Just wanted to say...

And yes, I wrote that with a sharpie. :P  It says "Happy Easter" in case you can't read it.  Not my best nail art job, but I hope you still like it!

Hope you all have an enjoyable Sunday. :)


Liz

Nail Mail: Julep Maven April 2013 + Nfu Oh Haul

Hey all!  I got my Julep Maven box and some Nfu Ohs in the mail today!  Up first is my Maven box: Modern Beauty.  I liked the colors this month, but opted for the all product box instead.

The two products I got in my box are Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum and Invisible Dry Shampoo.  I'm excited to try out both!  I love their other cuticle oil, so I have good feelings about this one.

And now the Nfu Ohs!

This past Monday, I got an email from FabulouStreet that Nfu Oh will be discontinuing their Opal Glitter Series line (aka the flakies).  You can read more about it here, but a new series will replace these colors.  As of yet, we don't know if Nfu Oh will keep any of the current colors from this line.  When I read this, I kind of went crazy...

 But I managed to calm myself down and only buy the ones I really wanted. ^^

The ones I got are (from left to right): 51, 52, and 56.  I've been eying these for forever, so I'm glad they're finally mine.  So sad Nfu Oh is discontinuing these.  Hopefully the new line will be something just as awesome. ^^

You can still grab Nfu Oh flakies at FabulouStreet for $11.50.  I'm not sure what's left, but I think they still have a lot of the polishes.  You can check out what they have and will restock one last time (here).

Hope you enjoyed this post! :)


Liz

Keep Calm or Make a Spectacle?

In the spirit of spring, I decided to wear this simple layering combo: China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On (mint) and China Glaze Make A Spectacle (glitter).  I know I have a million mint polishes, but I couldn't resist.  How cute is that name?  I'm wearing 3 coats of KCPO and 1 coat of MAS here. :)

What color do you like to wear for spring?


Liz

Current Affairs v.03

Finally, a Current Affairs post!  It took me a while to finish Catch-22 and then I didn't get around to picking up another book until now. -_-

Book: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Nails: China Glaze Riveting

Music: Clarity - Zedd ft Foxes

Anyway, can't believe I didn't read this earlier.  I remember my friend reading it in high school and being interested in it.  I love dystopian novels and this one was so good.  It's pretty short, so I devoured it from cover to cover, including the afterword and coda.  Ray Bradbury is so interesting!  I will have to look into his other works now.

Light box swatches of Riveting.

What should I read next?  I'm still waiting for Looking For Alaska by John Green to free up at the library.  Oh, and are you familiar with Zedd?  Lately, my sister's been trying to convince me to go to an electronic music festival with her.  I'm not really into electronic music, but I do like the song I linked above.

Well, that's all I have to say today! :)


Liz

Another Boring Blog Related Blog Post: New FTC Guidelines

Hi everyone!

If you haven't heard by now, FTC has updated their guidelines for blogs.  I'm not going to explain the changes in depth here, since a lot of blogs already have.  Basically, FTC wants us to blare all disclosures at the top of our blog posts, tweets, fb posts, etc.  I'm definitely not against disclosing.  I think it's essential for a trusting blogger-reader relationship.  I just don't like that it will make my blog look clunky and ugly.  But since FTC insists...

I will now disclose at the top of my posts using the following disclosure buttons.  All buttons will be linked to my disclosure page for more information.

Press Sample  Items were provided to me for consideration.  All opinions are mine and 100% honest.

Affiliate Links  The post contains advertorial links.  When you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I receive a small percentage or amount from the purchase total.  Affiliate links will also be labelled in text with the words "(ad)" next to it as well.

I Bought This  As stated, I purchased the products shown in the post with my own money.

Sponsored  Indicates that the post is an advertorial or sponsored post.  In other words, I have been paid to do the post.  I haven't done any posts like this before, but if I do, this button will be shown.

If a post shows both Press Sample and I Bought This, it means the post contains both provided and purchased products.


