing Sheers Lipstick, St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion, Mirabella Perfecting Powder, Mirabella Shimmerati Glimmer Gloss, and Mirabella Lip Lustre Liner.  Also, there were different colors for the polishes (from the Lovely collection) and a different scent for the perfume.  Although I'm quite happy with what I got in my bag, I would have loved to have received the Macadamia Hair Healing Oil Treatment.  I have been wanting to try that brand for a while now, but it's quite pricey in my books...so I've been putting it off for another time.  Oh well~ no biggie. 

For swatches of the lip gloss and eyeshadow, click through. :)

SquareHue May 2013: Madonna Collection Swatches

I Bought This 

Sorry about the delay!  I'm still getting used to the camera I'm borrowing.  I meant to get this post up around the time I received my SquareHue box, but the first swatch photos I took with the new camera came out crappy.  So I'm adjusting and playing with some settings, and I'm hoping the photos come out alright from now on!

Today I have swatches of May's SquareHue box.  Now I know why there wasn't any pink in the Bloom Collection...they were saving it for this month!  The Madonna Collection consists of 3 different shades of pink with 3 different finishes.

Okay, I'm not sure if this month's polishes really have names or not.  As you can see, the first line of each polish spells out Happy Mother's Day!  But they also have a second word that I thought was the finish of the polish, because it matched.  But maybe it's part of the name?  So they would be: Happy creme, Mother's pearl, and Day glow...?

First up is Happy [creme], which is a Barbie pink creme.  It reminds me of OPI Pink Friday, and I may do a comparison post later.  The formula on this one was a bit thick and application was a bit streaky.  I used 3 coats of polish and 1 coat of Seche Vite for the swatches below.

Mother's [pearl] is a pretty color, but it's my least favorite this month, mostly due to the fact that it's a pearl/frost.  I am not a fan of polishes with this type of finish because they usually end up a brushstroke-y mess.  This one was not too bad, but there were definitely visible brushstrokes.  I tried to use Seche Vite to smooth it out and cover up the brushstokes, and that kind of worked.  But still doesn't look great to me.  Other than that, the formula was not bad and I used 2 coats of polish and 1 coat of Seche Vite for the swatches below.

Last, but not least, is Day [glow], a raspberry crelly with a waxy finish.  I think the "glow" is because this a bit bright and would be great for summer!  This is my favorite of the three!  The formula was great and it was a dream to apply!  I applied two coats for the swatches below, no top coat.

This was my second box from SquareHue, and I'm still testing out the waters.  I haven't completely liked either of the boxes I received, so I'm still on the fence about keeping this subscription...especially since you don't know what you're getting until you get it.  Can't wait for June's box!

 

April 2013 Ipsy Bag

I Bought This

Sorry for not posting all this week!  My dog started to act unlike herself on Saturday, so we took her to the vet and I've been nursing her back to health.  It took a few days, but she's back to her old self now! :)

So today I have my April Ipsy bag!  It's been a while since I posted one of these...I should really try to be more consistent with my Ipsy bag posts considering they come every month, haha.

This bag's theme was Pretty in Pink.  It came in a white bag with a hot pink zipper.  Honestly, I'm not a fan of the bag.  I just know it's going to get filthy if I use it, so I'm probably going to end up not using it at all.  I think they should gone with a pink bag, since the theme is Pretty in Pink!

So this bag came with a long awaited product!  I always see requests for this product whenever I stop by the Ipsy Facebook page.  And that product is...

...BLUSH!  Personally, I didn't mind either way that there wasn't any blush yet.  However, I really didn't want to get another eyeliner, so I'm glad there wasn't one in this bag.  I feel like a lot of the previous bags had eyeliner, and you can only use so many at one time.  I don't like having a lot because eyeliner dries up.  Eyeshadow, on the other hand, lasts longer, so I don't mind getting one or two in each bag.

