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