Many thanks to the following blogs, which I found very informative:
Beauty & Fashion Tech: For easy to understand details on the new FTC guidelines (here).  For information on how to make disclosure buttons on Wordpress (here).
Phyrra: For button ideas/ ideas on effective disclosures (here).
15 Minute Beauty Fanatic: For information on how to make disclosure buttons on Blogger (here).
Did My Nails: Clarifications on the FTC Disclosures (here).


What do you think about the new FTC regulations?  Also, please answer this question for me! Should disclosures be included in a post every time you use a provided product?  I feel like this is a grey area and I've always wondered what the right answer is.  For example, if you use a provided product in a post (such as a nail art post), but don't review or endorse the item outright, is it necessary to disclose?  This is for the posts where I may use a press sample for nail art, but I don't say anything else about the polish other than that I used it.  Help on this would be appreciated! :)

Liz

---Update 3/27---
If anyone's wondering about the answer to my question, Elizabeth from Did My Nails sent me a lot of helpful information!  Here's what she wrote:

Looking at the FTC website, I found a clearly worded Q and A page about their blogger guidelines here: http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus71-ftcs-revised-endorsement-guideswhat-people-are-asking

Given the question you asked in your post, I specifically thought you'd find this part interesting, where they talk about future mentions of a product you were previously sent for review... (quoting)

Several months ago a manufacturer sent me a free product and asked me to write about it in my blog. I tried the product, liked it, and wrote a favorable review. When I posted the review, I disclosed that I got the product for free from the manufacturer. I still use the product. Do I have to disclose that I got the product for free every time I mention it in my blog?

It probably depends on how much you say about it. A casual remark like “I use X brand food processor” may not raise an issue under the Guides, but each new positive endorsement made without a disclosure could be deceptive.

It sounds to me like they're saying that if you use a "provided" polish in nail art, like you mentioned, it's not necessary to include disclosures unless you specifically say something like, "And I used China Glooze Huckleberry Hives for the flowers because it's the prettiest colour ever, and the consistency is great for dotting!" or whatever. ^_-

Hope you guys find this as helpful as I did!  I think Elizabeth is going to post some more on the FTC guidelines on her own blog, so I'll definitely link those posts here when they go up.  Many thanks to Elizabeth again for all the help!  And if you don't already follow her blog, you should, because she's kind of really awesome. :)

Liz

Essie Nail Care Line Follow Up

Press Sample

Hi guys!  As promised, here's my follow up on these three Essie products after having used them exclusively for 1.5 months.  For my first impression and in depth product description, visit my previous post found here.


Apricot Cuticle Oil:  I've used this consistently on nearly an every day basis.  Usually before and after a mani, or whenever my cuticles looked like they could use some love.  Because it absorbs quickly, I was able to use it between swatching sessions as well.  When I started out, my cuticles were a bit dry but now they are in good condition.  This may also be due to regular use.  I generally kept it around me so that I remembered to use it. 

*Helps dry cuticles?  Yes, with consistent use.
*Maintains cuticles?  Yes.  Again with consistent use.


Millionails Treatment:  This was my only base coat for 1.5 months.  I even wore it on its own over bare nails and during swatching sessions.  Basically, it's supposed to strengthen your nails and resist peeling.  Lately I've been having problems with my pointer and middle nails peeling where the corners curve.  After using this, I'm happy to say my nails have stopped peeling!  Peeling up to this point had been inevitable on my left pointer nail once it got long.  Right now my nails are pretty long and not even a sign of peeling.  So happy!  This will be joining my regular nail care routine. :)

*Resists peeling?  Yes!
*Resists splitting?  Yes.


Fill The Gap Treatment:  I don't have any major ridges in my nails, so I've been using this as another base coat over the Millionails Treatment.  I mainly used it only when using very pigmented colors to prevent staining and under creme polishes for extra smoothness. x)  It's nice, but I don't think it's essential to my nail care routine because I don't have any ridges.  It did prevent staining though. ^^

*Conceals imperfections?  Yes.  The sheer color is nice for covering minor staining.  Great if you wear a lot of sheer nudes or pinks.
*Fills in ridges?  Not applicable to me, so I'm still not sure.


