[Review] Ulta3 Speckled Egg collection

Just in time for Easter, the Australian brand Ulta3 has released a new limited edition speckled-pastel collection that is so incredibly adorable and boasts some of the cutest themed names you could ever dream to come up with! This collection includes six shades that apply as creme and contain two different sized black glitters – plentiful fine glitter and sparser hexes.

Excuse me while I tell you in delight, my love for the names of these polishes. From L-R: Hop Pink, Bunny Bloom, Hot Cross Fun, Egg-cellent, Blue Bunny and Hippidy Hop. 

Ulta3 ‘Hop Pink’ – Medium pink with black fine and hex glitters.

This is most definitely my pick for the whole collection. I absolutely love the medium pink colour and how much the whole look screams ‘watermelon’! I find that this polish has the best formula and applies like a dream. There is also great glitter payoff without having to dig for it. Note: my camera didn’t capture the colour of this exactly, it actually has stronger pink tones.

Ulta3 ‘Bunny Bloom’ – Baby pink with black fine and hex glitters.

This is a pale, baby pink polish that screams pastel and springtime. The colour is what I would define as being ‘cute and delicate’. The glitter payoff is decent for this polish but the base colour itself is a little opaque for my liking.

Ulta3 ’Hot Cross Fun’ – Pale yellow with black fine and hex glitters.

This would probably be a close second for my favourites from this collection. The amount of glitter, colour and application are all very good. I was happy with the opacity and consistency of the polish! The overall look is very poppy seed cake-esque. Yum!

Ulta3 ‘Egg-cellent’ – Dusty green with black fine and hex glitters.

On first glance, I thought I wouldn’t like this colour at all, but it turned out to be very nice. It borders on being a dull pastel green with undertones of grey. The polish is thin and not fully opaque, which works well with layering the glitter. The glitter payoff for this polish is very good. 

Ulta3 ‘Blue Bunny’ – Bright baby blue with black fine and hex glitters.

This was probably my least favourite polish from the collection. As you can probably see, the formula on this is the most opaque and the glitter is very sparse. It is a pretty colour, very pigmented and a shade darker than one of my favourites Ulta3 ‘Soft Hydrangea’, but I wish it was a little more transparent for this look.

Ulta3 ‘Hippidy Hop’ – Medium purple with black fine and hex glitters.

The colour on this polish is not as pastely as the others. It is quite dark and a little dull, but still pretty. The formula is thin and the polish goes on quite opaque. The glitter is also quite sparse compared to some of the other polishes.

All these swatches are 2 decent coats of polish. If I had to rank the polishes from my favourite to least favourite, it would be, ‘Hop Pink’, ‘Hot Cross Fun’, ‘Egg-cellent’, ‘Hippidy Hop’ and then ‘Bunny Bloom’. This is definitely a collection worth getting if you love pastels, want Easter themed nails or want something a little different in your collection! 

These polishes are $3 each and are in stores in April. It's also limited edition so get in quick!

*The products were sent to me in a press release, but I maintain that the views in this post are my most honest opinions.*

[Tutorial and Review] The Trend: Jelly Sandwich (Essence 'Ticket to Paradise')

The Trend

To the nail art newbie, the jelly sandwich may just be a yummy type of food, but to the nail art connoisseur, the jelly sandwich is a fun nail art look that is easily achievable with the right products. You may have heard of the term ‘jelly’ thrown about by nail art fanatics and wondered what they were talking about… well we will demystify it in this post. This trend has been around for awhile now and has grown in popularity recently with a major increase in the jelly sandwich polishes available from indie brands.

What is a Jelly?

In all its simplicity, a ‘jelly polish’ is any polish that has a semi-transparent look to it, as opposed to a ‘cream polish’ that applies fully opaque. 

In the comparison above, on the left is one coat of an orange jelly and on the right is one coat of an orange cream. You can see that the nail line is visible with the jelly polish and that it has a semi-transparent finish.

The Look

This is a typical ‘jelly sandwich’ that can be easily re-created with a good plain jelly polish and some loose glitter.

This polish is Essence ‘Sun Said Red’. It is the jelly polish I have used for this look and comes from the new Essence ‘Ticket to Paradise’ collection. It is described as having a ‘semi-transparent gel-like texture’ and is available in a range of 4 colours. The whole collection that includes a shimmer powder, eyeshadows, lip glosses, hair mascara and lip liners are exclusive to Priceline stores and will be available in December.

