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
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
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!