Verdict:  I definitely love the Millionails treatment.  The cuticle oil is nice as well and smells very good.  The only thing I wouldn't purchase when I run out is the Fill The Gap Treatment because I don't really need it.  But I think it's worth a try if you're looking for something to fill nail ridges.  As always, these are my honest opinions based on my experience.  Results can vary from person to person depending on factors like lifestyle and body chemistry.

Availability:  Apricot Cuticle Oil retails for $8 / Millionails Treatment for $10 / Fill In The Gap Treatment for $10.  Visit Essie.com for a full list of their nail care line and to find a store near you.


Liz

Bondi New York Nail Polish - Botanical Beauty

Press Sample

Happy Sunday~  Today I have a new nail polish brand called Bondi New York to share with you!  This brand launched only a few weeks ago and boasts 20 fashion forward colors which are 5 free (formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, DBP and toluene).  I was given the opportunity to try out one of the polishes, and I chose Botanical Beauty for spring. :)

Botanical Beauty, 2 coats:  "A luscious lilac may have them fooled into thinking you're a lady, but we know a tantalizing temptress lies beneath the soil. Plant the seed of intrigue and watch it grow - they won't be able to resist your bouquet."

First off, the packaging reminds me of Dr.'s Remedy!  I'm pretty sure it's the same bottle and cap.  I love these square bottles because they fit so nicely in Helmers.  The caps also have a nice grip to them because of the soft velvety texture.

As for the polish, Botanical Beauty was great in both pigmentation and application.  The consistency was just right - not too thick or thin.  It flowed evenly and was opaque in two coats.  I'm also pleased that Botanical Beauty was accurately pictured on their website.  It looks just as it was shown, which is important for an online-based nail brand.

Verdict: Botanical Beauty is a lovely lilac creme that's perfect for spring.  Both the formula and pigmentation were excellent.  Hopefully we'll see some more out-of-the-box colors in the future from Bondi New York once they have established the basics.  I would love to see some glitters or something crazy from them in the future that screams "New York"! :)

Availability: Available via select on line retail partners, as well as bondinewyork.com for $15.  If you live in Canada, you can also find them on Harlow & Co.  100% of the net profit (after costs) is donated to their non-profit which makes grants to organizations like Food Bank for New York City.  Don't forget to follow Bondi New York on Facebook and Twitter for more updates!

What do you think of this brand?  Have you tried them yet?
-----
*6/2/2014 Update: 
I believe this brand is no longer functioning, but if they are I encourage you to read this post first before purchasing. I belatedly found out about this whole debacle and can no longer recommend this brand.

Liz

Bangls Black Velvet Magnetic Bracelet & Giveaway!

Press Sample

Hi everyone!  Hope you're all enjoying your Saturday. :)  Today I want to share with you a new type of bracelet called Bangls.  Basically, these are bracelets made of magnetic links aka Bangls.  You can mix and match different designs to create a custom bracelet or buy a pre-made design.  The one I'm wearing is called Black Velvet.

Here's how mine came packaged.

A few thoughts on the bracelet.  The outer design is lacquered, while the inside is made of white plastic with "bangls" engraved into it.  My first impression was that it was a little too light for my taste.  But after wearing it a bit, the weight feels okay to me now.  The only thing I don't like is that the plastic inside makes it feel a little cheap, and I wish the edges were a bit smoother.  However, it looks and feels nice when worn.  The strong magnets also make it very easy to put on with one hand.  And I love the sizing of this bracelet, since most bracelets tend to be a bit big on me.

Click!  I'm going to warn you ahead of time that that "click" is very satisfying and therefore, kind of addicting.  I may have spent a good 5 minutes doing just that...

What do you think of this type of bracelet?  I think it's cute that you can mix and match your own design.  You can even stack more than one bracelet to create a cuff.  It's also kind of fun to play with. ;) You can find this bracelet on Bangls.com for $29.95.

Bangls has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway for you guys!  Fill out the form below for a chance to win a bracelet of your own!  The winner will be able to design their own using an App. :)  This giveaway is open to all US residents and will run for one week.  Good luck!

Giveaway ends: 3/31/13 at 12:00am US Central time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Press Release: Zoya Summer 2013 Collections & Cuties!

