Ulta3 Speckled Nails Collection - An Easter Skittle Mani

When it comes to special events and holidays, I really do like to go all out. Give me a pair of bunny ears and I will rock those right through Easter, even if I am in public or pushing my way through a hard work day! It should come as no surprise then that the speckled nail trend is one I happily engage in - not just for Easter, but all year round! On our weekend away last week Mister Bovary bought me the whole new Ulta3 speckled nail collection - sometimes being indecisive turns into a positive thing ;)

I was most excited about Egg-Cellent and Hippidy Hop - and can we stop for a moment to squee at how cute the names of these polishes are? I think that it may limit their year-round appeal, but they are cute nonetheless. Perhaps a bit childish for though who are die-hard luxe lovers, but my Hourglass + Chanel are happy to share my heart with these happy little bottles.

In terms of quality these are the same as the usual Ulta3 formulas, with the disappointing being Blue Bunny. I tried for so long to get a single speckle out of the bottle to no avail, and the bright blue colour is like zinc cream. The easiest to apply was probably Hop Pink, which I suspect might also be one of the most popular shades from this collection.

I do apologise for the ragged short nails - work has ruined them in the past few weeks

Let's talk chocolate - anytime I receive one of those giant Cadbury bunnies for Easter, I end up breaking them up and handing them out at work or tempting Mumma Bovary into eating them. They are lovely, but the thought of eating that much plain chocolate is way too much for me and so I prefer to indulge in a few mini egg bags to enjoy over the long weekend. The Kinder eggs have delicious little chunks of hazelnut throughout and they really are yum, but I've also just tried the Cadbury mini speckled eggs which are pretty awesome too!

I'm working a little bit over the Easter weekend, but for the family celebrations I think I am going to wear Hippidy Hop with a few Hot Cross Fun spots in the corner. If you feel like getting into the Easter spirit with these polishes, they are out now and only $2.99 each (I got mine from Terry White Chemist in Rosebud!)

I hope you have a lovely relaxing Easter - would love to hear your Easter tidbits in the comments below!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

 

Getting Back on the Spotty Nail Bandwagon

 

shown with my 'Naked' lipstick that I bought on the same day

I've been using my at-home gel nail system for a while now but before that I indulged in one of the new Spotty Nail Polish kits from Academy of Colour that are available at Kmart since they relaunched their beauty section. The boxed set contains two cute little bottles of speckled nail paint, one a taupey beige and the other a robins egg blue. I fell so hard for the Illamasqua Speckled offerings when they first launched, so was pleased with this purchase that came in at $4 AUD.

The pale blue shade needed a few coats to achieve an opaque look, but I didn't find that each coat muddied the speckles underneath all that much so the effect was quite a nice one. I don't want to succumb to a cliché, but this has Easter written all over it and I don't care what anyone thinks!

My local discount chemist has the new Ulta3 range of Easter specific speckle polishes on sale in their catalogue (think shades like Hot Cross Fun + Hippidy Hop!) so Mister Bovary and I are planning on making a detour home soon to grab the whole lot - better than a chocolate egg, I say! This may signal that my speckled polish collection is getting a touch out of hand, but what is a beauty lover to do...

Are you a fan of the speckled nail trend, or have you moved onto textured polishes?

What nail colour or trend is your weakness? Blues? Nudes? Gimme the goss!

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

Beauty News // Shop + Report

Though I’m just back from a weekend away with Chris for our 5^th anniversary, I kept true to my title of beauty blogger and had my eyes peeled for new beauty news in the area while we were away. I thought it might be helpful to share some of the exciting beauty news with you all, and if you would like to keep up to date with the news faster add me on Instagram (@emmabovary) or Twitter (@emmabovaryblog)

 We spent Friday wandering around Rosebud, and I was elated to see tickets on the shelf and space cleared for some of my most loved French skincare brands! Uriage, Bioderma and La Roche Posay make some products that really work for me, and I can’t wait for these brands to roll out across all Priceline stores so everyone can take advantage of some lovely French skincare. For those who are yet to try any of these brands, I would recommend these products:

Uriage

Eye cream

Day Cream

Facial Spray

Bioderma

Crealine H2O

Facial Scrub

La Roche Posay

Effaclar Duo

I’m planning on picking up another tube of LRP Effaclar Duo as mine has just run out, some Bioderma H2O and a new moisturiser or sunscreen from LRP as well.

