Bleached Neon Skittle Manicure

(I am off on my honeymoon until December so this post is a scheduled one. Would still love to read comments and feel free to hit me up on Instagram @emmabovary to see holiday snaps along the way! - Emma)

 

The idea of a bleached neon really appeals to me for some reason - I think the toning down of a trend as strong as neon is quite a cool thing. I had seen the Maybelline Bleached Neon* range around on US blogs and Instagram accounts for quite a while before these polishes hit my desk, but as soon as they did I popped them on! I couldn't decide on a single shade so whipped up a quick and easy skittle manicure for you, but left out Chic Chartreuse to do a full manicure with at the end of this post. 

Coral Heat is a pretty pale coral shade that looks brighter in comparison to the softer shades within this limited edition collection - next to the regular coral and oranges in my stash it definitely seems more muted. Of all of the 4 shades this one was definitely my favourite, and it applied easily enough (two coats shown)

 

Sun Flare is what I would call a 'creamsicle' colour, a pale washed out peach shade that was my least favourite of this collection. I could see this looking a whole lot better on someone with a darker skin tone or even a summer tan, but on my pale hands it just looked horrible and so I'll be passing this on to someone else to try out this summer.

 

Tropink is a nice mid-pastel pink shade that isn't anything too unique, and the formula on this one wasn't as easy to work with as some of the other polishes. For the effort I have better quality pinks in my stash to use, so this is another one I'll be passing on.

Chic Chartreuse was obviously one that I quite liked, as I saved it to do a full mani with after my skittle. It's a tad more lemon-toned that other chartreuses I own (yes, I own more than one!) but I don't mind the look of this on. I think this colour would also look a bit better on a tanned hand, but for now I'll be keeping it in my stash and will rock it during summer.

 

Overall these polishes were hit and miss as some were streakier than others. I would definitely recommend Chic Chartreuse and Coral Heat over the others, but I think all 4 shades would look great used with my dotting tools for a cool bleached neon patterned nail. I think Maybelline are stepping up their game when it comes to innovative releases so cheers to that, and the colours are quite affordable at $5.95 each here.

 

"Turn up the heat this summer with bold, bright nails! colour Show Bleached Neons contains ultra-pure neon pigments combined with a white layer to wash out the neon colour. The result? Pastel nail colour with an electric kick!

Chip-resistant formula, easy-flow brush, and formaldehyde, DBP and toluene free."

 

Emma x 

*These polishes were provided for consideration and all opinions are my own. Honesty, always.

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

 

 

Pastel Skittle Manicure

Pastel nails are an all year round kind of trend, but come March and April they just remind me of Easter! Pretty delicate pastels and chocolate eggs, Easter for me is all about spending time with family eating good food and making good memories. This year my family are celebrating on Saturday, with an egg hunt for the kids (am totally joining in!) and a big feast with all of our loved ones. With work and my post grad studies I’ve been up to my eyeballs with stress, so I’m looking forward to seeing all of the kids before I head back to work on Easter Sunday.

I am a big fan of skittle manicures, I like getting to enjoy a few colours at a time and think that looks like this are quite fun! I am hoping to use some of these for full manicures soon as well, make sure you follow me on Instagram (@emmabovary) as I post most of my nail looks on there.

Colours Used:

Australis Sweet Pea

Face of Australis Lemon Sorbet

OPI Pink-ing of You                  

Kit Cosmetics Pinata Purple*

Face of Australia Minty Mojito

How often do you indulge in a skittle mani? What are your plans for this Easter long weekend?

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.