JUST LIKE THE SUN, YOU ARE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION!

STUNNING & IRRESISTIBLE

Twelve new Sun Inspired Colors for Summer 2013.

Summer brings the sunniest colors to nails! Including six super shiny creams and six fresh foil metallics to put

all the focus on the brightest shining light in any room - YOU!

Zoya SUMMER 2013: STUNNING Collection

• Darcy (ZP663) - Sunny Yellow Cream - Full Coverage.

• Thandie (ZP664) - Citrus Orange Cream - Full Coverage.

• Micky (ZP665) - Amazing Coral Cream - Full Coverage.

• Yana (ZP669) - Rubine Red Cream - Full Coverage.

• Josie (ZP667) - Grassy Green Cream - Full Coverage.

• Rocky (ZP668) - Serene Blue Cream - Full Coverage.

Zoya SUMMER 2013: IRRISISTIBLE Collection

• Kerry (ZP684) - Yellow Gold Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

• Amy (ZP670) - Red Orange Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

• Tinsley (ZP671) - Rose Gold Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

• Bobbi (ZP672) - Hot Magenta Pink Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

• Hazel (ZP673) - Blue Green Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

• Rikki (ZP674) - Fern Green Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

The new Summer colors for Zoya Stunning & Irresistible along with our new Zoya PixieDust™ (pre-ordering is available now) are filling now and will all be available on or before April 15, 2013.  

Click 'read more' for info on Zoya's Color Cuties promotion. :)

2 Year Blog-o-versary Giveaway!

Hey all!  I can't believe it's already been 2 years since I started this blog!  To celebrate, I am giving away three prizes equaling up to 22 polishes! :)  Here are the 3 prize sets I will be giving away.

Prize #1: 5 full sized Pretty Jelly polishes of your choice or $40 credit to my Pretty Jelly Etsy Shop.  I mainly sell linear holographic polishes, so this one's for all the holo fiends.  You can choose 5 from any of the colors shown above!  For those of you who already own these, you can opt for the $40 gift code instead.

Prize #2: Glitter set for all the glitter lovers!  The polishes you will win are (from left to right): Nicole by OPI Stars At Night / Milani Jewel Fx Teal, Gems, Hot Pink, Gold, Fuchsia, Twinkle / Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Glitz Gal.

Prize #3: Texture set for those who love to stay on trend.  Polishes include the entire new Milani Texture collection and OPI Liquid Sands from the Mariah Carey collection (Get Your Number, Stay The Night, The Impossible).


How To Enter
Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below!  Specific entry directions are in the form.  As for the prizes, I will have you indicate the prizes you would like to win and the order in which you would like to win them.  You can enter for just one prize or all three if you wish, but you can only win one prize.  The order the winners are picked will also dictate who gets their 1st, 2nd, etc choice.

For the entries that ask you to share a picture of the giveaway, please use only this picture below.

I hope this all makes sense!  If it doesn't, ask me in the comments, and I'll clarify. ^^

If you're under 18 years of age, please get parental permission to enter the giveaway as an address will be needed if you win.  This giveaway is open to US residents only and will run for one month.  End time: 4/21/13 at 12:00 am US Central time.  All prizes were purchased or attained by me.  This is not a sponsored giveaway.

Best of luck! :)

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China Glaze Ahoy

I Bought This

Today's post is another reswatch. :)  Ahoy was one of my first China Glazes and is still one of my favorite pinks.  It's a rich magenta jelly with golden glass flecks.  So much prettier on the nail than in my pictures.  If you ever feel like wearing a super shiny, juicy looking color...wear this!  Even when it's dry, it glistens like freshly painted nails.  Super gorgeous!  I'm wearing two coats with top coat in all my pics.  All of these were taken in the light box, except for the very last one taken in sunlight.

Sally Hansen Introduces Amazing Nail Art Campaign

SHOW YOUR NAILS SOME LOVE

WITH THE SALLY HANSEN I <3 NAIL ART CAMPAIGN

THINK: Be your own nail artist for the chance to win.