Speaking of exciting Priceline developments, they have finally rolled out Hydraluron and Eysilix (which I was very happy to receive from Priceline!) and us Aussie’s now have regular access to some top notch skincare. For information about the famed Hydraluron (which will no doubt sell out fast so run!) see the amazing Caroline Hirons, who is always recommending it as a serum to use underneath moisturiser to lock in hydration. It retails for $35 AUD- if you have tried it, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!

It is becoming quite evident that I don’t mind a gander in a pharmacy, fair to say? I was in Rosebud Terry White when I spotted a new Bubblegum themed nail collection from Revlon, including the famous Whimsical nail polish that I have had in my saved searches on eBay forever! I also ended up getting Girly from the same collection, and I am mighty pleased with both shades.

The new range of Ulta3 nail polishes have also been spotted at a few pharmacies (including TW Rosebud) and I grabbed a few of the shimmer + glitter shades, one of which was the amazing black + white dotted topcoat called Stop the Press. For a mere $2 these polishes are great quality and some of the shades are really unique, so I highly recommend picking up a few if you can.

Do you have any beauty news to share?

What is the latest beauty item you’ve purchased?

 

The Autumn Edit

Even though we are alternating through freezing cold days and roasting hot days, according to the calender autumn is indeed upon us. My autumn edit is mainly set for chilly days, as I’ve been loving getting snuggled up and being able to wear scarves again. Matte red lips seem to be a token lip shade for this time of year, and since I can’t seem to find my Nars Amsterdam, BYS have stepped up to the plate with their matte lipstick in Celebrity Status*. A wee bit of celeb action, don’t mind if I do!

I’ve been rocking some intense eye looks lately, all grounded down with my new liner love, Australis Curve Ink eyeliner. Crazy looking little contraption, but I’m loving how easy it is to apply and the fact that I don’t have to dip into a pot to use it! Wine and jewel-toned eyes have been my thing, with my Wet & Wild Knock on Wood trio getting a hammering as well as my Arbonne shadows in Cabernet* (which is actually quite brown toned and easy to wear) and Blue Slate*. Blue and red seem to be my autumn edit staples, I’ve only just realised.

To keep the autumn feelings abundant, I’ve been dipping into my Haus of Gloi stash from back when it was autumn in the U.S. The limited edition autumn scents that I love best are the delicious Pumpkin Eater, a sweet vanilla and nutmeg pumpkin scent, and Ghost Puffs, the cult favourite that reminds me of Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs. Those scents are available there, but the new spring collection sounds absolutely amazing and I’m tempted to pick up some more HoG pots even though I haven’t used up the stuff from my first haul yet.

I’ve had a hard time keeping L’Oreal Color Riche 608 Luxembourg Garden* off my nails lately, it isn’t often I reapply the same shade 3 mani’s in a row so I know I am onto a winner with this one. Their Color Riche 613 Blue Reef* has also been catching my eye quite a bit, along with the Revlon Colorstay 280 Blue Slate, which I am yet to wear and have lined up next. My most recent nail purchase ($2 AUD, hey big spender!) is the Ulta3 beauty that is Pinot. A deep metallic wine shade, you really can't go wrong!

Saving the best until last, naturally, my cheeks can’t get enough of my Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed. Exposed it a rosy neutral that makes me feel like a supermodel, and goes with any look you can dream of. Another autumn favourite is Benefit Dallas, which is similar in tone but definitely needs a light hand with this pale face as it is quite a soft powder formula.

Dallas, Exposed, Wet & Wild Trio, Arbonne Blue Slate, Arbonne Cabernet, Australis Curve Ink, BYS Celebrity Status 

Luxembourg Garden, Blue Reef, Blue Slate, Pinot

I have a makeup look coming in tomorrow’s post using these products, so if you like the look of them be sure to check back in tomorrow for that.

What colours scream ‘autumn’ to you? Do you wear many blue toned shades on your nails, or red on your lips?

*Marked items were provided for consideration. Blue Slate polish was in a GWP. BYS Celebrity Status is available from Fashion Addict for $3.95!