Anyway, this bag came with 4 items: Sation nail polish in Love at First Byte, Mica Beauty shimmer powder in Earth, Big Sexy Hair Powder Play, and the long awaited blush by Bombshell Cosmetics (in Sweet Cheeks).  Not all bags were the same this month, as some people got an eyeshadow duo by Two Cosmetics instead of the Mica Beauty one and some received Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal instead of the Powder Play.  I kind of wanted to try the Soy Renewal, but I don't mind getting Powder Play. I can always use more volume in my hair!  Also, the nail polish and blush came in two different colors.  The other nail polish color was in Of Corset I'll Call You and the other blush was in Beach Please.

At first glance, the blush I got in Sweet Cheeks looked like it would be a nice, wearable almost matte pink, with maybe a slight sheen or shimmer.

But when swatched, it's a different story:

It has quite a strong sheen, making it come off as shiny when swatched.  It's actually quite a bit more shiny than what the picture is showing.  But it is a nice shade of pink, so I will still give it a try on my cheeks and see how it looks.  Hopefully it will look alright and be usable as a nice blush. :)

The Mica Beauty shimmer powder in Earth seemed like it might make a good all over lid color, but then I swatched it:

As you can see, the color is barely darker than my skin.  It's also quite sparkly, so I probably won't be wearing this all over the lid now.  I think this would be good to pop on the middle of the lid though, for a bit of dimension.  This was swatched without primer, so maybe it will be more wearable with primer.

All in all, a pretty good bag.  I'm looking forward to trying the products.  I already had the polish that came in my bag, as well as the other polish, because I bought the Sation Miss Antoinette collection a few weeks ago.  It's in my "to swatch" pile, and I'm hoping to get it up within the next week or two since it is a Spring collection!  Keep an eye out for that! ;)

Wishlist Wednesday (05)

Dun da dun!  Time for another Wishlist Wednesday!  I haven't done one of these in a while, but things have been piling up on my wishlist, so I thought I'd share a few.

source

I have wanted these perfumes since seeing MissChievous's I ♥ Spring tag video.  She had a set that I'm guessing is a press sample, because these have not been released yet.  I haven't been able to find out much information on these, but it seems like these are supposed to come out this month.  I hope they do release a set like the one Julia has because I'm interested in all 4 of these scents!  

I've been really into fragrances lately, and another one I've really been lemming is this one by Marchesa.  I think the bottle is just so chic and elegant, and it smells amazing!

I haven't been able to find the China Glaze Avant Garden collection yet!  I haven't seen it at the Ulta or Sally Beauty around me.  I wonder if they've already sold out.  :(  There were 3 colors I really wanted: Keep Calm, Paint On, Fancy Pants, and Dandy Lyin'.  I hope I can find them soon!

I've been seeing Barry M Gelly nail paint in Lychee on several different blogs, and have wanted it ever since. It looks like the perfect nude polish and I love the high-shine finish of the Gelly line.  I wish this had been available while I was in London in January, but I guess it's a new release as part of the Spring colors...?  I hope to get it somehow.  And that leads to my next lemming...

I really want a nail mail buddy!  I know it's a bit harder to mail international, but I'd prefer an international buddy because we'd be able to send polishes not available in our own country (for instance, Barry M ;P).  If you're interested in being my nail mail buddy, leave a comment below or email me at fairytalecharmblog [at] gmail [dot] com.  This will be my first time doing nail mail, and I'm quite excited!

SWATCH: L.A. Girl 3D Holographic - Purple Effect

I Bought This

So here's swatches of the other L.A. Girl Holo that I got!  Finally!

SWATCH: Julep - Joy

Just a short little post about my add-on from my March Julep Maven box today!  This is Joy, a dusty mauve creme polish, and she was part of the Boho Glam box for March.  I loved this color after seeing Julep's swatches, but didn't love the other color in Boho Glam, so I passed on that box.  But I couldn't pass on Joy, so here she is!

  

in the shade & in the sun

And with a matte top coat on middle and pinky fingers:

  

in the shade & in the sun

I used 2 coats of polish for the swatches above.  I also used a glossy top coat for the first two pictures.  This one applied really well with no streaks!  I'm very happy with it, and it will be a great work-safe addition to my collection. :)

SWATCH: L.A. Girl 3D Holographic - Brilliant Blue

Did anyone else know L.A. Girl has a holographic nail polish collection?!  I haven't heard anything about this, but I spotted the display at Rite Aid when I was there earlier this week and it was still pretty full.  I was pretty excited and bought two of the colors!