WHAT IT IS: A monthly contest celebrating the best and brightest in nail art. Sally Hansen has always delivered the tools to express creativity and individuality through vibrant, vivid, bold nails. Now the nail authority is giving every aspiring artist the chance to show off her handy work with the I <3 Nail Art Campaign. Each month, Sally Hansen will post a new nail art challenge on Facebook and enlist fans to post photos of their most inspired, intricate and ingenious nail looks.

Sally Hansen’s own nail ambassador, celebrity manicurist Tracylee, will serve on the panel of judges choosing the winner. “I constantly take inspiration from fashion, architecture, events and pop culture in creating my nail art,” reveals Tracylee. “I’m so excited to see the kind of creative submissions we get and find new inspiration in my own work.”

Each month, a new winner will receive exclusive Sally Hansen prizes and a trip to New York to compete in the Grand Finale, where competitors will be asked to create nail art looks on the spot. The expert panel will select the grand prize winner, who will be named the Sally Hansen Nail Art Sweetheart and will win $2000. She will also be featured in Sally Hansen promotional materials, showcasing her winning nail art.

So if you <3 nail art and think you have what it takes to be the Sally Hansen Nail Art Sweetheart, visit Sally Hansen’s Facebook page beginning February 4^th to enter.

Press Release: OPI Online at Ulta / Nicole by OPI + Special K

OPI Now Available at ULTA.com, First Authorized E-Commerce Source in United States

             OPI announces the start of authorized e-commerce on ULTA.com. ULTA has been a licensed OPI salon account since 2000 and will be the first authorized account to sell OPI products online in the United States.

            ULTA.com will carry the full OPI consumer product line, including the latest collection releases as well as over 200 classic nail lacquer shades, nail treatments, lotions, and certain manicure/pedicure tools.  The site will also offer some of OPI’s value-priced consumer promotions. 

            “ULTA has been a strong OPI partner for many years,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI co-founder and Artistic Director. “ULTA caters to the fashion-forward and general beauty consumer. In today’s digital age, this audience is looking to purchase product with the click of a fingertip.

            “For this reason, OPI has decided to retail online with one of our current partners. ULTA knows the OPI brand, and we feel ULTA.com will continue to uphold OPI’s commitment to providing the best in high-quality products. In addition to carrying consumer products online and in-store, ULTA will continue to offer OPI GelColor, the two week gel manicure, in over 500 full-service salons!”

OPI is available now on ULTA.com. For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Nfu Oh #53: Never Enough Flakies ❤

Press Sample I Bought This

Hi everyone! 

For today, I decided to reswatch one of my favorite flakies: Nfu Oh #53. This is the only Nfu Oh polish I own, but one day I will catch them all! At least all the tinted flakies and holographics. x)

 

#53 is pretty sheer, so I started off with 2 coats of China Glaze Man Hunt as my base color.  53 looks pretty nice alone as well, but it won't ever reach opacity.  Anyway, isn't Man Hunt gorgeous on its own too?  I totally fell in love with this color again while painting my nails.

And here's Man Hunt with 1 medium coat of #53 layered over it.  #53 is part of Nfu Oh's Opal Series.  It has a sheer blue base with red to green flakies and glowing blue shimmer flecks.  Seriously, the blue shimmer just steals my heart every time.  Brace yourself for the macro down below.

Bye Bye Google Reader :(

Sad news, everyone (well, sad for me).  Google is discontinuing Google Reader on July 1, which means you can no longer follow my blog through it.  I'm assuming this means that Google Friend Connect may get the boot later down the road as well. :/  So if you're following me by Google Reader, please transfer to one of the following feeds to stay subscribed to Liquid Jelly.

Option A: Bloglovin
Bloglovin has a one-click transfer option that allows you to import your Google Reader subs into Bloglovin.  I've already done this for all the blogs I currently follow.

Option B: Feedly
I'm new to this one, but I really like it so far.  It's both pretty and easy to navigate.  You also have the option of saving blog posts you like.  To transfer your Google Reader subs to Feedly, simply visit this page.  One click and you're set!  There's also a mobile app for those of you who like to read on-the-go.  To add my site to your feed manually, type "liquidjelly" in the search bar.
 