February Collective Haul

Celebrating a ‘last hurrah’ of sorts, sharing some of the products I indulged in during February. March saw me begin my post graduate diploma at university, and subsequently the bulk of my spending money has been put to textbooks and a stack of new stationary to keep me on track.

Though I’ve heard negative reviews of Strawberrynet and their policies, the lure of finally getting my hands on a Jouer item was too tempting. A ‘saved search’ within my ebay account, it was Ingrid from Miss Glamorazzi that had me hooked on getting their powder blush in ‘Blossom’.  I have previously bought a YSL Crème de blush from SNet before and so when I saw #6 Rouge Passion was available, in the cart it went. The formula of theses is literally the best I’ve ever used. The CK shadow was a GWP and I chose a light neutral, as you can never have too many of those.

I am big fan of the Girlz Only dry shampoo which is available at Target for $2 per can, and when I spotted one for deep brown hair I knew that I needed to try it out. I am still using the original formula, but when I get around to trying this I will let you know how it goes. When Big W had their cosmetics sale, I popped a couple of the Maybelline City Rescue Total Clean Eye & Lip Makeup Removers to try out, and one to give to my bestie to try. Quite happy with how it is performing thus far!

There isn’t much better than receiving samples from high end beauty counters, so when my local YSL lady showed me the new Rouge Volupte Shine sample blister packs, I was over the moon. I have my eye on the shade Nude in Private but have held of purchasing until the weather cools down and I can bring out my lipsticks again. The beautiful Ulta3 set was a wonderful pharmacy find, and I’m excited to bust out the bright shades soon.

My love for Chanel Joues Contraste blushes seems to be growing, and I added the limited edition 76 Frivole to my collection at the beginning of February. A beautiful light apricot shade, this contrasts heavily with the bright Pink Explosion which was my first Chanel blush shade. I have only used this a handful of times, but am very glad to have it in my blush drawer.

Despite earlier mentioning holding off on lipstick purchases until the weather becomes bearable again, here I present my Maybelline Vivid collection (along with a cheeky Sportsgirl sale lipstick) I chose Neon Red, Vivid Mandarin and Hot Plum as they were shades I think I will get the most use from during the cold and grey winter months (which is when I like to wear bright lips most!)

Clockwise from bottom left: MAC Gentle, Chanel Frivole, YSL Rouge Passion, Jouer Blossom, MAC Poised

Just to further highlight my blush madness, I threw the new cheek shades of mine into a single shot, purely for swooning purposes. The bottom MAC shades were from this MAC haul, which I shared with you last week.

So there you have it, the stack of beauties I added to my cosmetic collection during February. Have you bought anything nice lately?

 

Green Up Ahead

 

Green nails is a trend you either love or you hate, and personally I enjoy wearing a lot of green on my nails all year round.  Chatreuse is probably my most favoured shade of green (both in eyeshadow and in nail shades!) so OPI’s Did It On ‘Em from the Nicki Minaj collection is a definite favourite of mine. A gift from fellow blogger Melissa, the shade is bright and opaque, and definitely stands out! I know a lot of people (Melissa included!) found that this didn’t flatter their hands, but the shade makes me smile so I don't mind that it is a bit, well, strange.

 

For most people, shimmery green shades make the colour more wearable, but I tend to prefer crème finishes when I head into Shrek territory. Ulta3’s Lagoon is a shimmery spring appropriate shade that I can see working on a wide variety of skin tones.  Nicole by OPI’s Lemon-Lime Twist, on the other hand, is a bit too light for my skin and I think it would look bangin’ on a darker skin tone.

 

Saving the best for last, I present the oh-so-beautiful OPI Green-wich Village to you all. Numero Uno for my MIL, this is a repurchase after she smashed her first bottle while cleaning one day. The kelly-green-esque shade really takes my breath away, and I find it incredibly flattering on my skintone, as well as on the slightly deeper skintone of my man’s Mumma. It glides on effortlessly, looks great and is one of the most, if not the very most wearable green I know of.

 

Which of these shades is juiciest to you? Are you a lemon-lime gal, or set on taking a trip to a village called Greenwich?

Vita's Australian Skittle Mani! (Guest Post!)

I was cheeky and asked one of my favourite bloggers Vita from Making Up 4 My Age to come on over and write her first guest post for emmabovarybeauty! Here is what the polish-obsessed Vita created for me!

