Julep Maven: April 2013 Classic with a Twist (Avery, Jackie) Swatches

I Bought This

I veered away from It Girl this month because I only liked 2 out of 3 of the colors.  Instead, I opted for Classic with a Twist, because I liked both colors and I wanted to try the cuticle serum.  And then I added on the 2 colors from It Girl that I did like, haha.  I'm quite happy with these colors because I don't really have brights and these will be great for the summer season. 

Classic with a Twist came with 2 polishes and the Nail and Cuticle Serum, plus a rock candy lollipop as an extra little something.  The 2 polishes in my box are Avery and Jackie, both cremes and both seem perfect for the upcoming summer!

Click for swatches.

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!

Squarehue April 2013: Bloom Collection Swatches

I Bought This

SquareHue is a nail polish subscription box, like Julep Maven, except everyone gets the same colors and the colors are limited edition.  They are exclusive to that month and you can't get those colors any other way except through that box.  The box is $21 per month and a portion of your subscription is donated through their HueGive program, which is currently focusing on human trafficking.  The donations go towards prevention awareness, protection of trafficked victims, and prosecution of human traffickers.

After seeing all the great March SquareHue boxes, I was really tempted to sign up...so I did.  So I have swatches of my first ever SquareHue box today!  When I saw the theme of this month's SquareHue box, I was expecting at least 1 pink polish, so it was quite surprising to find none when I opened the box.  Nevertheless, these colors are still very Spring-y!

Click for swatches. :)

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!

#nailartmar

I Bought This 

At the beginning of March, I decided to participate in a nail art challenge that was hosted by @californails on Instagram. I thought I'd share them here, so they can be all in one place!  And so I can tell you a little bit about how I created them.

This is a little bit image heavy, so I'm going to use a jump.  Click to see the nail art! :)

Complying with New FTC Guidelines

Unfortunately, I've been lacking in beauty posts this week because I wanted to sit down and read the new FTC Guidelines to make sure I comply and don't get in trouble down the line.  And I haven't had time until now!

I found some helpful links through Liquid Jelly that made the new guidelines easier to understand.  Basically, the FTC wants bloggers to clearly disclose how they obtained the product that's in the post.  To do this, a lot of bloggers seem to be using buttons at the top of their posts, and I think that is one of the best ways...so I'm going to do that too.

I Bought This Pretty self explanatory.  Spent my own money to buy the products shown in the post.

Press Sample Products in the post were sent for consideration, but any opinions stated are mine and 100% honest.

Sponsored I think this one is pretty self explanatory too.  If a company sponsors a post, this will be at the top.  I haven't done any of these, but if it ever happens...I'm prepared, lol.

Affiliate Link I don't have any of these either, but I thought I'd add it in just in case I ever use some in the future.  If this button is present, then the post contains advertorial links and if a purchase is made through that link, I will receive a small percentage or amount from the total of that purchase.  Also, I will label these links with "(ad)" next to it in the post text.

Referral Link I thought I'd add this, even though I don't usually post referral links in a post unless it's a new one.  If you sign up through this link, I gain something (different depending on the company).  All of my referral links are in my sidebar, clearly labeled as referral links.

I got button ideas from Liquid Jelly and Phyrra.  I learned how to make these text buttons from 15 Minute Beauty.

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. :)