There are 8 colors all together, and here are some bottle shots of all of them:

 

3D Silver & Electric Coral

 

Teal Dimension & Purple Effect

 

Dazzling Pink & Brilliant Blue

 

Sparkle Ruby & Black Illusion

I pretty much wanted all of the polishes, but limited myself to two: Brilliant Blue and Purple Effect.  Today, I have swatches of Brilliant Blue for you!

Click through for swatches.

Julep Maven: March 2013 It Girl (Shenae, Simone, Teri) Swatches

I finally received my Julep box for March!  It was delayed due to an error in their system, according to an email Julep sent me on March 8th.  I was quite annoyed because they waited so long to let me know, all the while I was waiting and thinking it got lost.  Anyway, I'm glad they fixed it and that the box finally got here!

I almost skipped this one, but in the end, my love of pastels overcame my willpower.  Julep also advertised this collection with a matte top coat, saying that it made the polishes look like sidewalk chalk from our childhood.  I really liked the look of it with the matte top coat, so that was another point in favor of getting it, haha. 

Click through for hand swatches.

SWATCH: Sinful Colors - Orange Cream

Sorry it took me so long after my last Sinful Colors post to get this swatch up!  But here is Sinful Colors' Orange Cream!

Orange Cream is a peach crelly (creme+jelly) with a very, very, very subtly shimmer.  It's not even noticeable on the nail and is only noticeable in the bottle if you look very close.  This was a dream to apply!  The formula was very smooth and it only took two coats to reach the opacity in my swatches. Doesn't it look so squishy?  I love it!  This is my favorite from the Sugar Rush collection, so far, and will definitely be a go-to color for the summer.

Click through for the swatches.

SWATCH: Sinful Colors - Sugar Rush and Candy Coated

I stopped by Walgreens on Saturday hoping to find the Sinful Colors Sugar Rush collection because I love pastels and they would be great for Spring!  Also, I wanted to take advantage of the $1 off coupon since it was the last day.

When I got there, I didn't see the display and thought I was out of luck.  But good thing I looked in the regular display!  I don't know about your Walgreens, but the Sinful Colors display at my Walgreens always seems to be in disarray.  Anyway, I picked up 3 from the collection, and I have 2 to show you today!

Click through to see the swatches!

Julep Maven: February 2013 It Girl (Joan, Marion, Rebel) Swatches

The amount of photos I have from London/Paris is quite intimidating, so I haven't taken the time to sort through them just yet.  While I'm procrastinating on that, I thought I'd share with you my February Julep Maven box.  This came while I was away, so it was nice surprise when I got home.

I actually debated getting the full collection this month because I liked quite a few of the colors AND there were several holographic polishes.  Also, I kind of wanted to try that Oxygen base coat thing.  But in the end, I decided on the It Girl box because it had the color I really wanted (Joan) and the holographic color that I really wanted (Rebel), and also because an upgrade wasn't quite in the budget for me.

(Side note: my profile is supposed to be Boho Glam, but I can't even remember the last time I got that one. I'm really glad they let you choose which box you want, and also that they let you skip.)

Anyway, on to the pictures!

All the February boxes came with the Freedom top coat which is supposed to be like a gel top coat without all the hassle.  I think all the boxes also came with an eyelash curler (in the pouch) and some chocolate (hidden under the eyelash curler, lol).

I think these Swatch Me stickers are quite handy, but you can't really tell from the swatch that Rebel is holographic.  You can't really see the pretty gold flecks in Joan either...But I still like the idea of these stickers. :)

And this time around, I actually had time to swatch all of the colors.  I feel so proud that I'm really working on swatching more now.

First up is Rebel.  I had a hard time photographing this one.  It's a silver holographic polish, but I find the holo-ness to be quite subtle compared to other holo polishes I've seen.  Still very pretty though!

Click through for more swatches of Rebel, plus swatches of Joan and Marion!