I was genuinely excited when lovely Emma invited me to do a guest post on her blog, and doubly excited because this is my first ever guest post!  By way of a quick intro like Emma I’m also from Melbourne, Australia and while I’m obsessed with all things beauty, my longest running (and if you took a look in my collection, my largest!) fascination has been with all things lacquer-y and shiny.  Oh yes, I do love my nail polish!!

 

I’ve decided to do a review post featuring some Australian nail polish brands in my stash to give them a bit of airtime/blog-time, you know what I mean right!?  When I say some I do mean some, not all of my favourite brands are posted here.  I’ve chosen a small even split of department store versus drugstore brands and rather than me going all out doing an exhaustive, wordy and looong (read ‘boring’) post of all brands, if you like this post it may be the first part of a little series. 

Here are my first four choices in no particular order:

L-R:

BYS (Flirty Sparkle)

Kit (Dive In)

Bloom (Claudia)

Ulta3 (Pacific Fever)

BYS -

This unassuming drugstore brand never fails to surprise me with its ridiculously huge range of amazing colours and varying finishes.  Very unassuming it is too as one of its major stockists is The Reject Shop *stifled giggle* but don’t judge – bargain yes,reject no.  With the exception of their jellies which show up tipwear quickly I find BYS polishes last every bit as well on my nails as the more expensive brands.

 Colours/finishes - There are 76 shades in the basic colour range alone.  BYS have 15 different ranges in total including chromes, glitters, mattes, hi-impact (these really are the bomb – I have and love Hi-Impact Blue!), mirror finish, and colour change to list a few...

 3 Free? – I’m unsure.  They are a bit stinky.

 Cruelty Free? – BYS cosmetics are not tested on animals

 Availability – online at www.fashionaddict.com.au and various discount stockists including Kmart, The Reject Shop, Go-Lo. International customers can order through the BYS UK site:  www.byscosmetics.co.uk

 Price – around $4AUD for Australian girls

Kit –

The first of my department store picks, Kit are moderately priced and their shades and finishes are in tune with fashion, featuring regularly released Limited Edition collections.  I love how the core range is lined up on their store wall like the rainbow.  It really is diving into temptation everytime!  The coverage on these polishes is smooth and opaque in two coats and the wear time is good, lasting me through the working week.

Colours/finishes – There are 55 shades in the core line including crèmes in all colours of the rainbow from pastels to brights, shimmers and metallics, plus LE releases

 3 Free? – Unknown

Cruelty Free? - Unknown

 Availability – online at http://www.kitcosmetics.com.au and stand alone stores in Melbourne and Sydney. Also available at Kit Concept stores in Myer department stores nationally.

 Price - $15.95AUD

      Bloom–

 Another department store brand, I love more than just Bloom’s nail polish as they also have a delicious selection of mandarin & vanilla oil scented lip glosses.  It’s all about the polish in this post though, and Bloom is another fashion conscious brand, occasionally collaborating with local fashion designers and performing artists to come up with more edgy Limited Edition shades which are highly collectable and yes I have a few!  I have to be honest and say these aren’t the most durable polishes and are prone to chips after a few days.  You can also see the bottles are virtually identical to Kit but you pay $4 extra which is also a bit of an issue for me – I don’t know how I feel about paying (Australian) OPI prices for a local product, although they are very darn pretty and I am a sucker for pretty colours *sigh*.   Of course there is a way around the price cos if you’re after 2 colours you can get a 2 for $29.95 deal at their online store...

 Colours/finishes – There are over 80 shades in the core line “from sheer,seashell pink to that illusive petrol blue with a slight shimmer – Natalie [Bloom] wanted to create that perfect shade of nail polish that you've been searching high and low for.”

 3 Free? – Yes.  Bloom polishes do not contain Formaldehyde,Toluene or DBP

 Cruelty Free? - Unknown

 Availability – online at http://www.bloomcosmetics.com, Myer and David Jones stores and selected pharmacies nationally.