This is one coat of the jelly polish.

This is two coats of the jelly polish. You can see that it is such a beautiful polish with two applications. The finish on this polish was very glossy and the drying time was not too bad at all. The formula was excellent and the colour pay off is well worth the $2.95 price tag. I wish I had a bigger bottle! Highly recommended!

The Jelly Sandwich

Now to the fun part…with such a transparent application, jelly polishes can be used to make the humble jelly sandwich. It involves an assortment of glitter sandwiched between layers of the polish!

1)      Paint one coat of a jelly finish polish.

2)      While the polish is still wet, add any combination of loose glitter on top. I used pink, dark blue and silver hex glitters.

3)      Apply another coat of the jelly finish polish on top.

4)      Add more glitter.

5)      Apply another coat of the jelly polish.

The possibilities for this look are endless! The trick is to apply multiple sandwiched layers to get the effect that the glitter is actually embedded into the polish. With the finished nail there should be some depth to the look, with some glitter looking deeper than others.

*The products were sent to me in a press release, but I maintain that the views in this post are my most honest opinions.*

[Review] The Trend: Indie Brands (Cirque, Love Thy Polish, Rainbow Honey)

The Trend

Indie polishes have exploded in popularity all over the world in recent times. If you are a nail polish newbie, in short, indies are nail polishes made by normal people like you and me! Indie makers mix and match their own pigments, bases and glitters to create unique polishes in their own home. From plain polishes to holographic polishes to glow in the dark polishes, and with the growing number of indie brands in existence, there is certainly no shortage in the range of indie polishes available.

The Polishes

The products in my post today were sent to me free and for review by Femme Fatale Cosmetics, ‘an Australian stockist for top international indie lacquer brands’. You can also find them on Facebook here.

I received three products, two polishes and one cuticle balm, from the indie brands Cirque, Love Thy Polish and Rainbow Honey.

The Review

The first polish I received was Cirque Colors ‘Kaleidoscope’. I was incredibly excited over this full sized 13.2ml glitter polish and you can see why below!

It is an AMAZING glitter bomb polish with a clear base and an assortment of different sized shapes and coloured glitter. It is described as being a  ‘rainbow confetti made with over 30 different types of satin-finished glitter’. These include squares, hexes and diamonds that come in white, gold, red, orange, green purple and blue! The colours are fun and very vibrant which makes it extra special both in the bottle and on the nail!

This is one coat of Kaleidoscope over two coats of Sinful Colors ‘Snow Me White’. As you can see, the colours are very bright against the white base and it seriously looks like a party on my nails! I think the polish would look great over black or any other bright colours!

I loved that I didn’t find myself having to fish for glitter because there was plenty in the bottle and also with every brush stroke. The drying time was also fairly quick and I didn’t think the formula was too thin or thick.

For a good value of $13 you can find this polish on Femme Fatale Cosmetics here. This is a great option for anyone who loves rainbow or fun, coloured nails. I honestly love a whole lot about this polish and haven’t found anything bad about it yet!

I decided to pair this polish with a fun rainbow water marble accent nail!

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The next polish is Love Thy Polish ‘Royalty’. I received a cute, little 8ml bottle.

This is another amazing glitter polish which is described as being ‘a deep, vampy purple base with purple micro glitter.’ 

In one coat, this polish is a very sheer purple.

In two coats, the polish is wearable and appears as a lovely royal purple.

In three coats, the polish is at its best! It is becomes a very vampy purple, on the edge of being black but still subtly purple. The purple micro glitter has a glistening effect in light and gives a great sparkle!

I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t quite capture the polish’s brilliance on camera. In light, the amount of sparkle is just perfect. I love my purple polishes and this is no exception!

In addition, the polish is not grainy at all and applies smoothly on the nail. I found that the polish was dry to touch very quickly, however after adding three coats I found that the polish took a long time to dry completely.

All in all, this is a great value polish for $10 which you can find here.  I really do love this polish and I have a feeling I will be wearing a lot because I love my vampy colours!

I paired this polish with a simple silver dot-icure because I absolutely adore the combination of silver and purple!

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Finally, I received Rainbow Honey ‘Holiday Paradise Cuticle Balm’. It is a cute, travel-friendly 0.07oz twist-up stick that I now take around with me in my purse.