Option C: Hellocotton
Here's another option for following blogs.  I don't think Hellocotton has a one-click transfer option, so you will have to manually follow by visiting my Hellocotton page.  This is also great for finding new blogs.


Also, feel free to follow me on all other social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, Pinterest, email and more.  You can find them all in my left sidebar. :)

And...if you're as displeased as I am about this, you can sign this petition to show Google that we want them to continue their service.

I'm guessing Google will now push Google+ even more. -_- I'm afraid I haven't been very diligent on Google+ because I prefer Facebook.  I'll try to update my Google+ page more from now on for those of you who follow me there.  I have both a Google+ Liz page and a Google+ Liquid Jelly page.  I'm thinking Google+ Liz will be for a more personal connection/updates/musings, while Liquid Jelly will only show blog post updates.  Gah...must think about this now. -_-


Liz

New 2013 Milani High Speed Fast Dry One Coat Shades

Press Sample

Milani recently added a few more shades to their High Speed Fast Dry collection.  Here they are all lined up! :)  My swatches are all shown without top coat.

My Picks From Hard Candy's NEW Walmart Exclusives!

Press Sample

Hi everyone!  Everyone's been going crazy over the new collections Hardy Candy has been putting out.  Today I have 10 polishes (2 from each collection) to share with you!  Isn't the bag cute?

Here are all the polishes in a row!  They're ordered by collection: Crushed Chromes, Itsy Glitzy, Glitteratzi, Crystal Confetti, and Candy Sprinkles.  5 collections in total.  Check out my swatches below!  Oh, and keep this in mind when looking at the pictures.  Full hand = color accurate.  Macro = shows off composition, not color accurate.  Also, all glitter polishes are shown with top coat; the rest are without.

Rainbow Drip Nail Art Tutorial

Hey all!  Just letting you know that my Youtube tutorial for the rainbow drip nail art is now live. :)  Check it out below!

For pictures, visit my original post by clicking here.  Enjoy!




Liz

OPI Oz The Great And Powerful Collection Review

Happy Friday everyone!  Today I have OPI's newest Oz collection for you.  I actually swatched these over a week ago, but couldn't post it because my bottle of Which Is Witch? was missing a brush!  So I had to wait for a replacement bottle so that I can swatch it. x)

Announcement ♥ piCture pOlish Paradise by Liquid Jelly

Hi everyone!  A few weeks ago, I announced the launching of my limited edition collaboration shade with piCture pOlish: Paradise.  Today I have more great news.  Due to all the positive feedback, piCture pOlish has decided to add Paradise to their collection full time - yes, it's a permanent shade now!  I know several shops had/have sold out, including piCture pOlish's main site.  If you missed it, don't worry!  piCture pOlish will be restocking their site this Friday (aussie time).

It's been a rewarding experience thus far to hear from bloggers and consumers alike that Paradise is "beautiful" and "unique."  And extremely flattering to hear from one tweeter that Paradise is now one of her top 3 favorite polishes.  I could have never imagined the amount of praise Paradise would receive, and I want to thank everyone for all the support you have sent my way.  Thank you for loving Paradise! :)

Here are also a few more pictures of Paradise, including some new macro shots.  I must admit, Paradise is really hard to photograph - so I hope you try it out for yourself.

Spring Kitty Nail Art

I was in the mood for some spring nail art, so I decided to do some very simple patterned nails, hence the little Doritos.  After I did the little triangles, I couldn't decide on what to put on my ring finger.  I think I went through two different accent nails until I settled on the little cat design.  To keep it simple, I didn't add any eyes. ^^

Unboxing Julep Maven IT GIRL (March 2013)

Hey all!  I was super excited to see my Maven box in the mail today.  I skipped last month, so it felt like I hadn't gotten one in a long time.  Isn't this box so cute?  I'm a sucker for spring colors, so I love both the packaging and the pretty cards.  This month I got It Girl since I wasn't into the new hand cream.

Hard Candy Jubilee

Ahhh look what came in the mail today!  I actually got several of the new Hard Candy polishes, which I immediately got to swatching.  I still have three more to swatch, so I thought I'd go ahead and show you this interesting fella named Jubilee in the meantime.