Price - $19.95AUD or 2 for $29.95AUD at the online store

      Ulta3

 These nail polishes are well known and loved for the fact you can buy a bottle “for less than a cup of coffee”!  I find them sold in the weirdest places including the supermarket, so it’s only too easy to dive into the inevitably messy, disorganised display box of polish bottles and come up with little gem to add to my supermarket bill.  My husband won’t even notice that small addition to the grocery total!  There’s a pretty eclectic colour selection available too so I’ve dug up some pretty interesting shades out of that box.  To be honest I’ve not worn these longer than a few days so I can’t give you a proper opinion on their durability, but their application is smooth, with good coverage in two coats and they have a pretty quick dry time too!   Fun fact:  Ulta3 is Australia’s number 1 nail polish selling over 1.5million units* (based on unit sales, CTFA data 2010)

Colours/finishes – This is another extensive collection with 80 shades in its core line and covers everything from neutrals to brights,including crème, shimmers, foils and glitters. There are also LE collections including a new magnetic line – I just discovered that doing my research so I need to get hunting!

3 Free? – Unknown

Cruelty Free? - Unknown

 Availability – Ulta3 is available at selected pharmacies including Terry White, Blooms and Good Price and supermarkets nationally or online at http://shop.pharmacydirect.com.au

 Price - $2.25AUD

Now to finish off the post here’s a bit of skittle fun using the colours featured above!

I hope you found this post useful.  Thanks for looking! 

Vita  :)

Thank you Vita! I must admit I am very fond of the Bloom and Ulta3 polishes, and love the Pacific Fever shade you used in this mani! I encourage you all to head over to Vita's blog Making Up 4 My Age and click follow after you comment on this post! She posts the most beautiful eye looks and nail swatches that are second to none and you'd be crazy not to love her blog!

Pretty in Pink // My top 5 pink polishes

I thought that this would be appropriate seeing as Valentine's day is all about the pinks and the reds!  I don't have the biggest polish collection, but I still have plenty of choice when I give myself a mani at home.

I was happy to see that when I rounded these up there was quite a variety in terms of shade, even though the majority are a cream formula.

Maybelline Mini Colorama in #5 Cotton Candy $5.95 AUD

I find that these mini Maybelline formula's last better than most other brands on me, and I love this shimmery pink that really does look the colour of cotton candy, or fairy floss as we call it here in Australia.

Ulta3 Bo Peep $2.50AUD approx.

Bo Peep is a bright fuschia colour that I adore! I find that even though I'm pale, I look alright in these bright colours. They also make me smile when I look at them, so it's win-win!

OPI Pink-ing of You $19.95 AUD

Apart from this having a gorgeous name, it was a bargain that I picked up from duty free last time I went overseas. It's a nice pale pink that I find quite plain, so I like to jazz it up with a glitter over the top!

Kit Cosmetics Chiquita Pink $15.95 AUD here

This came out with the Viva La Colour collection, which was one of the most exciting collections I've seen in a long time. It's a plummy, wintery sort of pink that makes me want to wrap myself in a big oatmeal knit and read a book.

The Face Shop PK110 $3.00 AUD

This not-so-cutely named shade is my Barbie polish- pale pink, creamy, simple, stunning. I love the bottle shape, and the affordable price tag. This is darker than OPI Pink-ing of You and I like that.

As in order above: PK110, Chiquita Pink, Pink-ing Of You, Bo Peep, Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy and Bo Peep

Bo Peep and Pink-ing Of You

*

What are some of your favourite pink polishes?

I'd love to get some recommendations on what I should buy next!

A Summer Sparkler!

In the last few weeks Melbourne has felt the joy of sort of summery days, and when the sun came out in full force on the weekend I took advantage! Normally a lover of bright nails looks, this was right up my alley.

Shop Til You Drop and Kit always come up with polish winners, and this is no exception.  Shop Loves Sunset is a beautiful shade that was a freebie a while ago when you purchased STYD magazine. It's a gorgeous summery coral that is a lot brighter than it appears in my pictures. (They are taken in sunlight, and sorry about the state of my nails/cuticles)

I couldn't stop at a plain mani so chucked my new Ulta3 Confetti polish over each ring finger. It didn't look as great as I'd hoped but I think it would be great over cool toned shades. I do wish it applied exactly as it looks in the bottle, I always buy glitters hoping they will be opaque but they never are.

Anyone have recommendations?

Are you rocking summery nails already?

 emmabovary xx