On opening the lid of this balm, I was hit with a beautiful scent which truly reflected its ‘holiday paradise’ name. It is described as being a scent ‘reminiscent of a holiday kitchen, with notes of oranges, peppermint and cloves.’ And this is not a joke, I can smell each of these items with every whiff and it truly reminds me of the Christmas season!

If you are ever on the go, look down at your nails and think your cuticles need a lift, this is a great product to have. I smear some of the balm on my cuticles, then massage it onto my naked nails and also the skin around my nails. I found that it was very nourishing and acted as a great moisturiser to relieve my dry-looking cuticles.

For a cheap price of $5.50, I highly recommend this cuticle balm! You can purchase it here.  If you are not a fan of the holiday scent, it also comes unscented and in four other fragrances!

[Review] The Trend: Glow in the Dark Polish (Polish Me To Go)

The Trend

‘Glow in the dark’ or phosphorescence is a chemical process that has been incorporated into many products for marketing purposes and to captivate buyers. The upcoming trend these past few months has been glow in the dark nail polish! On Instagram you can find countless photographs of glow polish swatches and fabulous glow in the dark designs. After all, what better novelty is there to have with you all the time than nails that glow!?

In order for the polish to work, the polish is applied to the nail and must be exposed to some form of light for a few minutes. The polish will continue glowing, even after a few hours.

The Brand

Polish Me To Go has become a popular indie nail polish brand, which specialises in glow in the dark polishes. Each polish is hand blended and there are many amazing colours available. From pretty pastels to bright neons, there is a vast range to choose from. You can buy the polishes in singles or as a set, as minis or full sized.

Customers in USA can purchase these glow polishes here. 

International customers can purchase these glow polishes from the distributor ‘BeautySoFly,’ here. 

The Polishes

These polishes were purchased by me from BeautySoFly. This is the Pastel Mini set which consists of 6 mini 5ml bottles in a range of pretty pastel colours. 

The Review

All swatches consist of 2 coats of a white base, Sinful Colors 'Snow Me White,' and 2 coats of the glow polish. The photographs below were taken in artificial white light and in the dark. 

(Note: These polishes also have unique glows under UV light but these are not considered in my review.)

'Snow Glow'

This is a beautiful polish that applies white and glows a light blue. I was most impressed by the fact that the polish gave a blue glow. The glow itself was fairly decent but did not leave me astonished. 

'Oh Cool Blue'

Compare the previous polish to this one, which applies as a pastel blue and glows light blue. The glow on this polish left me amazed. It was bright, fun and both the raw and glow colours were amazing.

'Yell, Oh Mint!'

I would have to say that this is my favourite polish in the set. It applies as a pastel yellow, something I would describe as a faded highlighted yellow, and glows a freakishly awesome green colour.

'Pinky Promise'

This polish applies as a cute baby pastel pink and glows as a very pale pink. I was not left very impressed by the glow of this polish but at the same time, the raw pink colour is so cute!

'LOVEnder'

This polish applies as a pastel purple and glows as … a very feint white? I so wanted to love this polish because the raw colour was my favourite one by far. I think the colour is so unique, lying somewhere between a lavender purple and baby pink. However, the glow on this was quite dismal. 

'Honey My Dew'

 This polish applies as a gorgeous orange (very much like honey dew) and glows a yellow/orange colour. The glow was bright, but not as prominent as Oh Cool Blue and Yell Oh Mint.

The Verdict

I have to say that I really do enjoy the novelty of glow polishes! These Polish Me To Go polishes all applied matte, streak free and dried fairly quickly. I absolutely adore the naming of ALL the polishes, both relevant and cute. The raw colours in light were true to it being a 'pastel polish set'. The glow of some of the polishes were amazing and bright, while others did not work so well. 

One problem I did come across was that the glow formula would settle to the bottom after a period of sitting idly. The bottles did come with 2 mini metal balls, but I found that I had to shake the bottle vigorously for it all to blend.

Overall, I would recommend this polish set to anyone who loves pastels and wants to try the glow trend! You can also buy the polishes individually, and if so, I highly recommend Yell Oh Mint and Oh Cool Blue!

The next step up from having plain glow nails is to do designs on them. Draw a picture for a silhouette effect, or even combine the polishes for a rainbow glow! In the picture above I combined ‘Yell, Oh Mint’ with the Batman sign which I find so suitable and fun!

You can visit Polish Me To Go on Instagram for a collection of glow polish designs done by various Instagrammers!